Tax Reform Boosts AutoNation Results
By Brian Baker Medill Reports AutoNation Inc. reported quarterly results that beat analyst estimates due to strong profit growth on used vehicles, benefits from recent U.S. tax reform and business divestitures. Nevertheless, the stock dropped nearly 4 percent. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based auto retail chain reported net income of $151.3 million or $1.64 per share […]
U.S. Home Prices Increased 6.2% in November
By Ang Gao Medill Reports The S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index rose 6.2 percent in November, up slightly from 6.1 percent in the previous month. The number is unadjusted without considering inflation. A low inventory of houses in the market, especially a shortage of low-end houses, is putting pressure on home prices, said Bryce […]
Activists and business leaders come together to combat gentrification in Pilsen
By Jessica Villagomez On a cold autumn evening on November 30, La Catrina Café, located in the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen, transformed into a space meant for discussion. The café, which has a spacious lounge for customers to eat and drink traditional Mexican treats, reinvented itself in the span of half an hour. Small tables […]
Composing music for mummies
By Jourdan Kerl Medill Reports Each ancient portraits’ piercing gaze leaps from the shadows of the gray walls, lending an ambience of an abyss at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University. The exhibit “Paint the Eyes Softer: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt.” features portraits painted to be placed over the faces of wrapped mummies. […]
Women’s March participant uses event as platform for Puerto Rico
By Yvaine Ye Medill Reports Among 300 thousand others who gathered in downtown Chicago for Women’s March two weeks ago, there was Liseth Carpenter, holding a sign with both Puerto Rican and American flags attached. Aside from the universal theme of equal rights for women, Carpenter was also protesting over the unequal treatment she says […]
Local entrepreneur expands compost pickup business to corporate clients, restaurant chains
By Rebecca Fanning Medill Reports The United States has a food waste problem. Americans throw more than 130 billion pounds of food into landfills each year according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And as it rots, that food releases methane — a greenhouse gas and major contributor to climate change — into the atmosphere. […]
First Midwest Bancorp shares sink as fourth-quarter performance fails expectations
By Jinman Li Medill Reports Shares plummeted by 4.1 percent after First Midwest Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: FMBI), the holding company of First Midwest Bank, released fourth-quarter earnings that fell short of Wall Street expectations. The Itasca, Ill.-based company reported net income of $2.3 million, or 2 cents per diluted share, for the quarter ended Dec. […]
McDonald’s reports strong adjusted earnings
By Sarah Foster Medill Reports McDonald’s Corp. supersized its adjusted profits and sales, exceeding expectations, for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, as cheap meals and promotional deals successfully lured more customers into stores. Adjusted profits for the world’s largest fast-food chain, before a big tax charge, soared 9 percent to $1.89 billion, or $1.71 […]
UIC claims fourth straight road win with dominant performance at Milwaukee
By Robbie Weinstein Medill Reports In the final moments of UIC’s 74-56 win over Milwaukee, a group of Flames fans celebrated with a chant that filled a mostly empty UWM-Panther arena. This is our court! This is our court! An incredulous student stood up, pointing to the Milwaukee logo at midcourt and offering his glasses […]
Artists track 100 years of Chicago police violence to fight against it
Xiaozhang(Shaw) Wan Medill Reports Artworks about 100 years of Chicago police violence are on exhibition “to help people better understand what led to present circumstances,” according to the exhibition brochure. The exhibition, “Do Not Resist: 100 Years of Chicago Police Violence,” is open through varying February dates, with different works on display at the Hairpin Arts Center, […]