Evanston Now is the independently-owned local news site for Evanston, Illinois, that covers government, schools, events and business in the city.
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Evanston Now is a member of Local Independent Online News Publishers and follows the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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The Evanston Now team
Publisher/Owner
Bill was born and raised in Evanston and has journalism degrees from Northwestern University and a law degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. A broadcast news reporter, producer and anchor in Detroit and other cities, he taught journalism at Michigan State, Penn State and Northeastern University and started working in online media in Boston in 1994. He returned to Evanston in 2005 and launched Evanston Now in 2006. More by Bill Smith
Reporter
Matthew has covered politics and local government for Evanston Now since 2024. He was previously a freelance reporter for the New York Times. He grew up in Cleveland and has a journalism degree from Boston University, where he worked and edited the independent student newspaper, The Daily Free Press. More by Matthew Eadie
Reporter
Jeff joined Evanston Now in 2020 after a 40-year career as a broadcast journalist in Cincinnati, Ohio, during which he won more than 40 local, regional and national awards for excellence in reporting, including 26 regional Emmy Awards. He is also a three-time winner of the national Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, once for the Best Documentary in the U.S., and twice for the Best Investigative Reporting. More by Jeff Hirsh
Reporter
Adrian joined Evanston Now in 2025. He previously covered education for The Times of Northwest Indiana. He grew up in the Chicago area and graduated from North Central College, where he worked for the student newspaper, The Chronicle, and the student radio station, WONC. More by Adrian Martinez-De La Cruz
Reporter
Desiree moved to Evanston in 2022 from Columbus, Ohio. She has a journalism degree from Otterbein College of Ohio and reported on the construction trades for McGraw Hill. She later earned a law degree and served as a regulatory enforcement lawyer for the State of Ohio. Before retiring in 2018, she obtained a master’s degree in public administration from Ohio University. More by Desiree Shannon
