By Bob Seidenberg When Evanston police are called to respond to a protest held without warning, as was the case outside U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s house last Tuesday, what demand that place on police services? In fact, it’s considerable, said Evanston Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew, describing police response to the protest that shut down Ridge Ave….
By Bob Seidenberg City of Evanston officials’ plan for a 7.8% increase in the city’s property tax levy as a key revenue generator for their proposed 2024 budget ran into critical reactions Tuesday night, particularly since some residents had already received tax bill notices in the mail from Cook County informing them of double-digit percentage…
By Bob Seidenberg Speakers at Monday night‘s Truth in Taxation hearing on the city’s proposed 2024 budget urged Evanston City Council members to pull back from a spending plan which includes the first property tax hike in recent years, advocating cutting expenses and reducing the city’s long-term debt instead. “We have a spending problem, not…
To help keep streets, sidewalks, and public ways safe and accessible for all community members this winter, the City of Evanston is reminding residents of snow parking restrictions, convenient notification methods, shoveling guidelines and other helpful tips as part of Winter Weather Preparedness Week, November 5-11. Community members can review important winter information by watching…
By Bob Seidenberg Red balloons, their strings tied to shoes and alongside pictures of victims, fluttered across Evanston’s Fountain Square in a dramatic representation Sunday in a solidarity rally calling for the release of the hostages taken captive by Hamas. Former State Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg, an Evanston resident, was one of the speakers at the…
By Bob Seidenberg It’s not every day a batch of free parking spaces becomes available in downtown Evanston. But that was the case Monday when the underground parking garage at Evanston’s Main Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., reopened to the public after being closed shortly after the onset of COVID. The garage, now under library…
By Bob Seidenberg Is there interest in the first hearing before the Evanston City Council on Northwestern’s bid for zoning changes to allow commercial concerts at a rebuilt Ryan Field? One hundred and forty five people have signed up for public comment, which is projected to go 31/2 hours, and several overflow rooms at the…
By Bob Seidenberg The Evanston City Council on Monday approved a five-story, 60-unit mixed-income housing development for the far south end of the city that will offer rents across a wide range of incomes – a feature missing from many of the city’s other affordable housing projects. Council members unanimously approved PIRHL Developers LLC’s request for…
Flavored cigars popularity with young people helped ignite Council member Eleanor Revelle’s call for a ban on all flavored tobacco product sales By Bob Seidenberg Snuffed out once, an Evanston City Council member has proposed for a second time that the city adopt a comprehensive ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products within…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston Economic Development Committee members are making full use of the city’s remaining federal COVID stimulus funds, designating them to help a number of initiatives growing out of the Evanston Thrives report on enhancing the city’s business districts. Earlier this year, the City Council allotted the committee $3 million left over from…
