Why Big Brands Are Offering Big Funds To Small Businesses

An increasing number of Illinois hospitals are scoring A grades for safety, according to a new report, though a dozen hospitals in the state earned D grades for their efforts. In Illinois, 32 hospitals have notched A grades, up from 24 hospitals in the spring, according to the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit founded by large employers and other organizations that buy health insurance.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Nov. 15 Strands puzzle, No. 257.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 523 for Nov. 15.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,245 for Friday, Nov. 15.

An individual buyer — a Delaware limited liability company whose owner could not yet be determined — paid billionaire Ken Griffin $19 million Tuesday for the top two floors of the 38-story luxury Near North Side building at 9 W. Walton Street. That combined purchase represents the highest price anyone has paid this year for a Chicago-area residence, and it meant that Griffin lost more than $15.1 million on the two condominiums and that he now has lost almost $22 million on Chicago condos he has sold. Public records reviewed by the Tribune show that Chicago Skyline Properties LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that was formed last year, was the buyer of the 15,000-square-foot unbuilt space at 9 W.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 15.