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Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says $50 million will be returned to the city's parking meter reserves. At the end of last year the city borrowed $190 million from the fund to help close what was originally projected to be a $520 million shortfall. Daley says better-than-expected tax revenues

An Indiana House committee will vote Friday on a bill that imposes tax penalties against businesses who hire illegal immigrants.

 The city of Gary got a financial lifeline of sorts We

Chicago-based Orbtiz is vowing to fight an antitrust lawsuit brought by American Airlines in a case that could have big implications for the online travel booking industry.

President Barack Obama is headed back to town. On Thursday he’ll kick off his re-election fundraising efforts in Chicago. Obama’s 2008 campaign shattered all records – he raised more money than any previous candidate for the office. But some pundits predict he’ll outdo himself in 2012.

Among the topics likely to gain traction in the 2012 contest are economic concerns – from gas prices to the widening gap between rich and poor. Northwestern University professor Benjamin Page has spent his career looking at how people decide who to vote for or what policy to support.

Officials in Gary, Indiana are awaiting a decision from the state on whether it can avoid making painful cuts to its already bare-bones budget.Indiana’s Distressed Unit Appeals Board (DUAB) will decide Wednesday whether to allow Gary to get around the state’s constitutionally required property tax c