NEW YORK (AP) _ U.S. stocks headed for a higher open Tuesday as oil fell by almost $7 a barrel after it appeared that the Gulf Coast and its oil facilities were spared heavy damage from Hurricane Gustav.

Labor Day recently passed. That means you may have received a shared photo album from a friend or relative. You know the type: It’s usually dozens (or hundreds) of shots of vacation fun.But you’re not into it. Now, it’s not that you don’t care; It’s fun to peek in and see what happened. But who wants to sort through a glut of 200 photos of someone else’s vacation (or baby photos or whatever)? What actually happens: You wind up deleting the email with the link and don’t even bother seeing any of t

Top Citadel Investment Group executive Joe Russell, a key architect of the hedge fund's investments in E-Trade Financial Corp. and hedge fund Sowood Capital, has resigned from the firm, according to people familiar with the matter.

Rate a 5-year high The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Samsung Electronics Co. is pursuing an acquisition of U.S. computer memory card maker SanDisk Corp., a South Korean online business newspaper reported Friday.

Jones Day v. BlockShopper.com, No. 08 C 4572, Order (N.D. Ill. Aug. 18, 2008) (Darrah, J.).*Judge Darrah entered the parties stipulated temporary restraining order ("TRO").  Plaintiff Jones Day sued defendants, BlockShopper.com and two individuals allegedly associated with the website, for allegedly using plaintiff’s service marks and linking to plaintiff’s website in at least two articles that discuss Chicago real estate transactions of plaintiff’s associates. Plaintiff claimed service mark infr

S o I tuned in to the Republican National Convention the other night to size up Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and enjoy the political theater, and you can imagine my surprise to find out she and Sen. John McCain are campaigning against Barack Obama , Joe Biden and … me.

In an ongoing effort to revitalize its Midwest flagship store, Macy's on State Street is moving men's accessories and dress shirts to the first-floor arcade space, marking the first time in more than five years that the expansive corner will house a permanent department.

Zimmer Holdings Inc., maker of replacement hips and knees, has agreed to buy Abbott Laboratories' spine division for about $360 million in cash.

The city is launching a campaign to lure skittish home buyers off the sidelines to purchase $150,000 to $450,000 homes in which the city has an investment.

WASHINGTON — Comcast Corp. is appealing an FCC ruling that the company is improperly blocking customers' Web traffic, triggering a legal battle that could determine the extent of the government's authority to regulate the Internet.

What's on the minds of community association residents these days? Foreclosures, renters, secretive boards and sloppy managers are high on a long list.

If you follow my column in the Chicago Tribune, you know that I was struck recently by the novel approach CalPERS fund managers are using to diversify the mammoth California employee pension fund. The fund managers have begun moving beyond...

(Crain’s) — Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria, a congressional candidate known as an up-and-coming figure in local politics, won a coveted speaking slot on the final night of the Republican National Convention. He’ll be the only Illinoisan to address the convention this week and will ...

(AP) — American Airlines has notified 469 employees — a majority of whom work at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport — that they may lose their jobs in November as the airline continues to cut back on flights. A total of 353 workers at O'Hare received the notices. The remaining notices ...

(AP) — Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. said Thursday it will open a new remanufacturing facility in Singapore as part of a plan to better serve the mining market in Asia. The new site, expected to fully operational by mid-2010, will become the regional source for remanufactured major ...

Crain Washington Bureau Chief Paul Merrion interviews a number of key Illinois Republicans at the party's national convention in St. Paul, Minn. These include state party chair Andy McKenna, Illinois chairman of the McCain campaign, Rep. Jim Durkin, McCain campaign’s Illinois finance chairman, Bill Strong, and Rep. Ray Lahood.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ When the next generations of $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills roll off the presses, there should be some way for blind people to tell them apart, a federal judge said Thursday.

