Many of the Block 37 shops are already open, and others are coming soon. Credit: Geoff Dougherty
For 20 years, Block 37 was an infamous sinkhole in the middle of the Loop. Flanked by Daley Plaza and Marshall Field’s, one of the most prestigious pieces of real estate in Chicago sat barren, swallowing up idea after idea.
Though a pair of glass and steel buildings finally opened on the spot in 2009, Block 37’s demons persist — they’ve merely been pushed underground, where the Chicago Transit Authority has built the shell of a train station without any tracks. Read more...
In a lively, sometimes testy face-off between candidates for Cook County Board president, incumbent Todd Stroger defended his record, saying the county was in good shape and jabbing at opponents who suggested otherwise.
Stroger said he had kept promises made on the 2006 campaign trail, including giving responsibility of the juvenile detention center to the office of the chief judge, strengthening the county inspector general’s office, and maintain the county health system.
“There are a lot of things that have happened in the last three years that you’ll never know about,” he told a crowd of 300 at the Union League Club, taking aim at his foes and the media. “They never tell you about the great things that happen in the county. The county works very well.” Read more...
The CTA is trying to offer a silver lining to its soon-to-be laid off employees: temporary jobs driving buses at the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to press release the agency released on Friday.
The CTA is partnering with the firm responsible for setting up transportation for the Vancouver Olympics to provide “employment information and job applications” for agency employees expecting to be unemployed.
“We greatly regret the hardship these layoffs will cause for employees and their families, and we want to do everything we can to help them prepare,” CTA President Richard Rodriguez said in a statement. “In the meantime, we continue to talk to the union leadership to find solutions that will help preserve both service and jobs.” Read more...
Mayor Richard M. Daley entered politics in 1969. Credit: Lindsay Beyerstein, via
FlickrIn 1969, Richard M. Daley entered politics as a newly elected delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention.
He’s now the nation’s longest-serving urban mayor, and a Chicago icon on par with the Hancock building, Wrigley Field and another red-cheeked, syntax-challenged guy named Ditka.
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