Good Monday morning, Evanston!
Think of the next few days as a welcome calm, which we could all use, right?
It should be balmy, mostly sunny, with a high near 74 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Winds will be out of the north at about 10 MPH and becoming east in the afternoon. Breathe, my friends, breathe. Now on to more news.
Saturday’s “A Celebration of Our Neighbors,” a two-part party organized by Connections for the Homeless, was a big hit. Several hundred people joined “Family Fest” in Foster Field in the afternoon and the adults-only evening at Double Clutch Brewing Company with a slew of live bands and food trucks available. The event was a thank you from Connections to its neighbors for 37 years of support.
Connections was busy this week. Thursday its representatives came to the city’s Equity and Empowerment Commission to discuss creating a more equitable and affordability-centered zoning code for Evanston. The group commissioned a study of the city’s existing zoning code last year and found many things about the code that do not help promote equity and affordability.
Evanston Public Library’s Board of Trustees were presented with the results of an online community survey this week that found that although “there is a high level of satisfaction with the Library and the services it offers,” concerns persist about the loss of some branches and the lack of available and free parking at the ones that are open. Board President Tracy Fulce said the weaknesses identified will be a priority after the board selects a new executive director.
COVID-19 by the numbers: 18 new cases and one death were reported Thursday, July 21, the last day the city updated totals. The seven-day average is 24 cases per day.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
Would you pluck your chin hairs in front of him? The latest entry of Dear Gabby covers the drama of dog etiquette, generational miscommunications and acting a little too well for an unintended audience.
Trot for Tails 2022: Fur family fun. About 200 dogs packed into Centennial Park on Saturday with their owners in tow for the seventh-annual Trot for Tails, a fundraiser dog walk organized by the Evanston Animal Shelter. Pooches ran through an agility course (at their own leisure) and there were a variety of pet-centric vendors and activities set up nearby, including face painting, concessions and a raffle wheel.
Review: ‘Cowboy Bob,’ a theater workshop based on a true story. Reporter Wendi Kromash reviews the new musical workshop, performed at Northwestern and produced by American Music Theatre Project. The musical is based on the true story of a cross-dressing bank robber in Texas who successfully robbed four banks before being killed by police.
Johnson helps Team USA bring back the gold. What did Brittanny Johnson, the Evanston Township High School girls head basketball coach, learn this summer? How to go for the gold. Johnson was an assistant coach for the USA Under 17 national team that captured the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary. The United States rolled to seven straight victories at the nine-day international tournament competition, including an 84-62 conquest of Spain in the title game.
ETHS summer baseball: Defense rests, and Naturals snatch summer title. One strike away from losing the championship game of the Illinois Summer Baseball League Wednesday, all Evanston Naturals could do was wait for the defense to rest. Wilmette’s Waves obliged in shocking fashion and the Naturals captured an unlikely 4-3 victory to end their summer on a winning note.
Annual Ceremony at Firemen’s Park honors Evanston’s fallen first responders. Firefighters, police officers, family members and public officials gathered at Firemen’s Park Friday afternoon for an annual Remembrance Ceremony for Evanston first responders who have died in the line of duty. A dispatch callout and bell ceremony were specially performed in honor of firefighter Marty Leoni, who died on July 22, 1985, while responding to a house fire.
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Around the web
‘Do People Outside The LGBTQ+ Community Got Skin?’: Experts Fight Monkeypox Stigma. More than 100 people have been diagnosed with monkeypox in Chicago – and local officials are urging residents to talk about the virus to reduce stigma, raise awareness and prevent its spread. Medical officials and Chicago Ald. Maria Hadden held a panel at Howard Brown Health Thursday to provide the public with more information.
A massive influx of federal anti-violence dollars starts to hit the streets of Chicago. About four dozen organizations received checks last month from the state of Illinois, the down payment on a pledge by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to funnel $250 million in federal COVID-relief funds to community-based organizations working to address the state’s gun violence crisis that was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Norris University Center hosts programming to liven up summertime in Evanston. Norris is hosting three Lunch on the Lake events on Wednesdays and three Summer Cinema events on Thursdays throughout July as a part of its Summer Session programming.
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