New reports from insurance company State Farm signal just how much the pandemic has upended the auto insurance industry; the Old Post Office welcomes another tenant; and the St. Regis tower sees its highest-priced sale so far.

In Chicago, a group of workers called Amazonians United Chicagoland says it’s seen success from its organizing efforts. 

A man who spent $8.50 apiece in 1984 for a pair of tickets to Michael Jordan’s NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls has sold one of them at auction for $468,000.

In the wake of the decision to reject a permit for a metal shredding and recycling operation on the city’s Southeast Side, environmental justice advocates say now is the time for the city and industrial leaders to work together and find ways to meet the needs of both the community and corporations.

Located on Chicago’s South Side, neighborhood leaders are engaging in block-to-block outreach to tackle gun violence. Others are working to bring investment into a corridor that was once a hub for small businesses. We speak with residents and some of those leaders on the frontlines.

Carvana’s 14-story glass tower will be a blight on Skokie, said residents, whose frustration boiled over at Tuesday night's meeting of the village’s Board of Trustees, where the project received final approval.  

Since we first met Tonika Lewis Johnson in 2020, she has expanded the Folded Map project — adding workshops, a play and a movie.

West Garfield Park residents have a life expectancy of 69 years – one of the lowest in the city. The Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative aims to change that by creating an environment that promotes health and wellness in the neighborhood.

Illinois state legislators are considering a proposal that would help facilitate carpet recycling, but the effort has what one might call wall-to-wall complications.

Tensions and frustrations are running high in the Woodlawn neighborhood as residents feel the effects of the incoming Obama Presidential Center. 

As record-high inflation impacts every American’s wallet, Latino spending patterns mean they could be feeling the pinch even more.

Competition from big-box stores and a lack of successors has forced many small family-run businesses in Chicago to close their doors. But the owner of a longtime fixture on 18th Street is nailing down plans to ensure his store has a different fate.

Officials with the Chicago Department of Public Health rejected the permit because of the “potential adverse changes in air quality and quality of life that would be caused by operations, and health vulnerabilities in the surrounding communities.” 

As a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine looms, residents in the neighborhood are feeling the impact acutely. Many have family still living in Ukraine and feel limited in what they are able to do to help them.

Retail sales jumped 3.8% from December to January, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, a much bigger increase than economists had expected. Though inflation helped boost that figure, most of January’s gain reflected more purchases, not higher prices.

City officials said they would announce no later than Sunday whether they will issue the final permit Southside Recycling needs to start operations.