sports Football Wildcats hold off Spartans for close road win » PAGE 8
ASG, Delta Upsilon raise funds » PAGE 5 for Sandy relief
opinion Watters Keep politics and friends separate » PAGE 4
High 56 Low 44
The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Monday, November 19, 2012
Find us online @thedailynu
Group pushes ban on plastic bottles
Praying for peace
Students hope to rid campus of disposable drink containers By Lauren Caruba
daily senior staffer
Rafi Letzter/Daily Senior Staffer
hillel hymn A group of Hillel-affiliated students sing the prayer hymn “Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu” at The Rock on Sunday. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg concluded the peace hymn with an English prayer for peace and safety for all those affected by conflict in Israel and Gaza. The vigil was organized over the weekend in response to a wave of increased violence following Israel’s assault on Hamas weaponry and the officials who had led an ongoing rocket campaign against the Israeli population.
— Patrick Svitek
the daily northwestern
Four pizza delivery men in Evanston have been robbed on the job since September — three so far this month — and most of the cases remain unsolved. Delivery men from Sarpino’s Pizzeria and Chicago-based J.B. Alberto’s Pizza have reported being robbed of their belongings and the food they were delivering. In September, a Sarpino’s driver was robbed at knifepoint of two pizzas. Two teenagers have since been arrested in connection with that robbery. In early November, two men took $150 and a pizza from a J.B. Alberto’s driver. Last week, another J.B. Alberto’s driver was robbed of pizza and his belongings at gunpoint, and three masked men with a knife robbed a Sarpino’s delivery man Tuesday. This rash of robberies is unusual,
1 Emerson St.
Church St.
2
3 Oakton St.
Howard St.
1900 block of Jackson Avenue
On Nov. 4, two men robbed a J.B. Alberto’s delivery man.The men took the driver’s wallet, including $150, and the pizza.
Dempster St.
Main St.
800 block of Dobson Street
A Sarpino’s delivery man was robbed at knifepoint on Sept. 8. Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the case.
2 Chic ago Ave .
By Ciara McCarthy and INA YANG
J.B. Alberto’s co-owner Tony Troiano said. Sarpino’s manager Vel Antonov agreed, noting that since the Evanston location opened in May 2008, there have been only four robberies — half of which have occurred in the past three months. The robberies appear to be unrelated, Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said. The four cases — the first one dates back to Sept. 8 and the most recent incident occurred Nov. 13 — all vary in several aspects. Victims have been threatened with both guns and knives, the companies with which the victims are affiliated vary each time and the delivery destinations are spread throughout Evanston. In several of the cases, the suspects mainly wore black clothing and covered their faces. Parrott pointed out that covering one’s face is different from, and often confused with, putting on a mask. “They’re all different,” said Parrott. “They are similar in nature but no links at this point.” Troiano noted that deliverers are vulnerable because they work alone
3
700 block of Dodge Avenue
A J.B. Alberto’s delivery man was robbed at gunpoint on Nov. 12. Two men took the pizza, the driver’s iPhone and $7 in cash.
Ridge Ave.
Since September, 4 men from different pizzerias robbed
Asbury Ave.
A 24-year-old woman died Saturday after authorities pulled her out of the North Shore Channel on the EvanstonSkokie border. The Skokie resident reportedly jumped into the canal at McCormick Boulevard and Main Street on Saturday morning, according to a news release. An eyewitness helped Evanston and Skokie officials pinpoint where she went underwater, allowing them to recover and transport her to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition. The hospital later told authorities she had died. The canal is about three miles southwest of Northwestern’s campus in Evanston. The woman, Andia Ymeraj, was pronounced dead shortly after noon Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. In 2010, Ymeraj went missing for several days while attending Loyola University in Chicago, according to NBC Chicago. She was found unharmed, but police considered the incident suspicious because she had left personal possessions in an academic building before apparently walking off campus.
» See bottles, page 6
Pizza drivers targeted for cash, deliveries
Dodge Ave.
Skokie woman dies after reportedly jumping into canal
Students covered The Rock in plastic water bottles Friday to launch a campaign to ban their sale on Northwestern’s campus. Headed by Pura Playa, a plastic reduction team within Engineers for a Sustainable World, the initiative involves petitioning the student body and spreading an educational message about the harmful effects of plastic on the environment. The group decided to host “Bottle the Rock,” an all-day petition effort at The Rock on Friday, to give its campaign more visibility and garner support from the wider student body, said Megan Scherich, who is leading the activism component of the campaign. “Hopefully it will get people to come over and ask about what’s going on with and be more inquisitive about plastic pollution,” the McCormick junior said.
As of Sunday night, the group’s online petition had amassed more than 360 student signatures supporting the campaign. In addition to banning plastic water bottles on campus, signing the petition signifies support for providing students with reusable water bottles and upgrading on-campus water filling stations, something both the Office of Sustainability and student groups have expressed interest in this year. The petition also endorses the creation of a committee of stakeholders comprised of students, administrators and industry representatives to evaluate the University’s water bottle policy and discuss the feasibility of implementing the ban. Banning plastic water bottles at NU represents a significant undertaking, one that would not be met without obstacles. A major roadblock to the effort will be NU’s contract with Coca-Cola, which last year was renewed for another seven years, Scherich said. A major sponsor of NU athletics, the company owns the bottled water company Dasani and supplies the water bottles in vending machines across campus. One of the main concerns with
4
800 block of Case Street
Three masked men robbed a Sarpino’s delivery man at knifepoint on Nov. 13. They took the driver’s belongings, including $150, and two pizzas.
4 1
» See thefts, page 6
Christine Nguyen/Daily Senior Staffer
;DDI76AA KH# >AA>CD>H
I=>H H6IJG96N
@>8@D;; 6I && 6#B# Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
INSIDE Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Forum 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8