The sale of Peabody Coal Co. for $1.2 billion was approved June 7 by the Federal Trade Commission. It was the largest government ordered divestiture in U.S. history .... Keeping its Triple-A rating from Standard and Poor's Corporation and Moody's Investor's Services, Illinois sold $150 million in general obligation bonds June 14 at an interest rate of 4.97 per cent. The rate for the state's last sale in March was 5.11 percent. . .. Traffic deaths in Illinois totaled 746 for the first five months of 1977. This represents an increase of one per cent over the same period 1976 when 737 persons were killed. Although monthly totals vary, the number of fatalities has declined every year since 1974 .... Urging enrollment cuts in teacher training programs, the Board of Higher Education pointed out in its June meeting that the number of elementary and high school education professionals went up from 120,000 to 130,000 in the years 1971 through 1975 despite a 117,000 drop in pupil enrollment during the same period. Illinois needs about 5,600 new teachers each year but turned out 13,872 university graduates with teaching degrees in 1975.... The state's maximum weekly unemployment benefits were raised for a person with no dependents from $ 110 to $ 115 , and for a married person with a non-working spouse, from $132 to $138. The change, which was effective July 1, is based on an increase in the statewide average weekly wage from $219 to $228. Maximum weekly unemployment benefits for married persons claiming dependent children continues to be $ 135 per week .... A Federal Power Commission report on residential gas consumption from July 1976 through February 1977 shows Illinois exceeded last year's figures by 14 per cent — second only to Ohio and Pennsylvania .... Maximum interest rate in July for loans secured by residential real estate is 9.75 per cent.... Preliminary figures for June showed I the state's unemployment rate was 4.6 per cent. In May the seasonally adjusted rate was 5.2 per cent.
August 1977 / Illinois Issues / 25