Afternoon Briefing: Ex-CHA general counsel created ‘toxic work culture,' staff alleged
Chicago Housing Authority staff accused CHA's former general counsel Ellen Harris of creating a 'hostile' and 'toxic' work environment leading up to her resignation in August 2024, according to public records obtained by the Tribune.
CHA's head of human resources said in a July 2024 memo to former CHA CEO Tracey Scott that his office and the Office of the Inspector General had received complaints over a 12- to 18-month period about Harris' 'leadership and management style.'
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Mayor Brandon Johnson ripped a proposal Chicago's top independent watchdog recommended as a way to prevent him and future mayors from impeding investigations by her office. Read more here.
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Vintage Chicago Tribune: How 'Circle campus' became UIC
Nancy Brussat, whose Convito Cafe brought Italian food specialties to Chicago area, dies
A group of Cook County prosecutors has filed a union petition with the Illinois Labor Relations Board after State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke missed a deadline their union set to provide voluntary recognition of their proposed bargaining unit, which would include hundreds of assistant state's attorneys who staff the country's second-largest prosecutor's office. Read more here.
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Heartland Alliance Health staying open, after receiving last-minute funding
More than 150 workers at Kindred Hospitals in Edgewater, Sycamore losing jobs as hospitals close
Sandra Sproch is the newest member of the U.S. National Ski Jumping women's team and has been competing on jumps nearly twice as large across Europe and the United States over the last several months. Still, she fiercely embraces her beginnings at Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove. Read more here.
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Could the Chicago Bulls' Matas Buzelis earn a place in the Rookie of the Year conversation?
'This is a great fit': Joey Gallo hopes adjustments pay off as he joins the Chicago White Sox at camp
The touring show currently at the CIBC Theater is a newish, non-musical live adaptation credited to Sandy Ruskin that dates back to 2017, and hews relatively closely to the screenplay for Jonathan Lynn's 1985 movie. Read more here.
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Column: In the early '30s, Hollywood's 'dictator craze' offered a startling alternative to democracy
'Zero Day' review: Zero intrigue in this thriller starring Robert De Niro
Boeing has the contract to produce updated versions of Air Force One, based on the more modern Boeing 747-8, but delivery has been delayed while the aircraft maker has lost billions of dollars on the deal, which was negotiated by President Donald Trump during his first term in office. Read more here.
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Sen. Mitch McConnell won't seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker
Hamas returns bodies of 4 Israeli hostages said to include a mother and her 2 young children
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Newsweek
a minute ago
- Newsweek
America's Top Sandwich Spots, According to Reviews
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. August marks National Sandwich Month and Yelp, the online directory, has marked the occasion with a list of the top 100 sandwich shops in the United States. Why It Matters Sandwiches have long been a cornerstone in American culinary culture. According to U.S. Foods, people across the U.S. eat an estimated 300 million sandwiches every day. A survey of 2,000 Americans, commissioned in the fall of 2024 by lunch and deli meat brand Buddig and conducted by Talker Research, found that grilled cheese sandwiches were the favorite of 42 percent of people, with chicken sandwiches coming in at a close second for 40 percent. Stock image of an Italian combo sandwich. Stock image of an Italian combo sandwich. Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP What To Know The list is Yelp's first Top 100 list of sandwich spots. The crowd-sourced review site explained its methodology: "This is an all-time list of the Top 100 Sandwich Shops in the U.S. according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the sandwich category on Yelp, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews." The list revealed multiple trends about sandwich consumption. Shops that specialize in the bánh mì, a Vietnamese specialty, appeared in multiple positions, as did vegan, veggie and gluten-free sandwich spots. Newsweek spoke with Owen Han, author of the cookbook Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich and culinary content creator, about the ranking. Han's sandwich videos have proved immensely popular over the years, and he regularly shares videos making sandwiches to TikTok, where he has more than 4 million followers. "The 2025 Yelp Top 100 Sandwich Shops list shows that America's sandwich culture is in a golden age of creativity and diversity," Han said by email. "The classic deli sub and the simple grilled cheese are still celebrated, but they now share the stage with globally inspired flavors, plant-based reinventions and elevated ingredient choices like artisanal breads, house-made sauces and seasonal produce." One feature of the list is transcending state loyalties, with Chicago-style sandwiches popular in Florida, Philly cheesesteaks proving to be a favorite in Texas, and New Orleans muffulettas popping up in Missouri. "Regional pride is strong," Han said. "A po'boy in Louisiana doesn't look anything like a bánh mì in California or a biscuit sandwich in Texas, yet customers are eager to cross flavor borders. Sandwiches have become both a comfort food and a culinary playground, reflecting the broader American dining trend toward authenticity, craft and storytelling. While all the trends matter, global influences are the most transformative for the future." "They expand the definition of what a sandwich can be," he said, adding that they "introducing new flavor profiles, cooking techniques and ingredient combinations to mainstream audiences. "This cross-pollination of ideas—a Cuban medianoche in Seattle, a tikka masala wrap in New York, a kimchi grilled cheese in L.A.—keeps the category evolving in exciting ways. Plant-based innovation is a close second, as it's not just a dietary niche anymore; it's becoming part of the default menu offering. Together, these two forces are pushing sandwiches from familiar lunch fare into a dynamic, chef-driven cuisine that resonates with both tradition and modern tastes." The top 100 sandwich spots, according to Yelp:
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Diversify Your Client Base: The Growth Strategy Most Companies Overlook
