Friday, April 18 Update
By Sade Carpenter
@RedLineProject
Posted: Friday, April 18, 2014
1. Chicago Fire Department Workers
Suspended for Fraud
A group of firefighters and paramedics
have been suspended without pay for 30 to 45 days after falsifying mileage
reimbursement claims,
the Chicago Tribune reports. According to a report filed by Inspector
General Joseph Ferguson, 17 fire department employees were paid more than
$35,000 in 2009 for mileage they never traveled. Ferguson’s report also cited
alleged violations in the Department of Water Management.
2. Bike Cops to Patrol High-Crime
Areas
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Supt. Garry McCarthy
announced a plan today to send bike patrol officers into South and West side
neighborhoods with high violence.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, McCarthy said the bike patrols will
give officers who were formerly on foot more mobility. “While these zones
represent just about 3 percent of the geography of the City of Chicago, for the
last three years they represented almost 20 percent of the robberies, shootings
and murders that happen in our city,” McCarthy said.
3. Anti-Violence March Scheduled
for Saturday
The South Chicago Peoples and Pastors
Association is hosting an anti-violence march and prayer service Saturday,
DNAinfo Chicago reports. Nonprofit organization Claretian Associates is
organizing the event. "If we don't get ahead of all this violence taking place
in the streets we are going to find ourselves having a violent summer," said
Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore. "I think it is important to have
neighborhood marches and rallies because it gives residents a chance to hear
from victims and their families and the aftermath of a violent incident."
March details:
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Begins at the Bubbleland Laundromat parking lot (9108 S. Commercial Ave.) & will end at the South Chicago Peoples’ Park (9100 S. Buffalo Ave.)
4. Chicago Park District to
Renovate Playgrounds
The Chicago Park District
will build or revamp 103 playgrounds across the city in 2014,
according to the City of Chicago website. Yesterday Mayor Rahm Emanuel and
other city officials broke ground for new playgrounds at Murray Park, Lindblom
Park and Kucinski-Murphy Park. The upcoming playground reconstruction is part
of the Chicago Plays! renovation program, a five-year project dedicated to
improving 325 parks throughout Chicago.
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Thursday, April 17 Update
By Emily Brosious
@RedLineProject
Posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014
1. CTA
Announces Red Line Bypass Initiative
The CTA announced plans for a $320 million rail
bypass initiative north of the Belmont stop, RedEye Chicago reports. The roughly 150,000 rides that pass
through the intersection just north of Belmont each day create a bottleneck
effect with frequent delays. The bypass would speed up North Side Brown, Red
and Purple Line train rides through the area. CTA may have to purchase – and
demolish -- 16 buildings north of the Belmont intersection to rebuild the
northern Red Line bypass.
2. Former Simeon Player Jabari
Parker Heads to NBA
In a letter for Sports Illustrated, former Simeon High School basketball
star Jabari Parker announced he’s leaving Duke University’s basketball team
after just one season to enter the NBA draft. Parker said it was a very hard
decision, but after losing in the NCAA tournament, his focus turned toward
goals of playing in the NBA. Parker said he would miss his coaches and
teammates, who had become “like brothers”. Despite the move, Parker said he
plans to keep taking classes and graduate from Duke while he’s in the
NBA. “I was an honor student when I arrived at Duke, and I’d like to graduate
as one,” he said.
3. Nixed Proposal to Deny
Firearm Cards to Medical Pot
Users
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a proposal that would have barred
medical marijuana patients from obtaining Firearm Owner’s Identification cards
failed to move forward. Illinois officials posted preliminary rules for the
implementation of the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program that originally
included a provision to prevent medical marijuana users from obtaining FOID
cards. But that provision has been removed from the final implementation rules
to be filed for review this week. The Illinois Department of Public Health
expects to publish the official rules Friday.
4. A Grown Up Easter Egg
Hunt
This Sunday at Logan Square’s Longman & Eagle, adult
Easter enthusiasts can share in all the egg-hunting festivities typically
reserved for kids.
DNAinfo Chicago reports that organizers of the fourth annual Adult Easter
Egg Hunt will hide 3,000 hand-decorated eggs “in relatively plain sight” on
public property between Kedzie and Sacramento Avenues and Logan Boulevard and
Armitage Avenue. After the hunt, the entertainment will continue at Longman
& Eagle with prizes, food, drinks and DJ sets.
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Wednesday, April 16 Update
By Jakub Rudnik
@RedLineProject
Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2014
1. North Side
Red Line Stations to Be Rebuilt
Four CTA north branch Red Line stations will be
completely reconstructed starting as early as 2017, according the
Chicago Tribune. The Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations and
deteriorating track will be rebuilt at an estimated cost of $1.13 billion. This
plan is in addition to the reconstruction of the Wilson stop that is set to
begin this year.
2. ComEd Requests Another Rate
Increase
According to
Crain’s Chicago, ComEd has filed a request with the Illinois Commerce
Commission to boost rates by $275 million in 2015, increasing the average
monthly utility bill by $3. The request comes as ComEd has asked the commission
to accelerate part of the 2011 “smart grid” law that involves installing “smart
meters” in all homes and businesses. ComEd increased delivery rates by $340
million for 2014, adding about $5.50 to the average bill.
