Commercial Avenue has long been the main business corridor in South Chicago, but in recent years the strip has struggled to fill vacant storefronts – a trend that was seriously exacerbated by civil unrest and looting this summer.

Under pressure from moderates in both parties, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have initiated late-game negotiations. Here are the top issues for the end-stage COVID-19 relief talks.

As residents and businesses grapple with the coronavirus, a new health center opens on the South Side. Amanda Vinicky reports from Chatham.

As Illinois continues dealing with its deadliest stretch of the coronavirus pandemic to date, state health officials are calling on those who’ve had COVID-19 to consider donating plasma as it may help those who are actively fighting the disease.

Thursday's report from the Labor Department said initial claims for jobless aid dropped from 787,000 the week before. Before the virus, the number of people applying for unemployment benefits each week had typically amounted to roughly 225,000. 

Eleven firms are interested in building or operating a casino in Chicago — and eight told Mayor Lori Lightfoot that it should be downtown, according to a limited summary of the proposals submitted by firms released by the mayor’s office.

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, “I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way.”

The coronavirus pandemic is driving holiday shoppers in the U.S. online — and they’re expected to spend a record $12.7 billion on Cyber Monday. Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Danny Ecker has details.

Growing up in a family of 19 children, Jermaine Jordan learned both how to cook and to share. Today, he’s using those skills on a much larger scale at Healthy Hot Free Meals, a restaurant he opened in October.

Black Friday online sales hit a new record this year as pandemic-wary Americans filled virtual carts instead of real ones.

After an unprecedented year, we take a hard look at the pandemic-ravaged economy, as businesses gear up for the all-important holiday retail season. 

Positive developments on the vaccine front have driven double-digit gains in the major indexes this month as investors look forward to progress in gaining control over the pandemic that plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s.

In normal times, Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year. But these are not normal times: The economy is tanking and crowds are expected to be dramatically diminished as coronavirus cases spike and shoppers do more of their purchases online.

Chicago’s northernmost neighborhood has reported 5,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The pandemic and rising case counts have heightened food insecurity across Chicago, and Rogers Park has been anything but immune. 

With loan and grant money starting to run dry for some businesses—and what’s likely to be a difficult winter fast approaching—we check in with some familiar faces to ask how they’re coping with the coronavirus.

“Adding debt is not a long-term solution to structural imbalance,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. “Short-term borrowing is a short-term Band-Aid to address the urgency of a short-term problem like one caused by a pandemic.”