Joshua Irvine
Daily Northwestern
Evanston, IL, United States
Contact Joshua
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Joshua:
Rainey out in Eighth
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), the city’s longest-serving elected official, is projected to lose her City Council seat after 38 years in Evanston politics. With all five precincts reporting, City Clerk Devon Reid and Ridgeville Park District commissioner Matthew Mitchell currently lead in Tuesday’s 8th Ward primary election, according to unofficial results from the Cook County... → Read More
Eviction threat persists despite Evanston response
Eight months after the United States began COVID-19 shutdowns, Evanston is taking new measures to combat the looming threat of mass evictions when state and federal moratoriums expire in December. But the city’s preparations may not be enough — tenants’ rights advocates, nonprofit leaders and Evanston’s top housing official expressed concern about the scope of... → Read More
City projects a $5 to 7 million loss in revenue for 2021 budget Budget: $5 to 7 million less revenue in 2021
Evanston is projecting a $5 to 7 million loss in revenue for 2021, city officials told residents during a Thursday discussion explaining the city’s 2021 budget. City budget coordinator Kate Lewis-Lakin and interim assistant city manager Kimberly Richardson led the first of three community conversations about the 2021 budget, breaking down the city’s budget structure... → Read More
Hagerty, Cook talk police calls for service in virtual session
City officials broke down police calls for service in the most recent of Mayor Steve Hagerty’s virtual sessions on policing. At the sixth Q&A in the series, Hagerty emphasized the need for comprehensive data analysis to make decisions about the police department’s future. “If you really want to understand what our officers are doing… it’s... → Read More
City clerk hired intern despite freeze
The decision to employ a college student at the city clerk’s office despite a hiring freeze was the center of an argument at Monday’s City Council meeting. The controversy concerned scheduled payments to a George Washington University junior employed by the city clerk’s office. A city invoice from the period ending July 28 includes payments... → Read More
Evanston City Council majority supports defunding police
With a slim majority in support, City Council could take the first steps toward translating the movement to defund the Evanston Police Department into action at tomorrow’s meeting. Five of the city’s nine aldermen – Peter Braithwaite (2nd), Robin Rue Simmons (5th), Donald Wilson (4th), Cicely Fleming (9th) and, as of Thursday, Eleanor Revelle (7th)... → Read More
Defunding: Residents stage ‘sit-ins’ at virtual council meeting
In a series of concurrent protests that spanned the breadth of the city, participants brought their calls to defund the Evanston Police Department to their aldermen’s doorsteps — literally. Organizers from Evanston Fight for Black Lives coordinated simultaneous protests Monday at homes of seven of the nine aldermen the evening of a remote City Council... → Read More
Blotter: Rollover crash, man charged with DUI
No injuries were reported in a rollover traffic crash Friday, but police charged a Chicago man with driving under the influence. Officers responded at 1:50 a.m. Friday to reports of a single-vehicle crash at the 1030 block of Dodge Avenue, Evanston Police Cmdr. Brian Henry said. The officers administered a field sobriety test at the... → Read More
Blotter: Assault charge for man who allegedly wielded knife
Evanston Police Department charged a man who allegedly brandished a knife on a city sidewalk Friday morning. Officers responded to the 1400 block of Chicago Avenue at 5:40 a.m. after a caller reported a man wielding a knife and making threats, Evanston Police Cmdr. Brian Henry said. According to Henry, the caller told EPD the... → Read More
#WhiteCoatsforBlackLives shows solidarity at Evanston hospital
Evanston health workers gathered Friday afternoon in a show of solidarity with black community, joining a nationwide “White Coats for Black Lives” movement. Hundreds of medical professionals, hospital administrators and residents gathered on the lawn outside NorthShore’s Evanston Hospital at noon to call for racial justice and equity within the nation’s health care system. The... → Read More
Queerer and Weirder: Screenwriter Sarah Gubbins makes her feature film debut with ‘Shirley’
Sarah Gubbins (Communication ‘97, ‘08) first fell for Shirley Jackson’s twisted sensibilities in a performance studies class her senior year at NU. This year, she premiered her biopic of the horror and mystery author at Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. A successful Chicago playwright-turned-Hollywood screenwriter, Gubbins first brought Chris Kraus’ cult novel “I Love... → Read More
Aldermen say city resources limited amid calls for housing relief
When the COVID-19 pandemic began disrupting incomes, Evanston residents turned to the city for support to keep up on rent and mortgage payments. However, aldermen are saying comprehensive relief to citizens is outside the means of the city. Ald. Donald Wilson (4th) told the Daily the city did not have the legal authority nor the... → Read More
Budget ordinances introduced at Evanston City Council
Aldermen introduced a host of ordinances Monday in a push to finalize the city’s 2020 budget before the end of the year. With only two City Council sessions remaining, aldermen moved to introduce several tax levies as well as an overall approval of the budget for fiscal year 2020. The latter ordinance includes several revisions... → Read More
Board of Ethics reform deferred until Nov. 25
City Council deferred its verdict on ordinance revising the city’s ethics code after parties both on and off the council raised concerns at Monday’s meeting. Aldermen voted 9-0 to table the ordinance after residents and elected officials raised a bevy of concerns over the proposal’s compliance with state law. The ordinance would have constituted a... → Read More
Before City Council vote, recap Board of Ethics reform
A City Council vote Monday will deliver the final verdict on almost a year’s worth of deliberation about Evanston’s ethics code. Aldermen will vote on an ordinance to overhaul the rules governing the city’s Board of Ethics. The 18-page proposal restructures and rewrites significant portions of the code. The final ordinance closes the loophole allowing... → Read More
Evanston ethics ordinance would appoint special counsel
The city’s proposed ethics code will appoint a special counsel for the Board of Ethics and shorten term lengths for board members. City Council introduced the ordinance Monday. The proposal is a total rewrite of Evanston’s ethics code and contains significant modifications to the operations and organization of the Board of Ethics, the independent committee... → Read More
Evanston aldermen debate cannabis dispensary zoning regulations
Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) challenged an ordinance Monday establishing rules for recreational dispensaries after it was disclosed that the ordinance lacked buffer zones for preschools and daycares. Cannabis will become legal for private consumption in Illinois starting Jan. 1, and Evanston must set regulations for dispensaries before then. The new law legalizes the purchase of... → Read More
Blotter: Northwestern student arrested for Target theft
A Northwestern student was arrested Tuesday afternoon for attempted theft at the Target in the 1600 block of Sherman Avenue. A Target employee observed security footage of the woman placing items in her backpack, said Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew. The woman then left the store without paying for the items, Glew said, and the... → Read More
Residence burgled, car stolen on Sheridan Avenue
A woman called police to report a burglary and vehicle theft occurring in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Officers responded to a residence in the 2700 block of Sheridan Avenue at 8 a.m. after a woman reported that her house had been burgled and her car had been stolen, said Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan... → Read More
Blotter: Parked car stolen from outside residence
A woman called police Tuesday morning to report her parked car had been stolen from outside her residence. Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew said officers responded to an address in the 2000 block of Jackson Avenue at about 9:15 a.m. The caller told officers that her 2013 Ford Explorer had been parked on the street... → Read More