Business briefing: Ameren invests millions in upgrades

Ameren Illinois has announced plans to invest $4.5 million in energy infrastructure upgrades in East St. Louis through the end of this year to improve the reliability and performance for metro-east residents and businesses. The utility company is also investing an additional $3.4 million in upgrades in East St. Louis beginning next year.

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About 2 million pounds of frozen chicken from Illinois-based Aspen Foods is being recalled after three people in Minnesota were reported to have been infected with salmonella. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the products are stuffed and breaded and may appear cooked, but were raw. Find out more here.

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Stocks have climbed Friday, bolstered by strong second-quarter results from companies such as Netflix, eBay and Citigroup. European markets are also responding favorably after short-term financial help providing more bailout cash to Greece was approved. Learn more here.

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Also posting strong second-quarter numbers is General Electric, which reported an operating profit of $4.4 billion while revenue remained flat at $26.9 billion. Read more here.

-Will Buss, BND business writer

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Business briefing: Ameren invests millions in upgrades."