Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
President Dominick, Town Board organize drive to help families impacted by Friday’s fire More than 14 families were forced to leave their homes when the 18-unit apartment building where they lived was destroyed by a massive fire on Friday Dec. 1, 2023. The Cicero Fire Department fought the blaze which lasted more than five hours,…
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…
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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…
Sheriff Dart and Friends of the Chicago River Join Forces to Clean-Up the Ford Heights Community and River The Cook County Sheriff’s Office co-hosted a volunteer community clean-up of the Deer Creek River in Ford Heights Village Thursday, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced Friday Nov. 10, 2023. Approximately 30 volunteers from the Sheriff’s…
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Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Black Men United cohost veterans event at Hines VA Hospital Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will help military veterans and their families search for savings on their property tax bills during a Veterans’ Appreciation event Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital with Black Men United. Treasurer’s…
Senator Mike Porfirio hosts Veterans Appreciation Luncheon at Morton College, Monday Nov. 13, 2023 State Senator Mike Porfirio will host a Veterans Appreciation luncheon at Morton College on Monday, November 13, 2023. Please RSVP to attend the luncheon at the college, 3801 S. Central Avenue, Cicero, Illinois, that begins at 11 AM. Porfirio has been…
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…
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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…
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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….
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No one injured in structure fire at 135th an Harlem, Al-Hayba Hookah Lounge At 5:06 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, companies of the Orland Fire Protection District and Palos Heights Fire District dispatched in response to a possible structure fire at the Al-Hayba Hookah Lounge, 13500 S Harlem Ave (formerly the Ale House) on…
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The Importance of Checking Your Furnace, Winter is Coming! The weather might be crisp and lovely right now, but Chicago’s fierce winter winds and snow are on their way. Before it gets colder, take this time to check your furnace and any other appliances that may have been damaged in the June 29 – July…
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Pappas: Second Installment 2022 tax bills are now online, two weeks before they are mailed Cook County property owners who don’t want to wait until their property tax bills arrive in the mail may now view, download and pay their Second Installment bill for the 2022 Tax Year online at cookcountytreasurer.com, Treasurer Maria Pappas announced…
Grasso responds to Pekau’s pathological lies and abuse of his village office Real Republican Gary Grasso responds to Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau’s vicious political lies and mischaracterizations. Pekau made his political attacks in his taxpayer funded position as Mayor of Orland Park, something Pekau does quite often. By Ray Hanania Orland Park Mayor Keith…
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Spyropoulos seeking election as Cook County Clerk For the past 13 years, you’ve known Mariyana Spyropoulos as a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. But she began her career as an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney before moving to private practice. There, she saw firsthand how vital it is for our courts to be…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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