Business partners Jackie Verrilli and Nick Grube have known each other for a number of years. After initially meeting through their children and then seeing each other around the community they became friends. Most recently they have become the co-founders of ISN’T Drinks, which produces zero-proof (nonalcoholic) cocktails. “I have known Nick as a home […]
Author Archives: Ned Schaub
‘Across the Table’ Serves Up Stimulating Topics and Exploration
Making final preparations for the community dinner that was about to take place, Lauren Grossman, the founder and executive director of Across the Table, considered carefully the potential dynamics of the event. The topic for Oct. 16 was “What does it mean to have power? A conversation with the Evanston Police Department.” Two days after […]
Audubon Great Lakes Sounds Clarion Call for Birds Across Region and Locally
Earlier this month, the Chicago-based organization Audubon Great Lakes, the local branch of the National Audubon Society, gathered leaders from across the Chicago area for the release of the report “Survival by Degrees: 389 Species on the Brink.” The report says that “birds are telling us it’s time to take action on climate,” and reveals […]
105 Evanstonians Make an ‘Uncomfortable Journey’ to Alabama
They were black, white, Latinx and Asian – the youngest a teenager, the oldest in her 80s, and they came from different economic brackets, different backgrounds, different experiences. The trip, which organizers named an “uncomfortable journey,” took them first to Montgomery, Ala., where they visited the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the […]
Evanstonian, 102, Calls Evanston and Its Citizens ‘Wonderful’
James Sprowal, who now is 102 years old, recently spoke with the RoundTable about coming to live in Evanston in 1948 and about being 102. The oldest of eight siblings, he was born and raised in South Carolina, growing up mostly on a farm just outside Greenwood. As a young man he did carpentry work […]
Coworking Possibilities Grow in Evanston
Coworking, the practice of sharing a workspace with others who are working on different endeavors for different companies or for themselves, is becoming more common across America. While this is particularly true in major cities, the trend is also taking root in suburbs and smaller cities. A number of coworking locations have opened in Evanston, […]
Evanston Becomes First Community Wildlife Habitat City in Illinois
One Saturday earlier in July the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) informed Leslie Shad, Lead at Natural Habitat Evanston, that Evanston would be designated a Wildlife Habitat City. This means that Evanston is now certified as a city that does two things: educates and provides outreach about how to create healthy, sustainable habitat for pollinators and […]
Williams Shoes Owner to Retire, But Offers Hope that Store May Remain
Michael Lembeck, owner of Williams Shoes at 710 Church St., will retire at the end of July. He said he is in discussion with two potential buyers and would like to see the store, which his family has operated at the same location for 65 years, remain open. “After 65 years in the family, 37 […]
Moms Gather on Central Street To Get Beyond the Blues
The perinatal periods – those surrounding birth – often bring depression and anxiety for new or about-to-be mothers. Evanston-based Beyond the Baby Blues provides therapeutic support for them. At its Central Street office, the organization offers prenatal and postpartum groups – as well as meals – several times a week. While the group is based […]
Solstice Celebrated at Jennifer Morris Park
When Jennifer Morris died 30 years ago, in June of 1989, she was known to have a “winning smile and compassionate heart,” her husband Gerry said in a recent letter he wrote to acknowledge the revitalization of the Jennifer Morris Park, on the southeast corner of Custer Avenue and Washington Street. Ms. Morris, who co-owned […]