Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Village of Frankfort hosts annual Senior Breakfast event FRANKFORT, IL, AUGUST 18, 2026 — The Village of Frankfort is pleased to announce its Annual Senior Breakfast, taking place on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 8:00 AM at the Village Administration Building, 432 W. Nebraska Street. The event brings together Frankfort’s senior residents for a morning…
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Second Installment 2025 tax bills are now online, two weeks before they’re mailed Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced today that property owners can now go to cookcountytreasurer.comto view, download and pay their Second Installment bill for the 2025 Tax Year. “If you own property in Cook County, you don’t have to wait until your…
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Chicago Public School budget challenges analyzed in Political-Review podcast hosted by Hanania and Calabrese Political Analyst and consultant Frank Calabrese and political columnist and former Chicago City Hall reporter Ray Hanania analyze the financial challenges facing the Chicago Public Schools in the second episode of their video podcast, Political-Review. The podcast, taped on August 10,…
Hastings on Illinois advancing Alyssa’s Law: ‘School Safety Isn’t abstract — it’s personal’ RICHTON PARK — State Senator Michael E. Hastings joined Mayor Rick Reinbold and other local officials, educators and advocates on Friday August 14, 2026, at Richton Square School to highlight the recent signing of Alyssa’s Law, legislation Hastings co-authored to strengthen school…
Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes but Keep an Eye Peeled on it By Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer Every year, my office mails more than 1.8 million tax bills to property owners across Cook County. If you have a home mortgage, your lender may collect money from you each month and put it…
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ICC Approves Rare Second Public Hearing in Bolingbrook on Proposed Illinois American Water Rate Increase BOLINGBROOK, IL — August 14, 2026- After listening to the concerns of Bolingbrook residents at the Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) July 14 public hearing, Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta asked the ICC to give the community another opportunity to be heard—this time…
Illinois State Fair announces Edge-of-Your-Seat entertainment lineup in The Arena From thrilling competitions to family-friendly entertainment, the Arena will once again be the site of some of the Illinois State Fair’s most popular events in 2026. “We are excited to once again offer a diverse lineup of family-friendly entertainment that will keep fairgoers of all…
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Treasurer Maria Pappas: Homeowners Blast Property Tax Increases, but Skip Voting When Given a Chance to Reject Them Just one in five Cook County voters bothered to vote in the last two elections when asked whether to approve property tax increases, allowing a distinct minority of voters to approve hundreds of millions of dollars in…
Northbrook West/Citation Lake Stormwater Project earns highest-priority ranking from Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Northfield Township Road District’s Phase II project placed in Group 1, the top tier, of MWRD’s 2026 Stormwater Partnership Program; construction could begin as early as 2027 NORTHBROOK, Illinois (July 21, 2026) — The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD)…
Court Denies former Mayor Keith Pekau’s Motion to Dismiss lawsuit Former Mayor Must Answer Village’s Complaint, Village of Orland Park says countering misleading information released by disgraced for mayor Keith Pekau Orland Park, IL (July 16, 2026) – The Village of Orland Park announced that on July 6, 2026, the Cook County Circuit Court denied…
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Your Property Index Number or PIN; What You Need to Know By Maria Pappas If you own property in Cook County, there’s one number you should always know: your PIN. That’s short for Property Index Number—a 14-digit code assigned to every piece of real estate in the county. It’s tied to the legal description of…
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Hastings encourages municipalities, park districts to apply for IDNR grant State Senator Michael E. Hastings is urging park districts and municipalities in the 19th District to apply for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant. “Some places become more than parks, they become gathering places where memories are made,…
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Bolingbrook Mayor, Legislators, Urge ICC to Reject Latest Illinois American Water Rate Hike The ICC will host a public hearing in Bolingbrook to allow residents to speak out on the proposed massive rate hike by Illinois American Water. The meeting will be Tuesday, July 14, 2026 beginning at 6:30 PM at the Bolingbrook Community Center,…
The Pappas Portal: Free News You Can Use By Maria Pappas When it comes to property taxes in Cook County, a lot of people feel like they’re staring at a 1,000-piece puzzle—and someone hid the box with the picture on the cover. That’s why I want to tell you about a tool that helps you…
Hanania interviews Burt Odelson the best election and municipal attorney in America 06-27-26 Ray Hanania conducts a profile Interview of Attorney Burt Odelson interview Burton S. Odelson, a prominent Illinois attorney who has spent more than five decades specializing in municipal law, election law, school law, and local government representation. Video podcast below Burt Odelson…
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The levy: It’s not a dam, but it is a word you should know! Since I first stepped into my office 27 years ago, one question has repeatedly come up: “Why do my property taxes always go up?” It’s a valid concern. At the heart of the answer is something called the tax levy. Simply…
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Podcaster Marc Sims interviews Arab News columnist/writer Ray Hanania Podcaster Marc Sims interviews Ray Hanania, columnist and writer with Arab News newspaper, the leading English language newspaper in the Gulf, and the Southwest Regional Press newspaper chain on Chicago’s Southwest and West side and suburbs. Hanania and Sims discusses politics and the issue of the…
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Speaker Welch says keeping Bears Stadium in Illinois important The Illinois General Assembly, House and Senate, did not pass the key stadium bill before adjourning last week as public concern focused on proposals to pass tax breaks for the Bears organization which is extremely profitable and earned more than $600 million last year, according to…
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