Thumbs up to…Potential new Yellow Line stop
The Skokie Swift might have to change its name to include South Evanston stops, a much-needed addition for the parts of Evanston largely unaccessible by public transportation. We applaud the potential change, which would, for example, facilitate better access to St. Francis Hospital if CTA adds the stop at Ridge. Currently, the Yellow Line provides door-to-door transportation from the Howard stop to Skokie, a necessary service for the northwestern Chicago suburbs. However, a stop at Ridge, Dodge or Asbury is both feasible and would ease some east-west transit for commuters and businesses. We hope the new stop can reduce traffic and grant better access to a wider range of areas.
Thumbs down to…Farmers’ market inspection fees
Recent debates over health inspection fees for farmers’ market vendors is an unfortunate side effect of the farmers’ market, which adds vitality to warm Evanston weekends. It’s great that Evanston does the market every year – it brings locally produced products for NU students and Evanston residents–but the city should look into the concerns over fees. If vendors can’t afford the one-time $225 inspection fee, the city should negotiate the price down to come up with an alternative, especially if some already pay an inspection fee for their kitchens. Maintaining a booth may be costly with few sales profits, but uninspected food could contain things that are just, well, icky.
Thumbs up to…Foley released from Libya
After over a month of anxious speculation, Medill alum James Foley was released Wednesday from Libyan custody after nearly 42 days in captivity. The University’s support of his release and campus demonstrations fostered a spirit of support for a fellow wildcat throughout his captivity. The news story provides a sigh of relief all who have followed the story. It also speaks to the dangers of reporting on the front lines, just as Roxana Saberi’s release from Iranian captivity did two years ago. We wish Foley a safe trip home.
Thumbs sideways to…Dining plans overhauled
For all those times we’ve had to buy an impulse box of Milk Duds to have enough food to count for a meal, we were glad to hear about the meal plan overhaul this week. But some parts of it seem more confusing than ameliorating. For one, the changed eliminated most block plans in an effort to foster friendships among freshmen by encouraging them to eat in dining halls. Really? It’ll probably make them bond more over the fact that they’re chained to dining halls than the fact that they get to eat together for every meal (which they could do anyway, dining hall or no dining hall). Also, fewer plans overall mean fewer options for students to choose from. Maybe in practice, this will prove to be a good idea, but it seems too soon to tell. For now, we look forward to using our two guest passes.
Thumbs up to…NU women’s sports #winning
It takes a lot for most NU students to pay attention to sports that aren’t football or men’s basketball. Well, right now, the women’s lacrosse and women’s tennis teams are doing a lot, and it’s up to us to notice: We all know about the five-time champion lacrosse team, which advanced to the final 8 of the NCAA Tournament by taking down Boston College 11-8 at home on Saturday. But tennis did its job too, trouncing IPFW, then No. 17 Notre Dame, beating each 4-0 to advance to the final 16 of the tournament for the 11th time in 12 years. Lax is slated for a matchup with an undefeated Albany team – they’ll probably win and go on to play in the tournament’s final two rounds in Stony Brook, N.Y. on Dillo Day Weekend. Women’s tennis has a tougher task going up against No. 1 Stanford. Here’s hoping both our remaining women’s teams do well in their NCAA endeavors.
