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Good Monday morning, Evanston.
Above, after a Saturday lacrosse practice, Tucker Thomas McDermott, 11, and dad Tucker Christopher McDermott celebrate the weekend’s warm weather with the first Slurpees of the season. (At This Time photo by Richard Cahan.)
After a full two-year term without any ethics hearings to review, all three members of the city’s Board of Ethics declined to apply for second terms, leaving the board completely vacant. Public records obtained by the RoundTable show special counsel attorneys Steven Elrod (above left) and Brooke Lenneman (center) issued 15 jurisdiction determinations on 46 ethics complaints filed since July 2021, always finding no cause to conduct a hearing.
District 65 staff members met with Bessie Rhodes families Saturday to discuss the transition plan for the Spanish-English immersion program if the school closes as expected. “I know the thought of the school potentially closing is extremely difficult, and not what folks signed up for,” Superintendent Angel Turner said. Parents were invited to small group sessions closed to the media. A protest march is set for April 22, the same day as the first of three state-mandated school closure hearings.
RoundTable roundup
Monday through Friday: All Evanston Public Library cardholders can enjoy free guest access to the McGaw YMCA, 1000 Grove St. Registration is required.
Thursday: Melanie Garcia Sympson of the Block Museum of Art speaks on art related to Crying in H Mart, the 2023–24 One Book One Northwestern selection, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the museum, 40 Arts Circle Drive.
Thursday through Saturday: In honor of spring and Earth Month, Central Street Evanston hosts a series of programs and promotions as part of Experience Central Street.
For more events, check out our Events Calendar.
More RoundTable reads
Sixteen ETHS students made it into the Illinois High School Art Exhibition this year. “It’s basically like going downstate in a sport,” said art teacher Bill Simos. “It’s basically like finals for art.” Simos said the exhibition can give participating students a confidence boost and persuade parents that an art degree can lead to a career.
Coffee Lab on Noyes Street is featuring a collaborative art exhibition, the result of a creative workshops and social connection offered by Art Encounter and teaching artist Val McCune, a 10-year Evanston resident.
Climate Watch: Brian Becharas advises those seeking to decarbonize their homes to upgrade wiring for the electrical load as soon as they can: “Pre-wiring completed sooner rather than later will make your life easier and benefit the entire planet.”
Help wanted: Business operations manager
The Evanston RoundTable seeks a business operations manager to help run our fast-growing nonprofit news organization. The successful candidate will have at least two years of administrative experience with a nonprofit organization or business, and demonstrate excitement about the RoundTable’s mission to serve the Evanston community as the top local resource for high-quality journalism. Click here to view or download the job description.
Public Square
Guest essay: Resident and former high school teacher Mark Collins wrestles with how to best address Evanston Township High School’s academic achievement gap, arguing that “it’s time for a significant reboot around this issue, and not just by the school, but also within the community that it serves.”
Letter to the editor: Resident Ilya Sheyman voices support for establishing a temporary shelter for newly arrived migrants: “We may not have been responsible for this crisis, but Evanston has the opportunity to help.”
Bulletin board
Church St. Boat Launch permits available for summer season. Applications are open for power boat, personal motorized watercraft and large sailboat permits, which can be picked at the Chandler-Newberger Community Center through May 11 and the Dempster Street Beach office from May 12 to Labor Day.
Photos from our readers
“It’s tulip time!” Laurel Covert shared this recent photo of a few spring blooms. Send us your photos for a chance to be included in this newsletter.
Help us continue our award-winning tradition.
The RoundTable took home 37 awards at the 2023 Northern Illinois News Association competition. But we couldn’t have done it without your support! Your contributions help us deliver in-depth, unbiased news about the issues that matter.
Around the web
Evanston high school is the third in the nation to pass a ‘Green New Deal.’ ETHS senior Milo Slevin speaks with WBEZ’s Reset about student sustainability efforts.
The ADL’s new ‘report card’ for campus antisemitism gets an F from Hillel and some Jewish students. Northwestern is one of 24 universities to receive a D grade, while 13 institutions received F grades. But some Jewish students say the new initiative oversimplifies the issue of campus antisemitism.
Highland Park council wants an ethics official. Following a presentation from the village attorney, council members took an informal vote in favor of exploring naming either a city ethics officer or city ombudsperson.
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split. The legislation, which passed with a bipartisan majority, would change the law’s violation accrual so that each initial data collection, not every subsequent scan, would be counted as an incident.
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