Good Sunday morning, Evanston!
On a cold November Veterans Day, Evanston gathered to honor those who have served. At the podium in front of the city’s war memorial, Greg Lisinski of Evanston American Legion Post 42 offered a sobering reminder that some have paid the ultimate price. “The people on this wall never got a chance to be veterans,” he said.
From somber ceremonies to city celebrations, the RoundTable chronicles the stories of Evanston. Here’s a look at our top stories of the week.
Showtime: The wait is over. The downtown movie theater is open. The AMC Evanston 12 debuted Wednesday. Evanston residents Emm and Gerry Hubbarth, above, came for the first movie, Black Adam.
ETHS gun arrest: The Evanston Police Department said an “adult male” student at Evanston Township High School was arrested for brining a loaded gun to school Wednesday. Police charged the 18-year-old ETHS student Thursday and said the school resource officer investigated after ETHS officials received a tip.
District 65 analysis: At the Nov. 7 Policy Committee meeting, District 65 administrators discussed plans for measuring student progress. The RoundTable’s analysis describes gaps in achievement and a lowering of district benchmarks for college readiness.
Lakefront history: This past summer was the first in nearly a century that all Evanston residents could access all beaches for free. In part two of his two-part series, reporter Duncan Agnew looks at how racial discrimination has fueled segregation on the lakefront for decades.
Police and firefighter pensions: The city’s pension debt is piling up, and the Finance and Budget Committee is proposing a solution. But it would include a property tax hike. (Look below in this newsletter for more budget coverage.)
Nudity ordinance: Months after Council Member Devon Reid, 8th Ward, called for the change, the Human Services Committee has backed amending the city’s public nudity ordinance.
Bakeries prep for Thanksgiving: In November, Americans eat roughly 50 million pumpkin pies. Evanston bakeries are gearing up for the holiday with lots of scrumptious treats.
Evanston Rules: The Evanston Rules podcast talks to Larry Axelrood, above, a man whose thoughtfulness and love of his hometown shine through. He’s an author, a retired Circuit Court Judge and the guy everyone wants on their side.
Edzo’s reopens: The eatery at 1571 Sherman Ave. has been closed since January. The RoundTable’s Richard Cahan snapped owner Eddie Lakin, left, and Mayor Daniel Biss officially reopening the spot, and noted Lakin’s 1500-calorie burger recommendation.
Election Day
The general election was one busy day in Evanston and in the RoundTable newsroom. Here’s Election Day in review.
- The RoundTable’s Richard Cahan talked with 10 Evanston voters to ask why they voted and whether they feared for democracy.
- Incumbent Democrats, from the top to the bottom of the ballot, swept to victory in Illinois. Evanston voters overwhelmingly supported ranked choice voting, making ours the first Illinois city to adopt the practice. Our neighbors in Skokie also supported changes to their local election system.
- Check the numbers on key Illinois and Evanston races and ballot measures with our spreadsheet of election results.
What do you think about the budget?
The city’s self-imposed Nov. 21 adoption date for its $400 million budget is about a week away. The RoundTable wants to hear your views on the proposed budget. Tweet us your thoughts at @EvRoundTable or send us an email.
Evanston residents expressed concerns about a utilities hike, the city’s spending priorities and the pension funds at a budget town hall meeting Thursday, Nov. 3, on the city’s proposed 2023 fiscal plan.
The City Council held off voting to introduce the proposed budget, in accord with concerns raised by some activists. Questions remain about pension contributions and possibly adding a third ambulance. Action on Monday, Nov. 14, appears likely.
Support the RoundTable
The Evanston RoundTable elected former Second Ward Council Member Peter C. Braithwaite to its board of directors. Braithwaite joins the RoundTable as it heads toward its third year of growth operating as Evanston’s nonprofit news outlet.
On Thursday, the RoundTable hosted an online conversation about journalism and democracy, as Editor Susy Schultz, top, interviewed author Margaret Sullivan. You can view a video of the event, which kicked off our fall fundraising campaign.
Double your impact – win great prizes! From now through Dec. 31, your donation to the Evanston RoundTable will be matched by generous national and local partners during our NewsMatch campaign.
