Mayor's Office

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday announced that Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market, Inc. plans to build an 18,000-square-foot store near Kennedy-King College in Englewood that would create 100 jobs when it is expected to open in 2016; Emanuel touted the planned store as a product of his efforts to provide better food options to residents of the city's south and west sides

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday decided to reappoint city Inspector General Joe Ferguson to another four-year-term, though Ferguson is not expected to serve the entire term; Ferguson plans to end his contentious work relationship with Emanuel by vacating the position as early as next summer after completing projects like bringing the city into full compliance with the Shakman decree and fully implementing a city ethics reform bill

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration issued a request for proposals from vendors interested in operating 50 city plazas as part of a program that aims to beautify the city’s open spaces; Plazas like Sunnyside Mall in Uptown and the Montrose/Broadway/Sheridan triangle would remain city-owned, but operators could receive revenue through advertising and event marketing

Mayor Rahm Emanuel met Thursday with Ausaf Sayeed, consul general of India, to discuss an ongoing commitment to spur economic development between India and Chicago; Emanuel and Sayeed also discussed how to improve relations between Chicago and Delhi, Chicago’s sister city since 2001

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Friday that the city eclipsed $1 billion in hotel revenue during the first seven months of the year, setting a new record and showing an 8.4 percent increase compared to the same time last year; Occupancy rate of city hotel rooms was 73.6 percent, a record-tying rate

First two projects to benefit from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s move to give 7.5 percent of labor hours for all city construction projects to neighborhood residents are going to bid; Hyde Park, Woodlawn and South Shore residents will be eligible for jobs working on a streetscaping project along 71st Street between Jeffrey Boulevard and South Shore Drive and some jobs for sewer work on South Martin Luther King Drive between 29th and 30th streets will go to workers from Douglas, Oakland and Grand Boulevard

City broke ground on Thursday on a new CTA Green Line station at the intersection of Cermak Road and State Street near McCormick Place in the South Loop; Fifty-million-dollar station is expected to open late next year and is part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to redevelop the area

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office on Tuesday released lists and interactive maps that depict the locations of Chicago grocery stores, food carts and urban farms in an attempt to help the public better understand the mayor’s ongoing efforts to reduce the presence of food deserts in the city; Data also depicts locations of suburban Cook County grocers

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday shrugged off former Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizzard’s recent critique of his management style and said he “appreciates” the work Brizzard did for CPS and the “commitment” to the school district that he demonstrated; Brizzard said Emanuel is a micromanager and needs to “allow his managers to lead”

Outcome of students’ transitions to new schools following the closure of 48 Chicago Public Schools programs this year could make or break Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s political career, wrote Chicago Sun-Times reporter Fran Spielman in an analysis of CPS’s first day Monday