Crain's Chicago Business articles from August 2003

Crain's Chicago Business archives from August 2003

Night spots attempting to carry the day.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(Restaurant Review)
August 4, 2003... Byline: ANNE SPISELMAN Many nighttime hangouts have a different kind of appeal during the day. Two prime examples are the Pepper Canister, a brand-new Irish pub from the owners of Garrett Ripley's, and the Green Room, a year-old West Loop...

Datebook.(Calendar/Datebook)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... WEEK OF AUG. 4 AUG. 6: Women's Business Development Center presents Financial Analysis I. 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. or 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. Women's Business Development Center, 8 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 400. Fee: $45. (312) 853-3477. AUG. 6:...

Quote of the week.(Quotes)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Everything's in play right now. Tribune Co. lobbyist Shaun Sheehan, on Congress' revisiting of FCC rules on media ownership PAGE 1

Late News.(William C. Bartholomay)
August 4, 2003... NEAR NORTH'S NO. 2 JOINING RIVAL FIRM The president of Near North National Group Inc. is going to a rival insurance brokerage and is not joining Chicago-based Hub International Ltd., which has agreed to buy Near North's insurance brokerage...

FOR THE RECORD.(Briefs)(retail sector expansion)
August 4, 2003... Byline: ANN R. WEILER, Compiled from ChicagoBusiness.com, Bloomberg News reports and other sources. WAL-MART STORES INC. The world's biggest company is looking to open its first store in the Second City. The Bentonville, Ark.-based...

Big spending, big talking ahead in Senate primaries.(Opinion)(Illinois Democrats and Republicans, open Senate primaries in 2004)
August 4, 2003... Byline: Paul M. Green "Summertime/Running for Illinois senator is easy/Millionaires are jumpin'/And the rhetoric is high.'' (Sorry, Mr. Gershwin.) In 2004, Illinois Democrats and Republicans will have open Senate primaries. Incumbent...

Moto's passage to India; Jumping into 'the next China,' but a step behind rival Nokia.(News)(India's growing wireless market)
August 4, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON Motorola Inc. is playing catch-up as it guns for India's wide-open wireless market, whose surging sales stand in sharp contrast to the global slump in telecommunications services. The subcontinent better-known...

A Ray redux at McDonald's; Can CEO recreate Kroc's secret sauce?(News)(McDonald's Corp.'s CEO James Cantalupo lays out growth plan)
August 4, 2003... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER McDonald's Corp. CEO James Cantalupo is distributing a 28-page booklet to company executives laying out the "standards for how we will run McDonald's today, tomorrow and forever.'' It's not an outside...

Judges should make big gesture and forgo hikes.(Opinion)(cost-of-living increases mandated by Illinois law)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Illinois judges should back off their efforts to force the state to grant them cost-of-living pay raises. With many state workers sacrificing to help close budget deficits through a reduction in the state payroll, pay freezes and lower...

Real Estate Review: Warehouse space grows apace in southwest suburbs.(Real Estate)(Chicago's industrial real estate market shows mixed results)
August 4, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN The Chicago-area industrial real estate market continued to exhibit its split personality in the second quarter. Construction kept booming in far southwest suburbs like Romeoville and Bolingbrook to accommodate...

ON-SITE MANAGEMENT? NOT ANYMORE: `Super' center; Equity Office puts customer service under one roof.(Real Estate)(company expects saving of $75 mn to $100 mn)
August 4, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN On the 12th floor of the high-rise at 10 S. Wacker Drive, Sam Zell's Equity Office Properties Trust is trying to prove that it's found a better way to run a real estate portfolio. Seven customer service...

Dim view of city schools, but it's no time to give up.(Opinion)(Chicago Public Schools system)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Though few believe the Chicago Public Schools system has solved its problems, there is a widespread perception that progress has been made since the 1995 school reform put control in the hands of Mayor Richard Daley and the city of Chicago. ...

A moving experience, or tales of the cable guy.(Commentary)(SBC Communications DSL service problems)
August 4, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo (Second in a series) When I left you at the end of last week's column, I was still unable to hook up to my DSL line, even though it was three weeks after having moved to a new residence. After spending three...

