Good morning, Evanston.
About 100 people stood in the cold evening sun on April 21 to mark a sliver of justice in the prior day’s conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd. Reverend Dr. Michael Nabors, pastor of Second Baptist Church, convened the gathering, which he named “One Battle Won in the War on Racism.”
Of the name of the gathering he said, “We’re very intentional about those words. We want to celebrate, but at the same time, be couched in the reality that there’s so much more work that needs to be done.”
Those at the lectern and those in the crowd appeared to reflect that mood, somber but hopeful, as speaker after speaker acknowledged the verdict was a step and possibly a turning point but certainly not the final victory against violence and racism.
COVID-19 by the numbers: We are checking in with many sources to keep you updated on COVID-19 cases and vaccine information.
- Eleven new cases were reported yesterday in Evanston, and the seven-day average is eight.
- Northwestern University reported 19 new cases for the seven days ending April 18, down from 44 reported the prior period ending April 11.
- There were no fatalities reported yesterday. Evanston has lost 116 residents to the pandemic.
- Our City’s positive test rate for the past seven days is 0.9%; in suburban Cook County it is 5.7%, and in Illinois it is 3.8%.
- The number of cases per 100,000 population over the past seven days is 78 in Evanston, 170 in suburban Cook County, and 162 in Illinois.
- Illinois received 892,700 doses and used 861,000 doses of the vaccine in the past seven days and has about 848,000 doses, about one week of supply, in inventory. Illinois has used 81% of the 10.2 million doses received to date.
- Some 3.5 million or 27.3% of total Illinois residents are fully vaccinated, including 470,000 in the past seven days.
COVID-19 by the numbers: Variants – The Illinois Department of Public Health now reports 1,585 cases of more infectious COVID-19 variants including 1,141 cases of variant B.1.1.7 (U.K.), 328 cases of P.1 (Brazil), and 97 cases of B.1.427/429 (California).
Evanston Vax Facts: Some 70% of Evanston residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 41% are fully vaccinated. Nearly all residents 65 and older have received at least one dose and 84.6% are fully vaccinated.
Registration for City vaccination clinics is prioritized by age, from oldest to youngest, starting with those 45 and older this week. More details are available on the City’s Vaccine Dashboard. The FEMA drive-through site in Gary, Indiana has appointments available all week. The site is located at Roosevelt Park, about a 70-minute drive from Evanston.
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.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable Website
EPL to Hold Mini-Course on Local Indigenous History. The Evanston Public Library will hold “An Indigenous History of the Upper Great Lakes Region” mini-course focusing on the customs and history of local Native American communities.
Eighteen aldermanic candidates raised over $240,000 and spent $187,000 in the six-month period ending March 31, according to campaign finance disclosure reports submitted to the Illinois State Board of Elections. In addition, the independent campaign committee Evanston Together spent just under $13,000 in support of four incumbent candidates and one challenger.
Rank and File | ETHS Takes Its Game to New Zealand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the major U.S. chess tournaments that are normally played in person have been moved to online chess websites.
Around the Web
Archaeologists Solve a Decades-Old Harriet Tubman Mystery. State and federal officials announced on Tuesday that they had located the site of the Maryland cabin where the Underground Railroad conductor lived as a young adult.
CTA announces reconstruction of four North Side Red Line stations. The $2.1 billion project is set to begin on May 16 with the new stations expected to open by the end of 2024.
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