At This Time: Skeletown
Skeletons. They’re everywhere. They climb the walls of homes, lurk in trees, hang from wires, crawl around front yards, tower over sidewalks and hang on front door knobs this Halloween season.…
Photos: Honoring the life of Delores Holmes
More than 100 family and friends of Delores Holmes, the iconic Fifth Ward activist and council member, met Wednesday afternoon at a recently completed mural featuring community leaders — including a portrait of Holmes. “This is where I wanted to be today,” said Holmes’ daughter…
TOday in evanston
Latest news from Evanston: Your Friday daily digest
Good Friday morning, Evanston. Here are the latest news and feature stories — plus our ever-fabulous photography —?from around the city.
around town
In Delores Holmes’ passing, Evanston loses a legend
Guest essay: Why raising awareness of city drinking water matters
Biss: ‘Magic fairy dust’ won’t solve city’s structural budget problem
Picturing Evanston: Coping with election anxiety
Local music roundup: Oct. 24-31
Endeavor doctors take turn as Medicare plan marketers
Evanston’s voting guide: Everything to know for the 2024 general election
Latest NEWS
District 65 reconsiders closure of 7th and 8th grades at Bessie Rhodes
Funding for new Evanston Made HQ clears Economic Development Committee
Metra and Union Pacific make progress on operations transfer; fate of stations to be decided
RECENT POSTS
Decorated Evanston house marks Halloween – and plenty of other occasions
Residents of north Evanston always know what season is approaching…
Recent shots-fired calls may prompt increased police patrols in Fifth Ward
Evanston Police Department has received 13 calls of shots fired…
Here in Evanston: Fisk Choir sings with the harmonies of liberty
History intersected with history on Oct. 18, when the Fisk…
Ask the Historian: A remnant of postal service history in Evanston
When the Evanston RoundTable forwarded a query to the Evanston…
Pickleball is coming to James Park by summer 2025
Pickleball will be coming to James Park, at the recommendation…
Bessie Rhodes families protest 7th- and 8th-grade closure
“Shocked,” “blindsided,” “upset,” “angry,” “devastated.” Those are just a few…
Delores Holmes, Evanston icon and longtime council member, dies
Former Fifth Ward Council Member Delores Holmes, the co-founder of…
ETHS boys soccer: Wildkits breathe easier after 3-0 regional win
Ask any high school soccer coach competing in the Illinois…
Student-run YAMO ends with another sellout run at ETHS
Evanston Township High School’s YAMO, an annual musical sketch comedy…
New in Evanston: A first look at Eggs with Benefits
Downtown Evanston has its first Korean breakfast place, and I…
Upcoming events
2025 Pet Registration Forms due by Dec. 31
The City of Evanston reminds dog and cat owners to…
Downtown Evanston hosts annual Trick or Treat Stroll on Oct. 26
Get your costumes prepped for the annual Downtown Trick or…
YWCA Evanston/North Shore hosts Second Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month Fair on Oct. 24
YWCA Evanston/North Shore, the northeast Cook County area’s largest provider…
City’s Trunk or Treat to provide Halloween festivity on Oct. 25
Get ready for a frightfully fun afternoon at the City…
Two art unveilings set for Noyes Street celebration on Oct. 25
Two public art unveilings will be wrapped into one celebration…
NU’s ‘Concert for Hope’ on Oct. 27 to address gun violence
Northwestern University’s Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music kicks off the…
CITY NEWS
Historic Preservation Commission announces 2024 Cultural Heritage Award winners
Join the Historic Preservation Commission in honoring the outstanding individuals and organizations selected to receive a Cultural Heritage Award for their contributions in advancing the city’s rich cultural heritage. These recipients have made significant impacts across diverse areas, including research, education, advocacy, equity, design, climate resilience,…
Public Works Agency reminds residents?of?additional fall street cleaning dates
The?city’s Public Works Agency is reminding community members?of?additional fall street cleaning dates planned for residential streets in November and early December. Each year, the Public Works Agency expands residential street cleaning operations during the late fall months to ensure that debris is cleared before the winter…
City awarded $100,000 Love Your Block grant to support resident-led?neighborhood revitalization projects?
