Young musicians compose their dreams amid changing classical music scene
By Siyuan Du After practicing with his cello for almost six hours alone in the small rehearsal room, Michael van der Sloot picked up the bow to play music he composed himself. No matter what happens, he disciplines himself to spend at least four hours every day with his cello. “I mean it really is […]
Co-champions rally to win at Cantigny
By Scott Guthrie Under the black Titleist tent just behind the 18th green of the Woodside Course at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton, Frank Lindwall slowly removed his weathered hat, let out a sigh and then buried his head in his arms. The high school sophomore from Cedar Rapids seemed to be trying to delay the […]
VIDEO: The 3-D-printed arms race
By Evan Garcia In May of 2013, the online organization Defense Distributed publicly released the blueprints for a plastic 3-D printed handgun they designed and built. Within two days, the U.S. Department of Defense ordered the group to remove this information, but it was too late. By then, over 100,000 people had downloaded the plans for the […]
Midwest manufacturing must move away from Rust Belt reputation, experts warn
By Meredith Wilson While manufacturing in the Midwest isn’t going to disappear, a recovery of the industry won’t happen without innovation, according to business leaders and experts speaking at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference Friday. Rust Belt manufacturing, which has been declining sharply since the 1980s, is beginning to show signs of […]
Panelists: British high-speed trader could not have caused ‘Flash Crash’
By Brian MacIver and Lucy Ren Bloomberg columnist Matt Levine raised eyebrows Friday at the annual conference for the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, saying that everyday Americans don’t need to understand the internal workings of the financial markets. Speaking during a panel discussion, Levine responded to a question from NPR’s Marilyn Geewax who […]
Rahm sells Chicago minus the warts to visiting business journalists
By Ryan Sachetta Mayor Rahm Emanuel presented a glowing picture of the city of Chicago, emphasizing his push for expanding access to education and job gains in a keynote address to the Society of American Business Editors and Writers Friday evening. Left on the cutting room floor was any mention of the city’s pension crisis, […]
VIDEO: Travel companies look to China for future growth
By Brian MacIver, video by Andrew Fowler U.S. travel executives, speaking on a panel at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers annual convention, pointed to China as the future driver of growth in the industry but said luxury high-end travel is being supplanted by more moderate tastes. Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO of Hyatt […]
American malls aren’t dying, but they are tracking your data
By Taylor Hall, video by Siyuan Du Retail industry experts say e-commerce won’t be the death of America’s malls, but the digital evolution will be key in ensuring success for the future. Initial fears over the threat of e-commerce to the shopping mall industry have waned, but with Amazon’s stock up 14 percent after the […]
VIDEO: Young Faces Sparkle at Naperville Lantern Festival Show
By Yining Zhou The Xilin Association, a Naperville-based non-profit foundation dedicated to sharing Asian cultures, held its 10th annual Lantern Festival Show Sunday evening at Compass Auditorium at Naperville. Dancers, singers and musicians expressed the beauty and vitality of the East using the language of art and dance in the show. But the stage did […]
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s refusal to answer questions riles reporters
By Meredith Wilson, video by Andrew Fowler If it was part of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda to court the press during his speech at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference in Chicago, it didn’t quite work out. Rauner, a businessman who made his fortune in private equity, gave the keynote speech on Saturday, […]
