At This Time
Building bridges at the 43rd annual Evanston Township High School Geometry Bridge Contest. Freshman Kayla Strickland (center) won with the strongest bridge. Tora Gylling (left) and Emilie Viola were runners-up. Students were given poster board, 30 straws…
Picturing Evanston
This cluster of geese on their descent into the pond at the Northwestern University lakefill makes the Ryan Center for the Musical Arts look like an airport tower. (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
Empty downtown storefronts: Retail vacancy rate low, but appearances are troubling
The economic development climate in Evanston is expected to start warming…
As redistricting looms, city hopes to keep 3 nonwhite-majority wards
With the city up for redistricting this year, some ward…
ETHS boys basketball: Wildkits defense helps take down Notre Dame 54-38
Bad offense can be as contagious as the Omicron virus.…
Rent hikes displacing tenants in city’s southeast section
For more than a century, the southeast corner of Evanston,…
Housing, crosswalks, allergen-free food: Many priorities for federal Covid aid, but funds dwindle
With Evanston’s one-time bountiful pot of federal Covid recovery funds…
Northminster Presbyterian Church turns 100
On January 29, immediately following its 9:30 a.m. worship service,…
TOday in evanston
Latest news from Evanston: Your Monday daily digest
Good Monday morning, Evanston. Here are the top news and feature stories from around the city.
Latest NEWS
Evanston graffiti demands ‘Justice for Tyre’
New graffiti messages observed Sunday in Evanston, largely on and around CTA and…
Two reparations recipients haven’t used the $25,000 grants, and expiration date looms
It’s been a year since the first 16 reparations recipients were selected, but…
New District 65 tech to improve tracking of visitors, school bus riders
This winter, Evanston/Skokie School District 65 is rolling out Hall Pass and Smart…
RECENT POSTS
Foster Senior Club members share their stories, jot them down for history
On a recent wintry evening, 30 members of the Foster…
ETHS chess team advances to IHSA State Finals
ETHS Chess qualified for the Illinois High School Association State…
Rev. Michael Nabors: Responding to the unacceptable murder of Tyre Nichols
Editor’s note: On Friday Evanston Police Chief Schenita Stewart posted…
Walker third graders step up community and unity at Sneaker Ball
Walker Elementary School teacher Jenna Arceneaux transformed her third-grade classroom…
Committee recommends upgrading lifeguard’s communication system
Lifeguards heading to work at Evanston’s beaches and aquatic camps…
Porchlight Music Theatre’s New Faces Sing Broadway 1951
Look out, Audra McDonald. There are ten new actor-singers nipping…
ETHS boys basketball: Wildkits upset Glenbrook North 64-58
Malachi Barrett and Addison Blough haven’t had many opportunities to…
House fire on Grey Avenue sends 1 to hospital
On Friday, Jan. 27, at approximately 6 p.m., Evanston firefighters…
CTA lines back after power loss and evacuation on Yellow Line – cause unknown
Evanston firefighters helped evacuate seven people from a Yellow Line…
Upcoming Events
Downtown Evanston hosts fifth annual Hygge Fest featuring creative workshops, cozy items and festive events
Submitted by Downtown Evanston Downtown Evanston is hosting the fifth annual Hygge Fest throughout the month…
Clark Street closed between Orrington and Sherman avenues Jan. 30–Feb. 2
Power Construction will be conducting crane lift activities on Clark…
Annual Daddy-Daughter Dance at Fleetwood-Jourdain is Feb. 5
Submitted by the City of Evanston Enjoy an afternoon of fun…
Evanston Dance Ensemble presents ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’ March 9 – 12
Evanston Dance Ensemble — a pre-professional dance company in residence…
Downtown Evanston’s InSidewalk Sale is this weekend
Submitted by Downtown Evanston Find the best deals at the Downtown…
CITY NEWS
Rats, safety dominate Eighth Ward community meeting
Rats, trash and safety dominated discussion at the Eighth Ward’s community meeting Thursday, Jan. 26, in which residents packed the virtual forum to quiz city officials. Evanston’s Health and Human Services Director Ike Ogbo answered questions after giving a presentation about the services the departments provide…
Evanston moves up to medium Covid risk, Cook County stays at medium
The seven-day average of new Covid cases in Evanston was 13.9 on Jan. 25, up from 11.6 in the prior week. The chart below, prepared by the City of Evanston, reflects the number of new cases of Evanstonians for the last 30 days and the seven-day…
Red, Purple and Yellow Line service delayed at Howard
The CTA announced Thursday night that Red, Yellow and Purple Line trains were delayed or suspended due to track conditions at Howard Street. No further reasons were given. “Red Line service has been temporarily suspended between Howard and Thorndale due to a track condition,” the CTA said…
Understanding Evanston’s achievement gap: Study finds money-mind connection
In considering Evanston’s achievement gap, one of the largest in the country, there are many things known: that the gap between racial and ethnic groups occurs between birth and third grade, that academic growth happens at similar rates between grades three and eight regardless of race…
Police: After armed altercation, second incident on Crawford was case of mistaken identity
The Evanston Police Department is providing an update on its investigation into two recent altercations reported in the 2500 block of Crawford Avenue.
