At This Time
Personal trainer Slater Nelson (left) begins a bootcamp-style exercise class in memory of George Floyd, who was murdered exactly two years ago by a police officer. “As a person of color, I was touched by what happened in Minneapolis and wanted to do something,” said Nelson, who raised more than $3,400 for the George Floyd Memorial Foundation. Joining Nelson at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center was Danielle Berkowsky, who came, she said, because: “Our news cycle is so fast we usually stop talking about these sorts of things. We’ve got to remember.” (Photo by Richard Cahan)
New teen center at Gibbs-Morrison opens
Mayor Daniel Biss (left) and Council Member Bobby Burns, 5th Ward, cut the ribbon to open the new teen center at the Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center, 1823 Church St., on Tuesday. Next to them is Audrey Thompson, Director of Parks and Recreation, with teens on the center advisory committee looking on. The facility will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. every weekday. It will offer food (hot wings, French fries, pizza, etc.), a gaming center (“No Grand Theft Auto,” said Thompson), and large-screen TVs. Everything is free. The goal is to give Evanston teenagers, ages 13 through 18, a safe…
Haven school families organize support for children and teachers, while pushing for updates on noose investigation
Community members plan to gather at 7:30 a.m. and 2:30…
Family Focus, based in old Fifth Ward school, looks to grow – and city may have funds, council member says
Family Focus does a lot from its base in the…
Heavy traffic anticipated between Green Bay and Foster due to gas discount event Thursday morning, May 26
The City of Evanston and the Evanston Police Department are…
Friends of the Robert Crown Center transfers another $600,000 to City of Evanston
Friends of Robert Crown Center (FRCC) announced November 15 that…
ETHS girls soccer: Kite flies high, saves sectional win
Her coach probably wouldn’t have recommended the fundamentals Evanston goalkeeper…
ETHS girls track: School record run earns state relay title for Kits
The next time someone taps Fenny Gunter on the shoulder,…
Pollard scores a breakthrough victory for ETHS tennis
Finn Pollard scored a breakthrough victory for Evanston’s tennis team…
today in evanston
Latest news from Evanston: Your Wednesday daily digest
Good Wednesday morning, Evanston. Community members plan to gather at 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. every weekday through June 8 at Haven Middle School to support Black students…
Margarita Inn permit is expired, city commission says
The Margarita Inn’s 1974 “rooming house” special use permit is expired the city’s Land Use Commission decided…
‘Communication and no favoritism’ say Latino residents about the next police chief
Evanston’s new police chief must understand the city’s multicultural needs, treat all residents equally and with respect,…
‘Girls rule’: Teen-led event offers inspiration, empowerment
“No Scrubs” by TLC and “Déjà vu” by Olivia Rodrigo echoed through a speaker as dozens of…
Offloading crossing guard program promises financial, administrative benefits to City
The Evanston City Council’s support of a resolution handing off the crossing guard program to local school…
RECENT POSTS
Evanston’s Umbrella Arts Festival celebrates local Asian, South Asian, Pacific Island American community
Editors’ note: Full disclosure, this story is written by contributor…
Patricia Ann Harbrecht Buck, 1927-2022
Patricia (Patty) Ann Buck, 95, died Wednesday, April 27, at…
Getting to know Derrick Gragg
Derrick Gragg became the Vice President for Athletics & Recreation…
Council confirms Fournier as new City Manager in 9-1 vote
Evanston City Council members approved the appointment of Ann Arbor…
Two District 65 PTA presidents honored with Phyllis Ganser award
Kate Lister and Yoli Maya Yeh Joseph were honored Monday,…
Branch library in Family Focus an ‘ideal’ fit, says agency’s director
An Evanston Public Library branch in the Weissbourd-Holmes Family Focus…
Vintage Garage brings dozens of vendors to Evanston parking garage
More than 70 vendors piled into the Maple Avenue parking…
The week in photos: May 16-23
This week’s spring photography is all purple and green, with…
Evanston Garden Fair returns after pandemic hiatus
This weekend saw the return of the annual Evanston Garden…
Film review: Elegant escape to ‘Downton Abbey’ offers movie therapy at its best
Downton Abbey: A New Era is the second full-length sequel…
Upcoming events
CITY NEWS
Friends of the Robert Crown Center transfers another $600,000 to City of Evanston