Training and marketing as taxes “Training is a tax you pay for a lousy hiring environment…Marketing is a tax you pay for being unremarkable.” -Robert Stephens of Geek Squad in A Geek’s Guide to Great ServiceComplex UIs “Why do software designers want their work to appear more complex instead of less? I just don’t get why they don’t get it.” -David Pogue in It’s the Software, Not YouChoosing between safety and risk “Life is an ongoing process of choosing between safety (out of fear and need for

(AP) — A last-minute move to avert a potentially bruising strike that could cost more than 27,000 workers weeks of pay would usually be met with unalloyed relief. Not with the Machinists union faithful Wednesday night after Boeing Co. aircraft assembly workers voted overwhelmingly to strike for ...

(Crain’s) — From Millennium Park to the Hilton, Michael Phelps turned heads Wednesday. And Chicago hopes to make even greater use of the country’s hottest Olympian as the city makes its bid to host the 2016 Summer Games. Chicago 2016 may try to involve Mr. Phelps next year when the ...

(AP) — Wall Street dove sharply lower Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials down over 300 points on more disappointing economic news: Sluggish back-to-school sales and a jump in unemployment claims. The stock market has been highly volatile lately, reflecting investors' anxiety about ...

(AP) — Exelon Corp. said Thursday its board has approved the repurchase of up to $1.5 billion of outstanding common stock within six months and boosted its adjusted 2008 earnings forecast. "We have an increasingly strong cash flow profile and balance sheet, which allow us to pursue new growth ...

Boeing Co. aircraft assembly workers have voted to strike for an unprecedented second time in three years. However, at the request of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and a federal mediator, their contract has been extended 48 hours.

Commonwealth Edison parent Exelon Corp., citing its increasingly solid balance sheet, said Thursday that directors approved the repurchase of up to $1.5 billion of the Chicago utlity holding company's common stock.

Miyano Machinery USA, Inc. v. MiyanoHitec Machinery, Inc., No. 08 C 526, 2008 WL 236610 (N.D. Ill. Jun. 6, 2008) (Nolan, Mag. J.).Judge Nolan granted plaintiff’s motion to quash defendants’ subpoenas of plaintiff’s counsel – who represented: 1) plaintiffs and perhaps individual defendants in plaintiffs’ earlier trademark prosecution; and 2) plaintiffs in this case. The Court denied defendants’ motions to compel production of communications between plaintiffs and plaintiffs’ counsel and to pierce

NEW YORK (AP) _ Get ready for another hike in copays and deductibles.

Ford Motor Co. will drop one of the two shifts at its Chicago assembly plant by Nov. 3, a move that will result in the loss of jobs for about 600 temporary part-time workers.

Google's new Web browser is widely viewed as keen competition for Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Carmakers' continued slide confirms state of consumers Falling gas prices didn't help automakers in August, as economic worries and an overabundance of trucks continued to drag down U.S. sales results.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Rates on 30-year mortgages fell for a third straight week, dropping to the lowest level since mid-July.

(Crain’s) — Panacea Partners LLC has found a buyer for De La Costa, but at half the price it had hoped to fetch for the Nuevo Latino restaurant. Dock 465 LLC has offered to pay $1 million in cash for the restaurant at 465 E. Illinois St. plus money to cure certain defaults, according to ...

(Reuters) — Exelon Corp. asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday for a license to build and operate two nuclear power reactors in southeast Texas, the company said. An NRC decision is not expected until 2012. Exelon won't say when the plant could open, but new nuclear ...

(AP) — Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has called his members back to work next week in Springfield, a gathering Gov. Rod Blagojevich hopes might break the logjam over a stalled statewide capital construction program. "I'm hopeful in so far as they've set dates and he's calling the ...

(Crain’s) — Whitehall Jewelers is cutting nearly all of its corporate staff as it continues its liquidation process. The Chicago-based retailer on Aug. 4 began eliminating 150 jobs at its headquarters, according to documents filed with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in ...

Chicago radio icon keeps on 'keeping on' Paul Harvey Aurandt--known to his legions of devoted "News and Comment" and "The Rest of the Story" listeners on more than 600 U.S. radio stations as simply Paul Harvey--had his first "good day" on Sept. 4, 1918, two years before this nation's first licensed commercial radio station hit the air.

(Crain's) — Kraft Foods Inc. plans to push Oreo cookies, Philadelphia cream cheese and Tang powdered beverages into fast-growing Asian, European and South American countries in coming years. The Northfield-based company is focusing on growing 10 key brands in 10 overseas markets, Sanjay ...