Congress should get online about stamping out spam.(Opinion)(Gov. Rod Blagojevich signs right-to-spam bill)
August 4, 2003... Byline: Marc J. Lane Every day, billions of junk e-mail messages, delivered in bulk, are tying up networks, choking servers and infuriating the public. By some estimates, unsolicited e-mail, commonly called spam, is costing U.S. businesses...

A bitter pill for UIC Medical Center; Lots to lose in face-off over transplant suit.(News)(organ transplant system case)
August 4, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN The reluctance of the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago to settle federal charges that it manipulated the organ transplant system could cost it dearly in its quest to build a premier research...

Daley bristles over 'F' on school reform effort; Harsh evaluation from civic group.(News)(Mayor Richard Daley disputes critical report on schools)
August 4, 2003... Byline: GREG HINZ A highly negative report card on city schools is drawing intense reaction, with Mayor Richard Daley angrily disputing its conclusions while the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club stands by its findings. Issued...

Mall toys with store mix; Kids in a candy store? That's the feel Northbrook Court is going for.(News)(Northbrook Court investing $500,000 on retail project )
August 4, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES Heidi Vandervere often spends Saturday afternoons relaxing under a two-story tree house dotted with larger-than-life butterflies and ladybugs while her three preschool children climb around inside. When they've had...

Donnelley's future: still inky; Printer needs CEO with nose for growth.(News)(R. R. Donnelley and Sons Co. looking for new CEO)
August 4, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. needs a new CEO who can solve the riddle that has stumped the last two: how to turn an old-line printing company into a fast-growing services provider. Efforts to expand Chicago-based...

Curves attracting notice; Hot health club concept offers no-frills workouts for women.(News)(women-only exercise parlors)
August 4, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK While health clubs tout amenities like personal trainers and spa services, a new player is pumping energy into the market with a no-frills 30-minute regimen designed to appeal to time-pressed women. Curves...

Big biz squaring off in tax brawl; Protecting jobs at Cat, Boeing.(News)(congressional fight over international tax policy)
August 4, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION WASHINGTON-Boeing Co. and Caterpillar Inc., the state's largest exporters, are arrayed against McDonald's Corp., Deere & Co., Baxter International Inc., Sara Lee Corp. and other multinationals in an intense...

Profile: New deputy is set to shore up Building Dept.(Real Estate)(new Building Department Commissioner assistant)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Byline: GREG HINZ Is a curmudgeonly bridge engineer the right guy to turn around the city agency that's in charge of porch safety? That's the question much of City Hall is asking as Stan Kaderbek-who until Aug. 1 was first deputy in...

A RAISE FOR REYES AFTER BIG VICTORY; Spike in lobbying pay puts premium on clout.(News)(new $60,000 lobbying deal)
August 4, 2003... Byline: GREG HINZ Just weeks after landing the biggest contract in City Hall history, mayoral political confidant and former aide Victor Reyes got something better than a thank-you note from his client: a new lobbying deal that netted his...

Trib triumph at risk; Firm could win or lose big as Congress revisits FCC rules.(News)(Shaun Sheehan, lobbyist)
August 4, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN Shaun Sheehan expected to spend August unwinding, not twisting arms. Tribune Co.'s Washington lobbyist helped deliver a huge victory in June, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relaxed media...

Conventions.(Calendar/Datebook)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... WEEK OF AUG. 4 Aug. 7-9: Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity, Hilton Chicago, estimated attendance 700. Aug. 8-10: Wizard World Chicago, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, public. Aug. 9-12: National Assn. of Installation Developers,...

Relationship issues at UAL.(Briefs)(regional carrier to become an independent airline )(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... United Airlines faces losing some of its foothold at Washington Dulles International Airport if Atlantic Coast Airlines decides to fly off on its own. The Virginia-based regional carrier intends to stop running United Express flights at Dulles...

Executive Moves.(People)(Ernst & Young's new associate director)
August 4, 2003... CONSUMER SERVICES Maria Berg-Stark, 40, to executive director at Chicago's North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, from senior marketing manager at Old Orchard Center/Urban Retail Properties Co. FINANCIAL SERVICES David C....

Quote of the week.(Quotes)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... A lot more people leave a ballpark happy than a casino. Michael Hansen, CEO of the Joliet JackHammers minor league baseball team PAGE SB1

Late News.(Motorola Inc. will cut 8,900 workers)
August 11, 2003... PACE OF LAYOFFS RISES AT MOTOROLA Schaumburg-based Motorola Inc. is on pace to trim 8,900 jobs this year, about 27% more than the 7,000 positions company officials had announced. The electronics giant laid off about 5,400 employees during...

