Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
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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