The Labor Department reported Wednesday that excluding volatile food and gas prices, so-called core prices surged 0.6% from November to December. Measured year over year, core prices jumped 5.5% in December, the fastest such increase since 1991.

The Labor Department also reported Tuesday that employers posted 10.6 million job openings in November, down from 11.1 million in October but still high by historical standards.

Stock indexes are mixed on Wall Street in afternoon trading Tuesday, placing the market within striking distance of another record high as investors close out their positions for 2021.

While some business owners say requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination will limit spread of COVID-19, others worry about how it will impact their business – and how patrons will react. 

A heightened sense of anxiety has begun to erode the willingness of some people and businesses to carry on as usual in the face of the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant, which has fast become the dominant version of the virus in the U.S.

A full-court press from the owners of the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks helped the measure backed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot hit the jackpot despite the opposition of Chicago billionaire and Rivers Casino Des Plaines operator Neil Bluhm.

Families are lining up around the city to meet with the big guy himself. In some places, there's a struggle to meet the demand.

In October, the Chicago City Council approved a $31.5 million plan to send checks to the city’s families most in need, promising immediate assistance. But no assistance has gone out yet.

A full-court press from the owners of the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks on Monday helped push the measure backed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the goal line.

Economists are now voicing a more discouraging message: Higher prices will likely last well into next year, if not beyond.

Restaurants and cafes could continue to serve customers outdoors through 2022 under a proposal set to be considered at Wednesday's City Council meeting.

All bets are in. The state’s gaming commission chose which developers will be allowed to build new suburban casinos — and where. This comes nearly two-and-a-half years after the state’s gambling expansion law passed.

Citing investigations from the Environmental Protection Agency, local residents and activists say their neighborhood cannot withstand the pollution they believe the new Southside Recycling facility will bring.

The holiday shopping season is underway and U.S. sales are on track to surpass spending records. Some small business owners say they hope the season will provide a much-needed boost to revenue as retailers large and small face supply chain issues and inflation more than a year and a half into the pandemic.

A measure that would allow five of Chicago’s professional sports teams let fans place bets at their home arenas and during games stalled again Tuesday despite the support of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, amid concerns that it could kneecap long-delayed efforts to build a casino in Chicago.

The programs administered by the Chicago Department of Housing and the Illinois Housing Development Authority will provide 18 months of rental assistance up to $25,000, officials said.