WUIS

Tests on infant formula find no trace of deadly bacteria

Illinois-based Mead Johnson says another batch of tests done on its Enfamil Premium Newborn infant formula found no trace of the bacteria tied to the death of a Missouri baby.

Preliminary hospital tests indicated 10-day-old Avery Cornett died Dec. 18 of a rare infection caused by bacteria known as Cronobacter sakazakii. The source of the bacteria hasn't been determined, but it can be found in powdered formula. Avery had consumed Enfamil Newborn formula.

Illinois is a "plaintiff's paradise"

The American Tort Association ranks Madison, St. Clair and McClean Counties in Ill. among the most unfair court jurisdictions in the nation. Cook County is on the watch list.

The Association is made up of businesses concerned that judges and juries in those counties are more likely to side with plaintiffs. Class action lawsuits often result in huge payouts.

Travis Akin is with the Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch and says being on the list is a harmful distinction.

Mo. Supreme Court to hear arguments in public defender case

A case that could decide how Missouri public defenders deal with case overload will be heard by the state's Supreme Court today. In July 2010 the public defender office in Christian County announced it had reached its case threshold and could take no more cases. The next month a judge assigned an indigent defendant to that office anyway and the public defender system filed suit.

St. Louis University law professor Susan McGraugh says the high court's decision could have a big impact.

Number of E. coli cases in St. Louis grows

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says there are now 30 confirmed cases of E. coli in the St. Louis area, and officials continue looking for the source. Health officials have tested 55 food samples connected to the St. Louis outbreak, but zero have been confirmed to have E. coli.

The first cases were reported late last month in St. Louis city and St. Louis, Jefferson and St. Charles counties in Missouri and St. Clair County, Illinois.

Reporting from Rachel Otwell of WUIS used in this report.

Illinois might seek a waiver that would provide relief to schools struggling to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The federal law was designed to improve achievement and raise test scores. Schools that failed to keep pace with the standards would be penalized. But as the requirements become more rigorous each year, more schools are struggling to hit the mark.