Crain's Chicago Business back issues from July 2007:
Taking Names.(Business of Life)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Shia Kapos ***** Correction: A quote in the Taking Names column (" `Purple' tickets hit discount circuit,'' July 2) was incorrectly attributed to Roche Schulfer, executive director of the Goodman Theatre. The source was another theater industry insider who ...
ComEd spinoff in S'field mix; Wall Street wants Exelon to shed Chicago utility.(News)(Commonwealth Edison Co.)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Exelon Corp. and state lawmakers agreed last week to pave the way for a spinoff of Chicago electric utility Commonwealth Edison Co. as a separate, publicly traded company. Negotiators hammering out a deal to cut soaring electric bills signed off ...
French on Taylor Street, with a patio to boot; Sun-dappled Chez Joel pleases with bistro fare.(Business of Life)(Restaurant review)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: ALISON NEUMER LARA Chez Joel isn't located near the hubbub of the Loop, but that's what makes it a delicious escape during Chicago's all-too-short al fresco season. A modest French bistro in the heart of Taylor Street's Little Italy, it boasts one of the more charming ...
Wheaton course sets its sights high; Lovely, difficult holes in Arrowhead upgrade.(Business of Life)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Public golf has gone upscale around Chicago in the past 15 years, and municipalities have kept up to speed with surprising enthusiasm. A case in point is the Wheaton Park District's Arrowhead Golf Club, once a dreary place with perennially parched brown ...
Idea tracker.(Business of Life)(Roy A. Arnold president of Arlington Park race course )(Interview)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Laura Bianchi A Marine for 30 years, Roy A. Arnold, 52, has been president of Arlington Park race course in Arlington Heights since April 2006. Faced with an industry "stuck in the 1930s,'' he is fast-tracking technology and marketing. His best bets: Turned ...
If you want to raise the roof, aim for next year.(Business of Life)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Kevin Davis Convertibles may give off a carefree vibe, but you have to plan ahead to get one in time for summer. "Convertibles are always in limited supply. We sell every car we get in here in a very short period of time,'' says Andrew Zolper, a sales manager ...
Andrew to be acquired in $2.6-bil. deal.(Briefs)(CommScope Inc. acquired Andrew Corp.)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... To expand its network business from wired to wireless, CommScope announced plans to buy Westchester-based cable maker Andrew in a $2.6-billion mostly cash deal-a significant increase from the $1.7-billion CommScope offer Andrew rejected last year. North Carolina-based CommScope expects to ...
Destination: Washington, D.C.(Business of Life)(Editorial)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Anne Ford GET AWAY: Sure, Washington, D.C., is sticky in July, but finding air-conditioned sights isn't hard. And there's plenty to see after sundown, like the Fourth of July fireworks that will bloom over the National Mall. DO: Sights at the International ...
Moto vs. Apple Can Moto's new Q outrun the iPhone?(News)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Monee Fields-White That's the hope of Motorola Inc. executives touting the processing speed of the new smartphone, the Q 9h, due out in late summer. The Q 9h is the first update of the handheld Moto introduced last year to disappointing sales (Crain's, Oct. 23). Thanks ...
REAL ESTATE FEVER COOLS AS RATES CLIMB; A Conversation with Money Manager Reagan pratt.(Markets)(dialogue with Reagan Pratt)(Interview)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Alby Gallun Reagan Pratt, 43, principal, portfolio manager and managing member, Transwestern Investment Co., Chicago. Experience: 17 years Assets under management: $250 million Crain's: Your portfolio includes shares of U.S. real estate ...
For The Record.(Briefs)(federal lawsuit against RC2 Corp.)(Ridge Property Trust plans a warehouse park )
Jul 02, 2007 ... Federal lawsuits demand RC2 provide medical monitoring for kids who may have ingested lead paint from its toys. The Oak Brook toymaker recalled some of its Thomas & Friends products, but the toys were still on some retailers' shelves two weeks later, the Tribune reported. RC2 said it has ...
Crain's takes home 9 awards for editorial excellence.(Markets)(ChicagoBusiness.com)(awards)(Editorial)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Crain's Chicago Business won nine awards in the Alliance of Area Business Publications' 2007 Editorial Excellence Awards ceremony in Denver, the highest total for any publication in the contest. Crain's also collected the most first-place Gold awards, with four. The group ...
They promoted who? Success can come as a shock to others; impressing the right people, or secret plots?(Business of Life)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: SHIA KAPOS Craig Donohue was a behind-the-scenes, nose-to-the-grindstone kind of guy who didn't make waves with the boss-or seemingly with anyone else at Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. Thus the surprise when the quiet lawyer with warm eyes and a ...
