Scientists plan $1b Ghost Town

A scientific ghost town in the heart of southeastern New Mexico oil and gas country will hum with the latest next-generation technology — but no people. A $1 billion city without residents will be developed in Lea County near Hobbs, officials said Tuesday, to...

B of A’s Mortgage Reduction Insanity

Bank of America has started sending letters to thousands of homeowners in the United States, offering to forgive a portion of the principal balance on their mortgages by an average of $150,000 each. The reduction for qualifying homeowners could amount to monthly...

China Enters U.S. Banking Market

The United States on Wednesday opened its banking market to ICBC, China’s biggest bank, for the first time clearing a takeover of a US bank by a Chinese state-controlled company. Just days after high-level US-China economic talks in Beijing, the Federal Reserve...

Labor Force Participation Rate Messes with Unemployment Rate

Exactly a month ago I wrote about the bogus employment numbers claimed for the Chicago area.  I claimed that there were no actual jobs “created” and that the only reason the employment rate went down was because people simply left the job market....

FYI, You CAN Cheat on Your Property Taxes

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Assessor Joe Berrios on Tuesday urged state lawmakers to give them more power to go after property owners who improperly claim tax breaks, saying they could recover more than $150 million in three years with the new...