‘Rattiest’ no more: Residents gain ground in Evanston battle against rodents

Rats scurried in broad daylight outside Insomnia Cookies in downtown Evanston. At night, the long-tailed rodents leapt out of trash cans. And around the clock, they forced nearby businesses to wage a “losing battle” to keep them away, store operations manager Laura Dundas said in early March. She estimated that hundreds had overrun the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue. Defeat to mere rodents seemed almost certain. No battle plan could contain them “outside of nuclear war,” she said. Less than two months later, the rats have largely vanished. In an...