Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing flew to Germany earlier this spring to see if she could talk RWE AG into selling the city its part of Illinois American Water Company.  Of course, they said “nein,” but the News-Gazette reports that Illinois American did announce yesterday (coincidentally, they claim) they plan to “build a new water treatment plant in west Champaign, part of $40 million in capital improvements planned over the next five years.”

So, I guess the trip wasn’t all for naught.