Quinn: reduce emissions

As part of the state’s Earth Day celebration, Gov. Pat Quinn signed an executive order on April 22 that requires state government agencies to reduce 40 percent of their solid waste by 2015 and cut back 25 percent on electricity and natural gas costs by 2025, according to ABC7.com. Quinn said he does not support raising fuel prices to reduce pollution and has not made a statement about whether or not he supports all Illinois residents having to reduce their personal emissions. In an attempt to celebrate Earth Day, the governor’s mansion switched to all LED lights and started collecting rainwater for future gardening use, according to ABC7.com.

Rose named Rookie of the Year

The Chicago Bulls’ first-year point guard Derrick Rose was named NBA Rookie of the Year on April 22 in a ceremony in Chicago, according to CBS2Chicago.com. Rose, a 20-year-old Chicago native who played some college basketball at the University of Memphis, averaged 16.8 points per game and 6.3 assists during the regular season. Rose is the third Bulls player to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Michael Jordan and Elton Brand in the honor. Rose led the Bulls back to the playoffs this year for the fourth time in the past five seasons, according to CBS2Chicago.com.

Blue Line to get stimulus money

Mayor Richard M. Daley announced on April 20 that the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line will get $90 million of federal stimulus funds for repairs, according to the Chicago Tribune. Daley said the goal of the project is to eliminate as many slow zones as possible and prevent rail lines from deteriorating further. Also, getting the speed of the trains to more than 50 mph would allow more trains to run. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the repairs to the Blue Line would create 400 jobs for Chicagoans. The CTA said they would need more than $7 billion to fix all of the rail lines in the city, according to the Chicago Tribune.

StreetWise saved

After news of a possible end to the Chicago magazine StreetWise, nearly $200,000 in donations has saved the magazine from its downfall, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. StreetWise executive director Bruce Crane said the donations were enough to keep the magazine and its vendors in business for the rest of 2009. Donations were mostly from individuals who contributed anywhere from a few dollars to the $75,000 by Clune Construction Co., according to Crain’s Chicago Business.