March 30, 2015 By

Early Voting Ends April 4th

This week is your last chance to vote early in the April 7th Mayoral Election.  It is important that every Chicagoan exercise their right to vote!

Hurry, Early Voting is only offered until Saturday, April 4th.

Downtown Early Voting Sites:

  • Chicago Board of Elections
    69 W. Washington Street, Lower Level Conference Room
  • Museum of Broadcast Communications
    360 N. State Street
  • Access Living 
    115 W. Chicago Avenue

City elections have a direct impact on our daily lives, especially when it comes to major policy decisions that impact our quality-of-life and local tax burden. Don’t let someone else pick your next Mayor for you – take 5 minutes to cast your ballot for Chicago Mayor.

Filed Under: Community
March 19, 2015 By

Community Meeting for Proposed Development-West Hubbard and North Wells St. – March 31st

9196      NE VIEW OFFICIAL - 2015-03-24
Alderman Reilly and the River North Residents Association (RNRA) are cohosting a community presentation for a development proposal at the property on the southwest corner of West Hubbard Street and North Wells Street. Per the Alderman’s direction, representatives of the Centrum Partners LLC team will present their plans and answer questions you may have about this proposal. Alderman Reilly will co-host the meeting with RNRA to monitor the discussion, take notes… and record your feedback. The applicant has submitted a proposal for the development of an 8-story office building and 22-story residential building containing 193 residential units. Both buildings will have ground floor commercial space. 91 parking spaces located in the residential building will serve both buildings.
  • WHAT: SW corner of West Hubbard Street and North Wells Street
  • WHO: Hosted by Alderman Brendan Reilly and River North Residents Association WHEN: Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 6:00 pm
  • Where: Paris Club, 59 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654
Please join Alderman Reilly and RNRA to engage in a direct dialogue with the development team to gain a better understanding of their proposal and receive answers to any questions you may have.
Filed Under: Community
March 16, 2015 By

2015 Summer in Ward Park Movies Announced

Outdoor_Film_Screen

The votes have been counted…and the six movies that will be shown in the A. Montgomery Ward Park during RNRA’s  Summer 2015 season are:

“Unbroken”, “The Fugitive,” “Into the Woods,” “Groundhog Day”, “A League of Their Own,” and “Frozen – Sing Along.”

Our first movie will begin June 16th. Other dates will be announced once confirmed by the Chicago Park District.

Movies are sponsored by your River North Residents Association (RNRA) and the Chicago Park District.

Thank you to the hundreds of residents who  participated in our survey.
Interested in volunteering for our Park Advisory Council, please email us at info@rnrachicago.org.
Interested in sponsoring a movie, please contact us too.
Filed Under: Community
March 16, 2015 By

Chicago Flower and Garden Show

10329257_10153140013169561_6708853033958733720_nThe roots of the Chicago Flower & Garden Show can be traced as far back as 1847!  The Show, held each March at Chicago’s Navy Pier (March 14-22, 2015), is an experience for the senses, invoking memories of spring after a typically long and cold Chicago winter.

Presented by Mariano’s, the Chicago Flower & Garden Show creates an experience that the attendee will never forget by presenting realistic, as well as DIY solutions to inspire, educate and motivate the next generation of gardener.

For More information.

Filed Under: Community
March 1, 2015 By

St. Patrick’s Day Downtown Chicago Parade

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Festivities for the Downtown Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade, scheduled for Saturday, March 14th, will kick off at 9:30 am when the Chicago River is transformed to a bright shade of Emerald Green. The dyeing ceremony takes place at the intersection of Columbus Drive and the Chicago River.  The best viewing locations this year are the Michigan Avenue Bridge, Columbus Drive Bridge, or Upper and Lower Wacker between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive.

The annual Downtown Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade follows the river dyeing ceremony. One of the largest in the country, this year celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the parade’s sponsorship by the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Local Union 130 UA. The parade begins at noon and the route runs on Columbus Drive between Balbo Drive and Monroe Street.

 

2015 St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Start Time: 12:00pm (noon) on Saturday, March 14th

Admission: FREE

More Information: Visit the Official Website

 

Parade Route: North on Columbus Drive between Balbo and Monroe

 

Boundaries of Parade: (including staging area)Columbus

from Roosevelt to Randolph

Congress from Michigan to Columbus

Jackson from Michigan Ave to Lake Shore Drive

 

Street Closure Times:    

Staging area – 8:00am

Eastbound Congress (from semi-circle to Columbus) – 8:00am

Balbo (from LSD to Michigan) – 8:00am

Columbus – full shutdown around 8:30am

*Streets will reopen after the parade has concluded, streets have been cleaned and public safety issues subside, approximately 3:00pm.

 

If you are planning to attend any St. Patrick’s Day festivities, or will be traveling in the area during this time, please consider taking public transportation. Information is available on the CTA website.

Filed Under: Community
February 25, 2015 By

Come out and Play! Spring Registration for Chicago Park District Programs Now Open

Online registration for spring park programming opens this week. The Park District works with residents to ensure that programming is affordable regardless of income level. In December, the Park District launched a redesign of the registration site, including a mobile friendly version.  Learn more about the design changes here.

Residents can register for programs online. Spring registration stared Monday, February 23 for parks located WEST of California Ave. and opened Tuesday, February 24 at 9:00am for parks EAST of California Ave. In-person registration for most parks begins on Saturday, February 28 for most parks.  Spring programs and activities begin the week of March 30, and end the week of June 1st.