ART & LIFE
The story behind Evanston’s ‘Stitch’
One of the most prominent pieces of Evanston public art is Stitch, at the intersection of Green Bay Road, Emerson Street and Ridge Avenue. The intersection is a complicated one, revamped in 2016-2017 by the City of Evanston to smooth out the complex and confusing traffic pattern. …
Art Makers Outpost enlivens south Evanston
Valerie Kahan had a dream to build the first LEED-certified art center in Evanston, an energy-efficient and sustainable operation that would offer creativity and community for everyone. Her dream has adapted to fiscal realities, is not LEED-certified and she said it’s still “in startup mode,” but Art…
Art review: Look out the ‘Wonder Window’ at Noyes gallery
Like many of us, Suzanne Seed was confined to her apartment in 2020 as Covid bore down on the world. What made it worse was that Seed, a photojournalist-author-playwright, had also lost her famed artist husband, Art Paul, in 2018, and she was alone in their Gold Coast…
Eye on Evanston: Thoughts on Design | Henry K. Holsman, Evanston’s architect of affordable housing
Shoreline Apartments (1928) marked the last of Henry Holsman’s many Hyde Park and South Shore affordable, cooperative high-rise apartment buildings – nearly all in the Gothic Revival style. During the 1930s Holsman became increasingly involved in the problem of housing in blighted urban areas and less focused…
Outpost After Dark: An intimate space, homespun ambience and high-level musicianship
The second Outpost After Dark concert on Sunday, Jan. 22 at Art Markers Outpost (609 South Blvd.) featured fine performances by Vivian Garcia and Michele Thomas in front of a crowd of about 35 people. That number might seem small, but the room’s capacity is about 50.…
SCHOOLS
Metal detectors, academic gaps and morale: Q&A with Superintendent Marcus Campbell
After longtime Evanston Township High School Superintendent Eric Witherspoon retired at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, a familiar face – Principal and Assistant Superintendent Marcus Campbell – stepped into those shoes. Campbell has spent his entire career in education at…
ETHS girls basketball: Wildkits come close in electric matchup
A signature victory against a state-ranked team is just what Evanston Township High School’s girls basketball squad needed with one week to go before coaches cast their votes for sectional tournament seeding. But after throwing a scare into the state’s No. 6…
D65 plans community meetings for Fifth Ward school project
District 65 has scheduled three meetings next month to discuss plans for the new Fifth Ward school. “We want to service the community,” said District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton. The city and school district initially were tackling the Fifth Ward Foster Park…
Ross’ swollen knee shorts his chance at ETHS record
Jonah Ross came close to setting Evanston’s school record for 3-point baskets Tuesday night. But a swollen knee trumped a hot hand at Beardsley Gymnasium. The Evanston senior guard fired in seven straight 3-point shots in the first half of a 92-28…
City OKs police access to ETHS security cameras; ETHS board to vote next
At its Feb. 6 meeting, the Evanston Township High School board will consider granting the Evanston Police Department access to its surveillance camera footage in the event of an emergency. The move would amend a 2019 intergovernmental agreement between the school district…
PHOTOS
At This Time
Gelato in January. Thailand tourists Chavish Sirisupsoonthorn (from right) and wife Hathaikarn sample gelato in the snow. They walked out of FRÍO Gelato (at my request) after ordering the Argentine ice cream with their Chicago friend Malika Soneath. Saturday’s snow was a treat. “We love it,” said Chavish, “but I don’t think…
Picturing Evanston
The yellow roof of Key Club Cleaners, 433 Asbury Ave., is easy to spot from a distance, but where did the “Club” go? (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
At This Time
Professional dog walker Alexis Bell holds tight to the leash of Percy, a greyhound, as the dog catches sight of two deer in Perkins Woods. “I get a lot from walking dogs,” she said, “way more than expected.” She gets exercise, meets new friends and learns about city neighborhoods. Bell takes…
