Weekly News Stories
Protest Scheduled for Thursday, March 18, 2010
On
Thursday, March 18, 2010, a war protest march is scheduled to pass
through the Loop, River North and Gold Coast neighborhoods. The group
will gather at Federal Plaza (37 W. Adams Street) and march to
Washington Square Park (901 N. Clark Street). The approximate timeline
and march route are as follows:Timeline
Approximate assembly time: 5:30 pm
Approximate step-off time: 6:30 pm
Approximate disband time: 8:30 pm
March Route
From Federal Plaza, north on the west sidewalk of Dearborn Street to Monroe Street.
East on the south sidewalk of Monroe Street to Michigan Avenue.
North on the east sidewalk of Michigan Avenue to Oak Street.
West on the north sidewalk of Oak Street to Dearborn Street
South on the west sidewalk of Dearborn Street to Washington Square Park and disband.
The number of marchers according to the information given to police at this time will range from a few hundred to 1,000. The Chicago Police Incident Commander will limit the march to the sidewalk or one lane of traffic based on the estimated number of marchers participating. In the event that the number of marchers in attendance exceeds anticipated levels, the Incident Commander will make a reasonable accommodation to increase the portion of the public way in order to preserve public health and safety.
Intersecting streets along the route will have rolling closures as the marchers proceed. As in all marches, the police encourage building security to take a forward position within building lobby areas and entrances. Remain vigilant and flexible adjusting to situations as the march unfolds; report any issues or suspicious activities by dialing 911.
Chicago Essential App
Dawn Reiss is a Chicago-based journalist launching a new iPhone app called “Chicago Essential App”. Chicago Essential is a visually rich app full of tips and quirky details for locals and first-time visitors to Chicago. Dawn is working in tandem with Kim Grant, creator of the Boston Essential App, which received more than 7,000 downloads in its first eight days on the market.The app will feature engaging and easy-to-navigate features including:
•Photo slideshows for each entry, so that you know what you’re getting before you go
•Concise, original text by a longtime Chicagoan
•Entries filtered by useful criteria like hidden gems, historical, Chicago originals, outdoors, family-friendly, reliable eats, touristy, etc.
•Entries sorted by name, distance, price and neighborhood
•One-click website and phone interface to buy tickets, peruse current menus and more
•Google maps and walking and driving directions for each entry
•Over 100MB of offline content that you can access anytime without an internet connection
•Direct links to wikipedia, Yelp reviews or establishments’ websites (whichever is most useful to the user)
•Neighborhood overviews to help you decide how and where to spend your time
•The ability to share user comments and mark and save favorites
•Fast browsing
If you would like your business to be a part of this app, download a form. There is no cost for participation. For questions, contact Dawn Reiss at dreiss100@gmail.com of (312) 590-1921.
Video: Mayor Daley Welcomes Columbia Sportswear to The Magnificent Mile
Mayor Daley attended the grand opening of Columbia Sportswear at 830 N.
Michigan Avenue on Friday, March 12, 2010, welcoming the new store to
the Avenue. Watch the video.
The Magnificent Mile Charitable Foundation Recipient Highlight: Friends of DuSable
Friends of DuSable was established to increase awareness of Jean
Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the founder of modern Chicago. GNMAA’s
Magnificent Mile Charitable Foundation awarded a grant to Friends of
DuSable in 2009 to support its efforts to teach grade school students
the history of Chicago. The grant also helped to cover costs for its
programs, including children’s essay competitions, awards ceremony and
the creation of the organization’s website.
During the 173rd City of Chicago birthday celebration at the Chicago
History Museum on March 4, student award winners were recognized and
winners representing the Chicago Public and Archdiocese of Chicago
schools read their essays. Among the many city dignitaries was Mayor
Richard Daley, who congratulated each award winner.
Image Left: Award winning students, family members and Friends of DuSable.
Image Right (from left): Douglas Pendarvis, Friends of DuSable Vice President; Haroon
Rashid, Friends of DuSable President / Founder; Peggy Monties, Friends
of DuSable Co- Chair of the Board; Arnold Romeo, Director of the City
of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, African Advisory Council;
John Chikow, President & CEO GNMAA; Russell Lewis, Friends of
DuSable Chairman of the Board.
Planning & Advocacy Division Summit Recap
The 2010 Planning & Advocacy Division Summit was held on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Members of the summit succeeded in setting 2010 priorities, reviewed plans to update documents such as Vision 2012 to Vision 2025 and North Michigan Avenue ‘By the Numbers’ and received updates from CDOT.
Division co-chairs Grace Rappe and Donna Pugh presented an overview of
the division and the many committees providing invaluable contributions
to North Michigan Avenue and the surrounding area. Grace and Donna also
put forth the division’s priorities for 2010, promising to keep the
P&A committees busy and productive in the decade ahead. Michelle
Woods of the Chicago Department of Transportation gave updates on area
transportation projects, including upcoming construction on Wacker
Drive and Congress Parkway, while Gail Borthwick of Adrian Smith +
Gordon Gill shared details of the Downtown Chicago Decarbonization
Plan. 21st Century Planning Committee co-chairs Ralph Weber and Michael
Toolis led a workshop on updating the Vision 2012 document to Vision
2025, and North Michigan Avenue ‘By the Numbers’ Committee co-chairs
Paul Vogel and Gail Spreen laid out information on updating the North
Michigan Avenue ‘By the Numbers’ publication, a resource that has
proven extremely useful to current and prospective members.
The 2010 Planning & Advocacy Division Summit showcased the
outstanding dedication and involvement of GNMAA members. Thank you to
Grace and Donna and to all Division members who attended and presented
at the Summit, and a huge thanks to Michael Csar and the Law Offices of
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP for the firm’s gracious hospitality in
hosting this year’s summit at their offices at 191 N. Wacker Drive.
Images: Planning & Advocacy Summit Attendees plan for 2010
