Bill Smith

Evanston

Editor and Publlisher at Evanston Now

The leading news source for Evanston, Illinois. Our experienced journalists and authentically local outlook bring the community together to discuss key issues.

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Articles

How council candidates did by precinct

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith
Soon, maybe, Korean-style waffles downtown

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Big signs have gone up on the retail storefront at 1596 Sherman Ave. announcing the impending arrival of a new dining spot called Wafflavor. The venue’s website says it will feature “crispy, delicious waffles… topped with various flavors” claiming to offer “the perfect blend of Korean Culture and innovation in every bite.” But though it’s now mid-April, the website teases a potential opening that should have occurred sometime last Februrary.
House, not garden, on Washington

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Neighbors Monday night failed to deter the Evanston City Council from giving final approval to plans to locate the latest Geometry in Construction affordable house on their Washington Street block. After learning of plans for the project, the neighbors had proposed turning the long-vacant site at 1222 Washington into a garden to be used by children at two schools on the block. Ald.
Alders balk at appearance bias ban

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Evanston City Council members voted not to add a ban on weight or appearance discrimination to the city code Monday night. But they advanced a proposal to add a ban on linguistic discrimination. Outgoing Ald. Devon Reid (8th) spoke against the weight ban, saying that other anti-discrimination provisions are based on characteristics — like race, gender or sexual orientation — that people can’t change.
Live: City Council

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Here’s our live coverage of Monday night’s meeting of the Evanston City Council. A packet with information on the agenda items is available online. Called to order 6:56 p.m.Honorary street name designation for former Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl. Mayor Biss reads letter of support from U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Former Mayor Jay Lytle speaks in support of the measure. Related
Live: Council committees

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Here’s our live coverage of the Monday night meetings of Evanston City Council committees. Scheduled to meet are the Administration and Public Works Committee, the Planning and Development Committee and the Rules Committee, with the A&PW meeting scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Packets with information on the committee agenda items are available online.
Biss carried 8 of 9 wards

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Mayor Daniel Biss carried eight of Evanston’s nine wards in winning a second term in office this month. But he failed to carry the 7th Ward, where opposition to the Ryan Field agreement with Northwestern University and to a new comprehensive plan and zoning code were especially strong. Results from the Cook County Clerk’s office show that the mayor gained only 48.6% of the vote in the 7th Ward.
Assessor says home values up 8.5% here

1 week ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office has released triennial reassessments for Evanston Township that show the median selling price of single family homes has increased 8.5% over the past three years to $675,000. The median value for condos was $294,000 — a 19.5% increase since 2021, while the median value of multi-family housing was $622,000 — a 20% increase.
Trump blasts huge hole in NU budget

2 weeks ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

The Trump administration’s plan to freeze $790 million in research grants to Northwestern University would create a funding gap totaling more than 20% of the school’s annual operating budget. Northwestern’s 2024 annual financial report shows the school had total operating revenue of $3.3 billion that year. Sponsored research funding brought in $1.05 billion — with the bulk of that money coming from the federal government.
Public Works to get budget review

2 weeks ago | evanstonnow.com | Bill Smith

Evanston’s Finance and Budget Committee recommended Tuesday night that the city’s Public Works Department be chosen for a test of zero-based budgeting. The city’s budget manager, Clayton Black, said that with the city facing a lot of high-level budget challenges — including evolving threats to federal funding — hiring a consultant to conduct the first of what could be a series of departmental reviews was very important.