Apple's eye on Clybourn; Maker of iPhone in talks for store at N. Side retail hot spot.(News)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: THOMAS A. CORFMAN Apple Inc. is looking to join the crowd in Chicago's Clybourn Corridor. The electronics maker is close to a deal to build a store on a bustling, triangular site bounded by North and Clybourn avenues and Halsted Street where shoppers could ...
Taking Names.(Business of Life)(Editorial)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Shia Kapos `Purple' tickets hit the discount circuit Is Oprah Winfrey's "The Color Purple'' losing its luster? Tickets for the touring show popped up regularly in recent weeks on HotTix, which sells half-price theater tickets. Just two ...
Hitting Pay Dirt; Ethanol, not developers, fuels farmland values, attracting new breed of non-farm investors.(News)(Statistical data)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: BOB TITA Ethanol mania has made Illinois farmland such a hot property that even the world's richest man is snapping it up. Microsoft founder Bill Gates spent $14 million on Illinois farmland since 2006, joining a growing crowd of pension funds, private-equity ...
HEALTH FIX: FEW TAKERS; Consumer-driven benefits, seen as savior, hit a snag: Workers don't want them.(News)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: MIKE COLIAS Hoping to tame annual double-digit increases in its health care costs, Tallgrass Restoration LLC offered its workers an en vogue option last year: a low-premium, high-deductible insurance plan giving them more say over their medical spending and a ...
Olympic mystery: Who's the insurer? City's secrecy raises doubts about policy.(News)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: GREG HINZ Two months after city officials unveiled a surprise $500-million private insurance plan to help lure the 2016 Olympics here, a stadium full of questions remain about how substantial the offer is and whether it would provide any real financial protection to ...
Mixed signals; With expansion efforts slowing, U.S. Cellular faces growth questions.(Markets)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: MEGHAN STREIT John Rooney, CEO of U.S. Cellular Corp., says he's done enough roaming for now. The Chicago-based company has grown into the nation's sixth-largest wireless phone service provider, partly by expanding into rural areas of the Midwest. That's ...
New product boosts BioSante; Licensing fees pour in for hormone therapy.(Annual Meetings)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY In the week before its June 14 annual meeting, BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. began marketing its first commercial product after a decade of research and tests. As it happened, BioSante's timing couldn't have been better. The initial product ...
CME says it can't go higher on CBOT bid; Without sweetener, vote called 'very, very close'.(News)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: ANN SAPHIR With time running out on their campaign to acquire the Chicago Board of Trade, the only thing standing between Chicago Mercantile Exchange executives and an easy victory may be their own shareholders. At least that's what Merc brass has been telling ...
At Deadline.(Late News)(Elements Inc. relocates)(Loop office vacancies hit four-year low)(J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. appointed Amy Fahey )
Jul 02, 2007 ... Daley and Ryan bound for Rio A city delegation headed by Mayor Daley is scheduled to head to Rio de Janeiro next week to check out the opening days of the Pan American Games being held there. Some observers consider Rio to be Chicago's prime competitor in the race to host the ...
Cash flows to Nuveen execs; M-D buyout to bring Schwertfeger $181 mil., Amboian $121 mil.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Nuveen Investments Inc.'s top two executives are in line for whopping paydays in the money manager's pending $5.7-billion buyout by private-equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC. Chairman and CEO Timothy Schwertfeger and President John ...
Allscripts relying on freebies.(Annual Meetings)( Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY When Glen E. Tullman joined Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. as CEO a decade ago, he relaunched the packager of cheap generic drugs as an Internet-based provider of automated prescriptions written by doctors and sent electronically to drugstores. ...
CTA, unions did their part, now it's Springfield's turn.(Chicago Transit Authority )(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 02, 2007 ... It's Springfield's move on transit. Leaders of the Chicago Transit Authority and the city's transit union took a big step last week toward averting a CTA meltdown in September. A deal they cut on pension and health care benefits goes a long way toward plugging the agency's ...
Getting Marsh `back out on the street'.(People)(Interview)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: Brandon Glenn Job: Managing director of Chicago office, insurance broker and risk management company Marsh Inc. since Jan. 1. Vitals: 42 years old; bachelor's degree in arts, University of Richmond, 1987; underwriter, Chubb Group of Insurance Cos., 1987-88; ...