The?Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins?University?has announced that the City of Evanston will receive a $100,000?Love Your Block grant?to fund resident-led neighborhood revitalization projects. As one of 16 newly selected U.S. cities, Evanston will join the largest cohort in the history of the Love…
Main Street partly closed again for construction of raised crosswalk
The final act in Main Street’s extended reconstruction is underway, as the street’s 700 block between Custer and Sherman Avenues is closed to vehicle traffic for the construction of a raised crosswalk. The crosswalk will extend between the Tapestry Station apartment building and the city-owned parking…
It’s playtime at South End Community Center
South End Community Center (SECC), Evanston’s fifth and newest community center, is open for business, and some of that business is “child’s play.”? In addition to hosting meetings, programs, private events and (temporarily) the Evanston Ecology Center, the SECC has something special and magical: a large,…
ART & LIFE
Photos: Bookends & Beginnings opens Middles Used Books
Beloved Evanston independent bookstore Bookends & Beginnings, led by owner Nina Barrett, opened Middles Used Books on Wednesday at 1620 Orrington Ave., in what used to be CloseKnit. Barrett said the satellite store is a temporary project for now, but she believes the interest is there. “We’re…
Photos: Evanston gets into election spirit with creative yard signs
Election Day is two weeks away, and Evanston — as evidenced by its tsunami of yard signs both simple and elaborate — is embracing the season. Reflecting the city’s liberal tendencies, the vast majority of signs that RoundTable staffers have stumbled on support the Democratic ticket of…
At This Time: WPA art walk
Thirty Evanston residents got a chance to view paintings from long-lost 1930s Works Progress Administration-era artists on a tour of two public schools. Pamela Bennett Butterfield got a chance to see her father’s work. “I just loved it,” she said. “When I touched the painting, there absolutely…
Essay: Knocking on Wisconsin voters’ doors with Operation Swing State
Editor’s note: You can read the RoundTable’s guide to how to get involved with the election here. I volunteered to canvass registered voters in Wisconsin through the Democratic canvassing group Operation Swing State. When I signed up, I did not see any groups leaving from Evanston so…
At This Time: Democracy’s march
More than 1,000 residents lined up on the first day of early voting at the Morton Civic Center for the presidential election. “We wanted to be one of the first ones,” said Evanston’s Amy Prost, as she left the building. Polls will be open at 2100 Ridge…
SCHOOLS
A trip of a lifetime to China for an Evanston teacher and her students
Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz lived and worked in China after undergraduate school and has traveled there at least 30 times, often with school groups. But he’s not the only teacher who leads school trips abroad. Limin Dove is a gifted…
NU professor’s website predicts results of Electoral College
Tom Miller invented The Virtual Tout during the 2020 election cycle. Early in the pandemic, the methodologies used in political polls frustrated him. As a data scientist, he saw flaws in both the processes and the outcomes. He did not believe the…
ETHS works to prevent academic integrity violations, support appropriate AI usage
Several years after their public rollout, schools across the country are still grappling with how to incorporate generative artificial intelligence tools appropriately into education, and prevent them from being used to violate academic integrity policies. David Chan, Evanston Township High School’s director…
Low-income students disproportionately represented in ETHS quarterly report
Though students with free or reduced price lunch eligibility make up just 34% of ETHS’ population (as of 2023), the students made up 60% or more of disciplinary incidents and absences recorded so far this school year at Evanston Township High School.…
Evanston, Skokie mayors ask District 65 to reconsider Bessie Rhodes decision
In a rare clashing of city government and public schools in Evanston, Mayor Daniel Biss and Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen penned a letter to Evanston/Skokie District 65 Superintendent Angel Turner and the school board on Friday afternoon, asking them to reverse…
