How pickleball is revitalizing vacant big-box spaces across suburbs
The rise of e-commerce has reshaped the retail landscape, leaving big vacancies in dozens of shopping centers across the suburbs. When big-box stores like Toys R Us or Buy Buy Baby close, they leave behind tens of thousands of empty square feet — spaces that can be difficult to fill. Finding new tenants for these massive spaces is no small task. But one unlikely contender, pickleball — among the nation’s fastest-growing sports — is breathing new life into these cavernous retail spaces.
Arlington Heights Starbucks becomes 12th to unionize in the suburbs
Workers at a Starbucks coffee shop in Arlington Heights voted this week to join a union, becoming the 12th shop to organize in the suburbs in recent years. Employees at the 115 W. Rand Road location voted 11-3 to join Starbucks Workers United in an election held in the café Tuesday, according to the union and National Labor Relations Board.
Global automakers say Trump’s tariffs will be painful for them and US consumers
Whatever the U.S. gains from President Donald Trump’s 25% tax on imported cars — and experts are skeptical — automakers around the world are bracing for a lot of pain. In Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and across Europe, automakers employ millions of people whose livelihoods depend on buyers in the U.S. that currently spend more than $240 billion annually on imported cars and light trucks.
Construction begins on 164 high-end townhouses at Bell Works in Hoffman Estates
Officials recently broke ground on a project involving 164 townhouse units on the northeast side of Bell Works in Hoffman Estates, which will be known as The Towns at Bell Works Chicagoland. The townhouses add the long-awaited residential component that fulfills the vision of the redeveloped former AT&T headquarters as a “metroburb” where people work, live, shop and enjoy entertainment.
3 food court favorites open under one roof in Buffalo Grove
A new fast-food triple-threat is open in Buffalo Grove. This sweet synergy can be found at 260 McHenry Road in a space shared by Cinnabon, Jamba and Auntie Anne’s and is the latest addition to The Clove mixed-use development. The trio occupies the same lot as Panda.
Walgreens to pay more than $2.8M to settle allegations of overbilling Medicaid programs
Walgreen Co. has agreed to pay more than $2.8 million to resolve allegations it violated the federal, Massachusetts and Georgia False Claims Acts by submitting inflated prices for certain generic medications, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for District of Massachusetts.
