THE VILLAGE WISDOMAnd the Lordeths said: Let the sweet smell of marijuana waft unhindered

Um, how to be funny about this? Evanston aldermen have been debating how to make sure residents have enough neural activity to distinguish between official city websites and those belonging to individual aldermen. Somewhere in there they also decided not to implement a plan to stop "gang loitering."

Well, the residents of the 8th ward, which is probably somewhere no Northwestern student has ever seen, are not happy.

Kristin Doll of 140 Custer St. said she is very sensitive to the issue of criminalizing innocent kids who don't have anywhere to go, but that residents "are very intimidated."

The groups of young people, she said, "smoke pot; have alcohol in their hands."

"I've been harassed for walking by, been called names I won't repeat," she said, "There needs to be something the police can do. So often we call the police, the kids scatter, the police leave and the kids come back."

Oh NO SHE DIDN'T! Whoa! Marijuana, you say? And (ok, presumably) Skol! What did our esteemed Aldermen have to say to that?

Ald. Jean-Baptiste said the police department "already has laws it can enforce, such as disorderly conduct. If the young people have done these things, they ought to be arrested."

He said the ordinance would lead to "fascistic treatment" of the young people. "It would create a society were every corner has a camera and we're still not able to address the issues."

You know what, he's right. Only Nazis would rid the street corners of kids doing illegal drugs and drinking unfiltered devil water. And, dude? No one's talking about cameras. Maybe at the next meeting the wisemen can piss-test his Lordeth Jean-Baptiste for illegal substances.
[EvanstonNow]

THE LOCALSDrunk teens? Yeah, not going anywhere.

This week in stunning revelations produced by courageous suburban reporting: Yes, the parents who let their teenage son throw a really rather boozy party in their basement were convicted of, like, several things. But, and this is quite a but!, teenage drinking will persist, students say.

First, a little perspective. The party, well attended by students of America's High School^®, resulted in two deaths. The parents, Jeffrey and Sara Hutsell, were from Deerfield; the article does not say where their son goes (went?) to high school.

And, our reporter? J.T. Morand. Well, initials aren't what they used to be. While usually relegated to the "Here comes Harry Potter" beat (sadly, a real headline), Morand has some experience tracing liquor-and-coke-laden stomachs back to the whereabouts of their intoxication. In fact, Morand reveals, the two cases are related!

Suzanne Savin, mother of Jessica Savin, the Glencoe teen who died when she fell through a skylight atop a building in Chicago in April, is praying for the Deerfield couple.

Jessica Savin was the former girlfriend of Jesse Trace, the twin brother of Ross Trace, 18, who died in the car crash that also killed Daniel Bell, 18, outside the Hutsell home the night of the party last October. They had been at the party and were returning to it. Three other teens in the car sustained injuries.

With all this alcohol-related death, you might think New Trier students would be reconsidering their weekend bacchanalia. Not really, Morand discovers when asking the young sun-worshippers at Gillson Beach in Wilmette:

"Kids don't care enough to stop," said Lynea Martin, 15.

"Kids will still do what it takes to get drinks," added Erin Guza, 16.

And Jesse Trace, who has now lost his twin brother and his ex-girlfriend to a combination of alcohol, a skylight and drunk drivers? Perhaps we will find out when the reporting takes place somewhere other than the lakeshore. [GlencoeNews]