PHOTOS
At This Time: Special visitors
It only happens once a year. The Fisk University Choir takes a bus from Nashville to Evanston to present a concert of gospel and sacred music. It’s sponsored by Lula B Sherman United Methodist Church, 2214 Ridge Ave. The annual tradition began in 2005 when Mildred Parker, mother of choir member…
At This Time: Connections turns 40
Wayne Smith was one of the speakers at the 40th anniversary of Connections for the Homeless. For several years starting in 2005, Smith slept on and off at Hilda’s Place homeless shelter. But he ended up finding work. And now, at 70, he is retired and living in Skokie. “They helped…
At This Time: On the ice
“I’m not that tired, but with the gear on, it’s very hot.” That’s how Julian Taylor, a junior at Evanston Township High School, felt at Try Hockey for Free, sponsored by the Chicago Blackhawks for new players. Most of the newbies at the Robert Crown Community Center were younger. Taylor was…
At This Time: Sweeping in the season
Back from a 30-minute run, Peter Beckman brushes off his sidewalk on the 1100 block of Darrow. “Right after I moved in here they chopped down a beautiful tree that got the Dutch elm disease,” he said. “It took a couple years of prompting, but I finally got them to plant…
At This Time: Costume hunting for Halloween
Mom Hiro Ogawa found matching astronaut costumes for two sons: baby Sena and his older brother. They were at a holiday pop-up shop at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center that provided more than 100 free Halloween costumes. “We repurpose costumes and collect new ones,” said Cindy Hicks, who has organized the event…
PUBLIC SQUARE
Letter to the editor: Still bumpy on Main Street
I am sure that I join many south Evanston residents and businesses in my initial relief that the Main Street repair project was announced as “completed.” However, I beg to differ. The street is VERY bumpy and uneven. Has anyone else noticed this? This project was a top-to-bottom…
Letter to the editor: City must act now to preserve election reform
Almost two years ago, in November 2022, the voters of Evanston, by a landslide majority of 82%, voted to change our municipal elections to a ranked choice system, eliminating Evanston’s “springing” primary that had caused confusion and improper elections in the past. The principal benefit of ranked choice,…
Letter to the editor: Outgoing Equity and Empowerment Commission chair’s message to Mayor Biss
During my term on the Evanston Equity and Empowerment Commission, the?Commission actively worked?on several important initiatives. Some of the initiatives are listed below: Mayor Biss,? I write to you today with a deep sense of disappointment, not only regarding the end of my term as chair of the…
Guest essay: Evanston should reform zoning, boost transit
If asked, Evanston residents will likely support affordable housing and combating climate change in the abstract, but propose new infill housing with no parking and ideological consistency completely disappears.
Well Being: Cross country bike trek is a reminder to enjoy the ride
Every adventure should leave a little room for a detour. Patrick Pfohl learned that in the middle of a planned 2,200 mile bike ride from Oregon to Evanston. He returned home on Oct. 2 after spending 1,500 miles on the road, saying one last goodbye, and raising over…
SPORTS
ETHS chess: Wildkits upset Waubonsie Valley to win Red Devil Invite
The Evanston Township High School chess team pulled off its most impressive tournament victory in years by defeating Waubonsie Valley at the Hinsdale Red Devil…
ETHS cross country: Davis captures league crown
Evanston seniors Stella Davis and Sam Froum showed Saturday they’re ready to end their cross country careers on a high note. Davis earned the first…
ETHS girls tennis: Doubles team qualifies for state tournament
No one really minds finishing fourth at the girls sectional tennis tournament. Why? Because that means you’ve got another week of competition ahead of you.…
ETHS boys golf: Tiebreaker forces Kits to settle for 2nd at IHSA finals
Since the Illinois High School Association started awarding team trophies for the boys state golf tournament back in 1937, the competition has featured a lot…