DEAR HARRIETTE: My son’s 16th birthday is coming up, and he asked if he could gather a small group of friends in the park in our neighborhood to celebrate. Harriette Cole He spent a lot of time planning something that would be safe. This includes having no food so that people would keep their masks on 100% of the time, presetting 6-foot markers in a circle so that the teens stay separated, and having me check in with parents in advance to make sure all kids have approval. I thought it was a good idea, all things considered. My husband thinks it is too risky. The group would be less than 10 kids. I think we should let him celebrate. The number is within the guidelines. How can I convince my husband to give a little? Party Time DEAR PARTY TIME: Do more research to make sure that the guidelin

Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown pictured at a press conference in 2018. | Erin Brown/Sun-Times fileThe employees tested positive between Nov. 22 and Nov. 29, the clerk’s office said, raising the total number of employees who have contracted the virus to 76. Nine more employees of the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last week, the clerk’s office announced Sunday. The employees tested positive between Nov. 22 and Nov. 29, the clerk’s office said, raising the total number of employees who have contracted the virus to 76. Two employees each work at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, the Chancery Division at the Daley Center and the Technology and Innovation Bureau, the clerk’s office said. The other three work at the Cri...

Summary List PlacementEuropean shares retreated on Monday, but the region's benchmark index was still set for its biggest ever monthly rise, as optimism over a vaccine has helped lift some of the most battered sectors in one of the virus hotspots. The Stoxx 600 fell by 0.1% in early trading, under pressure from profit-taking in some of the "real-economy" sectors, such as energy, banks and retail. The index has risen by 15% in November, the largest one-month increase since its inception in 1998.  The United States has the highest number of deaths and infections worldwide, but, as a region, Europe is not far behind, with more than a quarter of a million fatalities and a number of major economies have been hammered by tough lockdowns and restrictions on movement.  The FTSE 100 was one of t...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A dog chased my 6-year-old son in our new neighborhood, and when my husband went over to talk to the dog’s owner, we were assured it wouldn’t happen again. Then the dog chased my son again — and bit him — the next week. After I reported the bite (on the advice of my child’s pediatrician), animal control came out to take reports and quarantine the dog, as per their protocol. Then the dog’s owner came over to chew me out for reporting the bite, rather than to apologize and ask about my son’s well-being. A week or two later, I told the dog’s owner how scared my kids are to go by their house — not because of the dog, but because of the “mean scary lady.” A few days after that, while we were out for the day, she left a present for my son, and a couple of notes about how bad s

DEAR ABBY: I was at the zoo with my daughter enjoying an ice cream cone. At the next table over, a man was berating his daughter, yelling at her for saying no to his girlfriend. Jeanne Phillips He said things like, “I’m going to bust your butt so hard you won’t sit for a week,” and he kept glaring at her like she was the worst creature on the planet. It was hard to sit there watching a dad verbally and emotionally abuse an innocent 4-year-old. Is there anything I could have done? HELPLESS IN UTAH Related Articles Dear Abby: If she hates California so much, I’m going to uninvite her Dear Abby: She dropped off her kids at the start of the pandemic and won’t take them back Dear Abby: I don’t appreciate her Christmas tradi

Summary List Placement S&P Global is in advanced talks to buy IHS Markit for $44 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. The mega deal would mark the largest transaction on Wall Street this year, according to Dealogic. Talks could fall apart as the deal hasn't been finalized. IHS Markit would be open to a rival offer if there is a higher bidder. S&P Global has been looking to bolster its data business since its $2.2 billion acquisition of SNL Financial in 2015. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. S&P Global is close to buying IHS Markit for $44 billion in a deal that would bring together two powerful Wall Street financial data services, the Wall Street Journal reported. A potential merger would challenge two of the largest global data providers, Bloombe...

Summary List PlacementGood morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday. Sign up here to get this email in your inbox every morning. Have an Amazon Alexa device? Listen to this update by searching "Business Insider" in your flash briefing settings. And for the biggest stories in politics, sign up here for 10 Things in Politics You Need to Know Today — launching soon! Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has died. Hsieh, 46, died from injuries he sustained in a house fire in Connecticut. Tributes poured in for Tony Hsieh. Investors, journalists, politicians, and tech founders recounted his dedication to making people happy, his status as a visionary, and his creativity. Apple suppliers are hedging their bets on China. Foxconn was already reported to be moving iPad productio...

