Mary Ellen Podmolik –

People ride in a truck as it parades in a citywide Juneteenth car caravan on June 18, 2021.

Juneteenth was just made a federal holiday. Will your boss give you the day off?

June 18, 2021 at 9:43 a.m.

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a bill that makes Juneteenth a federal holiday, meaning most federal employees get a paid day off Friday. So will employees in Cook County...

Lincolnwood Town Center in Lincolnwood, seen on Black Friday in 2016, is one of the properties owned by Columbus, Ohio-based Washington Prime, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection June 13, 2021.

Owner of malls in Chicago suburbs, nationwide files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

June 14, 2021 at 12:51 p.m.

The owner of shopping centers in the Chicago area and across the country has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy after struggling for more than a year with a pandemic that crushed...

Beth Wawrzaszek, of Naperville, takes her dog Summer out for a short walk outside her apartment on May 21, 2021. Wawrzaszek has hired a dog walker to help while she is at work.

Your pet helped you get through the pandemic. What happens now?

May 24, 2021 at 9:55 a.m.

Your pet eased the loneliness of the COVID-19 pandemic, sitting close as you binge-watched "Bridgerton," making cameos on your Zoom calls and forcing you outside for walks. But now you're...

Think you paid more to fill up the gas tank last month? You did — and the price hikes may not be over.

April 14, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.

Chicago-area residents paid more last month for some items at the grocery store, for apparel and for used cars — but the real jump came at the gas pump. The...

Stimulus checks for $1,400 a person could start going out this weekend.

Another round of stimulus payments is coming: Here’s what experts think you’ll do with the money

March 12, 2021 at 4:04 p.m.

The first coronavirus relief checks were for $1,200. The second ones $600. And now, checks for $1,400 a person could start going out this weekend. What will you do with...

McCormick Place is quiet Jan, 25, 2021, in Chicago.

Two big annual trade shows canceled — again — at McCormick Place

March 2, 2021 at 7:23 a.m.

Two large industry events that typically bring a combined 126,000 people to Chicago's McCormick Place have been canceled for the second straight year because of COVID-19. On Friday, the National...

Riders aboard the Raging Bull rollercoaster scream out as they head into a dip on May 26, 2016, at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.

Six Flags Great America plans spring opening with new reservation system and 4,000 Illinois workers

February 19, 2021 at 4:14 p.m.

Six Flags plans to reopen its theme park and water parks in Illinois this spring, with a reservation system, on-site temperature checks and mask requirements. Six Flags Great America plans...

A sign is held up in support of keeping Mercy Hospital open at a news conference near the hospital on Sept. 3, 2020, in Chicago.

Mercy Hospital, denied approval to close in Bronzeville, files for bankruptcy. Mayor Lightfoot calls it ‘devastating for that community.’

February 11, 2021 at 6:55 p.m.

Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, whose efforts to close were denied by the state, has filed for bankruptcy and said it is moving forward with its goal of shuttering the...

How COVID-19 is devastating household finances in the Chicago area and Illinois, in 5 charts

December 10, 2020 at 12:32 p.m.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced employers of all sizes to shrink their operations or shut down, temporarily or for good. Laid-off workers in turn have less money to spend at...

Employees sit in a meeting in one of the many small conference rooms at Groupon in Chicago on Nov. 14, 2018.

10 years ago, Groupon turned down Google’s $6B offer. Here’s what’s happened since.

December 4, 2020 at 7:44 a.m.

It was the "WHAT?" heard around Chicago's tech and business community 10 years ago: On Dec. 3, 2010, E-commerce deals platform Groupon spurned a $6 billion buyout offer from Google...

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