After Sunday’s storms, it was calm this morning as Rich Cahan captured the above image. (The forecast says there’s a chance of rain in the afternoon, however, so keep an umbrella handy.)
Now, on to the news.
At This Time: Sunday at 7:31 a.m. Matt Smith, Evanston Fire Department Division Chief, joins firefighters at Evanston’s 9/11 Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony at Firemen’s Park. Mark Shore, who grew up in Evanston and was on the 62nd floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower during the 2001 attack, was one of several speakers. (Photo by Richard Cahan)
After a door-to-door salesman pitched him on installing solar panels on his roof, RoundTable reporter Matt Simonette wondered: How can Evanstonians go solar, while making sure they’re getting a good deal? He spoke with Jim Chilsen, communications director for the Citizens Utility Board, to find out. Chilsen said that thanks to government credits, “there has never been a better time in U.S. history to install solar panels,” but potential buyers should inspect sales pitches closely.
In the sixth episode of season one of Evanston Rules, “The Intersection of Medicine and Community,” podcast hosts Ron Whitmore and Laurice Bell get to know Dr. Nancy Glick. They discuss her route from a humanities-focused student at ETHS to the director of the Sinai Infectious Disease Center at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago, her insights on the brutal fight against infectious diseases and more.
And RoundTable readers, please be aware: We’re upgrading our website systems with a new signup and account management system. This upgrade will continue into the next few weeks, and you might be required to re-verify your email address. Fear not – the RoundTable is still free for all, and you never left our family! But please bear with us, complete the prompts and re-enter your email if the system asks so we can continue to provide you with high-quality and in-depth journalism.
COVID-19 by the numbers: 13 new cases and no new deaths were reported Thursday, Sept. 8, the last day the city updated totals. The seven-day average is eight cases per day.
They Do: It was purely physical … therapy. Elizabeth Handler Krupkin shares the love story of Jane Handel and Ryan Breen, who wed July 2. Although the two met each other at a pub crawl in 2016, their relationship really began in summer 2017 when Jane consulted him and other physical therapist friends on a possible concussion after suffering a nasty hit to the face in a volleyball game.
Girls find mysterious message in a bottle in Lake Michigan. Three girls swimming in Evanston discovered a bottle floating in Lake Michigan on a sunny July day. The clear bottle had a small medallion attached with twine, wound tightly around the bottle’s neck. The words on the medallion read, “Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.” And inside was a rolled-up note.
The Art of Making Art: Kristen Neveu. Jean Cunningham explores the abstract, nature-inspired paintings and collages of Kristen Neveu. Working with acrylic paint, pencils and mixed media, Neveu starts each piece from the bottom without a specific goal before moving her way up the easel, more and more intentionally, as the artwork takes shape.
Steve Fiffer: On the importance of The Moment. “This has been the most satisfying and important project I’ve ever worked on,” says Evanston author Steve Fiffer of his latest book, The Moment: Changemakers on Why and How they Joined the Fight for Social Justice, slated for publication Nov. 15. Fiffer’s 20th nonfiction work includes well-known activists and authors such as Bryan Stevenson and Edwidge Danticat, as well as a variety of lesser-known but no less influential crusaders.
REVIEW: ‘The Garbologists’: Northlight’s delicacy of a play. Cissy Smith reviews Northlight Theatre’s current show, a buddy comedy that pairs an old-school sanitation worker with an Ivy League-educated newbie in a New York City garbage truck. “This wisecracking show manages to be funny and poignant at the same time,” Smith writes. “In unexpected ways, The Garbologists is a mystery.”
Letter to the editor: City should end attempts to take public trust land for private gain. Jeff Smith, president of the Central Street Neighbors Association, writes in support of a City Council resolution objecting to a proposed road paving through the Canal Shores Golf Course to support a housing development. “There is certainly no good Evanston reason for Evanston to aid in paving over public land in Evanston in order to facilitate a private development deal in Wilmette,” Smith writes.
Dear Gabby: Divvy driving me dizzy. This week’s column features advice on abandoned Divvy bikes, how to deal with a friend’s poor cooking and giving wedding gifts without tags or identifying information.
Picturing Evanston. The Arrington Lagoon Picnic Shelter, off Sheridan Road and Church Street, all lit up for a late summer celebration. (Photo by Joerg Metzner)
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Chicago sees massive flooding after torrential rainstorm. The flooding caused cars to stall and water pipes to burst across the city, leaving hundreds with soggy basements and entire city blocks underwater in some neighborhoods.
Most Illinois taxpayers will be getting a tax rebate from the state — all you need to know. Depending on your adjusted gross income and property tax credit qualification in 2021, you could receive up to $300 back from both your income tax and property tax payments. The money is being rebated as part of the Illinois Family Relief Plan, a $1.8 billion aid package signed into law this year.
Evanston encourages new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine after CDC authorization. Individuals who are at least two months past their last COVID-19 vaccination are encouraged to schedule an appointment for a bivalent booster dose.
How UIC has cost Cook County taxpayers $1.2 million. The university never told county officials it was leasing to a preschool, which could be on the hook for over $800,000 in property taxes. The bills went to a past tenant, who was allowed to renew his lease despite refusing to pay the county over $400,000 in taxes.
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Alex Harrison joins the RoundTable for the summer in between his undergraduate and graduate studies at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. More by Alex Harrison
The Evanston RoundTable is the community’s leading source of news about local government, schools, civic and artistic activities, and other important issues facing our city. We seek to foster civic engagement and empower people to address complex issues facing our diverse community, promoting a better understanding and appreciation of people of all races, ethnicities, and income levels.
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