Good Wednesday morning, Evanston.
Lawrence Hemingway, the Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services for the city, resigned Monday, according to Evanston Communications Manager Patrick Deignan. Hemingway becomes the latest in a line of city employees to leave amid an investigation into alleged sexual harassment and misconduct among Evanston seasonal lakefront workers.
Hemingway did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the RoundTable on the nature of his departure.
At a Tuesday night meetning, residents heard about three concepts for a new Twiggs Park skate park. The main difference between the options discussed is the bike path location. If all goes according to schedule, the skate park will open in fall 2023
The season has ended for the ETHS girls basketball team. A buzzer-beating layup by Maine South gave the Hawks the win in the sectional semifinal game Tuesday night.
COVID-19 by the numbers: Nine cases were reported Monday, Feb. 21, the last day the city updated case totals. The seven-day average is 15 cases per day.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
Black History Month: Fourth graders learn about city’s Black hospital. Dawes Elementary School is keeping it local this year and teaching about the historic contributions of Black Evanston, including the Community Hospital of Evanston.
Committee recommends approval for Salvation Army resale shop. Members of the Evanston Design and Project Review committee voted unanimously Feb. 22 to back a Salvation Army resale establishment at 2424 Oakton St.
At This Time: Tuesday at 4:13 p.m. Alize Ramirez (left) and Ariana Flores are the first two Evanston High School girls to compete in the state wrestling tournament. They wrestle this weekend in Bloomington. “Wrestling gives you a lot of confidence and a lot of strength,” said Ramirez, a senior. Flores, a junior, wrestled on the boys team during her first two years. The new girls team of 11 shares the wrestling room with boys. “They are very supportive,” said Flores. “They are cheerleaders.” (Photo by Richard Cahan)
Former Evanston resident featured in WTTW special on segregation. John Nance, a 68-year-old former Evanston resident, was featured last night in the documentary series and talks about the Evanston reparations program.
Bindy’s grand book adventure. Ninety-year-old Bindy Bitterman, owner of Eureka! Antiques & Collectibles, is celebrating her first book, a collection of limericks for chilldren.
The week in photos: Feb. 14-21. Like the stretch of soil pictured above, Evanston showed some signs of spring on the days last week when temperatures rose above freezing.
Letter to the editor: Sticker shock from gas bill. Cynthia Kirk writes that her gas bill has more than doubled compared with the winter of 2021.
Letter to the editor: Developers use ‘affordable’ units as Trojan horse for luxury projects. Gail Schechter appeals to the Evanston City Council to take control of downtown development.
Evanston Dance Ensemble will mark 25th anniversary with a celebration of dance. The ensemble’s 25th season will culminate in March with “Silver Lining: Celebrating 25 Years of Dance,” featuring a dozen dances curated from the EDE quarter-century-deep repertoire.
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Around the web
Chicago’s mask mandate in public spaces will end Feb. 28. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday that the city will lift its indoor mask mandate next week, but masks in schools could remain in place depending on discussions “in the coming days.”
Got a COVID-19 booster? You probably won’t need another for a long time. Several new studies are suggesting that three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine offer long-term protection against severe illness or hospitalization from an infection, perhaps even for years.
Black History Month: Howard University gets a $2 million grant to digitize a Black newspaper archive. Dating all the way back to the 1970s, the Black Press Archives contains over 2,000 different publications, including the renowned Chicago Defender.
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