Illinois $480-million GO bond gets solid reception despite budget impasse
By Harvard Zhang The state of Illinois was able to sell $480 million of general obligation bonds Thursday at a lower interest rate than the last competitive sale, despite its ongoing budget deadlock and pension logjam. Bank of America Merrill Lynch won the bidding among nine competitors at an overall interest rate of 3.99 percent, […]
Gun control emerges as issue in Congressional 10th with new ad from Schneider
By Caroline Kenny Less than a week after President Obama introduced executive orders to reduce gun violence, Former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in the 10th Congressional District, released his first broadcast campaign advertisement this week highlighting his history as a strong advocate for gun control. Schneider, who served the […]
Uptown homeless endure cold in tent city
By Rebekah Frumkin Chicago’s homeless struggle to survive the bitter cold in tents. Medill reporter Rebekah Frumkin spent time talking with residents of the Uptown Tent City, an encampment under Lake Shore Drive where 20 of Chicago’s roughly 125,000 homeless live.
Workouts rev up “feel good” brain chemicals that help block stress and pain
By Adriana Fernandez Mallory Paul exercises almost every day – and it’s not just because she works as a membership adviser at Equinox Fitness in The Loop. The Dallas native sees her morning cardio workout as a fitness ritual that also energizes feelings of self-confidence and helps her sleep at night. Paul suffers from insomnia. […]
JPMorgan Profits Soar as First Big Bank to Release Earnings in 2016
By Katie Murar JPMorgan Chase & Co. took to Twitter early Thursday morning to report better-than-expected results, with expense cuts making up for slow revenue growth. In the fourth quarter, New York-based JPMorgan posted net income of $5.43 billion, or $1.32 per diluted share, up 10 percent from $4.93 billion, or $1.19 per share in […]
PETA distributes fur coats to Bronzeville homeless
By Harry Huggins The animal rights group, PETA, helped distribute fur coats to homeless women at a Chicago nonprofit women Thursday morning. The coats came from a series of fur donation drives across America and were distributed to the clients of Matthew House in Bronzeville. “The cold hurts in Chicago, you know,” Robin Powell said, […]
Chicago’s soda tax debate bubbles over
By Talia Beechick Sweetened beverage sales decreased in Mexico by 12 percent after the country added an extra tax for the products, reigniting the debate in Chicago on the proposed “soda tax” before the City Council. Mexico’s tax on sugar-sweetened drinks also spurred increased sales of untaxed beverages such as bottled water, according to a […]
Ailing markets signal hard times ahead for Caterpillar
By H. Will Racke Last year was a rough one for Caterpillar Inc. Unfortunately for the heavy machinery giant, a cyclical downturn in the global industries it supplies could make 2016 as bad or worse. The Peoria, Ill.-based firm is the world’s largest manufacturer of construction, mining and energy extraction equipment. Its dominant position in […]
Fed rate hike spurs jump in mortgage applications
By Xiumei Dong Mortgage applications jumped last week, a trade group reported Wednesday, as consumers rushed to refinance their homes before interest rates move higher. For the week ending Jan. 8, total applications increased 21.3 percent from the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association survey, reaching the second […]
Chicago ministers say no to King breakfast with the mayor
By Hannah Gebresilassie Who wants breakfast? Not ministers and activists in Chicago. In light of the controversy surrounding the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and Cedrick Chatman, also 17, religious leaders say they will join activists in a protest on Friday morning outside of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s planned private commemorative breakfast of Dr. Martin […]