(Reuters) — Navistar International Corp., the U.S. truck- and engine-maker, reported stronger-than-expected earnings on Wednesday, partly due to strong orders for its military products. The company also raised it full-year guidance, saying high diesel prices were lifting demand for its more ...

(AP) — Telephone and Data Systems Inc. and U.S. Cellular Corp. said they plan to move their publicly traded shares to the New York Stock Exchange from the American Stock Exchange as of Sept. 15. In a press release, the companies said they believe the shift will provide increased visibility ...

(AP) — More than 27,000 Boeing Co. aircraft assembly workers were voting Wednesday on whether to strike for an unprecedented second time in successive contract cycles. In a high-stakes struggle between the Chicago-based aerospace giant and the Machinists union, Boeing's three-year "best and ...

Navistar International Corp., helped by its fast-growing defense segment, reported fiscal third-quarter earnings that dramatically topped analyst expectations.

(Crain’s) — The USA Olympic Team held a reunion Wednesday morning in Chicago with Oprah Winfrey, Mayor Richard M. Daley and more than 5,000 Chicago fans in Millennium Park. “I speak for millions of Americans when I say: Team USA, you made us stand taller,” Ms. Winfrey said as confetti ...

(Crain’s) — Illinois Republicans have been banished to the farthest, most unnoticed corner of the hall where the Republican National Convention is being held here in St. Paul. It’s an awfully good metaphor for the state of the state GOP. Already weak and demoralized, Illinois Republicans ...

(Crain’s) — United Airlines and American Airlines, the two largest carriers serving Chicago, saw their on-time performances improve slightly in July, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Among the top 19 U.S. carriers, United improved to No. 17 ...

Telephone and Data Systems Inc. and its majority-owned U.S. Cellular Corp. said both companies intend to switch the listing of their shares from the American Stock Exchange to the New York Stock Exchange.

Midtronics, Inc. v. Aurora Performance Prods. LLC, No. 06 C 3917, 2008 WL 2745941, (N.D. Ill., Jul. 11, 2008) (Shadur, Sen. J.).Judge Shadur construed the disputed terms of plaintiffs’ electronic battery tester patent. The patent taught a form of “dynamic” battery testing and each disputed term revolved around the meaning of “dynamic.” The Court adopted plaintiffs’ definition – varying over time – without limiting dynamic to require an AC current (a current that varies regularly over time). The C

Employers announced plans to cut 88,736 jobs nationally in August, a 12 percent increase over a year ago, but 14 percent fewer than the 103,312 announced in July, Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Wednesday.

Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas are encouraging low-income customers who need help with their natural gas bills to apply for grants from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

WASHINGTON -- The government says orders to U.S. factories rose by a larger-than-expected amount in July as demand for commercial aircraft, heavy machinery and iron and steel all posted solid gains.

Stocks declined modestly in early trading Wednesday, with investors again appearing more concerned about the weak economy than relieved about falling commodities prices.

Steve & Barry's to close some stores, keep 7 open

Lewis Lazare: The Major League Baseball countdown to the playoffs is here. Which means the buzz about the Chicago Cubs and their possible date with destiny are intensifying. So don't be surprised if plenty of brands start jumping on the Cubs bandwagon in hopes they will be well-positioned to ride with the team all the way (dare we say it?) to the World Series.

United Airlines on Tuesday said it has reversed its decision last month to start charging for food in economy class on international flights departing from one of its principal hubs, Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. The move came before United had even begun implementing the policy, which could have been put in place on United international flights from other hubs, including O'Hare Airport, if the experiment had met with success at Dulles. International economy passengers no

Looking for a big raise? Dream on. Employers in the Chicago area are expected to increase the pay of salaried exempt workers 3.9 percent next year, compared with 3.8 percent this year, according to research from Lincolnshire-based Hewitt Associates.

David Roeder: Office and industrial leasing in the suburbs has slowed to a crawl, but that hasn't stopped Rosemont-based Opus North Corp. from positioning itself for a better economy. Opus has become the most bullish developer in the suburbs. It has started an industrial project in Cicero and has been busy with new office buildings, two in the works and one just finished.

