On 'Meet the Press,' mayor also promotes his accomplishments over 5 months in office Mayor Rahm Emanuel hit the national airwaves Sunday to defend his former boss and said President Barack Obama faces a re-election challenge because Americans will hold him accountable for the economy.

Venue draws 70,000 people into vicinity; more than $7.5 million funneled into economyThe Rialto Square Theatre infuses more than $7.5 million into the local economy and draws more than 70,000 people to downtown Joliet each year, according to a study conducted by the Joliet City Center Partnership.

Sputtering economy cited in closing of 20,000-square-foot entertainment center in LombardLords, ladies, wizards and other lovers of live-action fantasy games are being put on notice.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is down to two candidates for the top post at the Chicago Housing Authority, a job whose chief concern will be dealing with a stubbornly anemic real estate market that has hampered efforts to create vibrant mixed-income developments where crime-ridden high-rises once stood.

Parents teaching savings, charity and more in a bumpy economy In these difficult economic times, many are also teaching their kids about more nuanced or complex aspects of the financial world, including lessons on investing, donating and even compound interest.

Better Business Bureau warns that some wedding companies are going out of business because of the economy, and others are just trying to make a quick buck Aurora resident Celeste Pierre and her husband, Benjamin, have been happily married for about nine months. But the biggest day of their lives

Quinn puts power of office behind economic stimulus projectThe project would create 65,000 jobs. Inject $29 million a year into the local economy. Boost public transportation and build a network of bicycle and pedestrian paths. And, hopefully, relieve congestion around O'Hare International Airport.

With NFL lockout over, Bears camp to boost village economy The whir of golf carts and the beeping of forklifts in Bourbonnais drowned out a collective sigh of relief Tuesday from civic and business leaders in a community where the annual influx of Bears fans is a multimillion-dollar rite of summer.

of retail space? In this economy? One thinks of Noel Coward's famous line about mad dogs and English...

Tolls likely to jump to pay for projectBuilding a new tollway on O'Hare International Airport's western edge and extending the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway are needed to create jobs and stimulate the regional economy, Gov. Pat Quinn and other top officials said Thursday, but the project could mean

Recruiting up at Illinois programs as students cite desire to serve, pull of financial benefitsCadet Darren Ujano has perfected the military sales pitch. Speaking to a potential Army ROTC recruit, he started with the scholarship perks, then moved on to the benefits of learning leadership skills and physical training.

$200 million renovation would rely heavily on philanthropyThe vision unveiled Thursday for revamping Navy Pier, Illinois' most popular tourist attraction, has a huge hurdle to overcome: An economy that is still limping toward recovery.

Medical fees slashed, compromises leave many unhappyGov. Pat Quinn signed an overhaul of the state's workers' compensation system into law Tuesday, saying the measure is vital to improve the economy in Illinois.

In a tough economy, building a bank account trumps building a resume. The catch is, jobs are scarce. When competition for spots at top universities increased, summer break became a way for students to burnish their resumes with foreign travel, community service and other enrichment activities.

After a quarter-century behind bars, smartphones are baffling, jobs are scarceAt first glance, Eric Caine's resume appears typical for someone looking for work in a tough economy.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty delivered the first major speech of his Republican presidential campaign today in President Barack Obama's hometown, blistering the president's handling of the economy and proposing tax cuts for businesses and individuals.

While gambling would bring more people downtown, there is disagreement over the benefits to hotels, restaurants and other businessesIn Chicago's full-court press for a casino, boosters insist such a development would do much more than help plug immense city and state budget deficits.

Despite pain at the pump, AAA predicts millions will take to roads and skies as summer season beginsThanks largely to an improving economy, the "staycation'' is not expected to make a roaring comeback this summer travel season, which officially kicks off over the Memorial Day weekend.

Owners unveil plans for shopping mecca's first major renovation in 20 yearsBuoyed by signs of a recovering economy, the owners of Orland Square Mall on Wednesday unveiled plans for the southwest suburban shopping mecca's first major renovation in 20 years.

Startup companies bet locally sourced fish, produced in self-sustaining habitats, can win over city-dwellersAmid the worst economy in decades, Andrew Fernitz, 23, thinks he can raise fish and organic produce for a living.

For most part, economy has soured voters on paying moreEducators eked out a few victories Tuesday, but suburban voters in most communities were not in the mood for higher taxes, shooting down referendums that sought increases to replace antiquated facilities or avert deep program cuts.

The website DonorsChoose.org is a window into Chicagoland classrooms still squeezed by the economy. The postings show the tough decisions made by schools forced to decide how to spend dwindling funds.

Surge in gasoline price boosting cost of goods and servicesSoaring gasoline prices are expected to remain painfully high, affecting nearly every aspect of the economy, from how much consumers pay for many goods to, in some cases, how much they earn.

Retiring Mayor Richard Daley on Thursday contended America is a "country of whiners" that's spent the last four decades fearing the impact of foreign governments on the nation's economy instead of showing the confidence and sacrifice to lead on a global stage.

Head tax, TIF districts and easing of red tape top most candidates' listsWith unemployment stubbornly high and the old blue-collar industries that gave rise to Chicago's "big shoulders" image vanishing, voters in the Feb. 22 race for mayor are understandably nervous about the city's economy

On Sunday, the current owners of Army & Lou s on East 75th Street closed their doors in an attempt to buy time to attract new investors as they ride out a sluggish economy.

Institutions blame troubled economyBlaming a bad economy, Chicago-area museums and zoos collectively saw attendance dip 3 percent in 2010.

Property where firefighters died among 16,000 such structures, many with unaddressed problems and unpaid finesThe South Shore building where two firefighters died Wednesday is among an estimated 16,000 vacant buildings in the city, a number that has grown as the economy has withered, adding

Community pitches in to keep sporting goods shop in the gameAs the brutal economy pounded downtown Elgin as it did everywhere else, shop owner Patricia Keeney was forced to let go of her employees and even her own health insurance.

Condo developments in Lincoln Park, Near South Side hit hard as economy affects affluent buyersChicago's once-hot neighborhoods are getting hammered by foreclosures.