Good Thursday morning, Evanston.
We hope you managed to stay cool yesterday. We have a lot of news and information today. But up first is the wonderful advice from Pam and Bennie Henley, pictured above sitting on the front stoop of their home near ETHS. RoundTable photographer Richard Cahan caught up with the Henleys on his morning walk. The couple, who have been married for 32 years, are both originally from Mississippi but met in Evanston. The secret to their marriage? “Choosing your battles,” she said. “Certain things are not worth fighting over.” Now, on to this morning’s top stories.
In March, Peter Braithwaite, then the council member representing the Second Ward, proposed amendments to the city’s Code of Ethics requiring elected officials to abide by Evanston’s anti-harassment policies. On Monday, the City Council’s Rules Committee made a formal recommendation which, if approved, would subject Evanston elected officials to misconduct charges for inappropriate behavior. Braithwaite’s action came after a Feb. 22 encounter between First Ward Council Member Clare Kelly and then interim City Manager Kelley Gandurski, in an incident the RoundTable reported on here.
COVID-19 by the numbers: 25 cases were reported on Tuesday, Aug. 2, the last day the city updated case totals. The seven-day average is 25.3 cases per day.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
ETHS 101: Everything you need to know before school starts. In less than two weeks, Evanston Township High School will open its doors for the first day of the 2022-23 academic year Monday, Aug. 15. We thought it would be a service for families of incoming students to provide a RoundTable ETHS primer on everything from freshmen orientation to sports to COVID-19. We hope it also serves as a reminder for veteran parents and students as well as a guide to anything new.
BOOKS: Questions for author Susan Garthwaite. Q&A with Evanston resident, spiritual director and retreat guide Susan Garthwaite (above), who wrote Saint Hildegard: Ancient Insights for Modern Seekers, which is a treasure trove of St. Hildegard’s bracing, rich and transforming insights.
District 65 (which opens Aug. 24) announced all school supplies will be free. Continuing the service it provided during the pandemic, officials said they will use school federal pandemic relief funds to provide school supplies for students.
Evanston widow warns people of the risks of West Nile virus, while expert urge mosquito precautions. It’s important people are aware of the virus’s dangers. Lincoln Janus, a 73-year-old retired attorney and longtime Evanston resident (above), died of complications from West Nile virus in 2021. Experts said the Evanston region is a hotspot and breeding ground for the kind of mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus.
Summertime is mural time in Evanston as four new ones debut. Over the last two months, local artists around Evanston have displayed their talent with new murals that put beautiful art on city buildings and walls. Artist Max Sansing, pictured above, is painting a large mural in the Metra turnaround north of Davis Street. He told the RoundTable he draws much of his inspiration from nature.
Peggy Tarr: ‘Fix Me’*. Our columnist reflects on an increase in crime and the efforts that community and faith leaders have taken to address it, such as holding a conference to highlight “respect, self-control and self-help.”
Walsh Natural Health owner pivoted from corporate life to nutrition and wellness. The store, named for a previous owner, is now in its 17th year under Lynn Bednar’s ownership. At 2116½ Central St., it’s a top Chicagoland destination for health and wellness solutions.
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Around the web
Wirtz family selling Evanston apartment buildings for $35 million. The family, which owns the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks, is selling off its 164-unit Evanston apartment portfolio. The family has not sold any properties in years and has owned the Evanston buildings for decades, making the potential sale a rare move amid a sellers’ housing market.
Racist posts by alleged Highland Park parade shooter might offer clues to mass shooting. In the days before the Fourth of July massacre in Highland Park, the man charged in the killing spree, Robert E. Crimo III, appears to have posted anti-Semitic, anti-Black and anti-Asian messages on an online platform. Still, no one has said this points to a motive. And even the Anti-Defamation League cautioned people not to use the posts to assume Crimo’s motive for the attack.
Fewer pharmacies found on Chicago’s South and West sides, an analysis finds. According to a WBEZ analysis of city data, almost 45% of Chicago’s majority-Black census tracts qualify as pharmacy deserts, meaning at least a third of the residents live over a mile from the nearest pharmacy. Lack of access to pharmacies creates barriers to important services such as contraception, COVID-19 tests, vaccines and medications that people rely on to survive.
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