Good morning, Evanston.
Last night, the District 65 Board swore in four board members and unanimously elected Anya Tanyavutti to serve another one-year term as President and Biz Lindsay-Ryan to serve another one-year term as Vice President. The District 202 Board elected its previous year’s officers to another term: Pat Savage-Williams, President; Monique Parsons, Vice President; Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Pete Bavis, Secretary; and Chief Financial Officer Mary Rodino, Treasurer. The Evanston Township High School student body elected Barbara Tomaradze as the new Student Board representative.
RoundTable reporter Bob Seidenberg takes a look ward by ward at the final precinct outcomes. Results certified by the Cook County Clerk’s Office last week show several Evanston aldermanic candidates receiving strong support in their home precincts on their way to victory.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable Website
A Little Less Grass, a Little More Shade. Leslie Shad keeps her eye out for trees. The founder and co-leader of Natural Habitat Evanston, not only does she help watch over Evanston’s trees, she looks for ways to bring more trees to the community. A grant of $1,000 from Iowa-based Treesforever.org required a match in labor, not in funds. On May 3, about 15 volunteers brought their gloves and shovels to the north side of Evanston Township High School to plant 11 trees.
Charles Wilkinson: The Blahs. Running on empty. Know the feeling? It is as if life has gone flat – so slowly, without you even noticing that it has.
Peggy Tarr: The Deacon’s World Prayer A friend invited me to go with her to her church. We arrived at church about 15 minutes before the Sunday morning service began. My friend explained that during this pre-service time, those in attendance could speak, that people often spoke about their blessings or the blessings of others or said a prayer or asked for prayers.
COVID-19 by the numbers: We are checking in with many sources to keep you updated on COVID-19 cases and vaccine information.
- Three new cases were reported yesterday in Evanston, and the seven-day average is eight.
- Our City’s positive test rate for the past seven days is 0.9; in Illinois it is 3.6%.
- The number of cases per 100,000 population over the past seven days is 80 in Evanston and 155 in Illinois.
- Some 3.8 million or 30.1% of total Illinois residents are fully vaccinated, including 419,000 in the past seven days.
Evanston Vax Facts: According to City figures, 78% of Evanston residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 55% of residents 16 and older are fully vaccinated. Nearly 100% of residents 65 and older have received at least one dose and 92% are fully vaccinated. More details are available on the City’s Vaccine Dashboard.
When will the majority of Illinois residents be vaccinated? If current vaccination rates persist, half of all Illinois residents will be fully vaccinated by early June and 70%, the threshold at which some experts believe herd immunity is achieved for COVID-19, by mid-July.
Upcoming Events
- Next Coronavirus Q&A Set for this Thursday at noon. With Mayor-elect Daniel Biss to be sworn in this Monday, May 10, this will be Mayor Stephen Hagerty’s last live question-and-answer session broadcast on City Channel 16 and streamed on the City’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
- The City of Evanston launched the Sustain Evanston program this week to recognize businesses leading the way in Evanston’s sustainability efforts. Business types eligible for certification, and a $350 incentive, include: Office/Retail, Restaurants, Landscaping, Spa/Beauty/Wellness, and Healthcare.
Around the Web
- F.D.A. to authorize Pfizer vaccine for adolescents by early next week.
- District 65 announces school board vacancy. Applications are due by May 21.
- Chicago to block off State Street for Summer Pop-Up With Restaurants and Bars,
To support the work we do and continue to make the RoundTable free for all, please join our community of engaged citizens and become a member today. Your donation is tax-deductible.