Chicago fast-food workers continue call for a $15 minimum wage
By Wenjing Yang Deshawn Bell, 35, is a fast food worker in Chicago. He has been working at a McDonald’s restaurant for the past ten years and struggles to make ends meet. He joined a march on May 23rd in downtown Chicago that drew 1,500 demonstrators from across the nation to call for a $15 […]
Victim advocates, survivors stand in silence against sexual assault
By Wenjing Yang A silent protest in downtown Chicago attracted 170 survivors of sexual violence, their supporters and victim advocates. The lunch-hour protest was a visual demonstration of the silencing of survivors of sexual violence, the organizers said. They wore T-shirts bearing the stories of sexual assault survivors in order to raise awareness. “There’s usually […]
Wrigleyville’s surge parking begins with Cubs home opener
By Wenjing Yang The Chicago Cubs opened their season at home on Monday and the city of Chicago launched its surge parking experiment in Wrigleyville. Parking meter rates will double from $2 to $4 per hour starting two hours before games and events and ending at midnight. The city’s experiment with surge parking affects 1,100 […]
Chicago coding bootcamp trains veterans for IT
By Wenjing Yang Conlin McManus, 23, heard about Code Platoon, a coding school in Chicago geared for veterans, two weeks before the end of his active duty as a Marine. He thought it could be “a fighting chance” for him to develop a successful civilian career. Code Platoon, a Chicago nonprofit that puts military veterans […]
Chicago celebrates 180th birthday with families and cheesecake
By Wenjing Yang Chicago, city of the big shoulders, turned 180 years old on Saturday. The Chicago History Museum threw a special birthday bash with free admission for Illinois residents, a 60-pound Eli’s cheesecake and a jazz trio that led the crowd in a chorus of “Happy Birthday”. Guest speaker Vincent Romero, interim executive director […]
Chicago startup Rippleshot helps banks combat fraud
By Wenjing Yang Card transactions have gained, if not surpassed cash, in the 21st century economy. While card use can afford consumers great convenience, the risk of fraud is ever-increasing, bringing headaches to banks and merchants. Rippleshot, a Chicago-based financial technology startup, uses algorithm-based analytics to help reduce these risks with earlier predictions of where […]
U.S. Cellular reports weak subscriber growth, shares plummet
By Wenjing Yang Shares of United States Cellular Corp. plummeted nearly 9 percent on Friday after the company reported worse-than-expected subscriber metrics in the fourth quarter and announced that it will introduce unlimited-data plans. U.S. Cellular shares closed at $40.90, down $3.94. The Chicago-based wireless services provider reported its net loss widened to $6 million, […]
U.S. Cellular faces price competition, other challenges
By Wenjing Yang United States Cellular Corp. is expected to maintain modest growth by focusing on less competitive rural markets amid Wall Street’s downbeat forecast on subscriber growth, while facing price pressure and scale disadvantage in competing with national carriers in 2017. Analysts anticipate the Chicago-based wireless service provider will post revenue of $4.02 billion […]
Gasoline drives consumer prices to biggest increase in 4 years
By Wenjing Yang The U.S. consumer price index recorded its biggest increase in nearly four years in January, led by higher costs for gasoline and signaling that inflation may be gaining momentum. The CPI, which measures the price changes of certain consumer goods and services purchased by households, climbed a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent last […]
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 […]
