The man who found a new way to look at high school basketball rankings
By Eric Burgher For Charlie Essig, it has always been about the numbers. After working 42 years as an engineer, he transferred his mathematical expertise to his passion project, the Essig Report, a computer program he devised measuring the comparative strength of high school teams in Illinois based on game performances versus strength of schedule. […]
The seven-seconds-or-less Senn Bulldogs
By Mark Singer For the first hour and a half of every practice, the Senn boys’ basketball team focuses on one area: making layups. Early in the preseason, if someone missed a layup, all 45 players on the freshman, sophomore and varsity teams ran the length of the court and back three times. The drills […]
Chicago feminists critical of Obama, conflicted over Trump
By Ritu Prasad For many involved with grassroots feminism in Chicago, Barack Obama’s presidency wasn’t all it was promised to be. Feminist leaders now look to the Donald Trump administration with a conflicting sense of apprehension and tentative hope. At the Women & Children First bookstore, seated beneath a colorful collection of children’s books with […]
Obama’s final days in office foreshadow service as civilian
By Alex Whittler President Obama will hold his final news conference Wednesday, two days before President-Elect Donald Trump is sworn into office. The conference will likely be the last time Americans hear from the 44th president as a sitting commander in chief, although many view the events from his final days in office as examples […]
Chicagoan shares an experience and neighborly kinship with Barack Obama
By Alexis Wainwright What many south side Chicagoans liked the most about Barack Obama is that he lived down the street: accessible, real and humble. Unlike presidents of the past he had a house on a city street, like most of us. South-side resident Shawntavia Brazil explains why she had to be a part of […]
Caesars Entertainment bankruptcy approved after two years in court
By Katherine Hyunjung Lee In what he described as a “monumental” case, Judge A. Benjamin Goldgar of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chicago approved on Tuesday the chapter 11 reorganization of Caesars Entertainment Operating Company, closing the $18 billion bankruptcy case that began two years ago. Caesars Entertainment Operating Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of […]
Economists upbeat on Trump economy
By Karen Lentz and Yifang (Evonne) Liu The U.S. economy ended 2016 in a better place than it started, and despite some concerns, economists remain optimistic for continued positive results under the incoming Trump administration. A panel of financial experts shared their forecasts for the economy, the markets, interest rates and regulatory changes that are […]
Trump, Boeing CEO work to lower cost of Air Force One
By Shen Lu Boeing Co. will reduce the costs of an Air Force One upgrade, the company’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg said after a Tuesday meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in New York. The meeting was held at Trump’s request after he pressured the Chicago-based aerospace and defense company last month to lower prices on the […]
UnitedHealth profit increases 56 percent in fourth quarter
By Rachel Newman UnitedHealth Group Inc. reported a 56 percent increase in profit in the fourth quarter of 2016, driven by continued growth of its health services business and a nearly 16 percent increase in revenue from premiums. The Minnesota-based company reported a fourth quarter profit of $1.9 billion, or $1.96 diluted earnings per share, […]
Winter Bike Challenge: Chicago Cyclists Brave the Elements
By Kathleen McAuliffe Chicago bike commuters are braving icy roads and freezing temperatures as part of the Winter Bike Challenge, a two-week cycling initiative meant to increase winter bike commuting. During the third annual event, which is free through online registration, riders log their mileage from trips taken through Jan. 27. The Challenge, which will […]