Mayor Emanuel

Design work on a new Green Line station at Cermak Road and State Street is set to begin in March, Mayor Emanuel announced Tuesday. Construction on the station is slated to start in February 2013 and last through July 2014. The station, which is expected to cost $50 million, is designed to give easy access to McCormick Place, Emanuel said. As of now, only the No. 3-King Drive, No. 21-Cermak and No. 129-West Loop/South Loop buses stop at McCormick Place. The new Green Line station is expected to have access for people with disabilities and canopy coverage on the platform.

Let's get digital. Mayor Emanuel tonight will host his third Facebook town hall meeting to discuss topics such as food trucks and education reform. The hour-long event is set to begin at 6 p.m., livestreaming at facebook.com/chicagomayorsoffice and livestream.com/chicagomayorsoffice . Seven hundred people submitted more than 300 questions at askchicago.org for the session, said Kevin Hauswirth, Emanuel's director of social media. Participants voted on which questions the mayor should address.

Move over, New York and Portland, Ore. Chicago wants to pass you by on bike. The wheels of change are in motion for city cyclists thanks to new initiatives from Mayor Emanuel. In the works are 100 miles of protected bike lanes, increased bike parking and a widespread bike-share program that could put Chicago on the map as one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities. Enter Gabe Klein, the city's Department of Transportation commissioner, who took office this year. "The mayor is definitely trying to catch up to other cities with the goal of leapfrogging D.C., Portland and New York," Klein said.

Design work on a new Green Line station at Cermak Road and State Street is set to begin in March, Mayor Emanuel announced Tuesday. Construction on the station is slated to start in February 2013 and last through July 2014. The station, which is expected to cost $50 million, is designed to give easy access to McCormick Place, Emanuel said. As of now, only the No. 3-King Drive, No. 21-Cermak and No. 129-West Loop/South Loop buses stop at McCormick Place. The new Green Line station is expected to have access for people with disabilities and canopy coverage on the platform.

Let's get digital. Mayor Emanuel tonight will host his third Facebook town hall meeting to discuss topics such as food trucks and education reform. The hour-long event is set to begin at 6 p.m., livestreaming at facebook.com/chicagomayorsoffice and livestream.com/chicagomayorsoffice . Seven hundred people submitted more than 300 questions at askchicago.org for the session, said Kevin Hauswirth, Emanuel's director of social media. Participants voted on which questions the mayor should address.

Maggie Daley passed away on Thanksgiving Day. She had been the woman behind former Mayor Richard M. Daley during his 22 years in office. As sitting Mayor Emanuel said, "While Mayor Daley served as head of the city, Maggie was its heart. " The soft, caring core to a powerful machine. We could learn a lot from Maggie Daley. The position of first lady is not something that we the people vote for, but she's just as important as the official second-in-command. She's the woman who's there when times are rough and stresses are high.

You've heard the stoner arguments for legalizing pot: "Weed is 100 percent natural, dude. It's from the earth. Thomas Jefferson grew it, man. Thomas. Jefferson. " But lately the case for legalization and decriminalization of possession comes from entirely different camps, and they're using arguments with more finesse, research and economic impact than those tossed out at a party in your friend's smoke-filled basement. Witness the City Council, which is looking at reduced penalties for possession of amounts less than 10 grams.

City Hall is letting you pick the next design of the city sticker. All Chicagoans have to do is vote online at chicityclerk.com for one of 10 "Chicago's Heroes"-themed designs this week through Dec. 11. More than 20,000 Chicagoans voted last year, according to the City Clerk's Office. Competition was stiff as nearly 240 high school students created sticker designs this year to honor Chicago police, fire and paramedic personnel. The field was narrowed down to 10 finalists.

NO MEAT New York Times writer bemoans lack of vegetarian options in the Midwest. nyti.ms/zDGU6S . HE'S BACK President Obama is in Chicago today for a fundraising blitz. lat.ms/AkD9ZE . WU ARE YOU? Next designer line to come out of Target: Jason Wu. Glamour has the images. glmr.me/wdyBK1 . OUR HOUSE Group behind South Branch, Sweetwater and The Boundary is opening a restaurant in Trib Tower. trib.in/z7G8hH . SCARFACE Tom Hardy to play Al Capone in new gangster flick.

Cyclists, get ready for life in the fast lane in Roscoe Village. The Chicago Department of Transportation is working on installing a buffered bike lane on Roscoe Street between Western and Damen Avenues. Buffered bike lanes offer more room between cyclists and parked cars than a typical bike lane. They use a striped buffer on one or both sides of a bike lane. Protected bike lanes, such as the one on Kinzie Street between Milwaukee Avenue and Wells Street, use posts to separate bikes from cars.

Move over, New York and Portland, Ore. Chicago wants to pass you by on bike. The wheels of change are in motion for city cyclists thanks to new initiatives from Mayor Emanuel. In the works are 100 miles of protected bike lanes, increased bike parking and a widespread bike-share program that could put Chicago on the map as one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities. Enter Gabe Klein, the city's Department of Transportation commissioner, who took office this year. "The mayor is definitely trying to catch up to other cities with the goal of leapfrogging D.C., Portland and New York," Klein said.

Who is Chicago's top dog? No, the answer is not Mayor Emanuel. At least not in this case. The City Clerk's office is presenting a "Dog of Distinction" contest, and residents can vote for one of five canine finalists through May 20 at chicityclerk.com . The finalists were selected at random among all dogs registered in the city. But only one dog will get the title. The winning dog and its owner will get a custom-designed dog tag valued at $2,000, a TV ad appearance, a weekend stay at the Palmer House Hilton, a photo shoot at Urban Out Sitters and a feature in Chicagoland Tails...

EAT Ramp-age Sola, 3868 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-327-3868 Ramps - also known as chicagou, the wild onion-like plant that gave Chi-town its name - make their annual spring entrance. Chef Carol Wallack incorporates them into a three-course prix fixe featuring Scottish salmon with mango-ramp jam; Asian greens with quinoa and pineapple-ramp vinaigrette; and almond sponge cake with ramp-almond frozen yogurt. 5:30-10 p.m. $30; $45 with wine pairings. Bargain burgers Big Chicks, 5024 N. Sheridan Road 773-728-5511 Leave the Ramen noodles at home...