Nearly 1,100 people turned out to apply for the 50 full-time jobs available at a Joliet distribution center. The jobs with Central Grocers drew long lines of applicants interested in the positions, which are union jobs and pay benefits. Get the full story »
Midwest manufacturing index shows growth
The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index increased 0.3 percent in December to 81.5, according to data released Thursday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Get the full story »
Google Maps getting out of real estate game
Google Maps is getting out of the house-hunting game, at least for now. In a blog post this week, the company said it would “retire” on Feb. 10 the search option box on Google Maps that allows users to search for property for sale or rent in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Japan. Get the full story »
Caterpillar quadruples 4Q profit
Caterpillar Inc. reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit Thursday lifted by especially strong sales of its machines and engines in Asia and Latin America.
Caterpillar, the world’s largest maker of earth-moving construction and mining equipment, reported a fourth-quarter net profit of $968 million, or $1.47 a share, up from $232 million, or 36 cents a share, a year earlier. Get the full story »
Sony to launch new Playstation portable this year
Sony Corp. unveiled a new handheld gaming device, the first to feature 3G wireless connectivity, as it battles with Nintendo’s best-selling DS and tries to fend off competition from smartphones including Apple Inc.’s iPhone. Get the full story »
AGI moving some operations to suburban Chicago
A London-based company which makes packaging materials for CDs and DVDs says it is closing its Jacksonville plant and laying off its 80 workers there. AGI tells the (Springfield) State Journal-Register the Jacksonville operations will move to a suburban Chicago facility by the end of June. Get the full story »
Chicago-area group provides $2M in gas rebates
A Chicago-area group that provides rebates to natural gas customers says it provided more than $2 million in savings since 2008. Get the full story »
Potash Corp. profit more than doubles
Potash Corp. said Thursday that its quarterly profit more than doubled, as a surge in grain prices boosted crop nutrient demand and allowed the world’s top fertilizer maker to raise prices on key products. The Chicago and Saskatchewan-based company said fourth-quarter net income rose to $482.3 million, or $1.61 a share, from $239.2 million, or 79 cents a share, a year earlier. Get the full story »
Jan. 27 at 5:30 a.m.
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Filed under: The day ahead in business
Reports: Weekly jobless claims, 7:30 a.m.; Durable goods for December, 7:30 a.m.; Phome sales index for November, 9 a.m.; Pending home sales index for November, 9 a.m.; Freddie Mac releases weekly mortgage rates at 9 a.m.
Hearings: Senate Budget Committee hearing on the budget and economic outlook for 2011-2021.
Local earnings: Caterpillar Inc., Motorola Solutions Inc.
Other major earnings: Altria Group Inc., Amazon.com Inc., AT&T Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Colgate-Palmolive Co., DR Horton Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., JetBlue Airways Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., Microsoft Corp., Nintendo, Procter & Gamble Co., Time Warner Cable Inc.
Appellate court guts Ill. public works program
An appellate court tossed out Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature $31 billion construction program, widespread plans for video poker and higher taxes on candy and booze, declaring Wednesday in a ruling that they were unconstitutional.
The justices ruled the problem with the law is that it violated the state’s basic constitutional tenet that legislation must address a single subject only. They wrote that wide-ranging issues in one of four bills passed in 2009 failed to have a “natural and logical connection.”
The decision knocked out all four laws that represented the backbone of the public works program Quinn put together with bipartisan support two years ago. It was the culmination of an effort with legislative leaders who had found working with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich futile. Get the full story »
Google Voice to let users keep cell phone numbers
Google’s Voice calling application is adding a long-promised feature: the ability to move a phone number from a cell phone to Google’s service. Get the full story »
Ford recalls 525K 1999-2003 Windstars
Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 525,000 older model Windstar minivans in cold-weather areas because corrosion could cause a parts under the van to separate and reduce steering control, company and federal government officials said Wednesday.
About 425,000 of the Windstars are registered in the United States, about 100,000 in Canada, and fewer than 750 in other countries, Ford said. Get the full story »
Takeover talk weighs heavily on Sara Lee stock
Stock in Downers Grove-based Sara Lee Corp. took a dive Wednesday amid uncertainty about the company’s future. It closed down 5.7 percent, to $18.52.
Investors have been lifting the stock to 52-week highs since early December on reports that the company is likely to be broken up or sold. Get the full story »
Southeast S. leaders call meeting on coal-to-gas plant
Community leaders on the Southeast Side — angry that they were not asked to weigh in on a coal gasification project touted as a benefit to the neighborhood – have called a meeting to discuss the environmental and economic impacts of the proposed plant.
Environmental and health groups are expected to speak at the event, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the The Zone at Southeast United Methodist Church and Community Center at 11731 S. Avenue O. Get the full story »
