Business

The much-heralded Dodge Dart should be in dealerships by the end of next month. To celebrate, Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne visited the home of the Dart Thursday -- the Belvidere Assembly Plant.

Facebook's much-publicized first sale of stock to the public started with a bang late this morning as the price per share jumped. But though the volume of shares sold was a record for an initial public offering, the stock's price gave up its gains as the day continued.

By the end of trading in the U.S., Facebook had settled right at the $38 initial offering price that had been set before shares went on sale.

The April unemployment rate in Illinois fell for the eighth consecutive month to reach8.7 percent, according to federal and state preliminary data released today.

The last time the unemployment rate was below 8.7 percent was February 2009, when it was 8.5 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

The United States Postal Service announced Thursday that it will soon begin consolidating dozens of mail processing facilities across the country. Part of Rockford's operations will be transferred to the Carol Stream distribution center. The other half will be absorbed by the facility in Palatine.