The April unemployment rate in Illinois jumped to 11.2 percent from 9.6 percent in April last year, although slightly lower than the 11.5 percent the state reported sequentially for March 2010.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon named David Steward, chairman of St. Louis-based World Wide Technology, to a new four-member executive advisory board being formed to help Missouri Economic Development Director David Kerr guide development of a new five-year plan for economic growth.