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Hometown, IL · Municipal
wjol.com
Secret Chicago
Chicago Transit Authority paves the way for California Blue Line station modernization project
The California Blue Line Station is on track to get a major facelift beginning next year. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has approved the granting of a construction contract, facilitating modernization and accessibility upgrades to the busy Logan Square transit station. Here’s a brief history of the station and an inside look at the renovation process. California station among busiest on the Blue Line, says CTA The California Blue Line station (2211 N. California Ave.) was originally constructed in 1895, and last renovated in 2015, according to a CTA release. The station is among the CTA’s busier Blue Line stations, recording more than 1.125 million entries in 2025. All about the California Blue Line renovation plans Under the program, the CTA will outfit the California stop with the following upgrades: Two new elevators serving the inbound and outbound platforms. New stairs and accessible doors. Updated signage and wayfinding. Platform and canopy extensions. Adjustments to lighting, railings and windbreaks. Improvements to sidewalks, ramps, drainage and landscaping. The planned California Blue Line station overhaul is a part of the CTA’s broader All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) . This initiative aims to make all CTA stations 100% accessible to those with disabilities by
WTTW - Chicago PBS
Share of Chicago Property Tax Revenues Claimed by TIF Funds Grew 2.1% in 2025: Report
The share of property taxes collected by Cook County and then claimed by Chicago’s tax increment finance districts increased by just 2.1% in 2025, the smallest increase in five years, according to a report by Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon. In all, $1.62 billion poured into the city’s 108...
NBC Chicago
oakpark.com
Support for emergency shelter from village budgeted at $575,000
The Village of Oak Park plans to provide $575,000 to Housing Forward for the operation of the Anderson Emergency Shelter in 2027, according to Kevin Bueso, the village’s finance chief. “Housing Forward values its longstanding partnership with the Village of Oak Park and its continued commitment to addressing homelessness...
Transportation Today News
hoodline.com
wjol.com
Streetsblog Capitol Hill
As NYC eases fire department control over street redesign projects, Chicago’s fire chief calls for “more conversations… with CDOT”
According to our colleagues at Streetsblog NYC, last Election Day, local residents gave robust support for ballot initiatives to speed up the process of installing bus and bike lanes. One of the five proposals from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency, which called for repealing bureaucratic speed bumps to safer street redesigns, passed with two-thirds of the vote.
WTTW - Chicago PBS
First Phase of Sears Sunken Garden Restoration Nears Completion, Seeds Planted for Further Revitalization
It’s not every day that Chicagoans get excited about a street closure. But for North Lawndale neighbors, the arrival last week of a towering crane on the 3000 block of West Arthington Street, along with the appearance of construction cones and yellow “do-not-cross” tape, was cause for celebration.