Sears Holdings Corp. said Tuesday it will start selling online and in selected stores in October a sportswear collection inspired by the First Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. The deal marks the U.S. Army's first time licensing the use of its marks and insignias in sportswear apparel.

A high-ranking Air Force official on Wednesday pressed the Pentagon to expedite the award of a disputed $35 billion contract for new aerial refueling tankers so the service can retire Eisenhower-era aircraft.

Richard Dominick, longtime executive producer of "The Jerry Springer Show'' and more recently "The Steve Wilkos Show,'' has left the syndicated programs.

Steve & Barry's, the once fast-growing discount clothing chain that collapsed in July and was revived last month, will continue to operate with fewer stores, its new owner said.

Housing, financials also weigh on investors in volatile 2nd half With two-thirds of the year now over, nothing is resolved about the economy, the housing market, the credit markets or the stock market.

Ex-Score host teaming with restaurateur Rich Melman on Web radio show on Wildfire's site P erhaps the only person outrageous enough to suggest that former WSCR-AM 670 mainstay Mike North has anything in common with Barry Manilow would be North himself, and guess who's tryin' to get the feeling again.

Insured losses for Hurricane Gustav could reach as high as $10 billion, which would make it the sixth-most-costly U.S. catastrophe.

Next month, Bank of America Corp . will face another test in its acquisition of LaSalle Bank 's retail operations.

Apple Inc. plans to host a special event Tuesday, feeding speculation that it may release updated models of the iPod media player to spur holiday sales.

Union members Wednesday could decide to stage strike Members of the machinists union at Boeing Co. are set to cast two votes Wednesday that will determine whether they accept a new contract or strike the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer at a crucial moment in the development of its newest plane, the Dreamliner.

Will it steal users from Microsoft? Tribune tech writer Eric Benderoff takes Chrome for a spin. Most computer users don't think much about their Web browser. The lion's share just click on the small blue "e" (for Microsoft's Internet Explorer) on their computer screen and off they go into cyberspace.

Audio AvailableChicago is a city with great hotels. But apparently not enough to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. So, it’s looking for help.

Audio AvailableChicago-based Boeing will find out Wednesday night if it has a strike on its hands. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will vote Wednesday on a contract.

Badasa v. Mukasey, — F.3d —, 2008 WL 3981817 (8th Cir. Aug. 29, 2008) Illegal alien Badasa sought asylum in the United States. To establish her identity, she submitted to the Immigration Judge a “laissez-passer” issued by the Ethiopian government. Opposing the application for asylum, the Department of Homeland Security submitted a number of items, including [...]

If you prefer to bet on politics rather than pork bellies, you might want to check out some of the internet's betting sites, such as Paddy Power. There's been some excitement about McCain's relatively unknown vice presidential choice. After McCain...

(Reuters) — Archer Daniels Midland Co. said on Tuesday its grain facilities suffered minimal damage from Hurricane Gustav, which crashed into Louisiana on Monday. The agribusiness company said the rise in the Mississippi River left many of the barges owned by its subsidiary ARTCO on the ...

(Crain’s) – Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is pressing University of Chicago Medical Center for more information about a program that steers poor patients away from its emergency room to receive care at nearby neighborhood clinics. In a letter sent Friday to U of C CEO James Madara, Mr. ...

Wall Street slid for a second straight session Friday on news that the economy shed jobs for the eighth straight month in August and at a faster-than-expected pace.

Robert Feder: I don't care what Mike North, Pat Cassidy or my other friends in the media say. In this case, they're all wrong. North and Cassidy, who both left morning jobs at CBS Radio stations in recent weeks, have turned up in other newspapers talking about "non-compete clauses" in their old contracts and how they've restricted their freedom to get back on the air.

Ford's Chicago work force will shrink this fall when the beleaguered automaker moves to one shift at its Chicago assembly plant. A minimum of 600 part-time positions at the Southeast Side plant will vanish, but Ford is warning workers that an as-yet-unspecified number of hourly and salaried employees will also lose their jobs.

