Latest news from Evanston: Your Tuesday daily digest

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Good Tuesday morning, Evanston.

Above, sunflowers and (look close) a monarch butterfly greet the new day in the alley of 1200 Maple Avenue. (At This Time photo by Richard Cahan)

Less than two weeks ago, Evanston/Skokie School District 65 announced it was closing out its fiscal year with an unexpected budget deficit of nearly $7.5 million. At Monday’s meeting, board members were still grappling with what went wrong, and how to prevent future surprises. “Going over the way we’ve been going over doesn’t add up,” said board member Joey Hailpern. “It doesn’t add up to me, so I think it’s worth us taking a closer look, as we go forward, earlier in the year.”

When the Evanston City Council approved a citywide ban on plastic bags on May 22, one local business was left holding the bag(s) – literally. D&D Finer Foods, 825 Noyes St., had purchased thousands of plastic bags more than a year earlier. The grocery store kept using stockpiled bags after the ban began Aug. 1, and when it got a violation notice from the city, it sought leniency. D&D and other stores under 10,000 square feet got some good news at Monday’s council meeting.

A Cook County judge approved the city’s request Thursday to dismiss its nearly $6 million lawsuit against Copenhaver Construction over alleged faulty work on Fountain Square’s zero-depth fountain. The parties are in settlement talks. Records show the city’s legal fees for the suit are approaching $240,000.

The Art of Making Art: This week Jean Cunningham features a photograph titled Majestic Morning, July 21, 2023, taken by Jeff Garrett.

Guest essay: Aaron Cohen extols Northwestern’s nearly century-old football stadium, and asks why the university wants to tear it down: “Why is it not a point of pride? Why is it an object of such scorn and a source of such shame?”

The Evanston Chapter of Moms Demand Action is the beneficiary of Evanston Made and Evanston Pour’s next Get Down for Good Dance Party. The monthly events aid local nonprofits; the party for the gun control advocacy organization will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 at Pour, 528 Dempster St.

The City of Evanston’s fall bulk trash pickups begin Sept. 15. The city offers residents free removal of up to six cubic yards of bulk garbage on select Fridays from Sept. 15 through Oct. 6.

Replacement of the oldest Evanston water intake is underway. Marine work has begun and will likely continue through October, with heavy equipment performing underwater excavation and installing the pipeline and intake structure in the lake bed.

Laurel Covert’s photo preserves these impressive sand castles. Send your photos to [email protected] for a chance to be included in this newsletter.

RoundTable journalists are excellent at what they do! From covering city hall and local schools, to neighborhood developments and breaking news, you can depend upon the RoundTable to keep you informed about all that’s happening in Evanston. Support us by becoming a member.

Federal law protects you from many financial scams, but not this one — and scam artists have figured that out. Experts say wire transfer fraud has collectively cost consumers billions of dollars.

Father of Highland Park shooting suspect will stand trial as judge denies motion to dismiss charges. A judge rejected Robert Crimo Jr.’s bid to dismiss charges of reckless conduct for helping his son obtain a gun license.

Wilmette McDonald’s application is in. Zoning board appearance set for November. The fast-food giant is seeking to put a restaurant at 200 Skokie Blvd., the former site of a Baker’s Square location.

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Alex Harrison reports on local government, public safety, developments, town-gown relations and more for the RoundTable. He graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in June... More by Alex Harrison