Hedge fund transactions trap Aksys; Maker of dialysis gear 'in uncharted waters'.(News)(kidney dialysis equipment maker)
August 11, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN Someday, the crisis facing Aksys Ltd. will make a compelling Harvard Business School study. For now, the promising biotech startup in Lincolnshire has an emergency on its hands. The maker of home-based kidney...

Area earnings not keeping pace; Manufacturing malaise dragging down region.(News)(Chicago's economic recovery)
August 11, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Chicago will have to hustle to catch up with the economic recovery. While companies in the rest of the country are beginning to wake up from the long profitless slumber of the past three years, many Illinois firms...

Gimme (tax) shelter; BDO tries to block IRS probe.(News)(Chicago accounting firm claims client privilege )
August 11, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON A courtroom showdown over client privilege at Chicago accounting firm BDO Seidman LLC has tax advisers-and their white-shoe clientele-on edge nationwide as the federal government cracks down on tax shelters. In a...

Big paper chase on in Joliet; Potlatch rolls out plant to grow store-brand biz.(News)(Potlatch Corp.'s new plant in Will County)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA Potlatch Corp. is using its new plant in Will County to wipe up a greater share of the market for paper towels, napkins and other consumer paper products. The Spokane, Wash.-based company has long been a dominant...

City: O'Hare plan will fly.(Briefs)(O'Hare International Airport design changes)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The City of Chicago said it already has made most of the design changes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants before it will approve the city's plans to expand O'Hare International Airport. Last Thursday, a day after Gov. Rod...

Scaffolds shouldn't be left to darken the Loop.(Opinion)(sidewalks scaffolds protect pedestrians, hide sun)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... A stroll along some Loop sidewalks has come to resemble a passage through medieval catacombs. As Senior Reporter Greg Hinz wrote in a recent issue, sidewalk scaffolds erected to protect pedestrians from falling debris have plunged long...

Borrowing for day-to-day: good politics, poor policy.(Opinion)(state's pension systems are underfunded)
August 11, 2003... Byline: James D. Nowlan Illinois budget czar John Filan doubled state debt in one year to generate a one-time infusion of $2 billion to address a recurring need in the state's pension systems, which are woefully underfunded-even with the...

Venture funds still scarce for Ill. firms.(News)(Illinois is 20th in 2Q venture capital funding)
August 11, 2003... Byline: KELLY QUIGLEY A national uptick in venture capital investing in the second quarter failed to spread to Illinois, where companies are still struggling to land money that entrepreneurs in other states are snagging with ease. ...

New CEO Brown out to push growth in the Lettuce patch.(People)(Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc.'s new CEO)
August 11, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Betting that the economy is turning around, restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. has named a new CEO to lead the firm back onto an aggressive growth path. Kevin Brown, 48, who had been...

Rehab Institute follows the path of most resistance.(Technology)(robot may help stroke survivors)
August 11, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN When James L. Patton decided to build a robot to help stroke survivors regain the use of their arms and hands, he called a meeting of therapists at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to find out which rehab...

Two jobs are better than one; Dual careerists enjoy mixing up their livelihoods.(Small Business)(Devereaux Bowly's hotel business)
August 11, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK As a supervising lawyer for Chicago's Legal Assistance Foundation, Devereaux Bowly helps impoverished victims of serious crimes tap into a state-sponsored compensation fund. But in his other working life-as...

Families stung by firm failure; It's a bitter pill for those counting on continuing biz.(Small Business)(Albert Karoll)
August 11, 2003... Byline: LISA BERTAGNOLI Sitting in his custom tailoring shop, surrounded by bolts of fine woolens, cottons and silks, Albert Karoll explains how his family's business left him in a career lurch not once, but twice. The first time was...

Mart taking it public, but still likes it haute.(News)
August 11, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES Rama Dandamudi spent eight months trying to persuade Italy's Snaidero family to bring its futuristic, rock-star kitchen-created and hand-signed by Ferrari sports car designer Paolo Pininfarina-to Chicago's Merchandise...