  Summary List PlacementThis year, Cyber Monday falls on November 30, during which you can expect to see major players like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy to drop tons of excellent deals alongside retail startups we love, like Leesa, Brooklinen, Bombas, and Tommy John. We're keeping track of all the online stores participating in Cyber Monday 2020 to help you plan out your shopping hit list before the event rolls around. Check back here for updates as more deals are released today and through the rest of the week.  Table of Contents: Masthead StickyBest Cyber Monday big-box retailer sales Amazon: Save with Amazon's Cyber Monday deals, with new deals added every day. Read our round-up of the best deals here. Bed Bath & Beyond: Save on small appliances for your home and kitch

Summary List PlacementThis is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. This report is exclusively available to enterprise subscribers. To learn more about getting access to this report, email Senior Account Executive Haydn Melia at hmelia@businessinsider.com, or inquire about our enterprise memberships. Citibank, USAA, BBVA USA, Bank of America, and NFCU lead the US market in offering the most in-demand mobile features in 2019, according to Business Insider Intelligence's third annual US Mobile Banking Competitive Edge Study.  Mobile is a pivotal banking channel and a vital driver of how customers choose banks, according to our study, which found that 79% of respondents use the channel. Respondents were selected to cl...

  Summary List Placement Walmart's Cyber Monday deals include major discounts on favorites like Apple AirPods, Instant Pots, streaming sticks from Google and Roku, and workout gear from Echelon and Fitbit.  We're seeing similar deals for these products and more at competing retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. See more: How to get a free 15-day trial of Walmart Plus, Walmart's Amazon Prime-like membership. Insider Reviews is covering all the best deals during Cyber Monday 2020. Headlining Walmart's Cyber Monday deals are Apple AirPods, Instant Pots, streaming sticks from Google and Roku, and workout gear from Echelon and Fitbit.  Apple AirPod prices are at their lowest — just $140 for a pair with the wireless charging case, down from the usual $199. We're also seeing 50% off the

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky tries to get past the Packers’ Jaire Alexander. | Matt Ludtke/APThe Bears and Mitch Trubisky were ... not good. Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser and Mark Potash debate the Bears’ latest rock-bottom moment, wonder what Mitch Trubisky showed against the Packers and contemplate if the Bears can be counted on to win another game this year. New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher. ...read more Source:: Chicago Sun Times...

The word pandemic is displayed in a dictionary. | APIt should come as no surprise the word of the year is . . . NEW YORK — If you were to choose a word that rose above most in 2020, which word would it be? Ding, ding, ding: Merriam-Webster on Monday announced “pandemic” as its 2020 word of the year. “That probably isn’t a big shock,” Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster, told The Associated Press. “Often the big news story has a technical word that’s associated with it and in this case, the word pandemic is not just technical but has become general. It’s probably the word by which we’ll refer to this period in the future,” he said. The word took on urgent specificity in March, when the coronavirus crisis was designated a pandemic, but it started to trend up on Merriam-Webs

Summary List PlacementIn the last few years, there’s been a major shift as to how consumers interact with social media. Rather than posting content that lives on the platform in perpetuity, users are now posting and viewing more “Stories,” video or images that live for only 24 hours. Many platforms have introduced some form of Stories format — whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or WhatsApp. Snapchat was the company to introduce it to the world, but Instagram has surpassed it in terms of volume and perhaps usability. Business Insider Intelligence has compiled a slide deck that looks into how Stories work on Instagram and Snapchat, and how brands and publishers should be using the Stories feature to reach their audiences. This exclusive deck can be yours for FREE today. As an added...

Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) catches a 12-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers that gave the Packers a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. The Packers beat the Bears 41-25 on Sunday night at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. | Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesAided by an effective run game, Aaron Rodgers made it look easy against the Bears’ ninth-ranked defense — orchestrating three long touchdown drives and throwing four touchdown passes in the Packers’ 41-25 victory. The Bears’ defense is one of the few in the NFL that can bravely look forward to the daunting challenge of facing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. But without Akiem Hicks? Not so much. The combination of Aaron Rodgers in an MVP groove and Hicks’ absence because of a hamstring injury had a dam-breaking affect, as the de