Maggie Machowicz

The MacArthur Foundation is celebrating the 35^th year of its MacArthur Fellowship this year, and the group kicked off celebrations of the milestone anniversary at a City Club of Chicago event on Tuesday.

Commonly known as the “genius grant,” the fellowship is awarded annually to individuals who have “shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.” Through the grants, the foundation aims to inspire creativity and drive social change. Since 1981, the foundation has named 942 people MacArthur fellows.

Representatives of the Chicago Federation of Labor and the Sierra Club on Thursday told the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board of Commissioners that clean water projects had created over 19,400 jobs in the Chicago area.

Thursday’s presentation was based on findings in a recent report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and the School of Labor and Employment Relations at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday announced the city has partnered with the Chicago Transit Authority and the City Colleges of Chicago to expand the CTA’s Second Chance Program, which offers job training and career opportunities to Chicagoans who face challenges reentering the workforce.

Subway commuters on Chicago’s Blue and Red lines now have access to a faster mobile network while riding in tunnels or waiting at subway station.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Transit Authority on Tuesday announced the CTA has finished its installation of 4G communications across the city’s 22-mile subway system. The CTA is now the largest public transit system in North America with full 4G coverage.

Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Thursday adopted 2016 operating budgets for the RTA, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace totaling $2.9 billion. The board also approved a five-year, $3.9 billion capital program that includes an estimated $872 million in capital expenditures next year.

RTA’s $2.9 billion in 2016 operating expenses include $1.47 billion for CTA, $759.8 million for Metra, $228 million for Pace Suburban Bus Service, $174.8 million for Pace Regional ADA Paratransit and $35.2 million for the RTA.