Chicago Weather

It's a holiday season of sharing with those in need

Terry Savage: Demand is up; supply is down. Not talking about the markets here, or the hottest Christmas toy. This is the problem afflicting the nation's charities. The recession continues to take its toll, with more people in need. They include individuals and families who had always been able to take care of themselves, but are now unemployed for two years or more. That's where you and I come in.

Walgreens spots hit the mark again

Lewis Lazare: What would the holidays be without a few surprises. And that's often what we've gotten at this time of year from Walgreens and its agency of record, Downtown Partners/Chicago. This season, Downtown Partners has opted for more of a musical stage show approach. Very upbeat with lots of movement and wit in the writing.

Brothers bring back city classic -- Maurice Lenell

From the crumbling of the famed Maurice Lenell Cooky Co. comes a new Chicago store to peddle the sweets. A pair of Chicago brothers have opened a spot to sell the cookies, the first retail store dedicated to the brand since the company's 2008 shuttering of operations in Norridge.

Emanuel outlines green agenda

Rahm Emanuel unveiled a proposal to make 21,000 residential and commercial buildings in Chicago energy efficient next year by creating a $10 million fund that he projected will leverage an additional $100 million and create more than 400 jobs. Emanuel, who is seeking to become the next mayor of Chicago, said the initial $10 million would come in part from unused federal stimulus funds.

Soft spot in aircraft security

The Ride: While grandparents traveling for the holidays are getting airport patdowns, there's another security threat hiding in airplane storage compartments -- unscreened cargo. Along with the cargo that goes in and out of the country on UPS or FedEx planes, cargo is also carried in the bellies of passenger jets.

Revamped Blockbuster goes for the cheap laugh in ads

Blockbuster, once a behemoth in the movie-rental business, has fallen on hard times. While aggressive competitors were moving in a big way toward doing business through the mail and online, Blockbuster stuck for too long with its huge number of retail stores. Blockbuster's inability to stay in touch with the changing times finally forced it into bankruptcy in September, and many of those rental stores that no one wanted to trek to any more are now shuttered.

Some tips on keeping your holiday spending in check

The holidays can be stressful as family, friends and spending collide -- and more so during tough times. Here are a few tips for minding your holiday money manners.

College students going online for degree programs

Danny Ashcom reports for class in the living room of his Uptown one-bedroom apartment. The 32-year-old counselor is earning an online master's degree in computer science through the University of Illinois at Springfield. He started the program in August, the same month he graduated with a traditional bricks-and-mortar master's degree in psychology from a different school. Online classes and degree programs have exploded in size and popularity in the last decade.

All signs pointing to tax compromise

BY DAVID ESPO

Senate Republicans derailed legislation Saturday to extend expiring tax cuts at all but the highest income levels in a political showdown that paradoxically clears a path for a compromise with the White House on steps to boost the economy.

Gulf Coast looks to Midwest retirees for post-spill boom

By JAY REEVES

For all the oil spill claims and cleanup work by BP, retirees from the Midwest may be the best survival bet for some Gulf Coast resort towns this winter. After a disastrous summer tourism season and a slower-than-normal fall, Midwestern and Northern visitors known as �snowbirds� already are flocking along the Gulf for the winter.

PayPal cuts WikiLeaks cash source

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WikiLeaks has lost a major source of revenue after the online payment service provider PayPal cut off its account used to collect donations, saying the website is engaged in illegal activity.

Green Fund chooses Northern Trust as subadviser

David Roeder: Chicago's largest locally based bank is a center for social activism. Who knew? Northern Trust (NTRS), doyen of La Salle Street, does a significant business as a manager of socially screened portfolios. These are accounts that avoid companies with a business that can be deemed objectionable. Northern Trust's commitment to this business was unmasked with an announcement that it has been named the subadviser for the Green Century Equity Fund (GCEQX).

Grants help city meet 'Digital Excellence' goals

Online job training, after-school activities for kids and free netbook computer giveaways for families who complete computer training are getting a huge boost across Chicago, thanks to two federal stimulus grants totaling $16.05 million. "These grants allow us to deliver on many elements of the city's 'Digital Excellence' plan, which focuses on providing high-speed computer access, relevant local online content and affordable computer software, hardware, education and awareness," said Hardik Bhatt, former chief information office for the city of Chicago.

Unemployment at 9.8%

The bumpy recovery ride continued last month as the nation's unemployment rate hit a seven-month high and the economy created far fewer jobs than expected, but the stock market shrugged off the news. The jobless rate rose to 9.8 percent in November from 9.6 percent the previous three months, the Labor Department report showed.

Card designer wins 2nd Hallmark contest

BY STEFANIE FRAZIER Beacon News

Aurora's Mikki Kramer has designed the perfect greeting card to give someone feeling burned out in a 9 to 5 office job. The dental office clerk from Aurora's recently won a contest by Hallmark to create a card based on the hit television show "The Office.''

You can't refuse 'Godfather' house

The eight-bedroom New York City mansion used in the 1972 mobster epic �The Godfather� is for sale.

Business briefs

BP challenging U.S. estimate of amount of oil spill

12 stories of turmoil

Community opposition is blocking a proposed redevelopment of the old Lincoln Park Hospital property on the North Side, but the local alderman said she hopes to broker a compromise before she leaves office next spring. Ald. Vi Daley (43rd) said developers will have to redesign plans for a 20,000-square-foot Fresh Market grocery on the site at Lincoln and Webster. Sandz Development Co. wants the store, a medical office building and about 160 condominiums on the three-acre site nestled in one of Chicago�s wealthiest neighborhoods.

Guillen's son makes his own name as broadcaster

Lewis Lazare: Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen may be pegged as a wild card in the major-league baseball world. But his son Ozzie Guillen Jr., 26, is all business. Especially when talking about his role as color commentator for Spanish-language radio broadcasts of the Chicago Bulls.

Stores savor sweet sales in November, report shows

Shoppers showed their willingness to spend as they kicked off the holiday retail season in November, with formerly weak department-store sales seeing strong increases along with discount stores, according to retail sales reports issued Thursday.

Big dreams for Northerly Island

Northerly Island would get a dramatic makeover that would expand its nature sanctuary to Lake Michigan with a series of offshore reefs -- complete with a sunken ship -- that would create a water playground for swimmers, divers and kayakers under plans unveiled by the Chicago Park District Thursday.

Area spends more on needs

Where did our dollars go?

'You won't be able to sell your house,' Daley warns

The Illinois Senate on Thursday approved police and firefighter pension legislation that Mayor Daley warned would blow a $550 million hole in the city budget, but the top Senate Democrat pledged to try softening that financial hit next month.

Mag Mile Borders to close Jan. 7

Shoppers determined to find bargains will have their final chance this holiday to hunt for books, music and e-readers at Borders bookstore at 830 N. Michigan Ave., because the store closes Jan. 7.

Mortgage rates climb a little bit

Rates on fixed mortgages edged up again this week after hitting their lowest level in decades last month.

Meeks: Raise retirement age?

State Sen. James Meeks identified some of the tough medicine he says city employees might have to swallow to solve a $20 billion unfunded liability in the city's pensions if he is elected mayor.

Boss goes 'Undercover' as Chicago window washer

On CBS' "Undercover Boss" this Sunday, the CEO of a national maintenance company gets a good look at a client building in Chicago -- from the outside.

Congress turning down volume on commercials

WASHINGTON -- Here's a message TV viewers may not want to mute: The days of getting blasted out of the easy chair by blaring TV commercials may soon be over.