3. Lake Shore Drive
Reopened
Lake Shore Drive has been reopened in both directions after
Chicago Police shut down a North Side stretch from Wilson to Foster after a
suspicious package was reported Wednesday afternoon. The
Chicago Sun-Times reported that the police Bomb and Arson Squad used a
robot inspected the package.
4. New System Aims to Reduce
CTA Bus Bunching
A contract between CTA and New York-based transportation
technology company Clever Devices was approved Wednesday that intends to reduce
bus bunching in Chicago,
according to Red Eye. Clever Device’s system allows central control workers
to see bunching when it’s happening, and then to communicate with drivers on
whether they need to speed up or slow down. The three-year, $13.4 million
contract runs from June 2014 to June 2017, with implementation of the system
taking as long as one year.
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Tuesday, April 15 Update
By Lindsey Murphy
@RedLineProject
Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2014
1. One-Year
Anniversary of Boston Marathon Bombing
Nearly 2,500 people gathered in Boston today to
mark the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. An invite-only, solemn
ceremony took place at the Hynes Convention Center, not far from the marathon
finish line where three people died and more than 260 were injured. Vice
President Joe Biden was on hand at the convention center to honor the victims.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a flag-raising ceremony
and moment of silence will take place at the marathon finish line.
2. Teen Fatally Shot
Related to Teen Killed in 2012
A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed in Rogers Park early
this morning while walking home. The boy was a cousin of Lil Jo Jo, a rapper
who was gunned down on the South Side in 2012. His family said he was “just
going to school and trying to get a job.” According to WGN Chicago, shootings in Rogers Park have
killed two people and wounded nine in the last three months.
3. Google Glass on
Sale to Public for Today Only
For $1,500, you can buy your own pair of Google Glass today
online. Demand has continued to grow for the new, wearable device, and this
one-day sale aims to further stoke that. According to the Chicago Tribune, Google has nearly 2,000
developers testing the product, including 40 in Chicago. Google Glass responds
to voice commands and can be used to read twitter posts, emails, or even browse
the web via a tiny display in the corner of the right eye.
4. Chicago the 4th
Best City of Millennials to Live, Work, and Play
The folks at Niche, a data analysis firm for
young adults, have ranked America’s top 25 cities for millenials to reside,
putting Chicago at number 4. Niche’s findings were compiled by sifting through
data from the U.S. Census, FBI crime rates and nearly 500,000 surveys from
college students and recent graduates. Find the list here.
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Monday, April 14 Update
By Emily Brosious
@RedLineProject
Posted: Monday, April 14, 2014
1. Late-Season
Snowfall Predicted During Evening Commute
The National Weather Service predicts rain and snow showers
will increase through the afternoon with a more focused band of snow developing
late this afternoon and persisting through the evening. The band may produce a
short-lived intense period of snowfall with visibility falling to around a
mile. The bulk of snow falling across the Chicago area is expected during the
evening commute. Motorists should be prepared for longer commute times and
slushy roadways.
2. New Parking Meter
Phone App
Crain’s Chicago Business reports a new cellphone app
allowing Chicago drivers to pay for a parking meter or add time to their meter
will kick off a pilot program on Tuesday. The ParkChicago app, available on
iPhone and Android, will be piloted for two to three weeks in the West Loop
neighborhood, from Madison and Halsted Streets to Racine Avenue -- including
279 metered spots. The app is free but drivers will be charged a 35-cent
“convenience fee” for using the app for parking under two hours. Chicago
Parking Meters – which leased Chicago’s 36,000 parking meters in a 75-year deal
that began in 2008 – and the app vendor Passport Parking, Inc. will seek
feedback from drivers and iron out any kinks before expanding the
program.
3. Chicago Sun-Times
Puts Reader Comments on Hold
The Chicago Sun-Times and other Sun-Times Media
publications will temporarily stop running reader comments with their articles.
Sun-Times managing editor Craig Newman released a
statement today saying comment thread forums have devolved into a “morass
of negativity, racism, hate speech and general trollish behavior that detract
from the content.” Newman said the Sun-Times is working to develop a new
commenting system to increase the quality of commentary. In the meantime,
readers are encouraged to connect with the Sun-Times via social
media.
4. Ex-KKK Grand Dragon
Suspected of Kansas-Area Jewish Center Murders
A man suspected of killing three people when he
opened fire at two Kansas City-area Jewish centers Sunday has been identified
as Frazier Glenn Cross, according to the
Chicago Tribune. Major civil rights groups called Cross a former Ku
Klux Klan grand dragon with a long history of anti-Semitism. U.S. Attorney Eric
Holder issued this statement today: “I was horrified to learn of this weekend’s
tragic shootings outside Kansas City. These senseless acts of violence are all
the more heartbreaking as they were perpetrated on the eve of the solemn
occasion of Passover.”
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