Working Lunch newsletter
Chicago’s Signature Bank joins forces with New York-based Esquire in $348 million merger • Cook County assessor candidates grapple over the reasons for skyrocketing property taxes
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Working Lunch

Friday, March 13, 2026

Lurie reveals exact location of new Downers Grove children’s hospital, offers more details

The new facility, which Lurie announced in January, would be Lurie’s first hospital with inpatient beds outside of its main location in Streeterville. Lurie is in the process of buying the land, a Lurie spokesperson said.

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Chicago’s Signature Bank joins forces with New York-based Esquire in $348 million merger

Under the terms of the agreement, announced Thursday, Esquire Financial is acquiring Signature in an all-stock transaction valued at $348 million.

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Cook County assessor candidates grapple over the reasons for skyrocketing property taxes

Assessor Fritz Kaegi and challenger Pat Hynes are fighting for control of the office that sets valuations of more than 1.8 million parcels across the county.

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President Trump bragged about low gas prices. The Iran conflict has him doing an about-face.

It was only last month, in his State of the Union address, that Trump bragged about gas prices at $2.30 a gallon, a figure that has since soared more than 50%, according to AAA.

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Google overhauls its Maps app, adding in more AI features to help people get around

The overhaul driven by Google’s Gemini technology will introduce two AI features into a digital mapping service used by more than 2 billion people worldwide.

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Iran-linked hackers take aim at US and other targets, raising risk of cyberattacks during war

Pro-Iranian hackers are targeting sites in the Middle East and starting to stretch into the United States during the war.

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Senate passes bipartisan housing bill to improve access and affordability

In a rare bipartisan effort for a deeply divided Congress, the Senate has passed a broad bill to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable.

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City bristles at federal proposal to cut flights at O’Hare airport

The city of Chicago is asking the federal government to reconsider plans to reduce flights at O’Hare International Airport, deeming those plans “regressive.”

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