Healthy chain on the move; Salad Spinners adding site, ready to franchise.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: VIRGINIA GROARK Salad Spinners Corp. founder Rich Levy is preparing to franchise his healthy fast-food restaurant business. Mr. Levy recently opened his fourth Salad Spinners in the Loop, at 300 S. Wacker Drive. He aims to start selling franchises by early next year. ...
88 keys, 2,000 pounds.(Focus: Small Business)(Storage and moving industry)(Company overview)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: STEVE HENDERSHOT There are just two pieces of furniture left in Ben LeClair's Ukrainian Village apartment: a small accent mirror and his 700-pound baby grand piano. He can handle one himself but needs help with the other. That's why three guys from Kevin's Piano Moving ...
Natural Wonders.(Business of Life)(Henry Henderson of Natural Resources Defense Council)(Interview)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: Christina Le Beau One-time Chicago Environmental Commissioner Henry Henderson, 55, now directs the Midwest office of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which opened in January. His list: Reads the New Yorker and New York Review of Books at 3 a.m. "My ...
On the Move.(People)(appointment of Christopher C. Multhauf at National-Louis University)(appointments of Vincent Pappalardo, Paul Hoffman and Keith Koeneman at Dresner Partners)(appointments of Mary Kay Sullivan, Jeffrey Wescott and Kristina Van Liew at Merrill Lynch and Company Inc.)
Jul 09, 2007 ... EDUCATION National-Louis University, Chicago: Christopher C. Multhauf, 52, to executive dean of the College of Management and Business, from president and CEO at the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing. FINANCIAL SERVICES Dresner Partners, Chicago: Vincent ...
For The Record.(Briefs)(Cook County Board President Todd Stroger diagnosed with prostate cancer)(Sen. Barack Obama raised $32.5 million)(United Air Lines Inc. improved on-time performance )
Jul 09, 2007 ... Cook County Board President Todd Stroger conceded that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer months earlier than his staff had previously announced, but said he hid the matter until very recently because of concern for his mother. Mr. Stroger, 44, had surgery to remove his prostate last ...
This Week: New biz-class link to London?(Late News)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: Paul Merrion The U.S. Department of Transportation approved a start-up British carrier's plans for the first low-fare, all-business-class air service between Chicago and London. Silverjet, which ...
$2 billion flowing toward Illinois rivers; Lock repair would speed shipping times.(News)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: BOB TITA Congress appears close to approving $2 billion in spending to replace seven locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Engineers and shippers say the new locks could vastly improve transport times for barges carrying grain, coal and other ...
Afterparties give gala scene spice.(Business of Life)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: Lisa Bertagnoli After the charity ball is over, does Cinderella go home? Not these days. She and her crew will hit the afterparty. Charities from the local chapter of the American Cancer Society to Common Threads hosted such events last year-allowing a younger ...
(Hoping it sinks); Short-sellers are piling into mid-sized banks, waiting for just the right time to bail.(Markets)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Short-sellers are betting the bank against some Chicago-area lenders. Short interest surged this year in shares of local mid-sized banks, including First Midwest Bancorp Inc. and MB Financial Inc., as some investors took aim at the companies' ...
Time to shake up the power structure in this sausage factory.(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: Cynthia Canary Cynthia Canary is director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform in Chicago. "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made.'' That warning, made by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck long ...
At Deadline.(Late News)(Doubletree Chicago O'Hare Airport)(briefs)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Power-rate talks in final stages? Negotiators for state lawmakers and electric utilities were trying Friday to wrap up a $1-billion-plus electric-rate relief package with hopes of bringing legislation to the House and Senate floors as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, sources say. A ...
Canning's big swing; Private-equity mogul plays long ball even as credit for deals tightens.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: ANN SAPHIR John Canning is swinging for the fences. The CEO of Madison Dearborn Partners LLC is cutting his biggest deals and aiming to raise his largest fund ever, $10.5 billion. Last week, he took a piece of the biggest private-equity deal ever announced: a ...
INNOVATORS WILL DRIVE MARKET IN SECOND HALF; A Conversation with Money Manager Andrew S. Cupps.(Markets)(Interview)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: Daniel Rome Levine Andrew S. Cupps, 37, president and CEO, Cupps Capital Management LLC, Chicago Experience: 16 years Assets under management: $115 million Crain's: Halfway through 2007, what's your assessment of the U.S. stock market? ...
The business of speed; Racing against e-mail and fax machines.(Focus: Small Business)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: STEVE HENDERSHOT Josh Korby pedals through Chicago at 20 mph, according to the speedometer on his bicycle. He doesn't slow for rain or cold, and certainly not for traffic. As a bike messenger for and co-ower of Chicago's 4 Star Courier Collective LLC, he has a rep to ...
