Chicago Business News for December 20, 2012

Style File: Watch the video

Custom shirts make measurable difference

Nicholas Hansen, owner of Nicholas Joseph, a maker of custom clothing for men in River North, gives us a few good reasons why businessmen shouldn't buy their shirts off the rack.

In brief

First Industrial CEO gets new agreement

Also, an industrial exec is promoted at CBRE, a Clybourn Corridor property is for sale and a receiver is appointed for the retail space at Glen Town Center.

Ameren wants out of Illinois power-generation business

Company will sell natural gas plants, but plans for its coal plants are uncertain.

Updated 4:30 p.m.

Weather spurs hundreds of flight cancellations

(AP) — More than 450 have been scrapped at O'Hare and Midway with a winter storm bearing down on the Midwest.

Big blocks of office space growing downtown

The supply has grown more than 40 percent in the past year, according to CBRE Inc., a factor that could limit new building.

Chicago-area home sales jump 36 percent in November

The volume was the highest for November since 2005, says the Illinois Association of Realtors.

Bill Daley says he's seriously considering governor run

(AP) — Former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said Thursday he's seriously thinking about running for Illinois governor.

Aetna, Rush end contract dispute

The agreement means members who use Rush System for Health won't have to change providers to avoid out-of-network fees.

Illinois jobless rate falls to 8.7%

(AP) — The state added 16,400 jobs in November, the largest monthly job gain of the year, according to preliminary data.

In brief: Dreyer Medical Clinic to acquire St. Charles-based practice

Also: Third time's the charm for DaVita's proposal on the West Side; Medicaid gives Illinois a $12.9 million bonus, and Abbott becomes a more international company after it spins off its branded pharmaceutical business.

Updated 11:22 a.m.

Mortgage deduction benefits some 28% of Illinois taxpayers

The popular benefit reduced federal taxable income an average of about $10,000 for those people in 2010, a paper shows, as the writeoff has become part of the debate over addressing the nation's finances.

10 Things to do this weekend

SHRIEK. Forget the sugary-sweet side of the holidays. At SANTA'S SCARY SATURDAY your little ones can see family-friendly flicks, including "Spaceballs" and "Ghost of Frankenstein." The festivities include a vintage toy sale at the Portage Theater. Dec. 22: doors open at 11 a.m.; movies start

Northwestern med school takes aim at corporate health care provider

Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation plans battle for patients against Fresenius Medical Care, the world's largest provider of dialysis treatments.

U of C hospital's income dips as new tower nears

University of Chicago Medical Center's operating income fell almost 9 percent during the first quarter of its 2013 fiscal year, as the South Side institution works to debut a new $688 million hospital.

Residential briefs

Surgeon lists Keck home in Glencoe

Also, a spec home in Roscoe Village sells for more than $1.5 million, and a Kirkland & Ellis partner pays almost $1.38 million in Graceland West.

ComEd expects damage, outages from winter storm

(AP) — Commonwealth Edison is expecting significant damage to its system in Northern Illinois and power outages as the first winter storm of the season bears down on the area.

Discover's profit rises but misses estimates

(AP) — Discover Financial Services’ fourth-quarter net income rose 6 percent as more customers paid off credit card balances on time and it wrote off fewer unpaid balances.

Morning 10: ICE vs. CME | union targets Emanuel | Boeing's potato technology

NYSE Euronext, owner of the New York Stock Exchange, agreed to sell itself to rival IntercontinentalExchange for $8.2 billion, in a deal designed to push it into the big league of European derivatives and take on archrival CME Group. Here's the story.

Argonne project could give spark to Woodridge company

Officials from Navitas, which makes large batteries for industrial and government users, are looking to be part of Argonne's research into energy storage technology over the next five years.

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