* Recession hasn’t bottomed out on Main Street

* Debts drive record numbers in suburbs to file bankruptcy

* Filing bankruptcy could cost you a lot now and later

* Lessons of the recession: ‘Thou shall not use thy house as an ATM’

* The corruption case you barely heard of

The federal investigation dubbed “Operation Crooked Code” so far has led to the convictions of 21 people — including 15 city building and zoning inspectors. The 21st conviction came just last Thursday, when a federal jury convicted developer Dumitru Curescu of bribery.

Despite those successful cases, Crooked Code hasn’t been as high-profile as investigations of the city’s Hired Truck Program or city hiring or the Operation Silver Shovel probe, largely because it involves corruption on a smaller scale — rank-and-file city workers taking bribes to overlook building-code violations on neighborhood housing projects.

* Area towns top state, nation on census return rates

All of the towns in The Beacon-News circulation area were above the national and state averages for returning the census forms by mail. Sugar Grove and Geneva had the highest rate of return at 87 percent; Aurora had the lowest rate at 77 percent.

* Tribune Co. faces new challenges to restructuring plan

* Tribune Co. creditors file 3 competing reorganization plans

* Ameren reports 3rd quarter loss

* Illinois to benefit from federal health-care aid for some retired workers

* Illinois hospital report card adds new information

* Stroger plan surprises commissioners

A proposal by Cook County Board president Todd Stroger calling for a change in the way the medical examiner is appointed has commissioners puzzled. […]

Trouble is, according to the medical examiner’s Web site, this already is the case in Cook County. And it’s been that way since the mid 70’s.

* Stroger urged to fight jobless claim

* IRS slapped Daley nephew with $157,962 lien on summer home

* Conrad Black gets 2 convictions reversed

* Schools: Report card not good measuring stick

* 5 Dead, 21 Hurt In Halloween Weekend Shootings

* Navistar announces plans for facility

* Aurora police union angered by possible officer layoffs

* Batavians to vote on downtown rec center

* Democrats, GOP getting testy over Will County budget

* Two finalists named for Kane state’s attorney job

* Rockford Airport gets $8M grant

* Quincy’s early retirement program expected to save $5.18 million over next five years

* Lincoln schools look into sales tax

* High-speed rail construction to reach Chatham on Monday

* Former ESL employee denies cooperating with Feds to get lighter sentence

* Race for obscure post tests Chicago-style politics

The race for the obscure but powerful post of county assessor pits an old-school Democratic Party stalwart criticized for helping hire family members to government jobs and accused of arranging tax breaks for friends against a self-styled reformer who worked as Mayor Richard Daley’s chief of staff.

* Emanuel urges city reforms on no-bid contracts

* Sources: Health has Fioretti rethinking mayoral run

* Ald. Fioretti might not run for mayor

* Cynthia Plaster Caster runs for Chicago mayor