Crime — and a city crackdown on buildings where officials say it frequently occurs — dominated the news in Evanston in November. Here’s a rundown of the top 10 most-read stories.
- Alleged gunmen hide in apartment — Nov. 11 — A large contingent of Evanston police surrounded a building at the corner of Lake Street and Darrow Avenue this afternoon and sought to have people inside the building come out after officers said they saw suspects in a shots-fired incident flee into the building.
- Deaths prompt ‘drug house’ concerns — Nov. 4 — The so-far-unexplained death of a 31-year-old Evanston woman whose body was found over the weekend in the yard of a home at 1716 Dodge Ave. prompted discussion by aldermen this week of what can be done about what they called “drug houses” and nuisance properties in the community.
- Separate stops lead to two gun arrests — Nov. 4 — Evanston police say they recovered two handguns and arrested two men for possessing them in separate incidents Tuesday.
- Wilmette neighbors fear influx from Evanston — Nov. 4 — Plans to build low income housing on the former site of an American Legion post in Wilmette have brought complaints from neighbors that the new building will cause crime problems similar to those experienced in Evanston.
- New, affordable … and a crime hotspot — Nov. 17 — A city-developed affordable housing complex includes one of the 11 properties police identified Monday as the biggest crime and nuisance hotspots in Evanston.
- Fingerprint leads to arrest in entry attempt — Nov. 18 — Evanston police say fingerprints left on a bedroom window have tied a suspect to a break-in attempt near the Northwestern University campus early Monday morning.
- Alderman: Relatives put homes in peril — Nov. 20 — Evanston Alderman Delores Holmes says some of the 11 properties identified as crime hotspots this week are occupied by homeowners who’ve told her they didn’t know that the relatives they’ve shared their homes with were creating a nuisance in the neighborhood.
- Four youths charged in strong-arm robbery — Nov. 14 — Evanston police have arrested four Evanston teenagers in connection with the robbery of a 21-year-old man on Simpson Street early this morning.
- City plans nuisance property crackdown — Nov. 16 — Evanston city officials have scheduled a news conference for this afternoon to announce what City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz describes as “increased enforcement efforts” against properties associated with violent crime and public nuisances.
- Evanston woman dies in Englewood shooting — Nov. 3 — Chicago police say an Evanston woman was killed Monday night in a shooting in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s south side.