Register for spring programs and earn 400 Park Points™ per registration (up to 2,000 total points for spring session). Visit www.chiparkpoints.com to learn more.

For more information, contact your local park, call 312-742-PLAY or visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.

Filed Under: Community
February 23, 2015 By

Don’t forget to Vote – Tuesday, Feb. 24th

Important Election Reminder for Downtown Residents!

Election Day is TOMORROW, Tuesday, February 24th!

 

Please don’t forget to participate in the Municipal Election tomorrow – Tuesday, February 24th, 2015. Make sure your vote counts!

On Tuesday, February 24th, voters will cast ballots to ELECT a candidate for the following offices:

  • Mayor
  • City Clerk
  • City Treasurer
  • Alderman

Chicago voters will also DECIDE various advisory/non-binding referenda on:

  • Whether employers should be required to offer paid leave in the event of illness, domestic violence or an emergency school closing (citywide)
  • Whether workers who commit domestic violence should be required to receive treatment as a condition of continued employment (citywide)
  • Whether Chicago or Illinois should seek a system of campaign finances that involve a mix of small, private contributions and public funding (citywide)

Vote on Election Day!

Polling locations will be open from 6:00am to 7:00pm. Polling stations close promptly at 7:00pm; however, voters waiting in line at 7:00pm will be allowed to cast their ballot. 

To check the status of your registration and locate your polling location, enter your address and last name in the Board of Elections voter lookup tool.

 

Complete information for voters is available on the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website, www.chicagoelections.com.

Filed Under: Community
February 20, 2015 By

Gilda’s Club Family Movie Night

Alexander day

Noogie Family Movie Night is this week! Come to the Wells Street Clubhouse on Thursday, Feb 26th at 5:30pm to enjoy Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Snacks will be provided. Please RSVP at http://bit.ly/1DkF89C

Filed Under: Community
February 12, 2015 By

CAPS & Court Advocacy UPDATE

Court Advocacy Needed in River North – Upcoming 2015 Hearings
Alderman Reilly along with RNRA’s Public Safety and CAPS chairman, Bob DiFiglio has been working closely with the Chicago Police Department and City Law Department to address public safety and nuisance issues related to Nouveau Tavern in the River North neighborhood.
The 18th Police District is seeking neighborhood residents to help serve as “court advocates” to attend an upcoming court hearing for the arrests and citations issued at Nouveau Tavern this fall.
The following hearing has again been continued  to Feb. 18th, 9am  :
  • Misdemeanor Court for one patron charged with Aggravated Assault to a Police Officer on October 18
Alderman Reilly is asking River North Residents to consider participating in the “Court Advocacy Program” to ensure the Chicago Police Department’s recent enforcement efforts at Nouveau Tavern result in convictions and penalties for these crimes.
 
Wednesday, February 18th, 9:00AM
Circuit Court of Cook County
Branch 29 – Misdemeanor / Ordinance
2452 W. Belmont Avenue, 1st Floor
Chicago, IL 60618
773-404-3315
Working together, we can maintain River North’s reputation as one of America’s fastest growing neighborhoods that is a welcoming and safe place to live, work and play. 
 For more information about Court Advocacy and to confirm attendance at upcoming hearings, please call Sergeant Vanek at the Chicago Police Department’s 18th District at 312-742-5880. Community participation in these hearings is important and can help impact the outcome of cases. To help the 18th District preserve safety in River North, immediately call 9-1-1 to report suspicious behavior or anything out of the ordinary.  After reporting the incident to 9-1-1, please contact Aldm. Reilly’s constituent office at office@ward42chicago.com or by calling 312-642-4242 so our Alderman’s office can follow-up with our Police Department.
CAPS meetings offer River North residents an opportunity to address crime and safety issues directly with the beat officers who patrol their neighborhood, as well as to provide ongoing feedback, which help the police to monitor crime issues.
RNRA has a Public Safety committee headed by  River North resident, Bob DiFiglio, bdifiglio@rnrachicago.org. If interested in volunteering for this committee, please contact Bob.

PLEASE NOTE – The 18th District 30-Sector CAPS meeting (Beats 1831, 1832, 1833 and 1834), are held on the first Thursday of every odd-numbered month, was held on January 15th. The next meeting is March 5, 2015 6:30pm.

The meetings are held at the Access Living Center, located at 115 W. Chicago Avenue.

 If you would like further information regarding upcoming CAPS meetings, please call your Police District’s CAPS office.

1st District: 312-745-4381
12th District: 312-746-8306
18th District: 312-742-5778

To find your district and beat, please click here.
Filed Under: Community
February 1, 2015 By

Chicago Department of Transportation wants to hear from you!

 

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has launched a month-long, city-wide survey to seek input from Chicagoans about what they appreciate about their streets and sidewalks and what improvements they would like to see.  The survey is designed to help CDOT create guidelines for future improvements in the public right of way.

 CDOT is conducting the survey to gather input for the creation of Placemaking Guidelines for the public right of way.  Placemaking is the term used by urban planners for the process of enhancing public spaces by capitalizing on a community’s assets and potential to improve the quality of life and create vibrant neighborhoods.


The survey can be taken online at:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CDOTPlacemaking. Learn more at www.chicagocompletestreets.org. Please participate in the survey and share this information with your family, friends and neighbors. 
Filed Under: Community