Jason Bahnak is the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Abstrakt , where he leads omnichannel growth and sales enablement strategies. Economic uncertainty isn't a matter of 'if,' it's a matter of 'when.' Nearly 60% of global executives expect economic volatility to persist through at least the end of the year, yet many B2B businesses remain over-reliant on a handful of major clients. The problem isn't having big clients; it's building your business around them. A more resilient path forward is diversifying your client base now before volatility becomes disruption. In the last two decades, we've seen disruption hit the economy like clockwork: The dot-com bust, the 2008 recession, the 2020 pandemic, and now, interest rates, layoffs and market hesitancy. While the variables change, one constant remains: Companies with revenue concentrated in just a few clients are disproportionately vulnerable when the next wave hits. A 2023 study by Allianz Trade found that companies where a single customer accounts for 20% or more of revenue face significantly elevated risks to cash flow, profitability and operational continuity. Yet many B2B organizations continue to over-index on a small number of 'anchor clients,' assuming their size alone provides stability. In my experience, it's the opposite. Big clients are exciting. They create momentum and validate your place in the market. But they can also give your business a false sense of security. Enterprise clients move slowly, and their priorities shift fast. One reorganization, leadership change or strategic pivot and suddenly your contract's under review. If they make up a large chunk of your revenue, it destabilizes. What's more dangerous is how quietly that overreliance creeps in. When things are good, the risk hides in plain sight. But when one client drives your roadmap and eats up your bandwidth, your strategy stops being resilient and starts being reactive. And it's not just revenue. It's resources. You throw your best people at the account. You over-service. You bend your process to fit theirs. You're not taking them to the family-owned Italian spot—you're booking the best steakhouse in town, because you can't afford to lose them. It starts with good intentions, but over time, you stop scaling and start protecting. So ask yourself: If your top client walked tomorrow, what would the next six months look like? If that question makes you uncomfortable, good. That means it's time to fix it before you have to. One of the more overlooked insights from the COVID-era economy is this: Small- and mid-sized clients proved far more resilient than expected. While larger companies paused spending or entered procurement freezes, many small businesses continued buying—because they had to. They needed to sell to survive. And that urgency made them reliable partners. In our work at Abstrakt, we've found that small- to mid-sized businesses are often: • Faster to close • Less bogged down by red tape • More loyal when value is delivered • Positioned to grow with the right partners We've worked with hundreds of B2B firms navigating revenue concentration issues. Time and again, we've seen how building a broader client base mitigates risk and unlocks new growth channels. That's not to say enterprise clients don't belong in your portfolio, but when they dominate, you're building your revenue on shifting sand. Our company aims for an 80/20 balance: 80% small-to-midsize clients, 20% large enterprises. This mix allows us to scale while protecting against unexpected attrition. If a single enterprise client trims spending, our business doesn't skip a beat because we're not dependent on any one customer to keep the lights on. Here are a few ways any business can begin building a healthier mix: • Run quarterly revenue concentration reports. Identify any clients exceeding 20%–25% of total revenue. • Balance industry exposure. Diversify across sectors to avoid cascading impact from industry-specific downturns. • Prioritize consistent small-client acquisition. Build systems (outbound sales, referrals, digital campaigns) that support pipeline volume. • Right-size service models. Use account tiers to manage delivery efficiently across varied client sizes. In early 2020, we were advised (like many others) to brace for the worst. Some businesses paused operations, and others waited to see how things would unfold. We didn't. We had a diversified client base across industries and sizes. That gave us confidence to move forward when others stalled. We continued hiring. We scaled outreach. And we gained market share while others pressed pause. The lesson? Diversification isn't a crisis response; it's a preparedness strategy. You don't wait until you're exposed. You build protection into your model when times are good, so you can move fast when things get hard. Revenue diversification isn't about refusing large clients; it's about building a business that can handle uncertainty without hesitation. The companies that grow through market shifts aren't 'lucky,' but they are intentional. They design their business to be durable, spread risk across clients and build a revenue mix where no single decision, internal or external, can shake their foundation. Because when the next downturn hits, it won't be the companies scrambling to adjust that come out ahead. It will be the ones ready to grow. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Business Upturn
11 hours ago
- Business Upturn
Liverpool's actual offer for Giovanni Leoni revealed! Defender on his way to Anfield
Liverpool FC have signed a centre-back from Parma as they agreed a deal with the club. By Ravi Kumar Jha Published on August 14, 2025, 08:37 IST Liverpool FC have signed a centre-back from Parma as they agreed a deal with the club. The agreement was reached between the parties for the signing of talented centre-back named, Giovanni Leoni. The defender of Parma was high on list of Arne Slot, and finally they have got their man. The club to club agreement has been reached for €35 million & sell-on clause. As reported by Fabrizio, the deal will be long-term for the 18-year-old. Liverpool FC have reached an agreement with Parma for the signing of highly-rated centre-back Giovanni Leoni. The 18-year-old, who was a top target for Reds manager Arne Slot, will make the move to Anfield in a deal worth €35 million, which also includes a sell-on clause for the Italian club. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the agreement between the clubs is for a long-term contract, securing one of Europe's brightest young defensive talents. Leoni has impressed with his composure on the ball, defensive reading, and maturity beyond his years, making him one of the standout prospects in Serie A. This signing marks Liverpool's intent to strengthen their defensive line for the future while giving Slot a promising option who can grow into a key figure for the club. Ahmedabad Plane Crash Ravi kumar jha is an undergraduate student in Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia and Mass Communication. A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication and he also has a genuine interest in sports. Ravi is currently working as a journalist at
