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Good Friday morning, Evanston.
Election Day is just four days away. “We always complain, but people don’t vote,” said Luis Murillo (with daughters Luna, 9, and Luci, 5). Murillo was one of 10 eligible voters we asked to explain why they vote. (Photo by Richard Cahan)
Two years ago, Donna Wang Su took the fourth and final open spot on the District 65 school board, beating fifth-place finisher Marquise Weatherspoon by just seven votes. That’s how razor-thin the margin of victory can be in Evanston local elections. The RoundTable’s Duncan Agnew looks at the turnout data and vote margins in previous contests to see what it takes to win. The moral: Every vote counts. (The RoundTable’s election coverage, including a voter guide, is here.)
In a related letter to the editor, Steve Lemieux-Jordan writes: “Over the years of being an election worker, I have heard every excuse as to why people do not vote.” Take 15 minutes to cast a ballot, he urges.
The 120-unit Tapestry Station is rising at the former site of Vogue Fabrics on Main Street, with construction set for completion by the end of the year. With a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, a rooftop deck and 3,750 square feet of ground floor retail, the building will give the area “more of a neighborhood feeling, less of a downtown feeling,” said Katherine Gotsick, executive director for the Main-Dempster Mile.
RoundTable weekend roundup
Feel Better: Celebrate the last day of Women’s History Month with this staged reading benefiting women’s health care from 8 to 10 p.m. tonight at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center.
First Saturday: Dozens of sites are offering special events and deals April 1 as part of Evanston Made’s monthly First Saturday celebration of art.
Earth-a-Palooza: Bring the whole family for hiking, tree climbing and meeting zoo animals from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Linne Woods in Morton Grove.
Plant and seed swap: Head to the Robert Crown Community Center from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday to swap house plants, garden seedlings and seeds with other plant lovers.
Tchaikovsky and more: Join the Evanston Symphony Orchestra for an afternoon of classical music at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.
More RoundTable reads
District 65 will reveal the latest plans for the Fifth Ward school at an April 13 meeting at Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center. Designers and administrators “are zeroing in on a concept of what our new school might look like,” Superintendent Devon Horton said in a letter to families.
Local women who are leaders in business, art and the community met for lunch and a panel discussion Sunday. Read what they had to say about motherhood, Women’s History Month and how Evanston’s welcome to outsiders sometimes falls short.
Weekly COVID-19 update: Hospitalizations remained steady after a peak in mid-March, while Evanston and Cook County remained in the low risk category.
Coach Buzz takes on baseball: ETHS head football coach Mike Burzawa is adding a new role: assistant JV baseball coach. “I’ve been having a blast enjoying it,” said Burzawa, who played outfield on a state champion team in high school.
Letter to the editor: “I do not believe that Mayor Biss is consciously bigoted, but his language and his actions reflect his place in the white-dominated power structure,” Betsy Wilson writes, critiquing Biss’ council endorsements.
City Manager Luke Stowe announced Thursday that Sarah Flax will be the city’s next community development director. Flax had served as the interim director since August and a housing and grants manager since 2017.
Spring sing: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will host clarinetist Westley Art Hodges for the next installment of its spring concert series at noon on Monday, April 17.
Photos from our readers
Last weekend, ETHS students traveled to Springfield for the largest mock trial competition in the state and Avery Benitt sent in this photo of the well-dressed squad. Two senior captains won recognition: Jessie Gerber was awarded “Best Lawyer” and Ayla Conn won “Best Witness.”
Send your photos of people, places and events around town to news@evanstonroundtable.com for a chance to be included in this newsletter.
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Around the web
City Council candidates talk budget, city services and Ryan Field rebuild at virtual forum. The incumbents in the Second and Ninth ward races did not participate in the forum moderated by Evanston Live TV host Meleika Gardner.
The new stop and frisk? Chicago Police make millions of traffic stops while searching for guns. An analysis found that CPD officers discover guns in just one out of every 156 stops.
NU Outdoors Club backpacks the Grand Canyon, faces ‘hip-deep snow’ and other unexpected weather. Eighteen members of the club encountered snow, wind, rain and hail as they backpacked through the Grand Canyon on spring break.
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