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Happy Friday morning, Evanston.
Clark Street Beach looked almost spring-like on Thursday afternoon, when photographer Richard Cahan snapped the photo above from a Northwestern parking garage looking south. But be careful out today, with rain, snow and who knows what else heading our way this afternoon.
Now, on to more news.
The city’s Reparations Committee took a big step Thursday morning when it voted to award the standard $25,000 housing grants for eligible ancestors and descendants in cash to Kenneth Wideman, 77, and his sister Sheila Wideman, 75. The Widemans are the only two of the first 16 grant recipients who haven’t used any of their reparations grants. The siblings have never owned property and aren’t interested in doing so at this stage of their lives.
At Thursday night’s Northwestern University-City Committee meeting, officials from the college did not rule out the possibility of negotiating a community benefits agreement with the city, which could establish contractual obligations for the university to financially support neighborhood improvements, among other things. “I wouldn’t say that’s completely off the table,” NU official Dave Davis said.
Earlier this week, council members on the city’s Redistricting Committee agreed to delay their public release of proposed new ward boundaries until March 28. The committee made the change in the hope of publishing “three or four solid maps” for the public to consider, Fourth Ward Council Member Jonathan Nieuwsma said.
RoundTable weekend roundup
Wild & Scenic Film Festival: Join the Evanston Environmental Association at 7 p.m. tonight at Rotary International for a screening of adventure short films on nature. Tickets are $10 for association members and $12 for non-members.
That 70th Show: An evening of musical comedy awaits at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday night at the Women’s Club of Evanston, which is presenting its 70th annual benefit variety show.
Beck Park expansion: Give your feedback on the project at a community open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the ETHS TEAMS Transition House at 1742 Lemar Ave.
Don’t even think about it: That’s the title of RoundTable contributor Joerg Metzner’s new exhibit. The artist reception is 7 p.m. Saturday at Evanston Pour.
Frances Willard House: Commemorate Women’s History Month by touring the house museum at 1, 2 or 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 a person.
More RoundTable reads
The powers and responsibilities of the Citizen Police Review Commission were a topic of debate at the group’s latest meeting Wednesday, prompting a long discussion about complaints that the commission can and cannot bring up.
Weekly COVID-19 update: The total number of hospitalizations increased very slightly in Evanston, but the city remained in the low community risk category.
“Mt. Pisgah’s plans for a Fifth Ward church expansion and affordable housing development at the corner of Church and Darrow will enhance the 5th Ward,” Janet Alexander Davis writes in a letter to the editor.
ETHS took home the second place trophy at the Illinois High School Association Chess State Finals on Feb. 12, earning the school’s first back-to-back top three finishes since 2005.
Join Ted & Company TheaterWorks at 7 p.m. March 17 and 3 p.m. March 18 at Reba Place Church for “We Own This Now,” a play exploring the love and loss of land.
Join our team: Do you like to write? Are you curious about the varied and dynamic life of Evanston? The RoundTable seeks 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! Email us at news@evanstonroundtable.com.
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Around the web
Heavy snow, rain, slush — all possible for the Friday afternoon commute. Today will not be pleasant, especially in the afternoon, with meteorologists predicting everything from heavy rain to up to eight inches of snow before 8 p.m.
Community members say Northwestern is neither a safe nor free space for conversations about Palestine and Israel. In this investigative feature, the Daily Northwestern takes a deep dive into the university’s approach to Israeli-Palestinian relations and its treatment of students with personal connections to the conflict.
PHOTOS: Election Day In Chicago. Check out 18 hours of pictures, courtesy of Block Club Chicago, chronicling every step that mayoral candidates took along their Election Day journeys.
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