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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Monday, May 4, 2015
Mayor names new alderman By Paige Leskin
daily senior staffer @paigeleskin
Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl named the new 9th Ward alderman Friday. Brian Miller, chief of staff of Cook County’s 13th district commissioner, will fill the position, the mayor announced on Twitter. “Brian is a dedicated member of the Evanston community, and will be an enthusiastic and responsive alderman for Ninth Ward residents,” Tisdahl said in a news release. The alderman spot was made available after Coleen Burrus left the position in April for a job at Princeton University as director of corporate and foundation relations. Burrus also stepped down from her post as senior director of corporate engagement at Northwestern. Miller was one of five people who applied to be the next alderman. The city hosted a public candidate forum in April so residents could hear from the five applicants about their positions on a variety of issues and proposed solutions for
city concerns. “Good government is good infrastructure,” Miller said at the forum. “The day-to-day face of government is our streets, our parks, our police cars, our fire trucks … We have an aging infrastructure that we need to address.” Ald. Jane Grover (7th) said she was impressed by the “high caliber” of candidates who were willing to serve. With the appointment of Miller, Grover said she was ready for City Council to work back at “full force.” Council will vote to confirm Miller at a special council meeting Monday, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz told The Daily. Miller is a lifetime 9th Ward resident. Apart from his job in the commissioner’s office, he serves as president of the Democratic Party of Evanston and has previous legal experience working with the state’s attorney general and the Chicago law department. He also has been involved with non-profit organizations, including » See Alderman, page 6
Students celebrate Thai culture
Connie Wang/The Daily Northwestern
winner winner Medill junior Jon Palmer judges an eating contest at Thai Night. The event in Norris University Center featured Thai food, music and dancing. It also included a spicy food eating contest and massages. Hosted by Northwestern’s Thai Club, the event also raised money for scholarships for Thai students in rural areas of Thailand.
Restaurants to return in 2016 By paige leskin
daily senior staffer @paigeleskin
Evanston resident Daniel Kelch’s businesses have not had the best luck in the city. First, his Mexican restaurant Taco Diablo was destroyed by an early morning fire in December 2013 that also burned through two other businesses. Three months later, he closed his Asian restaurant Lulu’s, which opened 23 years ago. Although it was profitable, the restaurant was running on “cruise control,” Kelch said in a post on Lulu’s site. But both restaurants will be back in operation by next year. Construction will start this week at 1026 Davis St. — two doors down from Cozy Noodles and Rice — and should be finished by January 2016, Kelch said. “Today is a bright day,” Kelch told a crowd at the new site Friday. “It’s really easy to work in this community. That kind of environment, it’s kind of extraordinary actually.” Along with contractors, architects and co-owner Marty Cless, Kelch broke ground Friday at the storefront’s plot, now empty after the building that once housed Tom Thumb Hobby & Crafts was torn down in January. Kelch enthusiastically chatted and drank with community members, filling them in on the finalized design for the restaurants and the story of how the idea came about. Kelch said he knew almost immediately after the fire that he
wanted to bring back Taco Diablo, which had a short life of about 18 months. In January 2014 — a month after Taco Diablo burned down — Cless, a regular customer, contacted Kelch about reopening the restaurant. The two discussed their visions for the new place, Cless said, resulting in a revitalized concept for the new storefront, which sits across the street from Taco Diablo’s original location. Those working on the new building, Kelch said, are all local and familiar with the city: Myefski Architects is based down the street, the contractor LG Construction + Development just worked on Smylie Brothers Brewing Company and the interior designer has a company in Evanston. The new two-story building will include Lulu’s and Taco Diablo under the same roof and with a shared kitchen, but the two will have separate menus and seating. A year-round bar and lounge with a “retro” feel called Five & Dime will be located on the top floor, Kelch said, and will have an outdoor deck and a beer garden for when the weather is nice. “There will be food up there, but it’s going to have a flavor of more of a bar,” Kelch told The Daily in September. “It’ll be kind of a place where we hope people will come and just hang out, have a drink, spend an afternoon. We think that will help drive more revenue to help keep us a viable entity.” The rest of the space next to the restaurant will be available for one or two retail stores, Kelch said.
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Beyond the first floor, the owners plan to use the roof to expand their visions. Kelch said they want to build a shed — used to store outdoor furniture in the winter and house a recreation room for ping pong and other games in the summer — and an “urban garden,” where organic vegetables would be grown and sold to local businesses. The new versions of the restaurants will include new menus, although many of the old dishes residents liked will stay, Kelch said. Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl joked that the owners needed to keep the Taco Diablo menu as it was in 2013, but she also stressed the significance of having both restaurants back in Evanston. “We didn’t need a fire to tell us how important Lulu’s and Taco Diablo are to the city,” Tisdahl said. “We’re a big city … but we’re also a small town and community.” Kelch said the city has been supportive in helping him bring back his restaurants and in working with him to get permits approved. Downtown Evanston, a nonprofit that aims to improve the city’s economy, has also helped the owners by providing support and market development to spread the word about the restaurants, executive director Annie Coakley said. The owners have had their floor plans approved by the city, but contractors are still meeting with the city’s project manager to finalize the building design, Cless said. pl@u.northwestern.edu
Siemian, Campbell selected in 2015 NFL Draft
Two Northwestern football players had their name called Saturday in the 2015 NFL Draft, and five more were signed as undrafted free agents immediately afterward. Safety Ibraheim Campbell was the first selected from NU, with 16th pick in the fourth round (115th overall) by the Cleveland Browns. The only other NU player chosen was quarterback Trevor Siemian, who went to the Denver Broncos with the 33rd pick of the seventh round
(250th overall). Siemian’s selection confirmed pre-draft reports that the Broncos were interested in the signal caller. Soon after the draft ended, five more Wildcats inked undrafted free agent contracts. Center Brandon Vitabile joined Indianapolis, linebacker Jimmy Hall went to Oakland, linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo signed with San Diego, receiver Tony Jones signed with Washington and receiver Kyle Prater joined Campbell on the Browns. The seven NU players entering the NFL matches the number currently on rosters around the league. — Bobby Pillote
Football
Nathan Richards/Daily Senior Staffer
NEXT LEVEL Trevor Siemian looks to the sideline for a play call. The quarterback was selected by the Denver Broncos in the final round of the draft.
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