News across Cook County
Dog days are over: Dog beach to close Dec. 1 after council rejects latest ramp contract
The Evanston Dog Beach will officially close Dec. 1 for the foreseeable future after a City Council committee turned down the latest proposal for an accessible entrance ramp to the beach. Councilmembers found the legal risks and moral issues with operating the inaccessible beach…
City Council will pick acting mayor at Oct. 19 special meeting
In one of his last acts before leaving the city government, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has called a special City Council meeting for Monday, Oct. 19 for the sole purpose of councilmembers appointing an acting mayor less than 24 hours after he resigns from office. The mayor…
Les Jacobson: Asides
Once you’re a parent, you’re never again completely carefree. I leave my dreams as I leave my friends, with regret. I took a personality test recently. Good news: It came back negative. Best diet of all: Be so busy and engaged you forget to eat. All things considered, I’d rather…
Making hay while the sun shines
Five-year-old Noah Schroeder gathers straw to stuff a scarecrow at the Harvest Festival at Eggleston Park. The weather was perfect; hundreds came to visit the food forest, demonstration garden and pumpkin patch at the park across from the Ecology Center. More than 50 took part in…
Evanston Fire Department to host annual open house on Oct. 3
The Evanston Fire Department will host its annual open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at Fire Department Headquarters, 909 Lake St. This free, family-friendly event offers a behind-the-scenes look at fire and emergency services while providing fun, education and…
Prieto Center to host service dog awareness celebration on Sept. 30
The City of Evanston is hosting a service dog awareness celebration at Prieto Community Center, 430 Asbury Ave., on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The event will start at 4 p.m. and is free. Whether you are a local business owner, a curious pet lover or just want to be a more supportive…
Neighbors remain unsatisfied after recent tours of waste transfer station
In an effort to increase transparency, Councilmembers Bobby Burns (5th Ward) and Krissie Harris (2nd) have hosted two tours of the WM waste transfer station at 1711 Church St. over the past month, but neighbors say they are still unsatisfied. The transfer station has operated a…
Council may reset Dog Beach ramp project again
Evanston’s City Council will meet at 6:15 p.m. Monday in the Council Chambers at Morton City Hall, 909 Davis St., with an agenda that includes considering yet another reset on the long-delayed project to build an accessible entrance to the city’s Dog Beach — just as a city…
Local news readers around Chicago wary of AI, Northwestern survey finds
Many local news consumers distrust newsrooms’ use of artificial intelligence, even just to rewrite or summarize content, according to the latest local news survey conducted by Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative. A general lack of trust in AI is one of several…
‘If you have a bike, get on Ridge today’
Not a car was in sight as bikers, skateboarders, runners and walkers took over Ridge Avenue Sunday morning and early afternoon from Howard Street north to Church Street. Hundreds gathered for the 18th annual Bike the Ridge event. Rider Tadeo Carrillo was riding south on his way…
Here in Evanston: Stand by your land
Towns to the north and west and south of us, and that beautiful lake to the east. Here in Evanston, we’re land- and lake-locked; our “sprawl” is upward. Land is scarce, valuable and irreplaceable, except on the lakeshore, where beaches increase, wane or even disappear with the…
Smiling White Sox fan Pope Leo quips ‘great things happen in Chicago’
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo’s beloved Chicago White Sox may have pulled off a miracle this year, making Major League Baseball’s playoffs for the first time since 2021. But the longtime fan of the South Siders won’t reveal if he called on a little help from on high.