Results tagged “evanston”

   

We work during the day near downtown Evanston, so we've become familiar with the available lunch options. The suburb seems to be turning into a new center for good burgers using quality ingredients. Readers got a glimpse of Edzo's Burger Shop a couple weeks back; Ed Lakin and crew are now open for business. We've also extolled the virtues of Wiener and Still Champion in the past. Best known for a good hot dog and owner Gus Paschalis's willingness to deep fry anything once, WaSC also makes an amazing burger. There's another burger joint we've been enamored with recently that does its best to put out a good burger, if not rise to the level of Lakin and Paschalis.

          

— Automatic Burger blog

After a recent City Hall meeting in Evanston focusing on the increase in skunk activity, Ald. Ann Rainey and others walked outside, only to have their noses attacked by the stench left behind by several skunks. "Evidently an entire family (of skunks) had gone crazy," Rainey said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. "You could not breathe." Bob Bluett, a wildlife biologist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, told the Tribune that it's currently the time of year when skunks start fattening up for the winter, so they appear to be more visible and active throughout communities. Out of all the skunks trapped in the state of Illinois, Chicago and its suburbs seem to have taken the brunt of the skunk action, as nearly 7,000 of the 8,640 skunks captured in 2008 were from the Chicago area, Bluett said.

To our friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah, L'shana tova!

Police in Evanston are looking for a blue van they believe has been used in multiple abduction attempts. The van was reportedly used in a pair of recent attempts to abduct young girls. In both attempts, the apparent targets were able to get away and inform authorities of the van. The van's driver is described as, "male, possibly Hispanic, in his 30s, about 5-foot-10 with a heavy build...may have a “cross” tattoo on his left forearm." Anyone with information should call (847) 866-5050 or (847) 866-5040. [WBBM 780 AM]

Evanston became the largest city thus far in the state of Illinois to outlaw video gambling, the mayor claiming - according to the Tribune - "the 'social consequences' outweighed the financial benefits." The Evanston City Council unanimously voted 9-0 on the issue. The new law allowing video gambling, passed in May, also gives communities the option of voting it down. So far, DuPage County has banned it as have smaller communities like Rosemont and Country Club Hills; the Naperville City Council is slated to take up the issue tonight. [Trib, CBS 2]

We've all seen them: the guys driving trucks up and down alleys at the end and beginning of every month, collecting furniture and accessories being thrown out as people move in to and out of new apartments. But now Evanston has had enough and is doing battle with the junk scavengers. Why? Because it's costing the city money, according to the Tribune.

A man wielding a knife, and who stabbed an Evanston Police officer, was shot dead Sunday afternoon in a confrontation. Three officers responded to a report of a man involved in a confrontation with his landlord. Evanston Police Cmdr. Tom Guenther said, "The officers engage the subject with a knife and ordered him to put it down. He refused the orders and advanced towards them. The officers were forced to engage deadly force to defend themselves." At some point during the incident, one of the officers was stabbed in either the arm or hand and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, though his injuries were not life-threatening. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. [Chicago Breaking News, Sun-Times]

It's really no wonder that movie receipts are up 17.5% over last year. Movies are a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment, and going to the movies is a social activity, as well as a welcome distraction and escape from all the down news as of late. Aside from the usual multiplex options there's a whole boatload of film festivals on the horizon:

Yesterday evening, the Evanston City Council voted 6-3 in favor of a controversial plan for a new condo building downtown that would stretch 385 feet into the sky. The 35-story tower will be going up at 708 Church St. - in the Fountain Square area - in spite of a grassroots movement to block the building. Hank Goldman, a board member of the downtown residents association, said, "There is absolutely no public benefit from this." Original plans by Chicago based developers James Klutznick and Tim Anderson called for a much taller building. Supportive aldermen cited the annual tax revenue the building will bring ($2 million) and the $1 million the developers will contribute to renovating Fountain Square as main reasons for their support. [CBN]

Grant Achatz started his rise to chef superstardom at the long lamented Trio in Evanston, which also served as a proving ground for Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, Shawn McClain and Dale Levitski.

As family and friends deal with the death of 10-year-old Aquan Lewis, details are slowly beginning to emerge from the fog of uncertainty surrounding his alleged suicide. Lewis was found hanging from a hook in a bathroom at Oakton Elementary School in Evanston; he was pronounced dead at Children's Memorial Hospital early yesterday morning. Among the details we now know are that Lewis had threatened to kill himself earlier in the day after he was lectured by a teacher. Authorities say they found Lewis hanging by his shirt collar from a hook in a stall with a footprint on the toilet seat.

The death of 10-year-old Aquan Lewis, a 10-year-old student at Evanston's Oakton Elementary School, has been ruled a suicide after an autopsy. The ruling was made by the Cook County medical examiner's office earlier this afternoon. Lewis was found yesterday hanging from a hook in one of the school's bathrooms. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at Children's Memorial Hospital earlier this morning. Any further details are still very hard to come by.

