2023's Most-Read Stories On Evanston Patch

EVANSTON, IL — Another year is nearly in the books. As we round out the final week of 2023 and prepare to ring in the start of 2024, which promises to bring an extra day in February and a total solar eclipse across North America in March.

Among the year's top local stories were a triple shooting, a school superintendent's exit and subsequent budget shortfalls, a coach's dismissal and the legal fallout, locals taken hostage abroad and the controversial approval of a plan for a major new concert venue.

Below find more than a dozen of the most-read stories that appeared on the Evanston Patch over the course of the past 12 months:

Evanston Library Staffer Quits Police Job While Under Investigation

Abah Antonio resigned from the Niles Police Department a day after its deputy chief recommended he be placed on administrative leave.
After: Library Staffer Draws Gun During Beating By Homeless Man, Police Say

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Evanston Reparations To Include Option Of Direct Cash Payment

The City Council amended the Restorative Housing Program to include an option to take a cash payout instead of a $25,000 housing grant.

Superintendent Devon Horton To Depart District 65 Job For Atlanta Area

Nearly three years after taking over amid the pandemic, the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 superintendent announced plans to leave town.
Then: $4M Budget Shortfall Passed To Interim District 65 Superintendent and Already $25M Overbudget, D65 Board Decides To Downsize 5th Ward School

$35 Million Settlement In NorthShore, Sex Offender OB-GYN Birth Injury Suit

NorthShore and Dr. Fabio Ortega agreed to pay $35 million to a family who sued over a 2015 C-section that left a girl with cerebral palsy.

Evanston Licenses Margarita Inn As First Permanent Homeless Shelter

Evanston councilmembers voted 6-2 to grant final approval to a special use permit and operating agreement with Connections for the Homeless.
Then: Cook County Spends $13.5 Million To Buy Hotels In Evanston, Oak Park

Murder Charges Filed Against Second Man In Evanston Triple Shooting

Jalen Murray and Tacorey Magitt are charged with the murder of 18-year-old Jacquis Irby during an April 12 dispute at Clark Street Beach in Evanston.

Northwestern Fires Coach Fitzgerald Over Hazing Scandal

NU President Michael Schill said that the Wildcats' program is "incredibly broken" in ways and that 11 players said hazing has been ongoing.
Then: Ex-Northwestern Coach Seeks $130M In Wrongful Termination Suit

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Northwestern Hazing Lawsuits Start Of 'College Sports' Me Too Movement': Lawyer

Former Northwestern quarterback Lloyd Yates is the first named plaintiff in the first of more than 30 suits to be filed by lawyer Ben Crump.

Ex-Northwestern Lineman Claims Racial Discrimination, Hazing In Suit

Ramon Diaz says Northwestern and its Board of Directors allowed "perpetrators disguised as coaches" to exploit players of color.

Northwestern Retaliated Against Staff Who Reported Fired Coach: Suit

Two assistant coaches and former director of baseball operations allege university officials punished them for complaining about Jim Foster.

Northwestern Cheerleader Sex Trafficking Suit Beats Motion To Dismiss

A federal judge rejected the university's attempt to dismiss a former cheerleader's claims of forced labor and commercial sex trafficking.

Hamas Releases American Mother, Daughter Held Hostage For 2 Weeks

Evanston residents Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie were the first of the 200 hostages taken by Hamas to be released.
Earlier: Evanston Mom, Daughter Taken Hostage By Hamas Are Alive, Family Told

Ryan Field Concert Plan Gets Final Evanston City Council Approval

Mayor Daniel Biss broke a 4-4 tie to authorize Northwestern University's plan to hold six concerts a year at a reconstructed Ryan Field.
Earlier: Mayor Daniel Biss Casts Deciding Vote In Favor Of Ryan Field Concerts

Read More Of Patch's Most-Read 2023 Stories From: Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka