Residents whose normal refuse pick-up day is Tuesday (northern half of the 6th Ward) and have damaged and older model yard waste carts will receive a new cart for free. Damaged refuse carts will also be replaced at the City's discretion.

Those residents are asked to leave their yard waste and refuse carts in their normal pick-up spot, accessible to City crews, until the anticipated end of this phase of the program, March 4, or until after their cart is replaced. There is no need for residents to take any other action. Residents who typically take their carts to the street curb for Tuesday pick-up are asked to return the carts to a place still visible to the crews after the pick-up has been made until the cart has been replaced.

Crews are scheduled to complete the work throughout the entire city. After the program is completed, future yard waste cart replacements will incur a charge as per the City code.

For more information, please call or text 847-448-4311.

The City of Evanston announced a new online portal that streamlines Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the first of its kind in Illinois. The portal, powered by NextRequest and available at cityofevanston.org/foia, allows community members and organizations to conveniently submit, track, and browse public record requests online; receive automatic email updates regarding their requests; and download documents.

For the first time, visitors to the City’s website also have access to a searchable database of previously released documents, ensuring that once a City document has been made public, anyone will have access to it.

The City receives an average of more than 600 FOIA requests each year, which are managed by the City Clerk’s office. Although residents are encouraged to utilize the online public records portal, requests may also continue to be mailed to the Evanston City Clerk, Morton Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave., Evanston, IL 60201; submitted in-person at the Morton Civic Center, Room 1200, during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon. through Fri.; emailed to FOIA@cityofevanston.org; or faxed to the City Clerk at 847-448-8131.

For more information, please call/text 847-448-4311.

Community members are invited to “An Evening of Diversity Dialogue with Dr. Logan” to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion within the Evanston community. Dr. Gilo Kwesi Logan, of Logan Consulting Services, LLC, has partnered with the Evanston Police Department as part of the Department's diversity and inclusion training.

The meeting will be held:
Tues., Feb. 23, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Levy Senior Center

300 Dodge Ave.
Evanston

The Evanston Police Department strives to provide the Evanston community with a fair, just, and professional department that is sensitive to the diverse community it serves. For more information on this program, please contact Commander Diane Davis of the Evanston Police Department at 847-866-5047 or ddavis@cityofevanston.org.

Evanston community members and organizations are encouraged to nominate an older adult in Evanston who has made an impact in the local community through her or his interest in aging for the 2016 Aging Well Award. Nominations must be submitted by Mon., Feb. 29.

The nomination form can be completed online at cityofevanston.org/agingwellconference. Printed nomination forms are also available at the Morton Civic Center, Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department, Room 1100, 2100 Ridge Ave., and at the Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave.

All nominees will be critiqued on both outstanding personal acts and/or community impact. The nominee may have impacted the community and improved the quality of the lives of older adults through outstanding leadership as well as the investment of time, resources or advocacy.

The Evanston Aging Well Conference Planning Committee will select the honoree at its committee meeting on Thu., March 17. The winner of the 2016 Aging Well Award will be honored at the Evanston Aging Well Conference on Fri., May 6, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at The Merion, 1611 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

The free half-day conference provides strategies for healthy aging for older adults, their families, caregivers and professionals. The conference includes a continental breakfast and a choice of two workshops. Space is limited to 175 attendees. Registration for the event will open in March 2016.

Previous winners of the Aging Well Award include Lorraine H. Morton, Father Robert Oldershaw, William Logan, Julia Hagwood and Gerri Sizemore.

For more information regarding the Evanston Aging Well award or conference, please contact Ann Searles at 847-679-2372 or searlesil@yahoo.com.

WOW is a 12-week walking program designed to encourage women in Evanston to lead healthier lifestyles and become more physically active. Using walking as the foundation, individuals and teams of women are asked to track their steps and seek to improve their activity level on a weekly basis.

Kick-off event and orientation
Sat., March 19, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Evanston Township High School

Registration
Registration for WOW is now open and will conclude on June 11, 2016. Participants are encouraged to register before the March 19, 2016 Kick-Off Event to take full advantage of the program. Register here.

The cost of registration is $5 and online registration is preferred. In-person registration will be available at the kick-off event on March 19. If you are unable to pay your registration fee or would like to sponsor the registration of a participant, please contact Lucretia Bond at 847-448-8144 or lbond@cityofevanston.org.

After you complete the WOW registration, please register for the myfitnesspal Online Activity Tracker to track your steps throughout the program. Please submit your steps here.

Additionally, participants will be invited to attend workshops that provide tips and education in the areas of nutrition and overall women’s health issues. Last, but certainly not least, walkers are invited to explore a variety of physical activity alternatives, including yoga, bootcamp, dance, and other exciting exercise opportunities.