Gold Cost Shore Report - Chicago

03/13/2026

The annual Chicago River dyeing and downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade is this Saturday, March 14. The Chicago River dyeing will occur between 10am - 12pm. Bystanders are encouraged to watch the festivities along the Chicago River between Ontario Street (along the north branch of the river) and Columbus Drive (along the main branch of the river). The Riverwalk will be closed from 11pm on Friday, March 13 to 6am on Sunday, March 15. Please note that all nearby bridges will be closed to spectators during the dyeing, but the Columbus, LaSalle, and Orleans bridges will remain open for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 12:15pm at the corner of Columbus Drive and East Balbo Drive. The parade will travel north on Columbus Drive to Monroe Street. Street closures for the parade will be in effect as early as 8am and will be lifted by 4pm on Saturday afternoon at the following locations:

Columbus Drive, from Roosevelt Road to Wacker Drive
All side streets off of Columbus Drive, between Roosevelt Road and Wacker Drive
All streets bounded by Randolph Street, Monroe Street, Michigan Avenue, and Lake Shore Drive

03/07/2026

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

From the archive: the Rev. Jessie Jackson on the UW-Madison campus April 6, 1984 during his first run for president. The civil rights icon died at age 84. His memorial service was today in Chicago.

03/06/2026

Unclaimed for decades, The Wisconsin Veterans Service Office is hoping to return this Purple Heart to the family of John C. Sepoll. The WWII vet is buried outside of Chicago. Are you familiar with the name? Here's additional background and how to contact the office: https://walworthcountycommunitynews.com/2026/03/04/walworth-county-searching-for-family-to-return-purple-heart/

02/25/2026

02/25/2026

Shining Star Child Development visited Engine 74.

12/18/2025

Arlington Heights is no longer the sole focus for the Chicago Bears in their quest to build a new stadium.

In a letter to fans posted on their website, team president and CEO Kevin Warren announced the search area to find a suitable location to build has been widened to the greater Chicago area, including northwest Indiana.

"We still believe (Arlington Heights) offers the best and only path forward in Cook County given there are no other viable alternatives," Warren said in the letter. "Over the past several years, we have worked in good faith with Illinois leaders and made clear our commitment and readiness to invest more than $2 billion by the Chicago Bears, one of the largest private investments in state and NFL history."

After setting their sights solely on the former Arlington Park site earlier this year, the Bears have hit a wall in Springfield in their attempt to secure $862 million in public infrastructure funding and a freeze on the property tax assessment on the site.

"We listened to state leadership and relied on their direction and guidance, yet our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership," Warren said.

Read more here: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/sports/bears-stadium-search-now-includes-indiana?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

12/12/2025

Did you know? Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer first appeared in 1939 in Chicago. That year, Montgomery Ward & Co. began distributing complimentary copies of the illustrated poem to children who visited their stores during the holiday shopping season. Rudolph was created by Robert Lewis May, an advertising copywriter who was tasked with creating a character for the promotional giveaway. Learn more on the Chicago History Museum blog: https://ow.ly/xrje50XFYjl

12/12/2025

The Gold Coast Neighbors Association and Alderman Brian Hopkins will cohost a virtual community meeting Monday, Dec. 15 to discuss the future of 1120–30 N. State Street, currently home to Lou Malnati’s and a vacant former Barnes & Noble space.

Convexity Properties, which recently purchased the property and also owns the adjacent Viceroy Hotel, will provide an update on its plans. The company intends to pursue a project similar to—but smaller than—the mixed-use development approved in 2021 under the previous owner, Newcastle Investors.

11/06/2025

If you knew Lake Geneva's Bill Madlener, you knew of his lifelong love of Black Point. Today, we learned his estate has donated $1 million to the historical site built by his great-grandfather, Chicago beer barron Conrad Seipp. Here's the news: https://walworthcountycommunitynews.com/2025/11/06/estate-of-william-madlener-great-grandson-of-conrad-seip-donates-1-million-to-black-point/

10/24/2025

ICE ACTIVITY

43rd Ward Alder Timmy Knudson says there are reported ICE sightings and suspected enforcement activity Friday at the following locations:

Cleveland/Belden

2600 N Racine

440 W Belden

Reports of 2 unmarked SUVs driving north on Halsted with masked drivers

Lincoln/Racine/Diversey

Racine/Drummond

Lill/Seminary

Wrightwood/Racine

What to do if you observe ICE agents or suspect ICE presence:

Remain calm, safe and observant. If you see federal agents in the area, note time, location, number of agents, vehicle(s), license plates, demeanor — but do so without putting yourself or others at risk.

Know your rights. Regardless of immigration status, you have rights when confronted by immigration agents. You do not have to answer questions about your status, you have the right to speak with a lawyer, and you have the right to refuse to open your door for ICE unless they present a valid judicial warrant.

Contact rapid-response resources immediately.

Call the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) Family Support Network Hotline: 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY (1-855-435-7693) (available in English, Spanish, Korean, Polish)

Use the city's resource page for ICE-raid response & immigration resources.

Sign up for "Eyes on ICE" text alerts via ICIRR to receive neighborhood-level warnings.

To make a report about missing, damaged, or obstructed license plates on ICE vehicles, call the Secretary of State's Plate Watch Hotline at (312) 814-1730 or email [email protected].