The recently leaked letter from Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has been making the rounds around the state, lending itself to a lot of bloviating and freaking out by those who are generally nervous about the future jobs outlook in Illinois. If you're not up to speed on this drama, Oberhelman sent Quinn a letter last week, which was leaked to the press, telling the Illinois governor that he's been courted by other states, to move the company's headquarters out of it's East Peoria home. In spite of the outcry by local politicians (like Peoria's congressman, Aaron Schock), Oberhelman has been pretty upfront with Quinn that he's not threatening to move the company out of state, so much as he's offering to work with Quinn as an ambassador from the business community to find ways to solve the state's fiscal problems while maintaining Illinois's competitive edge among manufacturers. more ›

The owners of the Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family, recently invested in the rooftop seating space across Sheffield Avenue from Wrigley Field. Dennis Culloton, a spokesman for the family, told the Chicago Sun-Times that the investment will permit a rooftop business to reopen at 3621 N. Sheffield. more ›

Crain's reports that Fitch Ratings cut the issuer default rating on Tribune Co. stock from "B-" to "CCC," saying that default "is a real possibility." [Crain's] more ›