Consumer prices surged 8.6% last month from a year earlier, faster than April’s year-over-year increase of 8.3%, the Labor Department said Friday. The new inflation figure, the highest since 1981, will heighten pressure on the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates aggressively.

The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights, easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Irving Park on Chicago’s Northwest Side is a spacious community area with a variety of local businesses and provides easy access to transportation. 

When thousands of families were forced to move out of the ABLA Homes public housing complex two decades ago, leaders promised they would be able to come back to new housing. Now, after building less than a third of the promised new units, officials are moving to redevelop the largest plot of empty land at ABLA — but not for housing.

Starting in July, minimum wage employees of larger businesses will see their paychecks rise by 40 cents an hour to $15.40

The state has awarded 48 cultivation licenses to craft cannabis growers, and 100% of the licenses are going to social equity winners — folks who were most impacted by the nation’s so-called war on drugs.  

The Hyde Park vote brings the total number of unionized Starbucks locations in the Chicago area to four. Bucktown Starbucks employees are currently voting by mail on unionizing, with results expected next Tuesday. 

A legal brawl between Fifth Third Bank and federal regulators is underway; Walmart is hiring big time; and a new study says Cook County has earned itself a new title: climate change refuge. 

Raquel Graham started her company, Roq Innovation, in 2014 when she was looking for a scarf her kids would wear. What started out as a fix to a problem is now a booming business operating out of a West Town warehouse.

Last month’s gain reflects a resilient job market that has so far shrugged off concerns that the economy will weaken in the coming months as the Federal Reserve steadily raises interest rates to fight inflation.

On the Southwest side, a small community with a population of about 20,000 people offers a suburban feel and is home to many families. And it’s promoting education as the foundation of its hopes and dreams.

On the heels of Chicago’s first two Starbucks locations voting to join a union last Wednesday, workers at one of the company’s Edgewater coffee shops announced plans to file for representation Tuesday morning. 

A South Side chef is on a mission to make classic comfort foods healthy. David Fuller is founder and president of Eating to Live, a vegan line of dishes that can be found in Chicago-area stores. 

After having its dealers license temporarily suspended, Carvana is once again able to sell vehicles to Illinoisans, but can't issue temporary registration permits or license plates. 

The Lincoln Park community area lies just west of its 1,200-acre namesake park. It’s one of the city’s most affluent and tony communities, but an uptick in crime has residents concerned, prompting some areas to hire private security.

Amazonians United says Black and Latino workers have been harassed while taking bathroom breaks and that managers have made derogatory and racist comments. The group accuses management of wrongfully firing Rakyle Johnson for sabotaging equipment, despite no proof on video and testimony to the contrary from nearby coworkers.