Mercy Hospital & Medical Center’s board of directors has named Carol L. Garikes Schneider the medical center’s new president and chief executive officer.

Construction will begin on a new 1,200-room hotel connected to McCormick Place Convention Center in 2014, and the project is expected to generate 2,500 construction and 500 permanent, fulltime jobs, according to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA).

Local resident Kathy Catrambone, who wrote the book Taylor Street: Chicago’s Little Italy and guides tours of the neighborhood, now steps into a new role as executive director of the University Village Association (UVA).

Brianna Latko has been named principal of Saint Ignatius College Prep, effective this summer. Latko will come to Saint Ignatius from Jesuit High School in Sacramento, CA, where she has served as principal since 2009.

The Connecting4Communities (C4C) neighborhood group, representing the Near West Side, University Village, Roosevelt Square, the Brooks Homes, and Tri-Taylor, has is looking at submitting a request to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for a new high school for the community.

Melissa Staples recently became commander of the Chicago Police Department’s 12th District, which ranks as the City’s largest police district and spans eight communities across the Near West Side.

The 26th annual Oakley Avenue Festa Pasta Vino, “A Salute to Papa,” will be held in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood Father’s Day Weekend, Friday, June 14, through Sunday, June 16.

Parishioners at St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church must worship elsewhere during repairs to the fire-damaged church at 733 S. Ashland Ave.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) recently designated the Breast & Women’s Healthcare Center at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center a breast imaging center of excellence.

St. Therese School welcomed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Daniel Solis (25th), and Chinese Consul General Weiping Zhao Feb.11 as the school celebrated the Lunar New Year.