Good Thursday morning, Evanston.
Over the last month, the omicron variant of COVID-19 has impacted practically every aspect of daily life around the city, from school to work to doctor’s appointments.
And even though Evanston is a highly vaccinated community, and omicron has proved to be slightly milder than earlier forms of COVID-19, the sheer number of new cases has still inundated hospitals with patients sick from the virus.
Evanston City Council members will be required to be vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 or otherwise show they tested negative for the disease as soon as the Feb. 14 City Council meeting.
By an 8-0 vote, City Council members Jan. 24 approved a recommendation from the city’s Health and Human Services Department that requires vaccination or a recent negative test for elected officials. This mirrors a vaccine mandate for city employees that went into effect last fall.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
At this time: Wednesday at 9:37 a.m. Protective paper is removed from a triptych by Kerry James Marshall that is part of an exhibition that opened Wednesday at the Block Museum at Northwestern University. The panels are based on a famous photograph of a 1930 lynching in Marion, Indiana. Marshall isolated the faces of three women in the crowd and placed them in cameos. It is called Heirlooms and Accessories. To see the entire piece, come to Site of Struggle: American Art against Anti-Black Violence. It’s free through July 10. (Photo by Richard Cahan)
Levy Lecture: Exploring the International Space Station. In a slide presentation for the Levy Lecture audience on Jan. 25, Michelle Nichols described the history of the International Space Station, the ingenious temporary home to a constantly changing group of international astronauts.
Adventures in birding. If you’re looking for a reason to leave your dwelling for some fresh – albeit cold – air, follow our reporter Adina Keeling as she accompanies avid birder Jake Cvetas on a quest to find feathered friends by the lakefront.
Biss announces Evanston’s participation in national green building standards group. Evanston’s mayor announced Wednesday that the city has committed to inclusively design and implement building performance standards that create healthier buildings and lower housing and energy costs.
ETHS boys basketball: Wildkits whip Lake View for 4th straight win. Evanston eased to its fourth straight victory Tuesday night at Beardsley Gym, scoring a 66-30 running-clock victory over Chicago Lake View.
Downtown Evanston hosts Fourth annual Hygge Fest in February. Throughout the month, local businesses and artists will host in-person and virtual workshops and offer special promotions on products or food items that encourage people to incorporate more coziness, warmth and mindfulness in their lives.
Genre-defying trio returns to Nichols Concert Hall. The Music Institute of Chicago presents Time For Three, a band with an uncommon blend of instruments and vocals, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19. The group’s members – Charles Yang (violin/vocals), Nick Kendall (violin/vocals), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass/vocals) – stand at the busy intersection of Americana, modern pop and classical music.
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Around the web
Justice Stephen Breyer, an influential liberal on the Supreme Court, to retire. Breyer’s departure from the nation’s highest court will pave the way for a new justice to be named by President Joe Biden, who previously promised to appoint a Black woman during the 2020 campaign.
Free N95 masks are arriving at pharmacies and grocery stores. Here’s how to get yours. In the coming days, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger and other stores are expected to start receiving shipments of N95 masks from the federal government to give out to customers for free.
Evanston Arts Center announces scholarship to honor Sueko Kawamura. The scholarship will pay for eight students to take classes at the local arts center each year for the next 25 years, thanks to a gift from the late Kawamura, an arts center member who died last February at 98.
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