By Michael Oneal | Chicago-area Cadillac dealers Dennis Bauer and Mike Ettleson were among at least 15 General Motors dealers in Illinois who got a stay of execution this week.

GM granted both a reprieve after picking them and 1,100 others for closure shortly before it filed for bankruptcy last year.

GAINERS	%	LOSERS	%	MOST ACTIVE	Vol (000)
Rubicon	+8.35	Smurfit-Stone	-6.67	Motorola	21,282
Brunswick Corp.	+7.98	Navistar	-5.29	Kraft	13,895
First Industrial	+6.98	Treehouse Foods	-1.93	UAL	11,737
Strategic Hotels	+6.45	ACCO	-1.57	Sara Lee	11,512
PrivateBancorp	+6.17	Northern Trust	-1.41	Boeing	10,616

See results from Chicago's Top 100 companies.

By Kiah Haslett | Decatur and Peoria saw a spike in their unemployment rate in December from the year-ago period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest data released Wednesday.

Decatur, headquarters of Archer Daniels Midland Co., posted a 5.1 percent increase in joblessness in the 12 months since December 2008, bringing its jobless rate to 12.9 percent. Peoria, home of Caterpillar Inc. and Ameren Illinois Utilities, had a 5 percent increase, to 11.2 percent.

Boeing's Scott Carson holds a model of the 787 Dreamliner in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2007. (AP Photo)

By Michael Oneal | Scott Carson, who stepped aside as head of Boeing Co.'s troubled commercial airplane business last September, will remain with the company as a consultant for two more years and collect a $1.5 million fee, according to a company filing.

The $1.5 million matches the "targeted" cash compensation Carson received from the company in 2009 and will be paid in a lump sum, the filing said.

By Bruce Japsen | A bill that would require health plans to submit their rate increases to government regulators before they take effect is gaining momentum in Congress.

The Health Insurance Rate Authority Act of 2010 was introduced this week by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) to give Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius "the authority to deny or modify premium and rate increases found to be unreasonable."

From Crain's Chicago Business | The Illinois Automobile Dealers Association said it has been notified by the General Motors that the company is reinstating at least 15 Illinois car dealers and returning them to the IADA sales network. More dealerships may have been notified but have yet to contact IADA, it said.

Get the full story: chicagobusiness.com

(Brunswick Corporation)

By Michael Oneal | The weather's still cold, the economy is frostier, and nobody can find a job. So why are investors jumping aboard Lake Forest-based Brunswick Corp., the world's largest recreational boat maker?

In a burst of trading over the past week, Brunswick shares have soared almost 50 percent to a new 52-week high of $15.89 a share, as opportunists look to capitalize on what many see as an inevitable turnaround in boat sales after an especially brutal ride through the recession.

Associated Press | W.W. Grainger Inc. said Wednesday that its daily sales rose 12 percent in February on acquisitions, seasonal product sales and favorable foreign exchange rates.

The company, which supplies industrial maintenance and safety products to manufacturers and government offices, said its sales climbed 4 percent excluding acquisitions, seasonal sales and foreign exchange.

(Jock Fistick/Bloomberg)

Dow Jones Newswires | The Illinois Liquor Control Commission blocked a bid by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV's U.S. division to buy a controlling stake in its largest Chicago-area beer distributor, in a blow to the brewer's efforts to compete more effectively in one of the country's key beer markets.

The commission's ruling Wednesday also hints at the regulatory hurdles the world's largest brewer could face if it embarks on a wider effort to control more of its distribution in the U.S.--a strategy some analysts expect.

Dow Jones Newswires | A.M. Castle & Co.'s fourth-quarter loss narrowed following a $58.9 million year-earlier write-down as the company's sales dropped sharply.

"While we are disappointed with our financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year 2009, we believe an increase in daily shipping rates throughout the second half of 2009 and early 2010 indicate that we are on a path to recovery," said President and Chief Executive Michael Goldberg.

(JB Reed/Bloomberg)

Associated Press | Media reports on Wednesday indicated drugstore chain Walgreen Co. is in talks about a plan to offer prescription drugs directly to employees of Delta Air Lines Inc.

Walgreen and Delta would not confirm any negotiations. The Deerfield, company is the largest U.S. drugstore chain. It sells prescription drugs directly to Caterpillar Inc. employees under an arrangement that appeared to be similar to Wednesday's reported discussions.

Associated Press | German sportswear company Puma AG says it will acquire Cobra Golf, based in Carlsbad, Calif. from Fortune Brands Inc.

Herzogenaurach-based Puma said Wednesday it will acquire 100 percent of Cobra Golf, but did not provide any financial details. The deal which faces regulatory approval is expected to close in the second quarter.

Associated Press | Fertilizer company Terra Industries said Wednesday its board favors a bid to be acquired by CF Industries instead of a previous agreement with Norway's Yara.

Terra, based in Sioux City, Iowa, has given Yara five business days to meet or beat CF's offer. Yara $4.1 billion buyout deal was announced last month. Chemical maker CF Industries Holdings Inc., based in Deerfield last week offered to buy Terra Industries Inc. in a cash and stock deal valued at $4.7 billion.

By Greg Burns | A deal between Korea's top derivatives exchange and the German Eurex exchange shows how Asia has become a critical battleground for growth in the futures business.

Under a "product cooperation" accord unveiled Wednesday, the trading hours and reach of the Korea Exchange's KOSPI 200 Options will become available through Eurex beginning Aug. 30.