Good Monday morning, Evanston.
Heading into a holiday week, there are a few too many stories bringing a chill to our bones that have nothing to do with the weather: Two of them are the national rise in antisemitism and the rise in racism. On Sunday, in an event organized by the Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors of Second Baptist, Rabbi Andrea London of Beth Emet and Rabbi Rachel Weiss of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, about 100 people gathered to talk about steps to be taken. Photographer Richard Cahan took the above picture of the Second Baptist ensemble praying through song.
Something to be thankful for: The donors to the Evanston RoundTable, who are helping us keep our community news organization going. Our nonprofit’s NewsMatch campaign runs from now until the end of the year. Please see below for how you can donate and win. And now, on to more news.
The Evanston Public Library board meeting last week began with a statement acknowledging the land’s Indigenous history. The land acknowledgment, recognizing that Evanston and library facilities are on the land of Native Americans, was a first for the library. Northwestern and District 65 also have adopted such statements. Learn about the pitfalls and promise of this growing trend.
“The arts are not voluntary. They’re not extra,” said Mayor Daniel Biss on Saturday, speaking at the annual Mayor’s Awards for the Arts. “… They are the tool that can lift us out of the most problematic parts of this moment and build for us the kind of community that we want to thrive.” Read an edited transcript of his remarks.
The RoundTable roundup
City Council: The council meets at 6 p.m. tonight. A revised budget proposal is set to be presented, with key issues still unresolved.
Thanksgiving Eve service: The Interfaith Action of Evanston annual event is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church.
Flying Turkey 5K: Run off the calories before you ingest them at this 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day run/walk.
Small business Saturday: The Main-Dempster Mile, Downtown Evanston and Central Street participate in this post-Black Friday celebration of local retailers.
Empty inbox: This RoundTable email newsletter will soon take a holiday hiatus; after Tuesday, Nov. 22, the next edition will be sent Monday, Nov. 28.
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These are some of the wonderful donors who gave last week to our NewsMatch campaign. When you donate, you are not just supporting the RoundTable, you are supporting democracy and civic engagement.
Thank you Lyle Smart, Eric Herman, Joan Harvey, Iris Krieg, Terry Applebaum, Lawrence Jones, Ken Kastman, Jean Wadsworth, Robert Curley, Colleen Moeller, Kathy Howell, Jill Mueller, Dorothy Dare, Edwin Solis, Jane Neumann, Anne Heinz, Bob Taylor, Stefano Mereu, Laura Winston and Michael P Boone.
COVID-19 by the numbers: 15 new cases and no new deaths were reported Thursday, Nov. 17, the last day the city updated totals. The seven-day average is 16.86 cases per day.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
The Art of Making Art: Lisa Plefka Haskin. Lisa Plefka Haskin is an Evanston artist who creates handmade ornaments, coasters, journaling books, stencils and collages. Haskin says, “I’m a maker.”
My partner is closet eating, a reader tells Gabby, asking, do I call him out and confront him? Gabby also walks us through the art of passing on the sidewalk – when two or more are walking abreast, is it the passers or passees who stand aside?
ETHS girls wrestling: Expanded mat schedule brings opportunities. Opportunity finally knocked for female wrestlers in Illinois last year after COVID-19, and this year there’s been a record response at ETHS, with 18 girls signing up.
ETHS boys wrestling: Wildkits have a lot to prove in ‘show me’ season. “This is definitely a ‘show me’ year for us,” said head coach Rudy Salinas, whose squad hosts a quad on Tuesday to open the 2022-23 campaign.
ETHS chess: Wildkits defeat Glenbrook South in key conference matchup. After a win over GBS on Friday, Evanston has a 4-0 record and is in first place in the North Suburban Chess League.
Picturing Evanston. “Take what you need … Give what you can,” says the Dewey food pantry on Wesley Avenue and Grove Street. (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
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Around the web
Here’s two from The Daily Northwestern on NU sports — the good and the bad news:
- Northwestern University’s Women’s Soccer makes the Sweet Sixteen: For only the third time in program history, NU is headed to the Sweet Sixteen.
- Football: Price: It’s time for change — reasons behind Northwestern’s downward spiral since 2020: For the first time since 1993 – Northwestern will not reach three wins on the season.
The Better Government Association found that Cook County property tax sale evictions occur most often in Chicago’s Black neighborhoods. And a 2021 study showed 70% of people evicted through the tax sale every year are Black.
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