Above: The Central Street Neighbors Association entry in the 2024 Fourth of July parade.
For over a century, Evanston, through the efforts of the non-profit Evanston Fourth of July Association (EFJA), has celebrated Independence Day on July 4. This Fourth marks the 250th anniversary of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence by delegates to the Continental Congress. Probably you already know that. Be assured, many who will grill out or watch fireworks this weekend do not.
Is that "birthday party" still appropriate? News reports today are that many Americans don't feel excited or inspired. Is staying home the answer?
Submitted by jeffpsmith on Sat, 05/23/2026 - 14:33
Submitted by CSNA on Sat, 05/23/2026 - 13:36
Submitted by CSNA on Wed, 02/18/2026 - 13:57
The City of Evanston, having passed the “Envision Evanston” plan by a bare 5-4 majority, is moving to the zoning change that drove that plan all along. The City will next hire a zoning consultant firm. That step may seem arcane and boring, but who is hired, and how, matters.
Submitted by CSNA on Sat, 01/31/2026 - 12:52
In 2026, for the first time in almost three decades, we have a contested open seat for Congress in our 9th District.
Submitted by CSNA on Mon, 01/26/2026 - 12:46
The following information is a cross-posted e-mailing from Evanston Action Coalition, with minor edits for brevity and clarity; re-publication does not constitute endorsement by CSNA. For posts related to the Envision Evanston planning, please see our articles collection here.
City Council is scheduled to vote on Envision Evanston 2045 tonight, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, at a meeting that begins 5:30 PM.
This comprehensive plan would guide zoning, development, and land-use decisions across Evanston for decades — yet it did not emerge from a transparent, resident-led planning process.
Submitted by CSNA on Wed, 01/21/2026 - 15:52
The following is from a press release from Most Livable City Association:
Pages
The 
We have been working on editing and posting manageable segments of video from the February 4 forum featuring six candidates for the Democratic nomination to represent the 9th Congressional District that includes all of Evanston. As of this writing we have about half the forum up and hope to complete the rest within a few days. In the meantime, if you missed the forum or were there and want to review, or share with a friend, you can view individual questions at your leisure from the links below or at our 