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Matthew Blake

Judge approves Water Reclamation District’s flood plan

Thu, 01/09/2014 - 4:16pm

A federal judge signed off Monday on an agreement between the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and federal and state environmental officials, effectively green lighting MWRD’s massive plan to prevent flooding and water contamination in its 883-square-mile jurisdiction.

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Aldermen want Buildings Department focused on foreclosures

Wed, 01/08/2014 - 3:39pm

Aldermen on Wednesday had kind words for Felicia Davis, who is Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s pick to head the city’s Department of Buildings, but they also said that the department must do more to deal with foreclosures and vacant properties.

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Rauner makes waves in early stage of governor’s race

Tue, 01/07/2014 - 3:54pm

Illinois’ primary elections are March 18, and the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination seems to have boiled down to four viable candidates while incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn appears to be headed to an easy win in the Democratic primary.

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Medical District Blue Line station to get $23M makeover

Tue, 01/07/2014 - 3:12pm

The Chicago Transit Authority will use Tax Increment Finance money to make $23 million in improvements to the Illinois Medical District Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line station, which lies in a rapidly-developing Near West Side community.

On Tuesday, the CTA Board signed off on an agreement with the Mayor’s Office to route Central West Tax Increment Finance District money toward the station, with construction slated to start in 2015.

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Q+A with Tom Tresser of CivicLab

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 12:12pm

Tom Tresser moved to Chicago to become an actor and he ended up an activist.

This year – after working on a range of efforts, from opposing Chicago’s 2016 Summer Olympic bid to advocating for National Endowment of the Arts funding – Tresser started his own advocacy group: the CivicLab. The organization was created to foster citizen engagement by helping citizens become better informed. To that end, Tresser’s CivicLab has focused on its “The TIF Illumination Project,” which aims to bring greater transparency to the city's Tax Increment Financing program.

City commission green lights sprawling Loop, West Loop tower projects

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 5:20pm

Development and the related traffic congestion in the Loop and West Loop took center stage at Thursday’s meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission as commissioners signed off on plans for new towers in both neighborhoods.

The commission unanimously approved a proposal for a 42-story, 476-foot high mixed-used building on the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Lake Street downtown. Commissioners also approved a 170-foot tall, 167-unit residential building at the intersection of Madison and Green Streets in the West Loop.

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RTA audit finds CTA’s finances won't be significantly damaged by Ventra problems

Wed, 12/18/2013 - 3:52pm

An audit by the Regional Transportation Authority released Wednesday concluded that the Chicago Transit Authority will not suffer “significant” financial losses from its controversial rollout of the Ventra fare payment system. RTA auditor Michael Zumach told members of the RTA Board Wednesday that money lost as a result of Ventra in CTA’s 2013 or 2014 budgets will be “negligible.”

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RTA Board chairman: Search for new leader might take a ‘few months’

Wed, 12/18/2013 - 3:39pm

The Regional Transportation Authority Board approved on Wednesday the selection of an interim executive director to replace departing head Joseph Costello, but indicated that a state transit task force’s investigation could delay the agency's efforts to find a permanent replacement.

“We will convene a subcommittee of this board to begin a search, as is customary, for a permanent executive director,” Board Chairman John Gates said at Wednesday’s monthly board meeting. “I guess because of all the controversy surrounding transit going on in Springfield, that will take a few months.”

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New private school looks set for River West

Tue, 12/17/2013 - 4:00pm

The City Council’s Zoning Committee signed off Tuesday without discussion on a zoning change that paves the way for the construction of a new private school in the River West neighborhood.

Aldermen approved by voice vote the zoning change for Bennett Day School, a kindergarten through eighth grade academy that will be located at 955 W. Grand Ave. The K-8 school is slated to open in the fall of 2015 following the launch of a Bennett Day pre-kindergarten school at 657 W. Fulton Ave. The pre-kindergarten school is expected to begin operations in the fall of 2014.

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City invokes ‘gang house’ ordinance to take on Evergreen Terrace apartments

Mon, 12/16/2013 - 2:43pm

A Cook County Circuit Court judge opted on Thursday to push back until February any action against Near North Ventures, the listed owner of eight properties and 82 rental units near the site of the former Cabrini-Green housing projects on Chicago’s North Side.

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