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Good Wednesday morning, Evanston.
The National Weather Service forecasts today’s high at 28 degrees. And if the weather isn’t enough of a deterrent, Picturing Evanston photographer Joerg Metzner shows the city has other ways to discourage swimming at the Dempster Street Launch Facility.
But to keep you in the swim of things, here are the top local stories:
More than 150 Seventh Ward residents came out to the Civic Center Tuesday night to voice concerns about zoning proposals to allow concerts at a new Ryan Field. (Above, Council Member Eleanor Revelle addresses the crowd.) “We signed up for six football games a year. We did not sign up for the rest of this,” said Fiona McCarthy, a Ryan Field neighbor and Most Livable City Association advocate.
Evanston is set to play a larger role in Springfield: State Rep. Robyn Gabel, who represents most of Evanston, is taking the role of House Majority Leader. The RoundTable’s Alex Harrison talked with Gabel about her new responsibilities and goals.
The Evanston City Council is deliberating whether to ban cashless businesses. But Viet Nom Nom owner Alan Moy says going cashless helped his restaurant survive. He talks with At This Time photographer Richard Cahan about the benefits of taking only electronic payments and possible solutions for those without bank cards.
COVID-19 by the numbers: Seven new cases and no new deaths were reported on Monday, Jan. 30, the last day the city updated case totals. The seven-day average is 10.4 cases per day.
More RoundTable reads
Honoring Tyre Nichols: A local vigil is planned for noon to 12:30 p.m. today at Fountain Square, while the Evanston/North Shore NAACP is hosting a community forum at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6 at Second Baptist Church.
Open letter: “I am glad the district has committed to build a new school. But this can’t be just any school,” Janet Alexander Davis writes about plans for a new Fifth Ward neighborhood school. “Please attend one or more of the upcoming public meetings and make your voice heard.”
The Mather, a local senior lifestyle residence, is seeking $58,100 in federal funds to develop a workforce pipeline of Evanston students and young adults. Mather plans to create internships for six students and help them develop careers.
Martin Luther King Jr. gave speeches right here in Evanston, and you can celebrate that history with the Saturday, Feb. 4 MLK Dream Drive, an audio tour and car parade created by King Arts School. The recorded voices of students and faculty will guide drivers on a journey through a dozen or so historic stops.
Northlight Theatre’s production of Andy Warhol in Iran “will leave audiences thinking about actual events from 45 years ago, as well as current events involving police conduct, protests and what constitutes art,” writes critic Wendi Kromash.
How can you beat the winter doldrums? Columnist and District 65 educator Simone Larson shares the encouraging letter she wrote to her seventh graders.
As Black History Month begins, longtime RoundTable columnist Peggy Tarr ponders how some classical music fans thought Beethoven’s music sounded Black with its “rhythmic complexity, specifically its syncopation.”
Spotted at the White House: Mayor Daniel Biss (seated at left) looks on as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Friday, Jan. 27, White House Summit on Accelerating Lead Pipe Replacement.
Letter to the editor: The League of Women Voters of Evanston wrote in support of the new Illinois assault weapons ban “as a positive step on the path to save lives and free all communities from the threat of gun violence.”
The Evanston Environmental Association’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival will feature an in-person screening at Rotary International on March 3, with a second screening of the same films in August at James Park.
Join our team: Do you like to write? Are you curious about the varied and dynamic life of Evanston? The RoundTable is looking for feature writers to cover human interest stories and produce profiles about our fair city. If you’d like to write, we’d love to hear from you! Send us a query at news@evanstonroundtable.com.
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Around the web
Financial disparities in Cook County are almost double national average, study finds. The report found that white residents are far more likely than Black and Latino residents to be able to pay bills on time and to have a checking account or a retirement fund, even when comparing residents with similar incomes.
Is Chicago running out of room to house migrants? Some head to police stations, hospitals as shelters fill up. More than 5,000 migrants have been bused to Chicago since late August.
Without sufficient community support, mutual aid group Back On Their Feet confronts burnout and uncertain future. The group’s founder says she and other Evanston activists cannot shoulder the burden alone.
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