Game gets dicey as casino bidders emerge; Vying for coveted Emerald license.(News)(Emerald Casino Inc.'s gambling license bids)
August 11, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN and BOB TITA The six parties vying for Emerald Casino Inc.'s gambling license have entered into a different game of chance as the Illinois Gaming Board moves forward this week with its plan to revoke the license. ...

Covering all the bases; Minor league owners find fields of dreams in suburban locations, but success requires squeezing every nickel from revenue streams.(Small Business)(new baseball stadium)
August 11, 2003... Byline: JOHN T. SLANIA Downtown Gary, Ind., seems an unlikely place for a glistening new baseball stadium, but it's home to the Gary SouthShore RailCats, the Chicago area's newest minor league baseball team. U.S. Steel Yard, the...

Minor leaguers play major role; Ballparks hitting home runs for local businesses.(Small Business)(minor league baseball team aids economic development)
August 11, 2003... Byline: JOHN T. SLANIA Down From the Tracks, a sports bar in downtown Joliet, is a tangible example of how a minor league baseball team can spark economic development. Last summer, shortly after the Joliet JackHammers began their...

Park cafes offer outdoor fun on the side.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(best outdoor dining downtown)(Restaurant Review)
August 11, 2003... Byline: ANNE SPISELMAN The quest for the best outdoor dining downtown continues at two very different restaurants in Grant Park. The Green at Grant Park cafe creates a country club atmosphere for the city-bound, while Buckingham Cafe &...

Midwest Banc gains interest; Takeover possible as troubles mount.(News)(regulatory investigation underway)
August 11, 2003... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Midwest Banc Holdings Inc. has stumbled this year on a series of bad loans and a months-long regulatory examination that's still unresolved. Analysts say the problems facing the $2.2-billion-asset Melrose...

Executive Moves.(People)
August 11, 2003... ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING John Robak, 36, to executive vice-president for human resources at Greeley & Hansen LLC, from senior vice-president at Golin/Harris International. FINANCIAL SERVICES Christopher D. Cerimele, 33, to...

Donors on Dean's list here; Dark horse no more, Dem lining up big fund-raisers.(News)(Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean)
August 11, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean's surge from unknown to perhaps unstoppable is positioning the ex-governor of Vermont to pull a similar turnaround with his Chicago fund raising. As his campaign slogan...

How Earnings Are Calculated.(News)(Thomson Financial offers actual per-share earnings reports)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The format Crain's Chicago Business uses to forecast earnings of Chicago-area companies is produced in conjunction with Thomson Financial, a unit of Canada-based Thomson Corp. Using its database of analysts' estimates, Thomson Financial...

Domestic manufacturers should get tax help first.(Opinion)(European Union may impose $4 bn in tariffs on U.S. goods)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Congress should seize a big opportunity to help domestic manufacturers this fall, for both political and economic reasons. The United States must repeal a $50-billion tax break for exporters soon, or the World Trade Organization, which...

It's crunch time for owners of Jays; Japp family mulls sale of local snack food favorite.(News)(Jays potato chips)
August 11, 2003... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER The family that founded, sold and later bought back Jays Foods LLC is weighing whether to cash in its chips and sell the company again. The Japp family, which launched the maker of Jays Potato Chips 76 years...

In Senate race, give a big edge to the officeholders.(Opinion)(Sen. Rauschenberger's new campaign)
August 11, 2003... Byline: Paul Merrion Get ready for the Rauschenberger-Hynes race for U.S. Senate next year. Or may-be Rauschenberger-Obama. Get ready-as in, get out your checkbooks. Either way it goes, the likeliest winners aren't among the many...

Kemper Services survives parent's demise.(News)(Kemper Insurance Cos. to sell commercial insurance unit)
August 11, 2003... Byline: Crain News Service Despite months of financial difficulties that led Kemper Insurance Cos. to shut down or sell off much of its commercial insurance operation, a buyout firm sees plenty of value left in the Long Grove-based...

Put to the test; Underwriters Labs faces trial by fire to cut costs, speed certification.(Technology)(fire-sprinkler testing)
August 11, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION If a fire-sprinkler manufacturer wants to test a new model, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. has one of the world's largest facilities where a mock-up of a warehouse can be created and set on fire. Cost: $40,000 to...

