Important News: WLS TV spotlights achievements of Maria Pappas, returns millions to taxpayers

By Ray Hanania

WLS TV recently did an extensive report that showed how Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas was refunding property tax overpayments and crediting failed deductions to tens of thousands of Cook County property tax owners.

The return of the overpayments is unprecedented.

WLS Reporter Jason Knowles spotlights how Pappas has broken the county government delays and initiated the tax refunds.

Pappas credited her office and the professional use of Artificial Intelligence to resolve the delays caused by county government and a controversial computer software system.

“After a year of major delays to get Cook County property tax refund checks to residents, the ABC7 I-Team learned that the hold-ups are coming to an end and refund money is starting to get into the hands of taxpayers,” WLS TV Reported on May 21, 2026.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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