Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Erika Maldonado to lead Spanish-language outreach for Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas Erika Maldonado will lead Spanish-language outreach to taxpayers for the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Maldonado has strong connections throughout the Chicago-area Latino community. She is a journalist with 30 years of experience who has co-anchored evening newscasts for Univision WGBO-TV…
The battle for justice in the Chicago City Council, ceasefire and release the hostages Jan. 31 Posted are three columns looking at the hypocrisy of a Chicago aldermen who is more concerned about a foreign country, Israel, than with morality, principle or what’s best for the City of Chicago. The first column looks at the…
Jesse Jackson Sr. Endorses Mariyana Spyropoulos for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk The candidacy of circuit court clerk challenger, Mariyana Spyropoulos, received the coveted endorsement of civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. The founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition said he was pleased to endorse Spyropoulos for her steadfast commitment to justice, transparency and community…
Read More “Jesse Jackson Sr. Endorses Mariyana Spyropoulos for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk ” »
Broad coalition pushes for additional police district on city’s Southwest Side A broad coalition of elected officials, community groups and local residents added their voices to the call to create an additional Chicago police district and new police beats on the city’s Southwest Side, at a press conference held Thursday morning at the Clearing Library,…
Read More “Broad coalition pushes for additional police district on city’s Southwest Side” »
Raymond Lopez, A Democrat Who Delivers, Files for Congress Demonstrates his strong grassroots support and the hunger for real change Raymond Lopez officially filed his nominating petitions on Monday Nov. 27 to run for Congress in Illinois’ 4th District. With over 3,000 petition signatures submitted on the first day of filing, Lopez demonstrates the strength…
Read More “Raymond Lopez, A Democrat Who Delivers, Files for Congress” »
Treasurer Maria Pappas unveils online tool detailing property tax spending as Dec. 1 tax due date looms Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas today unveiled an innovative online tool that for the first time calculates year-to-year changes for each property tax bill and shows where tax dollars go. The search tool at cookcountytreasurer.com is available as…
Pappas: School districts hiked property taxes on Cook County homes, businesses An analysis of Cook County’s 1.8 million property tax bills for 2022 shows that school districts are chiefly responsible for hefty tax bills that are due Dec. 1, according to Treasurer Maria Pappas. The median residential tax bill in the north and northwest…
Read More “Pappas: School districts hiked property taxes on Cook County homes, businesses ” »
Qualifying disabled veterans are fully exempt from paying property taxes By Maria Pappas Veterans deserve our thanks, especially those whose abilities were diminished as a result of active military service. Illinois law recognizes that. Qualifying veterans whose disabilities are certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are eligible for tax breaks. Veterans classified as…
Read More “Qualifying disabled veterans are fully exempt from paying property taxes” »
Chicago and other cities should launch initiatives to help fathers The Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving Ltd. is calling on the City of Chicago and cities all over America to create programs that are similar to Milwaukee’s Fatherhood Initiative. Attorney Jeffery Leving, founder and president of the Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving Ltd….
Read More “Chicago and other cities should launch initiatives to help fathers” »
Systems can create parental alienation, and add barriers to healthy families and father inclusion. These systems created for protection, should not become systems of harm. This is what I’ll be talking about on my weekly Chicagoland radio broadcast, the Dads’ Rights Legal Hour, 9-10 a.m. CDT Saturday, October 21 on Power 92.3 FM. I represented…
Pappas: Property tax bills will soon be due. Are you getting all your exemptions? Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas By Maria Pappas If you own a home or other real estate in Cook County, chances are you will have a property tax bill due soon. Property taxes in Illinois are billed…
Read More “Pappas: Property tax bills will soon be due. Are you getting all your exemptions?” »
US Foreclosure activity shows continued rise in Third Quarter, approaching levels seen before pandemic Highest Foreclosure Rates in New Jersey, South Carolina, and Delaware; Average Time to Foreclose Nationwide Hit Pre-Pandemic Levels ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, released its Q3 2023 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows there were a total of 124,539 U.S. properties…
Kaegi’s policies impact the middle class and those in serious need By Ray Hanania Last week, I wrote about how Fritz Kaegi artificially increased assessments on properties across Cook County in order to protect business property owners who are big donors with political clout. Kaegi knows voters have no lobbyists and are easily forgotten in…
Read More “Kaegi’s policies impact the middle class and those in serious need” »
Citizen champion Alderman Raymond Lopez announces his candidacy for U.S. Congress in 4th District By Ray Hanania Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, who has been one of the most vocal champions of citizen rights in Chicago and the region, announced Tuesday that he will be running as a Democratic candidate in the March 19, 2024 Democratic…
Pappas helps phone bank caller receive whopping $11,870 property tax refund By Maria Pappas “Your Property Taxes” column with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas Helping taxpayers obtain refunds for property tax overpayments is one of the most rewarding parts of my job as Cook County Treasurer. My office recently helped a south suburban resident receive…
Read More “Pappas helps phone bank caller receive whopping $11,870 property tax refund” »
Fritz Kaegi’s artificial inflation of property assessments to protect businesses By Ray Hanania Last year, a report was issued that showed that a major tax burden would slam commercial properties in Cook County. Cook County Asessor Fritz Kaegi reassessed properties in 2021 claiming it would ease the burden on homeowners. But in fact, it has…
Read More “Fritz Kaegi’s artificial inflation of property assessments to protect businesses” »
Court orders wife to stop selling marital assets The father of a 7-year-old girl was rightfully upset when the child’s mother sold a very rare and expensive antique car that the couple acquired while married without his knowledge or consent and without sharing the proceeds. Attorney Jeffery Leving, founder and president of the Law Offices…
Read More “Court orders wife to stop selling marital assets” »
Ray Lopez leads and champions rights of Chicago residents Statement on Mayor Johnson’s Next Steps with the City’s Migrant Crisis Today, I and many of my City Council colleagues attended a briefing about the ever-growing border crisis that has reached a boiling point in our neighborhoods. Mayor Johnson and I share the belief that avoiding…
Read More “Ray Lopez leads and champions rights of Chicago residents” »