Ailing markets signal hard times ahead for Caterpillar
By H. Will Racke Last year was a rough one for Caterpillar Inc. Unfortunately for the heavy machinery giant, a cyclical downturn in the global industries it supplies could make 2016 as bad or worse. The Peoria, Ill.-based firm is the world’s largest manufacturer of construction, mining and energy extraction equipment. Its dominant position in […]
Fed rate hike spurs jump in mortgage applications
By Xiumei Dong Mortgage applications jumped last week, a trade group reported Wednesday, as consumers rushed to refinance their homes before interest rates move higher. For the week ending Jan. 8, total applications increased 21.3 percent from the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association survey, reaching the second […]
Chicago ministers say no to King breakfast with the mayor
By Hannah Gebresilassie Who wants breakfast? Not ministers and activists in Chicago. In light of the controversy surrounding the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and Cedrick Chatman, also 17, religious leaders say they will join activists in a protest on Friday morning outside of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s planned private commemorative breakfast of Dr. Martin […]
Federal judge orders commodities trader to pay nearly $500 million
By Steven Porter Sanctions amounting to nearly half a billion dollars have been imposed upon an offshore commodity-pool operator who for years defrauded American investors, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Wednesday. The penalty is the result of a 2012 civil complaint filed by the CFTC against Nikolai Battoo and his companies BC Capital […]
Foxx wins key endorsement from Cook County Dems, tightening state’s attorney race
By Max Greenwood Kim Foxx, the former chief of staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle running for state’s attorney, won a key ally in the Cook County Democratic Party on Thursday, five months after the party said it wouldn’t endorse a candidate for the office. The endorsement could pose a significant challenge for […]
Dinosaurs in heat: the original lovebirds
By Kathleen Ferraro The first physical evidence of dinosaur lovefests–long grooves likely created by amorous dinosaurs in the throes of a courtship ritual–has been discovered in Western Colorado, researchers are reporting. Paleontologist Martin Lockley, of the University of Colorado at Denver, along with an international research team, discovered scrapes likely made by two-legged, meat-eating theropod […]
Evanston lotto fever
By Lawrence Rigby Evanston had a Powerball lottery winner in 2014. Can the Chicagoland produce a jackpot record-breaking winner again?
Southsiders want say in search for city’s next top cop
By Aryn Braun Still reeling from the fallout after recent police shootings on the South and West sides, residents vented their frustration at a Chicago Police Board meeting in Englewood Tuesday, calling for more involvement in the search for a new police superintendent. “The superintendent’s job is not a title,” said Jack Sullivan, 60, of […]
Mobile banking trumps in-house visits, survey says
By Katie Murar For the first time ever, mobile banking exceeded physical banking in 2015, according to information gathered from over 3,100 U.S. consumers over five years by Javelin Strategy & Research, an entity of Connecticut financial-industry research firm Greenwich Associates LLC. The survey asked individuals whether they had done online-banking in the past week, […]
Turnovers holding Wildcats back in Big Ten play
By Michelle R. Martinelli Joe McKeown threw both hands in the air. The Northwestern women’s basketball coach was exasperated after watching his team turn the ball over on its last possession of the third quarter at Michigan State on Sunday. To make matters worse, the Wildcats did the exact same thing just 13 seconds into […]