Northwestern University will host three women's athletics tournaments beginning this week, bringing the Big Ten and American Lacrosse Conference Championship to your backyard.   

Big Ten Women's Tennis Championship Tournament, Currently In Session

The Big Ten Women's Tennis Championship began yesterday at Vandy Christie Tennis Center, 2310 Sheridan Road.  Admission is free; there will be concessions and merchandise available for sale.  In case of rain, the games will be moved inside to the Combe Tennis Center, 2311 Campus Dr.

Additionally, the Chicago District U.S. Tennis Association will be conducting free clinics for youth sports players currently in the 8th grade and lower.

To view the full schedule, click here. 

Northwestern women are currently ranked #2 and have won a Big Ten title for 15 consecutive seasons. 

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American Lacrosse Conference Championship, May 1 through May 4

Cheer on our #5-ranked Northwestern women's lacrosse team on Lakeside Field, 2247 Campus Drive.  This may the last time the Northwestern lacrosse team will vie for the ALC national championship before moving to the newly-formed Big Ten lacrosse conference next season.  Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for youth (day pass). 

To view the full schedule, click here.

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Big Ten Softball Championship Tournament, May 8 through May 10

Northwestern women, ranked #5 in the Big Ten, will host the conference tournament at their home field, Sharon J. Drysdale Field, 1501 Central Street, located northeast of Ryan Field.  

Admission to attend the event is $27 for an all-session pass, $10 for a day pass and $5 for a day pass for groups of 15 people or more who purchased their ticket in advance.  To purchase tickets, please call 888-GO-PURPLE.  Additionally, on Saturday, May 10, Northwestern University's sports performance staff will host the Wildcat Fitness Day before the games begin. 

To view the full schedule, click here.

For more information and tickets about any of these championship tournaments, go to nusports.com.  

The ban on using hand-held cell phones while driving has been in effect in Evanston for four years, resulting in 9,000 tickets issued for violation of the law.  To emphasize our message about distracted driving on Evanston streets, the Evanston Police Department conducted an enforcement initiative yesterday in honor of Distracted Driving Awareness Month.  The enforcement resulted in 120 driving violations.

Since passage of Evanston's ban on hand-held devices four years ago, the crash rate in Evanston has declined 17%, with 420 fewer roadway crashes since 2010.  Please put down your phone to drive.   

Spend Saturday morning with your family and neighbors filling bags with the detritus left behind from this brutal winter.  Start with picking up free refuse bags this week at the information desk of the Morton Civic Center; the Levy Senior Center; Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center; all five Evanston Fire Stations; Ace Hardware, 1008 Davis St.; and Harold's Hardware, 2912 Central St. 

You can clean up your property, your neighborhood, or join efforts with others to clean up one of the ten designated sites across the city.  To sign up, please visit VolunteerEvanston.org. 

With almost 1,200 students now enrolled at Kingsley Elementary and Haven Middle Schools, traffic around the area has increased significantly.  Please remember:

• Traffic moves only northbound on Prairie Avenue during school arrival and dismissal times.

• The eight crossing guards assigned to Kingsley/Haven schools will protect pedestrians at crosswalks first, then will assist with the flow of traffic once safety is ensured; be patient.

• Do not drop off students on Lincoln Street. Too many students cross the street mid-block without a crossing guard to assist them.

• The City of Evanston and District 65 are re-examining the parking regulations and signage on Prairie Avenue in conjunction with the water main repairs and street resurfacing this summer.

• Police will enforce the posted parking and traffic signs.  Those driving while on their hand-held cell phone will be ticketed. 

• Encourage school children to walk and ride their bikes to school.  All schools have bike corrals where students can lock them up.

Thank you to Haven Principal Kathy Roberson and Kingsley Principal Tricia Murray for their guidance and assistance on these issues.  And thank you to the Kingsley and Haven school communities for looking out for everyone's children.