Ties of the ages: fashion trip down memory lane.(Commentary)(old neckties )
August 11, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo I have made a discovery that, for a moment, caused my life to flash before my eyes. It was not like having a brush with death, but eerie nonetheless, like coming face to face with your younger self. One recent night,...

NY export with a twist; Carvel tests local ice cream tastes.(News)(new Carvel stores open in Chicago)
August 11, 2003... Byline: ANNE MOORE Turf wars don't get any sweeter than this: Carvel, the New York king of soft-serve ice cream, is swirling into town, aiming for as many as 80 franchises in the Chicago area. For transplanted New Yorkers, those new...

Profile: Internet veteran makes rich clients his latest business.(Technology)(Kanwar Singh, new managing director )
August 11, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON When his dot.com, Chicago's EthnicGrocer.com Inc., flopped in 2000, Kanwar Singh beat a retreat to his field of expertise: private-equity law, joining Chicago-based law firm Baker & McKenzie as a partner. While...

AMA looks for ways to add docs.(News)(American Medical Association membership drive)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Byline: Crain News Service The American Medical Assn. formed a task force last month at a closed-door meeting in Chicago to examine ways to boost membership. Members of the board of trustees and senior staff looked at everything from...

In a patchy recovery, July's blue skies favor little guys.(News)(high-technology companies earnings reports)
August 11, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY The stock market recovery had many area manufacturers, consultants, retailers and high-technology companies enjoying outsized gains in July. But blue-chip names that might be expected to ride the crest of an...

Payer, beware; Biotech drugs are the latest treatments, but they can cost thousands per dose, and they don't have much of a track record. Employers and insurers ponder where to draw the line.(Special Report: Health Care)(pharmaceutical costs rising in biotechnology industry)
August 18, 2003... Byline: John T. Slania Just when companies thought their pharmaceutical costs couldn't get much higher, along come biotech drugs. They may be the latest and greatest developments in medicine, but they've created a problem for businesses:...

Career Ed learns by growing via acquisition.(News)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Career Education Corp., which has made 27 acquisitions since its founding in 1994, capped its largest deal yet when it closed July 1 on the purchase of Whitman Education Group Inc. in Miami. A month later, the company...

Fighting the Wal-Mart tide; Retailer's city entrance has unions playing defense.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER The barbarian is at the city gate. A long and sometimes cozy existence between grocery unions and the area's two major supermarket chains is coming to an abrupt end with the entrance of retail behemoth...

The best mutual fund you've never heard of.(News)(Icap Select Equity Fund,)
August 18, 2003... Byline: DAVID HOFFMAN Crain News Service It's a top-performing mutual fund, but few financial advisers know about it. The $51-million Icap Select Equity Fund, offered by Institutional Capital Corp. in Chicago, is currently among the...

Big plans, hurdles at Near South site; Rezmar seeks formula that's eluded others.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA It's the largest undeveloped piece of property within walking distance of the Loop. But Rezmar Corp. will have to do a lot of polishing to make its 62-acre diamond in the rough shine. The Chicago-based developer wants...

The Great Indoors is out in the cold; Sears launching internal review of decor stores.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES Alan Lacy is raising the ax over Arthur Martinez's brainchild. The Sears, Roebuck and Co. chairman and CEO has signaled that he's out of patience with the Great Indoors, a money-losing chain of big-box home...

Public can't get its fill of gastric bypass surgery; Heavy demand is tipping scale toward limits.(Special Report: Health Care)
August 18, 2003... Byline: MARY ELLEN PODMOLIK Shannon Thompson and his wife, Jody, weighed more than 400 pounds each when they called Spiegel Inc.'s human resources department two years ago to see if their health insurance covered gastric bypass surgery....

Some hospital docs don't fit the bill; Out-of-network experiences are causing pain.(Special Report: Health Care)
August 18, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK Some employees of area companies who have gone to the hospital for tests or surgery are feeling a different kind of discomfort when they open the bills. Instead of being charged the preferred provider...

Power firm generating worries; MidwestGen president mulls next move under threat of sale, bankruptcy.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Georgia Nelson may be on the ropes, but she still has the power to flatten competition in Illinois' electricity market. The combative president of Midwest Generation LLC, which runs a fleet of power plants in...

Guides urged for managers of Rx benefits; Critics want transparency in drug-buying industry.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Some Illinois lawmakers and regulators want to give pharmacy benefits managers a dose of regulation, but the companies aren't swallowing it. Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), which administer prescription plans...