And every week, we’re raffling off prizes as our way of thanking you for supporting community journalism. Our Week Two prize is dinner and a show for two: a $50 gift card to Soul & Smoke and a pair of tickets to a Northlight Theatre show. Make a gift to the NewsMatch campaign to become eligible to win!
City News
The City Council’s Human Services Committee on Monday delayed action on licensing a Margarita Inn homeless shelter. Richard Eddington, above, who until last month served as the city’s police chief, was among speakers with concerns.
The proposed renovation of the 1926 Masonic Temple into 30 apartments at 1453 Maple Ave. would require three major zoning variances. Neighbors weighed in Thursday at a Fourth Ward meeting.
The Evanston Animal Shelter has a lot to bark about. Its first gala since before COVID-19 raised $30,000 for the city’s four-legged friends.
Schools
At the city’s first Youth Town Hall, Evanston teens and young adults were determined to convince the city to take action against gun violence and racism. “Listening to youth voices is not something politicians should do,” said Olivia Ohlson, mayor of the Youth Advisory Committee. “It is something they must do.”
Local climate activists were in Egypt this week for the 27th UN climate conference. Evanston Township High School senior Emmet Ebels-Duggan, second from left, was part of the group asking tough questions of political leaders.
At a committee meeting on Wednesday, architect Brian Kronewitter outlined more than $6 million in deferred maintenance repairs for District 65 schools, including all new windows at Haven Middle School, above.
Student suspensions at District 65 are down as crisis prevention training increases. This school year the district has handed out only one suspension through Oct. 31, compared with 17 in the same period last year. But racial disparities persist.
Art & Life
Latin fusion band A Flor De Piel entertained Evanston residents and guests at a Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos celebration last Sunday at the Levy Senior Center. Click through and have a listen!
Come by the First United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 for a special performance by the Fisk University Choir, the oldest college choir in Tennessee. The performance is a celebration of Sherman United Methodist Church.
In 1988, architectural historian Anne Earle proposed a Northwest Evanston Historic District. Design Evanston is back for the third installment of its four-part series detailing Earle’s proposal, rarely seen since it was written.
Ann Flinspach Lewis: 1940-2022. Ann was 82 when she died Nov. 1 at Evanston Hospital. She focused on adoptions as a social worker, served on the District 202 School Board from 1989 to 1993 and had a lifetime commitment to children’s wellbeing.
Photographer Rob Lancaster, above, has begun a new project creating “abstract photography” artworks. You might think that phrase sounds like a contradiction in terms. Read Jean Cunningham’s careful description of why it’s not.
‘The Midwestern blessing of a warm October afternoon.’ Evanston poet Angela Valavanis describes a fall day in the Midwest.
Public Square
How should Evanston respond to Northwestern’s new stadium plan? “Instead of leading with ‘no,’ let’s put our energy into coming together and crafting our asks of Northwestern,” Peggy Philip Baxter writes in a letter to the editor.
“Dear Gabby, My husband keeps cheating at Battleship, and refuses to own up to it. Is our marriage doomed?” See if you think Gabby’s advice hits the mark.
Columnist Les Jacobson is a new convert to the magic of fall: “There are the fabulous colors, the leaves dropping and scattering like snowflakes in a strong wind, the brisk nights and crisp days, the delicious seasonal apples and pears.”
November is National Native American Heritage Month, and columnist Peggy Tarr writes that it offers an opportunity “to become acquainted with Native American traditions, contributions, history and challenges.”
Sports
For Susannah “Zuzu” Bailey, it’s a wonderful season: She bowed out in the preliminaries at Friday’s state swimming and diving meet, but her performance was amazing, especially considering it was her first and only year as a diver for ETHS.
With a couple of top players still sidelined by injuries sustained last year, coach Brittanny Johnson isn’t sure what to expect when the ETHS girls basketball team opens the 2022-2023 season at home on Tuesday against Bolingbrook.
Junior Wilkdkits head coach Seth Himrod wants to win, but he says there’s a lot more to youth football than championships. “Football is just the vehicle of providing mentorship and life lessons,” he says.
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