My copy of Flannery O'Connor's The Complete Stories might have been a gift, or I might have procured it in some sort of used-book buying frenzy. My memory is unclear, and there's no evidence in the form of a price tag or a penciled-in number on the first page. What is clear is that I've been in no hurry to read it, since I can tell you that it's sat on my shelf (and endured several moves) for at least five years, maybe ten. That is, until now. I've officially signed up for the Evanston Public Libary's "Mission Impossible Book Club," which will tackle O'Connor's collection of short stories …

Evanston, we always knew you were a winning community. Among the seven Patch sites that participated in our Summer's Last Hurrah contest, we picked one grand prize winner at random--and he's an Evanston Patch reader. Saul Lieberman will receive a $500 gift certificate to Target and a trip for four to Great America, including parking for the day and a family meal. (Valued at $250.) Locally, we picked one winner out of the two dozen people who submitted photos of their summer vacation to Evanston Patch. She's Wendy Wilson, and she'll be receiving a $75 gift certificate to Lollie, a $75 gift …

I got robbed on the Red Line today. As a local news editor, I've seen countless reports of this happening. Reading the police blotter every day, I've picked up on recent crime trends and have always taken extra steps to avoid being a victim. I never leave my purse hanging on a chair, for example, and I try to walk with friends in groups and stay in well-lit areas. I also recently graduated from the Citizen Police Academy. The CPA is a free program offered through the Evanston Police Department that gives citizens an overview of all areas of the police department. We were taught specifically …