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Daily Whale Originals

Aviation Committee approves regulations of personal drones

The Chicago City Council Committee on Aviation on Thursday approved new regulations on the recreational use of drones.

Aldermen Ed Burke (14th) and Scott Waguespack (32nd) sponsored the measure, which lays out restrictions for recreationally operated drones, or “small unmanned aircrafts.” Drones used for business or commercial purposes are currently subject to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.

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Mayor, CHA announce more housing choice vouchers to address veteran homelessness

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Housing Authority Acting Chief Executive Officer Eugene Jones, Jr. on Wednesday in announcing a plan to provide 450 additional housing choice vouchers to veterans over the next three years in an effort to end veteran homelessness in Chicago.

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Barack Obama Foundation to finalize site selection in first half of 2016

Barack Obama Foundation Board Chairman Martin Nesbitt on Tuesday said his organization plans to make a final determination on the site of the Barack Obama Presidential Center by mid-2016 and is currently moving forward with the process of selecting an architect for the development.

In May, the Barack Obama Foundation announced the University of Chicago had been chosen to host the president’s library. While speaking at a City Club of Chicago event on Tuesday, Nesbitt said current plans for the presidential center include a library, archive and museum.

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Metra preparing to roll out mobile ticketing app

Metra riders will soon be able to purchase tickets on their mobile devices, thanks to an application Metra Executive Director & CEO Don Orseno said is set to launch in the coming weeks.
 
While speaking at a City Club of Chicago event on Thursday, Orseno stated the mobile ticketing rollout is part of Metra’s effort to modernize its ticketing process and use technology to improve the customer experience. 
 

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Chicago Public Education Fund offers ideas for retaining top Chicago principals

During a City Club of Chicago event on Tuesday, education leaders discussed the cause of the large number of Chicago school principals who have left the city in recent years and offered four solutions to retain top performing principals in the future. 

Chicago Public Education Fund President and CEO Heather Anichini said Chicago has steadily been losing many of its highest performing principals – 240 have either retired, left the profession, or been recruited to work in another school outside of Chicago. There are currently 680 public school principals in Chicago, she explained.

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Public healthcare leaders call on state to approve grant funding for local health departments

Illinois public health advocates held two press conferences on Tuesday to call on Springfield lawmakers to pass House Bill 4311 or its senate companion, Senate Bill 2178, which appropriates $17.1 million for the state’s Local Health Protection Grant.

The grants provide financial support to certified local health departments for programs such as food protection, potable water supply, private sewage disposal and infectious disease prevention.

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Panelists argue court-ordered spending causing additional problems amidst state budget impasse

During a City Club of Chicago discussion on the causes of the Illinois budget stalemate and the effects the impasse is having on the state’s economy, panelists argued state spending related to court orders and consent decrees has been detrimental in that it has disincentivized lawmakers from balancing the budget. 

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Echo Global Logistics announces plan to double its Chicago workforce

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Echo Global Logistics Chairman and CEO Douglas Waggoner on Thursday announced the company will add 850 new workers to its Chicago-based workforce over the coming years, leaving it with more than 1,600 employees in the city.

Echo Global Logistics provides technology-based transportation and supply chain management services. Founded in Chicago a decade ago, the company currently employs 800 people in Chicago. In total, Echo Global Logistics has over 30 offices across the country, according to a press release issued by the Mayor’s Office.

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Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership joining with local agencies to spur economic development

During a speech at the City Club of Chicago on Tuesday, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership CEO Karin Norington-Reaves discussed her organization’s work with city agencies to grow the economy by helping individuals seeking employment find careers.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and then Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel established the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership in 2011. The organization offers workforce services for all job seekers and employers located in the city of Chicago and Cook County.  

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UIC chancellor seeking more partnerships with private sector to diversify school’s funding

While highlighting several accolades his university has recently received, University of Illinois-Chicago Chancellor Michael Amiridis argued the recent state budget stalemate highlighted the importance of developing more partnerships with the business community to ensure the school is adequately funded.

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