By Bob Seidenberg A fee on wealthy lakefront homeowners or a stealth tax? Members of a City Committee heard both points of view Dec. 13, discussing a proposal by Eighth Ward Council member Devon Reid that the city assess a fee on 42 lakefront properties where access is cut off from the public. Reid made…
By Bob Seidenberg In a process with little public involvement thus far, Evanston City Council members are down to their final candidates in the search for the next city manager, according to Council members reports to constituents. In a 7th Ward virtual meeting held Dec. 16, Council member Eleanor Revelle provided a brief update in…
By Bob Seidenberg (rseiden914@gmail.com) Parks versus operations buildings (like the water plant)? Community centers versus municipal buildings? Police and Fire buildings versus libraries? Jesus Lardizabal, a consultant with Altura Solutions, reviewed some of the choices with Evanston resident Amanda Zrust, preparing to take a survey on which city facilities need the greatest upgrades for accessibility….
By Bob Seidenberg rseiden914@gmail.com Evanston City Council members are expected to debate and possibly approve a new leaf blower policy at their meeting November 8 that calls for transitioning from gas-powered to electric-powered blowers. The ordinance amends the time and days when leaf blowers are permitted to be used, sets a new fine structure, establishes…
By Bob Seidenberg rseiden914@gmail.com Evanston City Council members at their November 1 meeting deferred acting on a request for $1 million in federal American Recovery Plan Act funds from local entrepreneurs to create The Aux, a commercial hub for Black business groups. Several council members praised the uniqueness of The Aux’s plan to transform the vacant…
By Bob Seidenberg PopularMMOs Presents A Hole New World” may not strike an immediate chord of recognition. But the stars of the children’s book, Pat and Jen, who do battle against zombies, have a huge fandom. The book, published by HarperCollins, is a spinoff of the Popular MMOs YouTube series, which has some 18 million…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston City Council members were split in their first real discussion of the votes needed to remove a City Manager, with some maintaining a change in the rule could hurt the City’s chances of attracting candidates for the now-open position. At the Oct. 4 Rules Committee meeting, Council Members discussed…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston’s Cradle to Career, an agency created to address inequity in the community by pulling together resources from partner organizations throughout the City, listed a long list of highlights in its request for an annual payment from the City. The agency draws on resources from over forty partner organizations, including the City,…
Two recent carjackings and an armed robbery in southeast Evanston have prompted the Evanston Police Department to issue an alert to the public. On October 10, 2021, at 12:54 p.m., a 50-year-old male Evanston resident was sitting in his 2018 Volvo in the 500 block of Judson Avenue when he was approached by the offender….