At This Time
Evanston Township High School students wait offstage before performing at the Student Honors Recital. They are (from left) Spencer Perlstadt, William Godbolt, Vasanth Visweswaran, Anthony Orsi, Zoe Powers, Kevin Connell, Kupunoli Sumi, Linden Wadsworth, Chloe Von Hoff, Skye Elzaurdia, Mary Esther Ng, Tanner Carlson-Huber, Asher King-Yariv and Christopher Von Hoff. Also…
Picturing Evanston
The fieldhouse and ice rink at Ackerman Park on Central Street and McDaniel Avenue during snow showers. (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
PUBLIC SQUARE
Letter to the editor: NU, do not ignore stadium’s human environmental impact
The Central Street Master Plan and its implementing ordinance were designed to keep the neighborhood welcoming, walkable, and liveable. The American Planning Association honored this in naming Central Street one of the “Great Places in America,” that combines “an edgy urban vibe with a small-town pace and sensibility.”…
Evanston Police Chief Schenita Stewart: Thoughts on Tyre Nichols case and the ‘crisis of confidence’ in police
Highly publicized police-citizen encounters over the past few years have garnered the attention of the nation. The recent arrest of five Memphis Police officers for the beating and murder of Tyre Nichols and the subsequent release of video of this incident will again spotlight police misconduct on a…
Letter to the editor: Don’t let grandiose plans kill Evanston’s magic
Why should you go to Europe or elsewhere to enjoy walkable cities and quaint towns, places that preserve their heritage, and make room for the new without obliterating the old? Evanston is just such a place, and its Most Livable City Association is working to keep it that…
Peggy Tarr: Americans pursue King’s mission
On the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I was pleased to see ways in which individuals and communities in America honored Dr. King and his pursuit of peace, equality and brotherhood. I thought of the lyrics of the poem/song America the Beautiful that I heard on that day in a…
Letter to the editor: Ryan Field project is opportunity to build Black and brown wealth
The Ryan Field project in Evanston is an initiative by Northwestern University to rebuild its stadium. With a gift from the Ryan family, the proposal is to construct a state-of-the art football stadium in the same space where the current stadium stands. The project is an incredible opportunity…
SPORTS
Born into Evanston basketball, Zuri Ransom is now a star of it
Back when Zuri Ransom was a third grader, at the end of her school day she would make her way to Evanston Township High School.…
ETHS boys bowling: Kits just miss qualifying for state finals
The Evanston Township High School boys bowling team staged another one of its frantic finishes Saturday at the Immaculate Conception Catholic sectional tournament. Only this…
ETHS boys wrestling: Wildkits take fifth in League tourney
Evanston Township High School’s wrestling family was on the listening end of a motivational talk given by Guy Ward just before the winter break. It’s…
ETHS girls gymnastics falls short on senior night, but ‘there were a lot of positives’
For Evanston girls gymnastics coach Mike Spevack, Thursday’s senior night meet against Glenbrook South hurt. But it hurt so good. The Wildkits, who have battled…
REPORTS & ANALYSES
Evanston’s lead pipes are everywhere, and could become a significant health risk
This series was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. This is part 1 of the RoundTable’s three-part series: Lead pipes in Evanston: How local government inaction…
Developing a Segregated Town, 1900-1960
Evanston’s first African American residents arrived in the 1850s, and by 1880 there were approximately 125 African Americans in Evanston. The number grew to 737 in 1900.…
Fifth Ward STEM School Plan Promises Equity
The Fifth Ward of Evanston, the historic heart of the Black community in the west-central part of the City dating to the days of redlining, has not…
Ninth Ward Residents Battle Environmental Justice Issues: ‘This Area Has Really Been Abused and Neglected’
Seven years ago an explosion in Evanston’s southwest Ninth Ward rocked the homes of some nearby residents. Highly flammable and combustible materials were densely packed behind the…