Friends of the Robert Crown Center (FRCC) announced Monday that it transferred another $600,000 to the City of Evanston for the new Robert Crown Community Center, bringing the total transferred in cash from FRCC and State of Illinois to $11.437 million, enough to cover $6 million…
Celebrate the opening of the Gibbs-Morrison Teen Center with ribbon-cutting
Over the past few months, the Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center at 1823 Church St. has gone through a transformation with a new Teen Center added for high school students that includes furniture, a TV, arcade games, lounge, reading areas and more. Community members are invited to come…
City seeks public input on next police chief
Community members participated in a town hall conversation on May 18 to provide feedback on what qualities they’d like to see in Evanston’s next police chief. The city wants your input! View the recorded town hall and share your thoughts through a survey. Additional town hall meetings Recognizing that…
As he wraps up his final weeks at the school, Witherspoon reflects on 16 years as ETHS superintendent
In 2005, Eric Witherspoon was in his eighth year as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa. He ran the largest public school district in the state, with more than 30,000 students and dozens of individual school buildings. At the time, recruiters, consultants and education…
Activists give their state of the city view in protest prior to mayor’s speech
Dissatisfied with the announced choice for City Manager, protesters lined up outside the PalmHouse, where Mayor Daniel Biss was scheduled to deliver his “State of the City” speech at the annual Evanston Chamber Commerce event. As guests filed in to the $75-a-ticket (for non-members) luncheon at…
ART & LIFE
How does anyone stay married, ever?
Dear Gabby, I’m 25 years old and I’ve recently started dating a new guy, David, and he’s pretty awesome all round. We have SO much in common, and the things we don’t have in common make it interesting. His parents are immigrants from Guatemala and Peru. My…
No stopping this rodeo: Dillo Day returns
Neither rain nor mud nor cooler temperatures hindered Saturday’s rodeo-themed Dillo Day music festival, which took over the lakefill behind the Norris University Center on Northwestern’s campus. “Dillo” is an abbreviation of armadillo and this year’s fest, the first in-person event since 2019, was a 50th anniversary…
Portrait of an elm: The mother tree in Maple Court
People walking by on the sidewalk stop in their tracks and look up with their mouths open, craning their necks to see its crown. Some run right up to it and press their entire bodies up against the rough bark, stretching their arms out to the side…
Organizations join forces for boozy art crawl
Community members flocked to Main and Dempster streets on a week night to sip craft beverages while perusing the work of local artists at the Evanston Arts & Craft Beverage Crawl. “Many people were eager to see and buy art, and the stores being able to share…
Evanston performer finds ‘we are all connected through art’
Claudia Renteria began her acting career when she was 12. In Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, Renteria began attending summer school, which included theater class. It is that love of art that helped her through the many changes she has made in her life. “Theater has saved my life…
SCHOOLS
ETHS commencement: Senior class remarks from Samara Wilson
At Sunday morning’s Evanston Township High School commencement ceremony, senior Samara Wilson delivered the senior class remarks. Students interested in speaking at each spring’s graduation must submit their writing, poem or musical selection, and Wilson earned the honor of speaking on behalf…
Meet the ETHS Class of 2022
The Evanston Township High School Class of 2022 celebrated commencement Sunday morning at Northwestern University’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. Below is the full list of graduates in alphabetical order, according to the commencement program provided to all attendees, and you can watch the recording…
Here’s how District 65 plans to pay for 5th Ward school: Committee backs firm to manage $44 million in financing
Evanston Skokie School District 65 Board is expected to receive a formal proposal from its Finance Committee Monday, May 23, to award a contract to PFM Asset Management for financial management of more than $44 million in lease certificates that will finance…
ETHS announces 2022 senior scholarship winners
