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72 years around the sun, an experience that continues to grow Journalist and columnist Ray Hanania looks back at 72 years and the ups and downs of life from school to journalism, politics, cancer, legionnaires’ disease, standup comedy, and music By Ray Hanania 72 years around the sun today .., thank you everyone for the…
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You May Be Owed Money For Overpaying Property Taxes Up To 20 Years Ago By Maria Pappas My office is managing about $122 million in potential refunds for property tax overpayments going back 20 years that I’m eager to send back to property owners. But determining who’s entitled to a refund isn’t simple. Most overpayments…
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Men can be Victims of Domestic Abuse Too By Jeffery M. Leving and Arthur S. Kallow The conviction of a former ballerina who had been charged with second-degree murder and convicted by a jury of manslaughter in the shooting death of her estranged husband in Florida has generated a lot of interest, playing out like a typical…
Why We Pay Property Taxes In Arrears? Column: Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas By Maria Pappas One of the most common questions I get in my office, is, “Why do we collect taxes for the previous year?” Here’s the backstory. Cook County’s property tax system has changed dramatically since The Treasurer’s…
Leving Team saved Dad’s Son from living with Reported Predator – Registered Sex Offender! By Laura Reichel A desperate Dad called attorney Jeffery Leving for help after discovering his ex planned to take their son away from him to live with her and her new boyfriend, who was a registered sex offender! The Leving legal…
Change in law lets tax breaks automatically renew for homeowners with disabilities State lawmakers have made it easier for people with disabilities to continue receiving annual property tax relief. By Maria Pappas Cook County homeowners who receive the Persons with Disabilities Exemption no longer must reapply for the benefit every year. Lawmakers acted to allow…
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After fleeing SiriusXM, I was shocked by the hate on AM Radio in Chicago I was pushed into subscribing to SiriusXM when I purchased my car. But after many years, I realized I was wasting my money listening to only one or two stations and never getting enough info. Most of it is Islamophobic hate…
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Property Tax Exemptions: How Homeowners and Seniors Can Save on Taxes By Maria Pappas Property taxes can be a financial burden, but exemptions can help reduce those costs by offering significant savings to property owners. There are three exemptions that do the most good for the most people. They are the Homeowner Exemption, the Senior…
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New parenting schedule brings peace to dad and kids By: Laura Reichel When a couple divorce or separate, it can be difficult to maintain a safe family dynamic when children are involved. One dangerous factor that can damage a father’s ability to secure a stable family dynamic with his children is parental alienation. Parental alienation…
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Treasurer’s website offers easy way to update property tax bill name and address information By Maria Pappas You may not look forward to receiving your property tax bill, but it’s crucial that you get it. Not getting it can lead to missing the payment due date, which can cost you money. That’s exactly what happened…
Paying your tax bill online is easy and safe, but you can also pay by mail or in person By Maria Pappas In 1789, Ben Franklin wrote that nothing was certain “except death and taxes.” Today I write about the taxes part of the great American statesman’s uncomfortable reminder: The due date for Cook County…
Opinion: Edgar County “Watchdogs” continue to exaggerate and mislead facts for political pals The so-called “newspaper” the “Edgar County Watchdogs” (Illinois Leaks) continue to publish misleading and distorted information pimping for their political pals and cronies to attack anyone they disagree with. The website can’t get their facts right, and they twist and distort FOIA…
Property Tax Pointers from the County Treasurer: 10 Must-Know Tips for Homeowners By Maria Pappas As Cook County Treasurer, I’ve learned the property tax system can be confusing and intimidating. Whether you’re a new or longtime homeowner, or a senior citizen, I understand your frustrations. To help, I’ve created 10 tips to better understand your…
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Jimmy Carter was a great man who should be emulated By Jeffery M. Leving In January of 2000, I wrote to President Jimmy Carter to ask if he would mediate the Elian Gonzalez case. In case you were too young or just do not remember, Elian Gonzalez was a young boy from Cuba who was…
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State program allows senior citizens to defer payments on property tax bills Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas By Maria Pappas Amid increasing concerns that rapid increases in property tax bills will drive people from their homes, state officials are boosting a program that lets senior citizens defer paying their property tax…
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Illinois Attorney General slams Orland Park for withholding critical information on unfiled annual audits By Ray Hanania In another major setback for Keith Pekau, the besieged MAYOR of Orland Park in suburban Chicagoland, the Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul ordered the village to release the correspondence between the village and its auditors. The issue surfaced…
Orland School District 135 turns sex abuse case involving 2 female students into victim shaming By Ray Hanania Everyone remembers in January 2015 when an Elementary School District 135 teacher, Cara Labus, was arrested on charges of sexually abusing two young school girls, aged 14, beginning in 2008 in suburban Orland Park. The case was…
Comptroller’s Office comments on Pekau Administration’s “resolution” Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza responds to lies and exaggerations made by beleaguered Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and his rubber stamp board which has mishandled the village’s finances distinguishing themselves by being among only a few governments that have failed to file two annual financial audits in…
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