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By Bob Seidenberg Local landscapers maintained that cost was a major barrier transitioning to electric-powered leaf blowers after a city ordinance went into April 1, 2023, banning the use of gas-powered or propane-powered devices because of their noise and harmful effects environmentally. Nearly a year later, the city is moving forward on a bulk purchase…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston City Council members reapproved a contract Monday for a real estate firm to broker a move out of the Morton Civic Center, complying with a blistering opinion from the state Attorney General’s office that ruled the city violated the Open Meetings Act by signing the original agreement in closed session. The…
By Bob Seidenberg One by one, the fire companies at Evanston’s five stations took turns notifying radio dispatch they were signing out of service. Locked in a monthslong impasse with the city, 89 Evanston firefighters walked off the job for 53 hours from 6 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, 1974, until 11 a.m., Saturday, March…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston City Council members voted against suspending enforcement of a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers Monday, a pause some landscapers had sought to allow more time for the transition to electric devices. Council members were sympathetic to concerns raised from mostly Hispanic members of the local landscaping community to temporarily suspend enforcement…
By Bob Seidenberg rseiden914@gmail.com A city committee began filling in the blank spaces in an ordinance that would permit video gambling in Evanston for the first time, opening the way for officials to tap into the fast-growing revenue source. A video “gaming cafe” located inside a gas station in Cicero. Under the proposed ordinance discussed…
By Bob Seidenberg The state attorney general’s office has ruled that the Evanston City Council violated the Open Meetings Act last year when it authorized an exclusive agreement with a real estate firm to be the city’s broker in its exit from the Civic Center. The office issued a binding opinion Friday in favor of…
‘No tiny yard is worth the cost,’ maintains one environmentalist By Bob Seidenberg Evanston Human Services Committee members Monday night voted to send to the council a proposal that would temporarily allow the use of gas or propane-powered leaf blowers, after first voting the issue down earlier in the meeting. On a 4-1 vote, the…
By Bob Seidenberg City Council committee voted Monday to direct staff to draw up a resolution that would temporarily lift the city’s ban on gas-powered leaf blowers this spring, allowing officials time to find funding sources for smaller landscaping companies experiencing difficulty making the switch to electric. Members of the city’s Human Services Committee voted…
By Bob Seidenberg The grounds around the city-owned Harley Clarke mansion at 2603 Sheridan Road, given scant attention in the original statement of significance for the historic landmark property, have received a significant boost in status. Members of the Evanston Preservation Commission unanimously approved an amended statement of significance for the mansion at their Feb….
By Bob Seidenberg Members of the city’s Finance & Budget Committee are discussing the need for a new policy, requiring projects with large capital expenditures to come before them for review before going to the City Council for action. Committee members spoke about such a potential policy at their meeting Tuesday, voicing concern they weren’t…
