Low-fare airlines Spirit and Frontier announce a multi-billion-dollar merger; the controversy over the Miami Dolphins may have an impact on the race for Chicago's casino; and three multi-million-dollar homes are now off the market for those searching for local luxury homes.

The agency said it would no longer use a third-party service, called ID.me, for facial recognition. Critics of the software said the database could become a target for cyberthreats. 

If you abstained from drinking throughout the first month of this year, a movement known as "dry January," congratulations — you made it!  Now, if you want to make it a tipsy February, a local business is bringing its version of a classic Mexican tipple to liquor stores near you.

The government's report Friday also drastically revised up its estimate of job gains for November and December by a combined 709,000. It also said the unemployment rate ticked up last month from 3.9% to a still-low 4%.

In the fall, UCAN announced Christa Hamilton would be the first female and first Black person to lead the organization. More recently, lifetime resident pastor James Brooks became the CEO of the Lawndale Christian Health Center.

As the so-called Great Resignation continues, companies have had to get creative with recruiting and retaining talented employees. The newest benefit some companies are experimenting with is a four-day workweek.

The controversial deli was issued two citations, which will trigger a hearing before fines ranging between $100 and $10,000 can be imposed.

Deerfield-based Walgreens Boots Alliance is taking bids for its international drugstore chain, Boots. Boeing makes a $450 million investment in Wisk, an autonomous air-taxi start up. And Chicago’s Loop Capital announces its acquiring BMO Asset Management. 

Stocks are mixed Monday as Wall Street heads for its worst month since the early days of the pandemic, weighed by worries that imminent hikes in interest rates will make everything in markets more challenging.

Known as the “Black Metropolis,” the neighborhood became a hub for African American businesses in the early 1900s and has remained a popular place to live, especially for Chicago’s Black community. Now, a recent construction boom is replacing vacant lots with high-priced homes. The transformation is the focus of a new podcast series created and produced by Crain’s Chicago Business real estate reporter Dennis Rodkin.

Kenwood stands along the shore of Lake Michigan with a mix of 19th century mansions and affordable housing. It’s an area that’s been fighting the closure of schools and gun violence. We talk with residents who have been here for decades about their investment into the community and more.

The nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — expanded 5.7% in 2021. It was the strongest calendar-year growth since a 7.2% surge in 1984 after a previous recession.

McDonald’s faces a lawsuit that claims systemic racism in the company’s practices. Ann Dwyer has details on that story and more.

In the first half of January, an estimated 8.8 million U.S. workers were reported to have stayed home either because they were sick with COVID-19 or were caring for someone who was sick. The news comes as some workers are running out of employer-provided sick days, or don’t have enough earned sick days to begin with. 

The stock market extended its three-week decline and put the benchmark S&P 500 on track for a so-called correction — a drop of 10% or more from its most recent high. 

Beer is intended to be for everyone, of drinking age of course, but it’s not always made by everyone. The craft beer industry has historically been dominated by white men. That lack of diversity is the inspiration behind a new scholarship initiative in Illinois.