Jon Yates

It's been more than a year since Larren Davis had a job. In November 2011, he was let go as a doorman at a Gold Coast high-rise. He has struggled to find work ever since. "I've gone on a lot of interviews," Davis said. "But I never get the job. No...

It wasn't by choice that Mary Lou Novak called ADT Security Services on Jan. 13 and asked to cancel her home security system. The Plainfield resident had been an ADT customer for almost 13 years and had always liked the service, but money was tight....

For Jennifer Cole, running 26.2 miles in the nation's capital wasn't the toughest part of the Marine Corps Marathon. Getting home was. The race was run Sunday, Oct. 28 — one day before Hurricane Sandy became a superstorm and unleashed a...

On the wall outside her front door, Kathy Cummings proudly displays the plaque she received in 2004 for her natural garden. Accompanied by a picture of her front yard, the plaque, presented by the city of Chicago, congratulates Cummings for winning...

Jane Love can finally put her ambulance ride on July 9, 2011, behind her. Earlier this month, the Arlington Heights resident received a check from the city of Chicago for $868.50 — reimbursing her after a billing glitch similar to those...

Anyone with a kid in college knows tuition isn't cheap. Even at in-state public schools. So when Karl Drewno's daughter, Margaret, was accepted to postgraduate veterinary school at the University of Illinois, he knew he could not pay for everything...

When Darnell James bought the house at 12053 S. Michigan Ave. out of foreclosure, he thought he was doing something good for the community. "My goal was to take some of these properties that banks are foreclosing on and give people some decent housing...

David Wilhelm and his wife moved into their Rogers Park neighborhood condo in June 2011, and by January their monthly electric bill seemed out of whack. How, they wondered, could they be using more electricity in winter than during the summer? After...

It wasn't until last fall that Glen Eirich noticed the negative balance in his escrow account. The Palatine resident had, by chance, looked at his payment history for the mortgage on his summer home near Castle Rock Lake, not far from the Wisconsin...

It wasn't by choice that Jennifer DeGraff moved out of her house in Crystal Lake last May. A series of misfortunes, layoffs and a sour job market left DeGraff and her family teetering on the brink of financial ruin. Seeking a clean slate, the family...

Barbara Brotine bought her small Samsonite suitcase in December for flights like the one she took on JetBlue last Sunday. The bag is big enough to hold a laptop and a change of clothes and small enough to fit under an airplane seat, allowing her to skip...

When he's in his house, Steve Sehy has no trouble making calls on his cellphone. On the road, however, things deteriorate rapidly. Starting last March, his Sprint cell service became spotty at best. As he drove on the Eisenhower Expressway, calls...