NATO News Roundup: Closed Mail Boxes, A Tax Boost & Starved Restaurants

By Samantha Abernethy in News on May 1, 2012 9:40PM

Today's May Day march could be a hint of what we'll see during the NATO summit in the coming weeks. Let's hope that is more indicative of what we'll see than the Cleveland bombers who said they planned to head to Chicago next. Here's a roundup of NATO news today.

• The U.S. Postal Service has decided to remove mail boxes in the downtown area and McCormick Place from May 13 to 23 as a security precaution, CBS reports. They also warn of service delivery interruptions in ZIP codes 60601-60605, 60606, 60607, 60610, 60611, 60616, 60654 and 60661. The USPS says it plans to maintain regular mail services as much as it can.


• A study predicts the NATO summit will give the city a short-term revenue boost of $128 million, bringing a total of 21,200 people to the city. That means 2,200 temporary jobs from 49,300 hotel stays — most people will stay for four nights, but some will stay 15 nights.


• Mayor Rahm Emanuel reiterated no tax dollars will go to pay the $55 million needed to host the summit. “First of all, taxpayers will not pay anything for the summit, and that’s why we raised private money and I secured federal money - so that’s number one,” Emanuel said. “And yes, I do feel like we’re going to be able to meet our budget.”


• Chicago restaurants could lose money during the NATO summit because of red zone security and a decrease in downtown workers. “I was hoping it would be more business rather than less,” Glenn Keefer, owner of Keefer's told Crain's. “We have no reservations Monday the 21st and very few from Saturday the 19th.”