Good Tuesday morning, Evanston.
Evanston has employed a lobbyist representing the city’s legislative interests off and on for more than four decades. The lobbyist has been the city’s point person in Springfield, and occasionally in Washington, advocating for the city’s needs and securing some major grants.
But the lobbyist position went largely unfilled from 2016 to 2021. At the March 28 City Council meeting, city staff recommended hiring Drexwood Partners to fill the lobbyist role, at pay not to exceed $70,000 a year.
Mayor Daniel Biss, a state legislator for eight years, spoke to the need for the position. “It is very clear to me that we are right now leaving money on the table,” he said.
During Evanston Township High School’s spring break, current sophomores, juniors and seniors participated in the inaugural iKit Job Shadow Week program, in which students had the opportunity to explore career options by spending 20 hours working with local business partners.
Collectively, the 26 participating students worked with nine local employers, including restaurants, the Northlight Theatre and health care employers like NorthShore University HealthSystem.
On Monday, those students gathered with employer representatives, city officials and ETHS career and technical education staff to celebrate their work, write thank-you notes to the businesses and receive a stipend check for their work. Two of the students already have summer internship offers.
Pedestrians walking along Sherman Avenue may have noticed the art decorating the windows at the former Gap store.
The installation consists of 64 individual pieces of art, each by a different local artist, but they work together as a continuous collection. Local artist Julie Cowan organized the effort earlier this year.
The collaborative art project sought to build community at a time when people were isolated from each other. For a view of the artwork being installed, also see Joerg Metzner’s Picturing Evanston.
COVID-19 by the numbers: 11 new cases were reported Sunday, April 3, the last day the city updated case totals. The seven-day average is 12.6 cases per day.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
At This Time. I went to the Robert Crown Branch Library to photograph the first person to use the library during early morning hours. It was me. Monday was the first day the library was open – with no staff – at 7 a.m. Library card holders can get a code to gain access for extended hours most days in the mornings or evenings. I signed up and used my card to unlock the door. I stayed about 30 minutes – all alone with the books. Who wouldn’t love that? Before leaving, I checked out a novel titled The Midnight Library. (Photo by Richard Cahan)
Getting to know NBA super-agent Austin Brown. In this edition of People You Should Know, meet Austin Brown of CAA Sports, who grew up in Evanston and has become one of America’s top sports agents for the NBA. He has represented six first-round picks in the past two NBA drafts.
The Art of Making Art: Vanessa Filley. Artist Vanessa Filley has a broad repertoire. As noted on her website, her work ranges from large-scale sculptural installations to tiny embroidery pieces to poems and photographs. The simple line is essential to much of her art, and it is often represented by thread.
The week in photos: March 28-April 4. Congratulations to all who completed the Evanston Running Club’s Chili Run, the first since March 2020. In this four-mile run, runners must predict their finishing times.
City to rehabilitate sewer lines beginning April 6. The city is rehabilitating a portion of its public combined sewer lines using the Cured-In-Place Pipe process. The project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 1.
Jane H. Durfee, 1921-2022. Jane recently passed away at the age of 100. She was an accomplished seamstress, a homemaker, cook and gardener. She golfed, played tennis and took flying lessons. The RoundTable chronicled her 100th birthday party in January.
Northwestern Ukrainian Club will host a vigil for Ukraine April 7. The Northwestern University Ukrainian Club will remember and honor Ukrainians killed in the war at 6 p.m. Thursday in the university’s Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Rd.
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Around the web
Two years into the pandemic, Northwestern faculty and students reflect on how COVID-19 has affected their lives. As college-aged Americans started getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in April 2021, third-year comparative literary studies Ph.D. student Raina Bhagat felt helpless.
Community-centered quilt to become permanent addition to Noyes Cultural Arts Center. Evanston youth visiting the Noyes Cultural Arts Center can see themselves portrayed in fabric images they helped create.
CTA train operator pushed onto tracks at North Side Red Line stop. A train operator was injured Monday night after he was pushed onto the tracks at the Granville stop. Workers and commuters are questioning safety on the CTA.
Illinois Senate Democrats Propose $1B Tax Relief Plan. With a week to go before the Illinois legislature’s planned April 8 adjournment, Democrats have introduced an election-year plan offering tax breaks to low-income workers, homeowners, parents, teachers, drivers and even volunteer first responders.
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