Good morning, Evanston.
Tonight’s City Council meetings have prompted an exchange of opinions over which City Council – the outgoing or the incoming – should vote on the weighty agenda up for consideration. A Chicago attorney, asked to offer a legal opinion, says new City Council members and the City Clerk must be sworn in at the meeting, but Evanston’s Corporation Counsel disagrees.
The agenda contains several significant items on which members of the current, or 80th, City Council will vote, including the lease of the Harley Clarke mansion, changes to the City’s leaf-blower ordinance, approval of the contract for selling water to Skokie, and two items that remove citizen input from public processes: proposed change in the City’s Board of Ethics procedures and certain special use processes.
Sectional Champ Aryeh Lesch Aiming Even Higher Now. Aryeh Lesch became the first male gymnast from Evanston in more than 30 years to win a sectional championship last week. Now, the Wildkit junior is aiming even higher.
Michael Matek’s Chess Problem. This wild position is from one of my games. White has the move. What should he play?
This Week in Evanston
Today:
- Energy, Climate, and Sustainability: The Defining Issue of the 21st Century Northwestern Engineering Dean’s Seminar with presenter Stanford University Professor Arun Majumdar, 2 to 3 p.m.
- Planning & Development Committee 3:30 p.m.
- City Council 4:30 p.m.
- ETHS Virtual Incoming Freshman Sports/Activity Fair 7 to 8 p.m.
- City Council 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday:
- Producemobile 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- Arts Council – Virtual 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday:
- Design and Project Review Committee 2:30 p.m.
- Plan Commission 7 p.m.
- 5th Ward Meeting – Virtual 7 p.m.
- ETHS Senior Scholarships Night – Virtual 7 to 9 p.m.
- The Science of COVID-19 Biologists from Northwestern University will provide information about COVID-19 and answer questions about the vaccines on this live Zoom webinar. 7 to 8 p.m.
- Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer presented by FAN (Family Action Network). This conversation between Steven Johnson and Dr. James Hamblin will explore the lessons learned from previous global pandemics –including smallpox, cholera, the Spanish flu and others – and how they paved the way for modern medicine, 7 to 8 p.m.
Thursday:
- ETHS Last Day of School for Seniors
- Environment Board 6:30 p.m.
- 2nd Ward Meeting – Virtual 7 p.m.
- Mental Health Board 7 p.m.
- Legacy of School Segregation in Evanston – a conversation in two parts Evanston youth will facilitate two nights of conversation (on two consecutive Thursdays) via Zoom about the history of school segregation in Evanston and future visions for educational opportunities in the 5th Ward, 7 to 9 p.m.
Friday:
- Utilities Commission – Virtual 7:15 a.m.
Saturday:
- YEA FESTIVAL Urban Gallery Walk Starting May 15th, stroll the Main-Dempster Mile to the see works by young Evanston Artists hanging in shop windows during this year’s pandemic-friendly festival.
- Virtual Workshop: Doodling for Stress Relief with Hank Yang 6 to 7 p.m.
- ETHS Senior Send-Off Block Party for Class of 2021, 7 to 10 p.m.
All week:
- Butterfly Sky Stop by Robert Crown Branch Library for an up-close look at the magic of metamorphosis, learn more about the Pollinator Pledge, and discover which butterflies are native to Evanston.
- Create Origami Cranes for Mental Health Awareness Month: Pick up a mental health checklist and origami activity kit all month at Robert Crown Branch Library.
COVID-19 by the numbers: We are checking in with many sources to keep you updated on COVID-19 cases and vaccine information.
- The number of COVID-19 cases in Evanston was 46 the week ending Sunday, May 9, down from 66 the week ending May 2.
- Northwestern University reported 18 new cases the week ending May 6. Northwestern students, staff and professors living in Evanston are included in City test and case counts.
- Evanston School District 65 reported nine new cases among students and one new case among staff members last week.The number of students in quarantine increased to 46 from 25.
- There were nine reported cases among students and staff at ETHS last week. ETHS reported 10 students in quarantine, down from 45 the previous week.
- There was one fatality reported last week. Evanston has now lost 117 residents to the pandemic.
- Our City’s seven-day positive test rate is 0.7%; the test positive rate in suburban Cook County is 5.1% and in Illinois 2.8%.
- The number of cases per 100,000 population over the last seven days is 62 in Evanston, 145 in suburban Cook County, and 120 in Illinois.
- As of Sunday, 4.5 million or 35% of Illinois residents are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination eligibility expands: Starting this week, children 12 and older are eligible for vaccination in Illinois. Fill out the City of Evanston Vaccination Contact Form to register with our City’s Public Health Department.
Around the Web
- How much harm comes from taking AP exams during a pandemic? Education columnist Jay Matthews writes about his “friendly argument” with ETHS Assistant Superintendent Pete Bavis on the return of full-length Advance Placement tests this spring.
- Do You Think You Live in a Political Bubble? Type in your home address and get the answer!
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