Aquan Lewis, a 10-year-old student at Evanston's Oakton Elementary School, was pronounced dead early this morning at Children's Memorial Hospital. Lewis, of Skokie, had been found yesterday afternoon, unresponsive and hanging from a hook in a bathroom at the school. While it's not clear who found him, attempts were made by the principal to revive the boy. According to Elliot Lieteau, the school's janitor, "The principal was on the left side, and he's on the floor, they had just pulled him off the hook, and they were saying that he's been up there, so I immediately get on my knees and start giving him CPR, and I'm checking his pulse when I'm doing it." For now, authorities are calling the death an accident and claiming no foul play is suspected.

A body of a man in his 20's pulled from Lake Michigan yesterday may be that of missing Northwestern student Travis Boehm. Boehm has been missing since November 9 and late last week, searchers found his jacket and other personal items on a Lake Michigan beach near the Northwestern campus. The body was found about six miles south of where the personal items were found. An autopsy was scheduled at the Stein Institute and police also hope to make a positive identification of the body today.

Photo by Primeau
• A Lincoln Park High student is suing for his right to transfer to another school after the school board has rejected previous attempts. The student was the victim of an unprovoked attack in October, being beaten by nine other students who all still attend the school. Chicago Public Schools allow "safety transfers" for similar situations but for some reason have repeatedly rejected this request
• Nothing strikes fear in our hearts quite like this sentence: "City of Evanston Health and Human Services officials declared an official outbreak of Pertussis [aka Whooping Cough]."
• Sen. Dick Durbin briefly addressed a crowd of reporters yesterday and talked about the recent death of his oldest child, Christine. Durbin said, "It's a reminder that politics has its limits. Life goes on, life and death, and…your family is the most important thing."

Happy Birthday, Cynthia!

Police made a startling discovery on a peaceful, well-kept block in Evanston yesterday afternoon. A 90-year-old woman was found living in a house on Judson Avenue with her brother, Frank Bernstorff, and two sisters, Elaine Bernstorff and Anita Bernstorff -- all three of which were deceased. Elaine is said to have not been seen alive since at least the early 1980s. Frank was last seen in 2003, and Anita in May of this year.

Let's start with the bread. Marble rye is great for sandwiches, so there's no complaint on choice. What it could have used was some more toasting to not fall apart under the weight and combination of oil and dressing. The toppings could also use some work. The caramelized onions are a nice touch, but the spinach looked sautéd added extra weight and oil to the mix. Given the spice of the seasoning, we would loved to have seen some Swiss chard here, under the salmon.

It was a dark night for Dark Knight fans when storms moved through Evanston last night, knocking out power to the Century 12 Evanston Theater. Twenty minutes were left in the show when the power loss cut the flick short. Movie goers were issued rain checks, and those waiting to see later screenings waited for the power to be restored, an hour and 15 minutes later.

A play focusing on the efforts of animal rescuers following Hurricane Katrina has recently made the move from Los Angeles to the Chicago area. Because They Have No Words is based on co-writer Tim Maddock's personal experience rescuing animals in the aftermath of Katrina. Maddock also stars in the production, which is now appearing at Evanston's Piven Theatre. Of the differences between the version performed in L.A. and the new Piven Theatre version, Maddock says:

I think in this Piven version we also went further with the comedy. We weren't sure initially how humor would play in a story of one of this country's greatest tragedies, but it is such a part of who Lotti and I are as people that we couldn't silence it in our writing. Humor was also integral to how I 'survived' New Orleans, emotionally. It seems obvious, now, that people find the humor in this play refreshing, but at the time we weren't sure if it would be perceived as flippant or disrespectful.

Like a lot of people, we like The Beatles (our favorite Beatle: George) and their music (our favorite album: Revolver), having first first discovered them at the ripe age of 13 in the form of our parents' dusty LPs. So mark us down as very likely to get ourselves up to Evanston and check out a new exhibit happening at the Northwestern University Music Library. What the Tribune is calling "seven handwritten specimens from the band's creative peak" (which we take to mean "handwritten lyrics and doodles") have made their way to the library, courtesy of donations from Yoko Ono and composer/musician John Cage. One of the highlights of the collection is a version of Paul's "For No One" written on a manila envelope, including some missing choruses. While you won't get to the originals (for security reasons), the Library will be displaying super duper high-resolution scans for the viewing. According to Northwestern University, the seven manuscripts featured are "Eleanor Rigby,” “Good Day Sunshine,” “For No One,” “The Word,” “I’m Only Sleeping,” “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “Yellow Submarine.” The manuscripts are only on display for a few weeks, until mid-April, so get ye to the Purple Line post-haste! [Trib]

The corner of Dempster and Chicago in Evanston still retains some vestiges of its hippie past, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It actually reminds us of the less annoying parts of Lincoln and Wicker Parks. We've been fans of Bagel Art in Evanston for as long as we can remember; we usually have a sesame seed bagel with plain cream cheese every morning on the way to work. They also make a few good sandwiches for a quick bite during the work day, fuel for grinding out miles on the old Green Bay Road bike trail during summer, or just futzing around Evanston.