Evanston Township High School held its annual Senior Scholarships Night on May 11, acknowledging students in the Class of 2022 who are scholarship recipients through the ETHS Scholarship program. Jacklynn Okereke and Timothy Russell, who were nominated by their fellow ETHS seniors, are…
Local teen activist tackles lack of diversity in golf
Fourteen-year-old Olivia Ohlson is always ready for a challenge. While balancing school, sports, clubs, making hygiene kits, raising money for breast cancer research and winning the Future of Evanston service award, Ohlson has launched another endeavor to make the world a more…
PHOTOS
Picturing Evanston
Dreaming big in the alley across from the Union Squared Beer Garden between Chicago and Hinman Avenues north of Dempster Street. (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
At This Time
Police Officer Otha Brooks joins about 50 other Evanston officers and staff at a “celebration of service” ceremony in front of the Police Department on Elmwood Avenue near Lake Street. Brooks has been an officer for 18 years. “Evanston has changed a lot,” he said, “but mostly for the good.” What…
Picturing Evanston
Stairs to the Main Street Metra train platform off Custer Avenue and Washington Street. (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
At This Time
Gabrielle Henley searches for family and friends after graduating from Evanston High School. “This means a lot to me,” she said. “It’s been a rough four years. To be here is a blessing.” About 900 students took part in the school’s 139th commencement at the Welsh-Ryan Arena. Henley is off to…
At This Time
Northwestern students arrive at Dillo Day, the largest student-run music festival in the nation. Weather postponed the start of the event and created muddy conditions – but thousands filled the Northwestern peninsula and performers took the stage in mid-afternoon. It’s the 50th anniversary of the fest. (Photo by Richard Cahan) More…
PUBLIC SQUARE
Rev. Michael Nabors: Letter on Buffalo shooting
The Buffalo Massacre on Saturday, May 14th is an American tragedy. The death of completely innocent people engaged in the regular task of shopping at their neighborhood’s local grocery store, should compel our nation to lament and repent of its greatest sin. Racism is America’s greatest sin. Lest…
Les Jacobson: The unsung legacy of Steve Winwood
May 12 was Steve Winwood’s 74th birthday, making it the perfect day to celebrate the British music icon’s unique talents as composer, producer, arranger, singer and multi-instrumentalist. But despite his Grammy and Jammy and BMI Icon awards, his three honorary doctorates, his 22 studio albums plus numerous live…
Peggy Tarr: In the month of May
I discovered the website NationalDayCalendar.com, which lists the titles and historical information of each month’s days and weeks to be celebrated and commemorated, as well as the various titles given to each month. Examples in May are: Cinco de Mayo (May 5th, annually); Mother’s Day (the first Sunday in…
Letter to the editor: Pioneering in a new age of journalism
Journalism with verve and integrity is foundational to the great American Experiment in living together. You folks are migrating from a world whose foundations were built on typewriters, Linotypes, printing presses, subscription revenues and advertising, to one built on something new that you guys either understand or are…
Letter to the editor: Hiring yet another consultant company
Has the city of Evanston considered how much revenue would need to be generated at its 1.25% portion of the sales tax to recoup the proposed $245,000 consultant fee to generate more business downtown? Allow me to suggest reducing the downtown parking fees or at least increasing the…
SPORTS
ETHS boys track: Kits qualify two relays, four individuals for state finals
The members of the Evanston track coaching staff couldn’t have been more supportive when Vorn Ellis decided to resume his career in the sport as…
ETHS girls soccer: Wildkits boot Von Steuben 11-0, advance to regional finals
Nadia Van den Berg has played all over the field since she started playing soccer for Evanston. The versatile senior proved Tuesday that she hasn’t…
ETHS boys gymnastics: Gymnasts rise to occasion with two state medals
Xavier Probst’s path to success could some day lead to his dream job of performing with Cirque du Soleil. But what the Evanston sophomore pulled…
ETHS boys track: Ellis beats the heat, claims two CSL South sprint titles
Mother Nature turned up the heat on Vorn Ellis and the rest of the competitors Friday at the Central Suburban League South division track and…
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…