Category: Blogger

Paying tax bill online is easy and safe, but you can also pay by mail or in person

July 13, 2024July 13, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Paying tax bill online is easy and safe, but you can also pay by mail or in person By Maria Pappas Property owners face an Aug. 1 due date to pay their Second Installment 2023 tax bills. Many homeowners authorize their mortgage company to pay their two annual property tax installments from an escrow account….

Blogger, Commentary, Cook County, Government, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Taxes

Homeowners shocked by tax hikes should read bills to find out where their money goes

July 1, 2024July 1, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Homeowners shocked by tax hikes should read bills to find out where their money goes By Maria Pappas Record-high increases in property tax bills have shocked and angered many Cook County property owners, especially in the south suburbs. Second Installment 2023 bills are online at cookcountytreasurer.com and arriving in mailboxes in early July. Bills are…

Blogger, Commentary, Cook County, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Orland’s Pekau rejects contract renewal for Village Manager George Koczwara

June 15, 2024June 15, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Orland’s Pekau rejects contract renewal for Village Manager George Koczwara Controversy-plagued Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau will introduce a letter at Monday’s Village Board meeting (June 17, 2024) signed by him telling Village Manager George Koczwara that his contract cannot be renewed because it would be “unfair and inappropriate to allow an automatic extension” to…

Blogger, Commentary, Government, Opinion, Orland Park, Politics, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Father with troubled past gains full parenting time

June 14, 2024June 14, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Father with troubled past gains full parenting time By Laura Reichel A Chicago father with a problematic past, was being kept from his son. He drank a little too much back in the day, and he had a criminal record. When he and his wife separated, he initially had limited contact with his grade school-age son,…

Blogger, Commentary, Jeffery Leving, Law, Opinion

You may be owed a refund for overpaying property taxes during past 20 years

June 14, 2024June 14, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

You may be owed a refund for overpaying property taxes during past 20 years By Maria Pappas My office is sitting on about $93 million in potential refunds for property tax overpayments going back 20 years. Most overpayments occurred because more than one person paid the same tax bill twice. Reasons why duplicate payments occurred…

Blogger, Commentary, Cook County, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

What’s the Best Middle East restaurant in Chicagoland’s suburbs? Zwar in Orland Park

June 8, 2024December 19, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

What’s the Best Middle East restaurant in Chicagoland’s suburbs? Zwar in Orland Park One of Chicagoland’s best Middle East Arabian restaurants offers a special exotic entertainment show every Wednesday, complementing their great food menu with the mesmerizing dance of Belly Dancer Tina every Wednesday from 7 PM until 9 PM. Enjoy a great show along…

Blogger, Commentary, Culture, Entertainment, food, News, NewsWire, Opinion, Orland Park, rayhanania, Restaurant Review, restaurants, Review, Suburban Chicagoland

Court orders divorced mother to allow son to visit dad’s critically injured relative

June 7, 2024June 7, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Court orders divorced mother to allow son to visit dad’s critically injured relative By: Laura Reichel A caring father of a 6-year-old boy shared custody of his child with his ex-wife. One day, Dad received news that a close family member had been hospitalized after a serious accident and was hanging on for his very life….

Blogger, Commentary, Jeffery Leving, Law, Opinion

Here’s why your tax bill tells you about government debt and pensions

June 1, 2024June 2, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Here’s why your tax bill tells you about government debt and pensions By Maria Pappas I do not determine your property taxes. My job as county treasurer is to bill, collect and distribute that money to pay for local government services. Local governments typically rely on property taxes to fund payrolls and other day-to-day expenses….