Got pride? PRIDEChicago announced the group Filipinos & Friends in Chicago won the award for “Best All-Around Float” at last weekend’s 44th annual Chicago Pride Parade, which featured 204 entries. The winning float had extraordinary costumes and “great presentation,” according to Chicago.gopride.com.
Taking his skills to the private sector. Andrew Ross is leaving his post as Illinois’ chief operating officer to join construction management and engineering firm Clayco as a managing director. Ross, who has served in Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration since February 2011, will start his new job on July 22, according to a press release. Ross will oversee communications and marketing for Clayco and will contribute to upcoming energy and transportation projects undertaken by a new division of the company.
Lookout, Twitter. Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis is known for her fierce negotiation tactics and her equally unforgiving public speeches, but after creating a Twitter account in 2009 and sending only a few tweets, the labor leader went silent on the social network. That changed this week, with Lewis actively tweeting since Monday. Will she keep it up? Follow her @KarenLewisCTU to find out.
Frequent pedaler. Local transportation blogger John Greenfield on Sunday rode Divvy bikes to and attempted to dock them at all 68 existing stations as part of an effort to gauge the usability of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s brand new offering. Read about Greenfield’s experience at Streetsblog Chicago.
The boss? Move over, Springsteen. Perhaps finding himself with a bit more free time on his hands after being ousted as the CEO of Groupon this winter, Andrew Mason on Monday released a rock album on iTunes and Spotify entitled “Hardly Workin’.” The album “pulls some of the most important learnings from my years at the helm of one of the fastest growing businesses in history,” Mason wrote in a blog post.
A graphic T. Logan Square shop Wolfbait and B-Girls is selling t-shirts that feature an illustration of Mayor Rahm Emanuel giving the one finger salute, Chicagoist recently pointed out. The illustration is from artist Dave Rucins.