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Good Sunday morning, Evanston, and happy Mother’s Day!
The RoundTable spent Saturday afternoon at the Umbrella Arts Festival downtown asking families what Mother’s Day means to them. “I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and it’s very new for me, being the one who’s being celebrated,” said Diane Weinberg, pictured above with 1-year-old Rocco and husband Jesse. (Photo by Alex Harrison)
In case you missed any of the most important news last week, here’s a roundup of the most-read stories from the RoundTable, with a few new ones thrown in for good measure.
If you ask the gun violence activist group Moms Demand Action, there is one thing all moms want as a Mother’s Day present. “Moms don’t want flowers; we want safety for our kids and our communities,” said Sara Hines, co-lead of the group’s Evanston chapter. Above, members of the Life Without My Child support group mark Bereaved Mother’s Day on May 7. Mothers received gift baskets, each with a photo of the child they have lost.
In honor of Mother’s Day, RoundTable columnist Nancy E. Anderson interviewed her mother. “Since she’s 87 and, with my late father, raised four daughters, I figured she’d have a good perspective on motherhood and parenting.” They discuss childrearing, disposable diapers and Dr. Spock.
In case Mom’s breakfast in bed this morning didn’t work out quite like you had hoped, here’s another look at the RoundTable’s roundup of 16 outstanding local brunch restaurants. At this point, however, you might want to call ahead.
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“Like our podcast, the Evanston RoundTable shares a mission of community engagement. As an award-winning source of local news and information, the RoundTable has been keeping Evanstonians informed on issues that matter for 25 years,” Evanston Rules podcast co-host Laurice Bell (above, with co-host Ron Whitmore) writes in a guest essay for the RoundTable’s spring fundraising campaign.
A group of Evanstonians celebrated World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday with a birding walk through Ladd Arboretum, and the RoundTable’s Jim Brown and Richard Cahan tagged along. Hundreds of different bird species are migrating from Mexico and South America back up to the United States and Canada this time of year. For some, the Saturday expedition was a family affair.
Evanston Police reported shots fired on the corner of Darrow Avenue and Emerson Street late Friday morning, May 12. EPD spokesperson Ryan Glew said the shots came from a car with three people and were directed at another car carrying two people. The incident happened just a few blocks from Evanston Township High School, which kept students from leaving campus for lunch as a precaution.
ETHS Division 1 update: Jordin Kadiri (left) and Miles Granjean have joined the ranks of Evanston Township High School student-athletes headed to the top level of collegiate sports. We’ve added their comments to the profiles published previously.
City Council members voted 6-2 on Monday to introduce an ordinance approving special zoning for Connections for the Homeless to operate a permanent shelter at the Margarita Inn. Council members Eleanor Revelle (7th Ward) and Devon Reid (8th Ward) backed the measure after addressing conflict of interest issues. Revelle (left) is a donor to Connections and Reid (center) has received rental assistance from the group.
Evanston’s second marijuana dispensary and a connected bakery-restaurant won City Council approval Monday to open in the the Evanston Gateway building, on the northwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Howard Street. OKAY Cannabis and West Town Bakery will likely share a customer base, but the bakery will only have regular pastries, sandwiches and coffee – nothing infused with weed.
The council also took the first step toward final approval of District 65’s planned Fifth Ward neighborhood school. Both the council and the city’s Land Use Commission sent back a list of requirements for the design, including a grass (not artificial turf) playing field, LEED Gold certification, and parking and transportation items.
Linda Johnson, 1943-2023. The longtime educator died Monday, May 8, after a battle with cancer. She worked for decades at local elementary schools, first as a teacher at Evanston’s Dewey and Kingsley, and later as a principal at Orrington and Bessie Rhodes in Evanston and Greeley in Winnetka.
City staffers recommended Chicago-based firm Johnson Consulting to conduct an independent study of Northwestern’s proposed Ryan Field project. The firm will receive $78,500 to analyze potential economic impacts, market research and transportation and parking issues, as well as review a similar Northwestern-commissioned study.
The Rev. Michael Woolf (left) of Lake Street Church, and the Rev. Michael Nabors of Second Baptist Church are receiving a national Baptist peace and justice award. Their two congregations have weighed their joint history and acknowledged that Second Baptist is a partner in the ownership of the Lake Street property.
COVID-19 has killed 168 Evanstonians, but the black flags are long gone at the Morton Civic Center. The federal Public Health Emergency declaration ended Thursday, and the RoundTable’s Larry Gavin filed his last weekly COVID-19 report.
More than 200 athletes 40 and up played in the Hoops for the Ages basketball tournament last weekend at Levy Senior Center and Robert Crown Community Center – more than double last year’s participation.
A protected bike lane on Chicago Avenue, from Davis Street south to Howard Street, is on city planners’ wish list. Traffic lanes would get narrower and streetlights would be upgraded – but there’s no cost estimate or funding for the plan yet.