Predicting a sideways slide down Wall Street.(Finance)(Nancy Coutu of Money Managers Advisory Inc.)(Interview)
August 18, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Nancy Coutu quit a comfortable job as a financial planner at American Express Investment Advisors in Oak Brook in 1987 to move down the street in the western suburb and set up her own shop, called Money Managers...

Motorola makes downtown connection; Bringing R&D center to Mag Mile.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON Three decades after fleeing Chicago, Motorola Inc. is heading downtown, setting up a splashy design center overlooking the Magnificent Mile. Its Moto-vation: to recruit hip, young city dwellers reluctant to...

Quote of the Week.(Quotes)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... What happened with `business casual' was that people were left to their own taste, and what companies realized is that a lot of people didn't have taste. Image consultant Jill Bremer, on the growth of company dress codes PAGE 1

Late news.(Briefs)
August 18, 2003... TEAMSTERS TARGET CAR-PARKING FIRMS The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is launching a drive to organize valet parking attendants in the Chicago area. Teamsters officials confirm that organizers from both Local 725 and Joint Council...

Too much of a good thing isn't good; Oversupply of resources drives demand unnecessarily.(Special Report: Health Care)
August 18, 2003... Byline: JUDITH NEMES Americans like things supersized, and health care is no exception. Most of us think that the more health care we get, the better. But recent research shows that we're not always getting the best value for our...

Profile: Give her credit for finding a way to make bond analysis entertaining.(Finance)(Carol Levenson)
August 18, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES On a sleepless night, there's nothing like a high-grade taxable corporate bond report to attract the sandman. Carol Levenson, a writer turned bond analyst, has made a name for herself writing just the opposite:...

Cancel that going-away party: Ruth's not gone yet; Rothstein is delaying retirement from county.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK Replacing Ruth M. Rothstein as Cook County's public health chief is proving more daunting than County Board President John H. Stroger Jr. feared. Although the long-tenured local health care executive was slated...

Don't hang up: Have fun toying with telemarketers.(Opinion)
August 18, 2003... Byline: Rance Crain Don't get mad. Get even. That should be the rallying cry of all those people who are rushing to sign up for the Federal Trade Commission "do-not-call'' registry that's aimed at bothersome telemarketers. My...

BLACKOUT FALLOUT: RATE HIKE? Public fear of breakdowns could empower utilities.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: STEVE DANIELS The massive power failure that crippled the Northeast could give utilities in Illinois and across the nation the ammunition to push for rate hikes. By spotlighting weaknesses in the antiquated power transmission...

Blackout bites, but not into dog biscuits.(News)(how companies coped)
August 18, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN The lights went out from Connecticut to Kalamazoo, but the Kraft Foods Inc. factory in Buffalo, N.Y., kept churning out Milk-Bone dog biscuits. The massive blackout that hit the Eastern United States and Canada...

Course shift eyed at lagging Material Sci.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY The makeover of Material Sciences Corp. is off to a cautious start, with more changes promised. The Elk Grove Village-based producer of coated metals reported a loss for its first quarter amid a substantial...

Vying to be a nerve center; Five hospitals compete for edge in neurosurgery.(News)
August 18, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN Forget the old saw, "This isn't brain surgery.'' Surviving the race to build Chicago's pre-eminent center for neurosurgery is all about wooing charismatic surgeons, building top-notch facilities and offsetting...

Bears record mirrored in Quarterback Club.(Commentary)(Crain's Quarterback Club lunches' history)
August 18, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo As another football season rolls around, it reminds many old-timers at this publication of the 17 years we hosted the Crain's Quarterback Club lunches downtown. While the luncheon series proved to be a successful...

Area biz wins Microsoft suit.(Briefs)(Microsoft Corp. loses case to Eolas Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... A federal jury in Chicago ordered Microsoft Corp. to pay $521 million to closely held Eolas Technologies Inc., a Wheaton-based Web technology company, and the University of California for patent infringement when the Redmond, Wash.-based...

Executive Moves.(People)
August 18, 2003... ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING Allen L. Pomerance, 54, to director of the aviation group and continuing as executive vice-president and principal in charge at A. Epstein & Sons International Inc. EDUCATION John J. Kozak, 62, to...