Happy Friday morning, Evanston.
There is a bright and beautiful weekend ahead of us and the RoundTable has all sorts of information on what is going on. As you can see, just like many of those who want to save a street seat at the parade, we’ve been up and out early on Friday, trying to make sure we cover it all. Thanks to Richard Cahan for being there.
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State committee holds hearing on youth mental health. Members of the Illinois State Senate’s Behavioral and Mental Health Committee gathered Thursday morning in Chicago to hear a number of reports from experts about the mental health and wellbeing challenges facing local young people.
5th ward debates ranked-choice voting and discusses city manager search. Council member Bobby Burns told his 5th Ward constituents during his June 30 ward meeting about the difficulties hiring a city manager, yet there are resumes coming in to city hall. He also outlined ranked-choice voting, which the City Council will discuss at its next meeting July 11, and may or may not decide to put to a referendum.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
Indira Freitas Johnson’s “chairs” are made for conversation. Conversations: Here & Now is a sculptural installation in bronze by Evanston’s own, internationally known Indira Freitas Johnson. Her seven unique bronze chairs, sometimes referred to locally as just The Chairs, stand on a large colored cement slab at the northwest corner of Raymond Park, Chicago Avenue and Grove Street in Evanston.
The Weekender: The RoundTable Roundup for July 1-4: Whoa but there is a lot to do this weekend. So, we are taking you through to Monday in this weekend roundup. From the Evanston 4th of July Association celebrating its centennial to the Haitian Community Organization Festival and much, much more!
The shortstop behind Northwestern’s trip to the College World Series. A key figure in Northwestern’s 45-13 season and journey all the way to Oklahoma City for the College World Series this spring was Maeve Nelson, a 2018 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School. Nelson batted .279 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI this season.
COVID-19 update as of June 30: Cook County jumps to a ‘high’ community risk level, Evanston remains in the ‘medium’ risk level. The total number of new cases of COVID-19 in Evanston was 191 for the week ending June 29, 12% higher than the week ending June 23. The number of new cases in the state increased by about 17%. Hospitalizations increased slightly.
City may pay $55,000 to renew membership in tourism group. Waiving discussion, members of the city’s Economic Development Committee recommended in favor of a $55,739 membership fee for Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, with representatives of local business districts also weighing in on the group’s value.
Letter to the editor: Please, stop the “Ender” graffiti. “This is a simple request to the individual(s) graffitiing the entirety of Evanston with ‘Ender.’ Please stop; your childish antics and toddler-like drawings are polluting our built environment, and costing the people of Evanston time and money,” Sarah Connelly writes in the RoundTable.
At This Time: Thursday at 6:26 p.m. Niles West High School students head home after a day at the Clark Street Beach. The water was closed due to elevated bacteria levels, but the sand was open. All other beaches were open for swimming except for the Greenwood Street Beach, which remains closed for the season due to limited staff. (Photo by Richard Cahan)
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Around the web
Gov. JB Pritzker is not gloating about Griffin’s losses after Tuesday’s primary. In an interview with WBEZ Chicago’s Dave McKinney, Pritzker said reproductive rights and abortion access would be a major point of emphasis for his campaign ahead of the general election in November, and he added he did not take any pride in watching billionaire Ken Griffin’s pick for governor, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, flop at the polls on Tuesday.
Supreme Court limits EPA’s power to combat climate change. In a ruling released Thursday morning, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in favor of a narrow interpretation of the Clean Air Act, which could severely limit the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to place pollution restrictions on companies.
Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Jackson became the 116th Supreme Court justice and the first Black woman on the court when she was sworn in Thursday after Justice Stephen Breyer officially retired. Jackson clerked for Breyer in 1996, and Breyer administered the judicial oath to Jackson on Thursday.
Biden says he supports change in Senate filibuster rules for abortion rights. The president said Thursday that he wanted the Senate to codify Roe v. Wade and privacy protections into federal law by changing filibuster rules, but moderate Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have opposed any changes to the filibuster.
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