PHOTOS
FROM
D I L L O D A Y 2016
CAPTURED Snapshots from this year’s Dillo Day
» PAGE 6-7
The Daily Northwestern Monday, May 23, 2016
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Portrait of a Ward
A PROGRESSIVE TRADITION Chicago access, small shops define 3rd Ward’s liberal identity
Daniel Tian/Daily Senior Staffer
ENTERING EVANSTON A sign overlooking Lake Michigan marks the entrance to Evanston in the 3rd Ward. The ward is close to Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood and allows residents to commute quickly to Chicago via its Main Street Metra and CTA stations.
By MADELINE FOX
daily senior staffer @maddycfox
On May 17, 1970, prompted by the student strikes and shooting at Kent State University earlier that month, residents of the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Hinman Avenue, situated in the 3rd Ward, declared independence from the United States for
two hours as a protest against the Vietnam War. James Moran, a Hinman Avenue resident who later served as a U.S. Federal Judge, helped organize the event, which Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd) said shows the ward’s long history of being generally politically progressive — a trend she said continued in March’s Illinois presidential primary elections, when half the precincts in the 3rd Ward supported Sen. Bernie
Sanders. The 3rd Ward, bordered by Dempster and Lake Streets to the north, Calvary Cemetery to the south and Lake Michigan and two sets of train tracks to the east and west, has a more metropolitan feel than other wards, which some residents attribute to its collection of small businesses and easy access to transit. The ward hosts two of Evanston’s major commercial districts, on Main Street and
City questions loan process By DAVID FISHMAN
the daily northwestern @davidpkfishman
In the midst of two recently defaulted loans from local businesses, some Evanston officials want to create a more transparent and concrete loan process over the next year. “There isn’t a clear understanding from people in the community on how, why and when we give money,” said Ald. Donald Wilson (4th), who sits on the Economic Development Committee. “If you don’t have a policy it’s really hard for anybody at all — myself included — to be reactive to how things are happening.” The city has created a number of economic development initiatives to attract and retain local business. Recently, however, the city’s caseby-case loan system has come under scrutiny after Davis Transportation and Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles defaulted, potentially costing taxpayers nearly $300,000 in unpaid debt. “There are cases when a company would like to open in Evanston and has a financial gap,” said Paul Zalmezak, an Evanston economic development official. “We look at those on a case-by-case basis and if it meets the standards of what we’re trying to
accomplish … we’ll consider a loan.” Currently, there is no documented process by which a business can obtain a loan from the city, Zalmezak said, which gives city officials the ability to work out “creative” deals. On the other hand, that ambiguity sometimes gives the appearance city officials favor one business over another, he added. When Davis Transportation owner Jared Davis began the application process for a loan through the city in March 2014, he said he expected a quick turnaround to help with some time-sensitive deals. Six months later, when the money finally arrived, those deals had long since disappeared and Davis said he struggled to find new contracts. Davis Transportation, a luxury charter service, has since paid back less than 5 percent of its loan after closing its doors last month due to unforeseen complications and loss of business, said Davis. Wilson said he tends to vote down loans to private businesses. In his constituency, he added, voters have voiced frustration with the lack of transparency and documentation in the loan process. “The business that is getting the grant or the loan could be getting an unfair advantage over similarly situated businesses and they could be
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creating a disadvantage for the ones that aren’t getting it,” Wilson said. But Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), who also sits on the Economic Development Committee, said she disagrees with Wilson. When done properly, she said, the city can use its resources to improve deteriorating neighborhoods and keep failing businesses alive. For example, when Little Beans Cafe, an indoor playground and family cafe at 430 Asbury Ave., requested a $75,000 loan in 2014 to help move into Evanston, the city jumped on the opportunity. “That building (on Asbury Avenue) sat empty for over 10 years and only junk wanted to go in there — things that would contribute nothing to the community,” Rainey said. “That’s just a classic example of how a private entity could take a few dollars from the city and make this spectacular space.” Little Beans Cafe is on track to repay its loan from the city before it terminates in 2025. Last year, Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles closed its doors and subsequently defaulted on a $200,000 loan from the city. In April, the city recovered about a third of its money, but the remainder is still outstanding. Rainey, who voted to » See LOANS, page 10
Dempster Street, and a long history of political activism — even before the Vietnam War protest, residents of the 3rd and 1st wards concerned about zoning, land use and historical and environmental preservation banded together to form the Southeast Evanston Association, a group still active in the area. The 3rd Ward borders a portion of Evanston’s beachfront — an asset some residents outside the ward find difficult to
access. But Wynne emphasized the public nature of Lee Street and South Boulevard beaches, which are included in her ward. “So much of why people live here is that access to the lake all year round,” Wynne said. “Those are such treasures because they’re the communal place where everyone goes and hangs out.” The ward tempers its urban feeling and » See 3RD WARD, page 5
Foley documentary remembers his life Journalist’s childhood friend visits campus to discuss film By DARIA LENDERMAN
the daily northwestern @lend_er_man
James Foley is a household name after the journalist’s execution by the Islamic State in August 2014. But Brian Oakes, one of Foley’s childhood friends, wanted him to be remembered for more than that. Oakes directed the documentary “Jim: The James Foley Story,” which was screened at the McCormick Foundation Center on Friday. Roughly 60 people attended the screening, which centered on Foley’s family life, career and interactions with those who knew him. Oakes said despite the extensive media coverage after his death, the documentary focused mostly on the impact Foley had on others during his life. Oakes said he knew Foley’s family before creating the documentary, which he said helped tell the story.
He said he feared future media outlets would fail to accurately tell Foley’s story, which eventually lead him to make a documentary himself. “I felt like I had a responsibility to Jim and to our friends and to the Foley family to really reclaim who this man was,” Oakes said. “I was thinking that someone else was going to do this story. Someone who doesn’t know Jim was going to do this. I wanted to do an honest job of telling Jim’s story.” Prior to his execution, Foley (Medill ‘08) was captured in November 2012 and held hostage by the Islamic State alongside 18 other men from around the world. The film featured interviews with Foley’s parents and four siblings, as well as his friends, colleagues and fellow hostages. Following the screening, Medill Prof. Brent Huffman moderated a panel that included Oakes, documentarian Maria Finitzo, Medill Prof. Craig Duff and Diane Foley, James Foley’s mother. “Documentary, I would argue, is the most emotional form of » See FOLEY, page 10
INSIDE Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 10 | Sports 12