Fitness sales help Brunswick beat expectations

By Wenjing Yang Brunswick Corp., an Illinois-based leading boat, marine engine and fitness equipment maker, reported better-than-expected earnings, helped by strong growth in the fitness segment and solid domestic sales. Net income for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 swung to $17.7 million, or 19 cents per diluted share, compared with a net loss of […]

Caterpillar Slumps on Weak Demand, Trims Outlook

Photo at top: A Caterpillar RP5500 multi-use generator. Caterpillar Thursday reported a lager loss in the fourth quarter as sales declined 13 percent on continued soft demand. (Courtesy of Caterpillar Inc.)

By Mengjie (Jessie) Jiang Caterpillar Inc. reported large fourth-quarter and full-year losses on Thursday due largely to three non-cash charges and higher-than-expected restructuring costs in the wake of global economic weakness. In the quarter the world’s largest construction and equipment maker’s loss ballooned to $1.17 billion, or $2 per diluted share, from a year-earlier loss […]

U.S. trade deficit for goods narrows in December

container spain Jumilla Flickr

by Jingnan Huo The U.S. international trade deficit for goods narrowed to $65 billion in December from $65.3 billion in November, seasonally adjusted, according to an advance report released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday. Economists were expecting no change in the deficit. Exports grew 3 percent to $125.52 billion from $121.85 billion in November, […]

Junior college transfer finding success at Loyola

Aundre Jackson warms up before a game against Bradley

By Elan Kane Shawn Trochim, the McLennan (Tex.) Community College athletic director, called men’s basketball coach Kevin Gill one day to talk about the actions of forward Aundre Jackson. But Jackson was not in trouble. Far from it. Trochim had just received a call about how Jackson and a few of his teammates had helped […]

Fewer millennials buy homes though wages rise

By Zhu Zhu An improving job market and rising wages in 2016 had housing experts and economists predicting that millennials, those between the age of 20 and 36, would soon start doing what generations before them have done at their age: get married and buy a home. But those key markers of adulthood, especially buying […]

3D printed bone may hold key to treating birth defects and accidents

By Puja Bhattacharjee The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year, about 2,650 babies are born with a cleft palate and 4,440 babies are born with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate in the U.S. It is a birth defect where a missing bone in the upper palate […]

Wheels of Change: Dating for Gay Men with Disabilities

Aaron Anderson with his dog Buddy in his Uptown apartment.

By Peter Jones Peter Vishneski was 20 years old when a car accident left him paralyzed from the chest down. The Oak Park native was attending college at St. Louis University but had to take a year off to recover. Four years later, Vishneski has adapted to life as a wheelchair user and plans to […]

Metals markets get a Trump boost

By Jiefei Liu Metals markets are rallying, due to expected economic growth and inflation pressure, and insiders expect the trend to keep going for some time. The S&P GSCI Industrial Metals Index, a barometer for manufacturing, closed at 312.12 Wednesday, 32 percent higher than one year ago. Copper for March delivery settled at $2.71 per […]

The formula of Curie’s Terry Smith Jr.

By Astasia Williams It’s two hours before game time at Curie High School. There’s one player shooting from the three-point line and 10 more under the hoop fighting for the rebound. Another player sits on the bleachers with his head bowed, blasting the new J. Cole song False Prophets through his Beats headphones. During the […]

Though its shares surge, Wall Street is cautious about Tesla

By Yemeng Yang Wall Street is divided about the stock of Tesla Motors Inc., even as investors are cheering the electric car maker’s prospects under the new administration. Shares of Tesla closed at $254.47 Wednesday, down 14 cents or 0.05 percent. But the stock has soared $59 or 30 percent since the election.