Lewis Lazare: Harris Bank, one of Chicago's venerable financial institutions, is adding to its advertising arsenal of print, outdoor and online work a series of three television spots from Element 79/Chicago that will debut during the Bears/Colts telecast Sunday.

Rates on 30-year mortgages fell for a third straight week, dropping to the lowest level since mid-July.

Margaret Henningsen was 50 years old when she decided to team with two other black women in their 50s to start a bank to serve underserved minority- and woman-owned companies and consumers. The trio succeeded in raising $7.5 million in start-up capital from 63 investors. Today, their Milwaukee-based Legacy Bank has more than $209 million in assets, Henningsen told attendees at the Entrepreneurial Woman's Conference forum here Thursday.

SEATTLE---- Representatives from Boeing Co. and the machinists union met with a federal mediator Thursday as the clock ticked on an unusual two-day contract extension after union production workers soundly rejected a contract offer and voted to strike.

Chicago Tribune readers accustomed to stand-alone news sections could see drastic changes when the paper introduces its redesign in a few weeks. Sources said the space devoted to news will be significantly reduced, with the paper's front section including national and international news, the local and business reports and the editorial page.

The publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines has stepped down.

WASHINGTON---- The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike.

SEATTLE (AP) _ Representatives from Boeing Co. and the machinists union met with a federal mediator Thursday as the clock ticked on an unusual two-day contract extension after union production workers soundly rejected a contract offer and voted to strike.

(AP) — Former Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards canceled an October speech at the University of Illinois and says he won't make any public appearances until after the November election. University spokesman Ed Slazinik says Edwards' booking agent notified him by phone and e-mail ...

(Crain’s) — Corner Bakery Café in the Sears Tower was shut down Thursday after Chicago’s Department of Public Health found raw sewage backing up into a kitchen sink. The health department paid a visit to the restaurant at 233 S. Wacker Drive after receiving complaints of a foul odor at ...

(Reuters) — Navistar Defense LLC, a unit of Navistar International Corp., has won a $752 million order to produce a more mobile mobile version of its mine- resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) family of vehicles, the U.S. Defense Department said on Thursday. The deal, for vehicles to be used in ...

(Crain’s) — Perkins Coie is adding a fourth former federal prosecutor from the U.S. attorney’s Chicago office to its ranks. The Seattle-based law firm announced Thursday that Joel Levin will join on Nov. 1 as of counsel in its investigations and white-collar defense practice. Mr. ...

(Crain’s) — Kenard Gibbs, whose entertainment and magazine background landed him in the publisher’s seat for Ebony and Jet less than two years ago, has left the Chicago publications. A spokeswoman for Johnson Publishing Co., the Chicago-based parent of Ebony and Jet, said it was an ...

(AP) — Shares of exchange operator CME Group Inc. fell along with the broader market Thursday after an analyst reduced his volume expectations for the company. CME, which owns the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade and recently acquired the New York Mercantile ...

Kenard Gibbs is out as group publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines and president of the Ebony/Jet Entertainment Group after around 15 months in the posts, according to a spokeswoman for Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Co.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The U.S. government says the number of people signing up for jobless benefits increased unexpectedly last week, reversing three weeks of decline.

TOKYO (AP) _ Sony says it is recalling 440,000 units of Vaio laptop computers worldwide due to faulty parts that could trigger overheating.

(Crain’s) — Ford Motor Co. said it intends to eliminate one shift at its Chicago assembly plant in November, following through on a plan announced earlier this year. The plant on Chicago’s Far South Side now employs about 2,200 people in two shifts. To throttle down to a single shift, ...

LEARN. The Chicago Architecture Foundation tours have always pointed out great historical buildings. This weekend one tour will point out great historical women, too. The two-hour WOMEN OF INFLUENCE tour will introduce you to the stories of Mary Jane Richardson Jones, an African-American pioneer ...

(Crain’s) — The moose lady knows how to throw a punch. GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin clearly did her job last night, shifting the focus from herself to Barack Obama in a rousing speech that clearly has Illinois Republicans pumped in a way they have not been in quite awhile. ...

American Airlines has notified 469 employees -- a majority of whom work at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport -- that they may lose their jobs in November as the airline continues to cut back on flights.