The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, January 18, 2017
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ETHS board passes ‘safe haven’ motion Board vows to protect immigrant families, students By RYAN WANGMAN
the daily northwestern @ryanwangman
Maytham Alzayer/The Daily Northwestern
State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) speaks at a town hall on Tuesday. Biss urged attendees to engage in politics.
State senator urges citizen action
Democrat Daniel Biss presses political engagement at town hall By BILLY KOBIN
daily senior staffer @Billy_Kobin
State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) urged residents at a town hall meeting on Tuesday to not remain silent on political and social issues in 2017, especially as uncertainty
reigns at the state and federal levels. Biss hosted the two-hour discussion at the FleetwoodJourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St., and spoke about numerous issues facing Illinois and the country in 2017, including the likely repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the unprecedented state budget
impasse. Biss told the audience of about 120 people that they cannot go about their daily lives assuming lawmakers will take care of issues facing the state and nation. “2017 is not a year for that attitude,” Biss said. “This moment in American history is not a moment for that attitude.”
The incoming Trump administration forces Illinois residents and Americans to act and stand up for their beliefs, he said. He added that Evanston Township High School District 202’s statement supporting its students and encouraging diversity at the school after the » See BISS, page 6
City lawsuit over Mayor speaks on pipes continues electoral process Action against ComEd, Nicor enters new stage
By NORA SHELLY
daily senior staffer @noracshelly
As Evanston continues its lawsuit against two energy companies for materials found in and around water pipes, officials say the water in south Evanston is safe to drink. Evanston refiled a lawsuit against ComEd, an electric utility company and Nicor, a natural gas distributor, this May over materials found in water pipes. In 2014 and 2015, city staff found a black crust on the outside of a water line and another pipe in the area of Dodge Avenue. Both areas of black crust match the coal tar found at the Skokie Manufactured Gas Plant Site, which is just west of the city on
Oakton Street and McCormick Boulevard. In summer 2015, the same black crust was found inside the Dodge Avenue waterline. According lawsuit documents, the city believes the materials, which are not harmful at the levels found in Evanston water, were brought to the area by gas lines used the mid-20th century that are no longer in use. The lawsuit was refiled in May after an independent testing laboratory confirmed coal tar in places on water lines around James Park. City manager Wally Bobkiewicz said the city is being as transparent as it can about the lawsuit and results of the water testing. “Given the issues around the country with water quality, certainly outside of Evanston such as Flint, Michigan, people are very tuned-in to these issues,” he said. “There is » See LAWSUIT, page 6
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
By NORA SHELLY
daily senior staffer @noracshelly
Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl released a statement on recent decisions made by the city’s Electoral Board on Tuesday, saying filing for office in Evanston is “too complex.” Tisdahl, who is part of the three-member board along with city clerk Rodney Greene and Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), released the statement nearly a week after the board overruled mayoral candidate Jeff Smith’s objections to all four of his competitors’ petitions. Smith filed the objections against the petitions of Ald. Brian Miller (9th), Ald. Mark Tendam (6th), former Evanston Township supervisor Gary Gaspard and businessman Steve Hagerty in late December. Smith disputed the accuracy of their filings, arguing Miller and Tendam had filed without indicating a
party and had not made clear the election date on their petitions. As for Gaspard, Smith alleged he had filed for an election that did not exist, and he held Hagerty had filed for the wrong election. Objections from a supporter of Miller were filed against Tendam, Gaspard and Hagerty earlier in December. Those objections came after Miller filed his petitions in November, although City Clerk Rodney Greene had previously announced the proper filing dates to be in December. Miller alleged the proper dates to be in November, later citing a forgotten 1992 referendum that requires the city to hold a primary if there are more than two candidates in a mayoral case. The three other candidates in the race at the time scrambled to file their petitions. The objections against » See TISDAHL, page 6
With the impending inauguration of Donald Trump, Evanston Township High School District 202 board voted unanimously on Tuesday to declare ETHS a “safe haven” for students and families subject to any changes in immigration policy. The resolution holds that the school will not actively investigate a person’s immigration status unless required specifically by a court order, ETHS Superintendent Eric Witherspoon told The Daily. He also said he hoped the resolution would allow students to continue to feel safe and comfortable talking openly to school officials. “We want them to know that the school is not an agency of the immigration services,” Witherspoon said. “We think that by doing this resolution, we can really have them understand that you can feel safe at the school.” According to the resolution, the initiative highlights the school’s commitment to diversity, emphasizing the need to include all students regardless of their immigration status. Minor tweaks were made to the wording of the resolution to clarify its message, but otherwise the resolution passed with its initial provisions. An ETHS student representing undocumented immigrant students brought the matter to the board’s attention last month, member Jonathan Baum said. ETHS will be among the first schools to adopt such a resolution nationwide, Baum said at
the meeting. “One of the most important lessons that we teach our children is that there are times when you have to act boldly, even at risk, to do what’s right,” Baum said. “In light of our country, this is such a time.” In addition to the board members who attended the meeting, there was a large showing of parent volunteers from the Latino Advisory Committee, donning neon yellow shirts with their last names printed on the back. Mercedes Fernandez, a Latino liaison and minority language coordinator at ETHS, organized the group to show their appreciation toward the board for passing the resolution. She said that the resolution will make the immigrant community feel safer at ETHS. “I feel very grateful and very proud of being part of this institution,” Fernandez said. “It’s an example for other school districts and they are taking a stand for our students.” Cities such as Evanston and Chicago have declared themselves sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants. Evanston aldermen voted to approve a “welcoming city” resolution in December that prohibits any city official from asking a resident’s immigration status unless required by state law or court. Witherspoon said he wants students to feel supported and comfortable. He said ETHS is going to focus on student’s education and well-being, and that immigration issues don’t have a place in the school. “We will take every measure we can possibly legally take to protect every student and their families in this school,” Witherspoon said at the meeting. ryanw@u.northwestern.edu
Katie Pach/Daily Senior Staffer
Parent volunteers from the Latino Advisory Committee at the Evanston Township High School District 202 board meeting. They gathered to show their gratitude to the board for passing the “safe haven” resolution.
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