Good Thursday morning, Evanston!
We hope you all have plans to get outside today. The National Weather Service forecast is calling for the low 70s without a cloud in the sky all day long. But in a frankly way too ominous manner that undermines any trust we might have in our own eyes, we are under a Hazardous Weather Alert for the next seven days. Thunderstorms could hit any moment, so take advantage of the sun while you can. Now, on to more Evanston news.
Yesterday morning, the District 65 school board unanimously voted to create 18 new district-wide jobs intended to improve building safety and security in all the schools. The district is also in talks with multiple software companies to explore technologies that would track students throughout the day as well as systems to help teachers, staff and administrators to communicate about emergencies.
Evanston’s Reparations Committee on Wednesday morning unanimously voted for Robin Rue Simmons to succeed Second Ward Council member Peter Braithwaite as committee chair. The committee also decided to release additional reparations grants incrementally as funds become available through cannabis tax revenue. Additionally, city staff announced that the monthly donation report for the Reparations Fund has been inaccurate. As of now, the fund has received $35,544 in donations, although the previous inaccurate report listed the donations total at $69,303.
COVID-19 by the numbers: 44 cases were reported on Tuesday, July 12, the last day the city updated case totals. The seven-day average is 41.7 cases per day.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
Guest essay: Rock Steady Boxing brings out the best in Parkinson’s patients. “A group of those of us who have both Parkinson’s disease and a sense of humor call our support group ‘Movers and Shakers,’ recognizing that moving is our goal and shaking is not. To help us, we participate in Rock Steady Boxing, a name with a heavy emphasis on the ‘rock steady,'” RoundTable contributor Cissy Lacks writes.
After Highland Park shooting, city discusses safety and emergency procedures. This week, the RoundTable met with interim Police Chief Richard Eddington, EPD Commander Ryan Glew, Fire Chief Paul Polep and Deputy Fire Chief Kim Kull to discuss Evanston’s readiness in the event of an emergency. Both departments already train individually and jointly for different scenarios.
Rare Verdi opera set for Cahn premiere. Emanuele Andrizzi said he’s honored and excited to conduct the Chicago premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s rarely performed opera Il Corsaro. Andrizzi, co-founder and Music Director of the Opera Festival of Chicago, which is staging the production, said the 1848 opera has never been staged in the midwest. “It’s a thrilling work filled with Verdi’s characteristic melodies, rhythms, virtuosic vocal lines and exhilarating choruses.”
Land Use commissioners nix overlay removal in Central Street Corridor. The Evanston Land Use Commission yesterday refused to recommend a city-initiated map amendment that would have removed several parcels from the Central Street Corridor Overlay District. Commissioners voted down the proposal 5-1. Yet it continues on to City Council’s Planning and Development Committee and then the entire Council.
At This Time: Wednesday at 7:37 p.m. Packing up to go home in the last light of the day at Garden Park is the family of Alina Abid and husband Abid Mirza. They come to the park, near Sheridan Square and the lake, most every summer day. “Around 5:30 p.m., our middle child says, ‘Okay, Mommy. These are the shoes. We need to go out now,’” said Alina. Their boys are Aryaan Mirza (climbing in and out of the stroller), 4; Amaan Mirza, 2; and baby Arhaan. (Photo by Richard Cahan)
Picturing Evanston. Wet suit left to dry after early morning swim on a perfect, cloudless summer morning at Lee Street Beach. (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
Join our team: The Evanston RoundTable is growing! Check out our jobs page for reporting opportunities.
Aren’t you a member?
Please join us now!
From day one, it’s been the RoundTable’s mission to bring you unbiased, in-depth reporting about the Evanston community. But we need your help to continue investing in high-quality and in-depth journalism, reporting news that strengthens and enlightens our community, encourages civic engagement and bolsters our democracy. Please join our community of readers and become a member today.
Around the web
Inflation blistering at 9.1% in June. Prices rose by 9.1% from June 2021 to June 2022, the fastest rate of inflation registered in the United States since 1981. In a recent poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College, the economy and inflation were the biggest concerns of voters, while President Biden’s approval rating and popularity continue to fall.
Wisconsin doctor buys Illinois buildings to offer abortions. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, most abortion clinics in Wisconsin paused their services while courts try to determine if an 1849 state law banning abortions is still valid. Now, an obstetrician-gynecologist who provided abortions in Milwaukee and Madison has bought two buildings in Rockford to offer services for people seeking abortions from Wisconsin and other states.
CTA leaders vow to fix unreliable service with more hiring, improved train and bus tracking. CTA president Dorval Carter Jr. said the agency is “aggressively” working to hire train and bus operators. Meanwhile, frustrated riders are starting their own system to keep track of “ghost” buses and trains.
Like what you’re reading? Share it!
If you appreciate the RoundTable newsletter, please forward it to friends and suggest that they sign up!