Show us policy for Olympics cost overruns.(Viewpoint essay)
Jul 09, 2007 ... It's time for Mayor Richard M. Daley and Patrick Ryan to come clean with the people of Chicago on the insurance policy the two men claim to have secured against cost overruns arising from the 2016 Olympics. As part of the sales pitch to win support for the city's bid to host ...
Asia blues hit United; Sputtering Pacific routes jeopardize turnaround strategy.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: PAUL MERRION United Airlines is leveling off in Asia, a lucrative market essential to the carrier's recovery plan. After two years of double-digit gains, United's passenger traffic on Pacific routes rose just 1.3% in 2006, and flattened in the first half of ...
Her fortune's tied to cookies; Kraft CEO makes bet on $7.2-billion takeover in Europe.(News)(Irene Rosenfeld )(Interview)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: DAVID STERRETT Irene Rosenfeld is adding a riskier ingredient to the plain-vanilla recipe she's touted for turning around Kraft Foods Inc. Last week's $7.2-billion offer for Group Danone's cookie business gives Kraft a chance to become a major player in ...
Push-back on privatization; House bill would trim $100 mil. off Midway deal.(News)(Midway International Airport)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: PAUL MERRION Legislation pending in Congress could knock almost $100 million off Midway International Airport's privatization payoff for Chicago. Although it's not a deal-killer, the bill is another sign of congressional Democrats' displeasure with the ...
WALGREEN PROGNOSIS: A DROP-OFF IN GENERICS; Blockbuster knockoffs, a key revenue source, set to dwindle in 2008.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: MONEE FIELDS-WHITE The steady flow of blockbuster generic drugs that's boosted sales and profit at Walgreen Co. in the past two years is poised to slow. Generic versions of drugs like sleep aid Ambien and blood-pressure medicine Norvasc have provided a ...
Barrier to success: one weak spot; So much potential, but a single character flaw can derail a career; always late, overly shy or arrogant.(Business of Life)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: RITA PYRILLIS When self-made millionaire Chris Gardner was looking for smart and ambitious brokers to help launch his Chicago brokerage firm, Gardner Rich LLC, one candidate stood out from the others-a charismatic young man with a degree from the London School of ...
Nick's fish is fresh, but ambience shows age; Well-done cuisine best enjoyed in bright Grill.(Business of Life)(Restaurant review)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: ALISON NEUMER LARA Celebrating 30 years in the Loop this year, Nick's Fishmarket still manages to appeal to a wide-ranging crowd in an enviable location. The fresh, modern side of Nick's is the upstairs Grill. Decor, menu and service carry a young energy ...
Neighbors tangle over lift to high life.(Business of Life)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: Shia Kapos When Harvey Camins listed his 26th-floor condo at 680 Tower Residence on Lake Shore Drive, he described the 360-degree views, De Giulio kitchen and "private elevator to own floor!'' But downstairs, on the 14th floor, neighbor Katherine Davison-York ...
Pooped parties; WITH DEMS DEADLOCKED, GOP COMATOSE, ILLINOIS NEEDS A REAL ALTERNATIVE.(News)(Column)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: Greg Hinz I want another choice. After weeks of watching Springfield Democrats brawl away a historic opportunity to remake Illinois' spending priorities and Washington Republicans convincingly demonstrate that they truly care only for them and theirs, I'm ...
Marlboro Man rides into the sunset; For 1st time since 1955, Philip Morris ran no print ads for the brand.(News)(Statistical data)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: BRADLEY JOHNSON Crain News Service So long, cowboy. In 2006, for the first time since tobacco giant Philip Morris and Chicago ad agency Leo Burnett created the Marlboro Man in 1955, no Marlboro ads ran in U.S. consumer publications. In fact, for ...
Material Sciences looks overseas; Coated-metal maker wants to ease reliance on domestic automakers.(News)(contracts of Nissan Maxima, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.)(Financial report)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Both the auto and homebuilding industries have been in retreat this year, delivering a double whammy to Material Sciences Corp. A maker of coated metals, Elk Grove Village-based Material Sciences gets close to two-thirds of its sales from the Big ...
Landlocked in north Cook; Last of Divine Word site in Northbrook nears a sale, marking end of era.(News)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY One of the last big suburban development sites left in northern Cook County is about to run out of land. The Society of the Divine Word, a Roman Catholic missionary order, once controlled 780 acres around its headquarters at Willow and Waukegan ...
