"As many as 20,000 more Illinois students could get loans to go to college this year under a deal to be announced Sunday," the Chicago Sun-Times reports. "Despite the current nationwide credit crunch, the State of Illinois secured $100 million for the student loans by tapping a new source - credit unions. Up to 97 percent of the principle and interest of the loans is guaranteed by the federal government. To sweeten the pot for the credit unions, the state agreed to guarantee the remaining 3 percent."