Main St. request on hold, but ‘Kitschy 2 BR House’ gets vacation rental OK
One couple’s request for a license to operate a unit as a vacation rental on the 800 block of Main Street was tabled. Another application by an individual for the same license at a residence farther north on Colfax Street was recommended for approval. Members of the city’s Planning & Development Committee grappled Monday on…

Association plans full day of activities to celebrate Independence Day on Friday
The Evanston Fourth of July Association, in cooperation with the City of Evanston, invites the community to enjoy a full day of festivities on Friday, July 4. This year’s celebration will feature the Association’s family-friendly games in the morning, a Fun Run for kids, an award-winning parade along Central Street in the afternoon, and an…

Council OKs zero-based Public Works study
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston City Council members plan to examine the budget from the ground up in one city department, hoping the exercise will yield clues over time for officials to tame the city’s structural budget deficit. In a 7-1 vote Monday, council members authorized an agreement with Cincinnati-based Raftelis Financial Consultants for $99,030 to…

New west side restaurant to receive assistance to fix exhaust system
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston’s City Council approved on Monday night an $82,510 loan to new restaurant Free Flow Kitchen, 1623 Simpson St., to install a new exhaust and fire suppression system and rejected an amendment that the owners be held personally liable to pay it back if the venture fails. Councilmembers voted 6-3 in support…

Committee votes 5-0 against couple’s vacation rental request advancing
By Bob Seidenberg A City Council committee on Monday night shot down a request from a couple to make a single-family residence on the 2200 block of Grey Avenue into an all-year vacation rental, siding with a group of residents who argued it would have negative effects. The Planning and Development Committee voted 5-0 against…

Evanston man, 28, charged with attempted murder in emergency room shooting
Female security guard, who was shot three times in the incident, is in stable condition: police A 28-year-old Evanston man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting in the Evanston Hospital emergency room June 5. The suspect, Christian Haywood, has been charged with one felony count of attempted first degree murder,…

Honor Juneteenth with a Parade & Celebration
Working in parallel with Evanston Present and Future, the City of Evanston will honor Juneteenth with the annual Juneteenth Parade and Celebrations on Saturday, June 21. Juneteenth, also referred to as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, or Freedom Day, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americas and is observed every year on June 19. This…

Evanston Hospital placed on lockdown after emergency room shooting
Offender in custody; Guard’s injuries considered non-life-threatening Evanston Hospital was placed on lockdown earlier tonight after a shooting in the hospital’s emergency room left a security guard wounded. The offender is in custody. CBS News reported that the victim who was wounded is a security officer who engaged the offender in a struggle inside the…

The Main Street Subway on the city’s closed list
Here’s a list of businesses in Evanston that have closed since the start of the year, according to the city’s latest Open-Closed business report. 1. Subway, 900 Chicago Ave. 2. Giordano’s, 1527 Chicago Ave. 3. Zeymart 1828 Dempster St. 4. Semper Laser, 900 Church St. 5. Best Buy, 2301 Howard St. 6. ZenEco (homebased). 7….

Free Flow Kitchen wants city loan to take restaurant to next level
By Bob Seidenberg Nina Wade, the co-owner of the Free Flow Kitchen restaurant, said she and her panini press have been “hand-in-hand” since the restaurant opened May 20. She produces breakfast sandwiches with it in the morning, and then turns back, cranking out Tuscan sandwiches, to-go soups and salads for lunch. She and co-owner Nichole…