The Weekly: Week 5 Recap
Evanston’s aldermen are discussing solutions to replace lead water pipes in private residences and a look into how Evanston’s small businesses are celebrating Valentine’s Day from hot chocolate bombs to virtual dance parties. The Weekly: Week Five Recap breaks down our top headlines with the reporters and editors who covered them.
ILANA AROUGHETI: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Ilana Arougheti.
NATHAN ANSELL: And I’m Nathan Ansell. This is The Weekly: a podcast that breaks down our top headlines each week.
ILANA AROUGHETI: Here’s what’s been happening in the headlines. The Faculty Senate planned to vote on allocating their seats by tenured faculty members instead of by departments. If that happens, the Senate would include the Asian American Studies and Latina and Latino Studies programs for the first time. This effort would build on the recent push for better representation of the ethnic studies programs, which are not recognized as disti
Lead On: Drinking from a lead straw
DARRELL KING: We’re in full compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule.
TOM NELTNER: So who you’re going to miss are typically working families. You might miss younger families.
DARRELL KING: Well, most of the time, it just really comes down to access. You’d be amazed at how difficult it is to get people to participate.
ROBIN RUE SIMMONS: I disagree with there being barriers. That is an excuse that I would not tolerate going forward. We have families that need to know if they are vulnerable to unhealthy lead levels in their water.
December 22, 2020
Second Ward resident Regina SantâAnna has helped her elderly neighbor carry hundreds of boxes of bottled water from her car to her home. Living on the border of the historically Black 5th Ward, SantâAnna has noticed that some residents are concerned about their water quality.
âAt times in underserved communities of color, brown or Black, you have a lot of people investing in (bottled) water,â SantâAnna said. âYou have to put in your budget plastic bottled water, because you do not trust the water systems.â
SantâAnnaâs neighbor is one of many Evanston residents concerned about their drinking water. Home to Evanstonâs only waste transfer station, the 5th Ward specifically has suffered from discriminatory environmental policies that impact residentsâ air quality and health. While the reasons for distrust may vary, the 2014 Flint, Mich. water crisis renewed city-wide concern for lead in water.