Norridge-based Gerardi Sewer & Water Co. was issued multiple safety citations for failing to protect workers from cave-ins during trenching operations, said the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Cave-ins are a leading cause of deaths during excavations. Get the full story »
Apple expects sales of Apple TV to top 1 million units this week, showing that the device is gaining traction in bringing the Web to TV. Get the full story »
Local affiliate stations from around the country are giving the thumbs-up to a syndicated daily talk show with CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper.
In the past 10 days, some 40 stations have inked for “Anderson” for their schedules this fall, making the New York-based show a firm go for the upcoming season. They come on the heels of launch clearances with Tribune’s WPIX in New York and Fox outlets in L.A., Chicago and Boston. Get the full story »
The Treasury Department plans to sell a large piece of its stake in American International Group in two stock offerings next year, officials briefed on the situation told Reuters. Get the full story »
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason. (Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune)
Google is in talks with smaller players in the online discount coupon market after Groupon turned down the web giant’s $6 billion buyout offer, the New York Post said, citing a source close to the situation.
Groupon’s smaller rivals LivingSocial and BuyWithMe may now be on Google’s radar after Groupon deal fell through, the Post said.
BuyWithMe interim President David Wolfe, who declined to comment on whether he was speaking to Google, told the Post that he believes Google needs to enter the coupon advertising market. Get the full story »
Pfizer is recalling a lot of 19,000 bottles of the blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor, citing a consumer complaint about an “uncharacteristic” odor.
The latest announcement marks the fourth such recall since August over similar issues. Pfizer says the bottles were supplied by an outside manufacturer, though it did not identify the party. It also says health consequences appear to be minimal. Get the full story »
Toronto-Dominion Bank has agreed to buy Chrysler Financial, the automaker’s old lending arm, from private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP for $6.3 billion. Cerberus acquired the lender when it bought most of the automaker for $7.4 billion in 2007. Cerberus lost control of Chrysler when the automaker nearly ran out of cash and faced liquidation in 2008. Get the full story »
An Illinois couple convicted of defrauding Best Buy out of more than $32.8 million and failing to pay taxes on their fraudulent gains has been sentenced.
Prosecutors alleged that Russell and Abby Cole of Deerfield systematically overbilled the Richfield-based electronics retailer for four years through an online auction program. Get the full story »
Demand for new cars will likely spike in 2011 among consumers who lenders will be happy to do business with: those with very high credit scores.
More than 60 percent of the leases expiring next year are held by borrowers in the “super prime” category, meaning they have credit scores of 720 or better, reflecting excellent on-time payment histories, according to TransUnion, a Chicago-based credit reporting agency. Get the full story »
Competition among smart phone makers is heating up at retail, in advertising and, increasingly, in the courtroom as handset and software makers wield patent lawsuits to protect their turf and slow down their rivals.
Though Apple’s iPhone changed the categoryin 2007 and still leads the market, there are a flood of rivals and copy cats making it difficult for smart phone makers to stand out to consumers or persuade them to pay more for their devices.
In turn, that has prompted a slew of patent disputes over all aspects of basic phone use, from the way a user swipes a touch screen to perform an action to the method a phone uses to extend battery life. Nokia is suing Apple, Apple is suing HTC, Microsoft is suing Motorola and more. Get the full story »
Major earnings: CarMax Inc., ConAgra Foods Inc., Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., Nike Inc.
The Federal Communications Commission is poised to adopt Internet traffic rules on Tuesday that would ban the blocking of lawful content, but allow high-speed Internet providers to manage their networks, senior agency officials said. Get the full story »
From Bloomberg | A source with knowledge of the transaction says the Pritzker family has sold Hyatt Center, a 48-story office tower in downtown Chicago, to closely held Irvine Co for $625 million.
Chicago-based Hart Davis Hart reported its yearly wine auction sales totaled $39.2 million, a 63 percent increase over 2009. Get the full story »