Summer associates live large again; Taste of firm life: $3,000 a week, chauffeured limos-and more work, too.(Business of Life)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: SHIA KAPOS At top Chicago law firms, the high-flying extravagance of the 1980s is back for summer associates, most of whom were kindergartners the last time fledgling attorneys enjoyed such luxe treatment. And there's an even bigger bonus for this generation: ...
Cornhole craze finds sweet spot.(Business of Life)(Brief article)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: Darci Smith Cornhole. Baggo. Beanbags. Whatever you call it, the game is not to be taken lightly in the Chicago area these days. White Sox season ticket holder Paul Talaga began playing at tailgates, where the game flourishes, in 1996. It involves pitching a ...
Report criticizes McPier; Document called 'key' in restoring city to top status.(News)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: GREGORY MEYER Trade show clients of McCormick Place and Navy Pier complain of "poor customer service'' and a "rigid and inflexible'' bureaucracy that has hurt Chicago in the competition for convention business, according to a new consultant's report. The ...
FORECLOSURE AUCTIONS GO SILENT; 100% mortgages leave little profit potential for flippers; more bad news for housing.(News)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: VIRGINIA GROARK On a late June afternoon, Laurence Kallen stepped to the podium in the Randolph Street office that serves as his cramped auction house. Mr. Kallen had 11 foreclosed Chicago properties to sell and 10 bidders in attendance. The auction lasted 10 minutes. He ...
Every bite a charm at River North bistro; Kiki's attention to detail gives it staying power.(Business of Life)(Restaurant review)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: LAURA BIANCHI Authentic French bistro food and atmosphere mingle in a delightful way at Kiki's Bistro, a 17-year-old bastion of first-rate cooking tucked away in River North. Rustic and charming, Kiki's is a quiet refuge from the hurly-burly of ...
Depositing cash.(Focus: Finance)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: Samantha Stainburn Where do you keep your money? For many small and mid-sized businesses, it's not always a bank. Often, it can be a credit union or brokerage account. The service: A place to park cash-it's the definition of a bank. Banks make it easy to ...
MARKET GASSES UTILITY CHIEF'S BUYOUT BINGE; Changing its tune, Integrys now says Peoples could hurt earnings through '08; stock sinks.(News)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: STEVE DANIELS By cobbling a patchwork of mainly rural electric and gas companies into one of the largest utilities in the Midwest, Larry Weyers has crafted a reputation on Wall Street as an empire builder. But in his last two deals, including this year's ...
Construction `conduit' for children's hospital.(People)(Interview)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: Lorene Yue Job: Chief of new hospital design and construction, Children's Memorial Hospital. Vitals: 58 years old; bachelor's degree in biology, University of Pittsburgh, 1970; master's degree in hospital administration, Duke University, 1972; U.S. Army ...
Choosing ethics over employees; Star performers-like TV's Jacobson-often push boundaries.(News)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: BRIAN MCCORMICK It's every manager's worst nightmare: a star employee crosses an ethical line. Colleagues and rivals are talking about it. A response is necessary. Managers may feel an obligation to act quickly-even firing the employee to underscore ethical ...
At Deadline: A sale of a different sort at North Bridge.(Briefs)(Brief article)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: Eddie Baeb The Nordstrom-anchored North Bridge mall and parking garage are for sale, sources say. John Buck Co. and Morgan Stanley, which own two-thirds of the Mag Mile mall, ...
Do you really need your bank? For many small and mid-sized businesses in Chicago, the answer increasingly is no.(Focus: Finance)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: SAMANTHA STAINBURN Banking may not be the world's oldest profession, but it's close. The earliest banking records stretch back to the 18th-century B.C. in Babylon, where temple priests made loans. Greek bankers in the fourth century B.C. perfected sophisticated financial ...
Can banks respond? They aren't giving up on smaller customers.(Focus: Finance)(Christine Barry of Aite Group LLC)(Interview)
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: Samantha Stainburn Small and mid-sized businesses unhappy with their banks are increasingly looking elsewhere for financial services. So what are banks doing to keep these important customers? Crain's asked Christine Barry, a research director who studies business ...
City offers aid for CME; Public funds on tap as merged exchange plans to cut 410 jobs.(News)(Chicago Mercantile Exchange )
Jul 16, 2007; ... Byline: ANN SAPHIR City officials are offering the newly joined Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade a potentially handsome wedding gift from taxpayers: millions of dollars in government subsidies, even as the exchange prepares to lay off more than 400 local ...