El Tayeb and Elshorbagy deliver an Egyptian sweep at the Windy City Open

By Annanya Johari Medill Reports Under the chandeliers of the iconic Cathedral Hall at the University Club of Chicago, Nour El Tayeb and Mohamed ElShorbagy claimed a championship sweep for Egypt Wednesday at the Windy City Open 2018 squash tournament. An Egyptian winner was a certainty in the men’s draw since the finalists were the […]

For Native American youth, the hoop dance is more than a competition

By Dena Khalafallah Medill Reports The World Championship Hoop Dance Contest is held annually at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Judges determine the top winners in five age divisions by evaluating dancers’ precision, timing, rhythm, showmanship, speed and creativity. In Native American hoop dancing, the hoops represent different stages and forms of existence and […]

Kohl’s beats estimates but stock falls

By Richard Foster-Shelton Medill Reports Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE:KSS), based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., reported increases in revenues and net income, exceeding analysts’ expectations, for the fourth quarter ended Feb. 3. But the stock fell. Helped by strong holiday sales, tighter inventory control and a tax benefit, the company reported net income of $468 million, or […]

Abbott buys rights to a vascular balloon, possibly confronting Medtronic

Roxanne (Yanchun) Liu Medill Reports Illinois-based healthcare giant Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) announced Tuesday that it would pay up to $92 million to secure global commercialization rights for SurVeil, a Minnesota company’s drug-coated vascular balloon designed to treat peripheral artery disease, or PAD, a niche market already occupied by muscular competitors including Medtronic PLC (NYSE: MDT). […]

Japan’s top e-retailer hopes sports sponsorships increase U.S. awareness

By Brian Baker Medill Reports When the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors arrive for practice, they arrive at the Rakuten Performance Center in Oakland. When they put on their game jerseys, they put on a jersey with a Rakuten logo. In Spain, FC Barcelona, one of the world’s most recognizable soccer teams, also wears […]

Devastation still evident in Puerto Rico five months after Maria

By Elizabeth Beyer Medill Reports Rolling blackouts and lack of access to running water still plague much of Puerto Rico five months after Hurricane Maria struck the island. Residents of the La Perla neighborhood of San Juan fear they will be left out of plans to rebuild the electric delivery system entirely. That threatens to leave the community on its […]

Can robots solve the aging problem in Japan’s work force?

A robot receptionist in Hann na Hotel in Ginza, Tokyo.

By Minghe Hu Medill Reports It’s getting hard for employers to find qualified workers in Japan, and a rapidly aging society is the reason for the worker shortage. Robots may help. In September 2017, 28 percent of the population was over 65 years old, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan. […]

Bringing 18th century elegance to the 21st century

By Loumay Alesali Medill Reports Antique furniture restoration is the business that Ziggy Osak started after turning his hobby into a passionate career. He opened his first workshop at his home garage in Evanston in 1984, then started his first shop on Main Street in Evanston in 1987. The store is named Evanstonia because Osak […]

Vending machines fill in for a labor shortage in Japan

By Xinyi (Ethel) Jiang Medill Reports Tourists are often surprised by the large number of vending machines in Japan. “When you are thirsty, you always have something to drink, because there are vending machines for everything,” said visitor Angelica Spadaro. There are more than 5.5 million vending machines in Japan — one for every 23 […]