Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Northfield Township Road District Approves 4.6% Levy Reduction, First Tax Cut in Three Decades NORTHBROOK, Ill. — The Northfield Township Road District Board of Trustees voted unanimously in December 2025 to lower the Road District’s tax levy by 4.6% compared to the prior year, marking the first levy reduction in more than 30 years while…
Ray Hanania on politics podcast: A great public servant, Maria Pappas Former Chicago City Hall reporter and award-winning syndicated columnist Ray Hanania looks at Maria Pappas, one of the rarest and most honest politicians and public servants in Illinois. There are only a few, but she is at the top of the list. She tells…
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Chicago matched record year-end high $3.2 billion in Property Taxes in TIF accounts on January 1, 2026 By Tom Tresser A review of the 2025 annual reports of Chicago’s 108 active Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIFs) by researchers with the TIF Illumination Project has revealed some startling facts about local government finance. The TIF Illumination…
How My Office Handles Billions — And Protects Every Penny By Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer Two times a year, my office mails nearly 1.8 million property tax bills and collects about $20 billion. That’s not a typo — $20 billion. As Cook County Treasurer, I oversee the second-largest property tax collection and distribution system…
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Podcast: Chicago Public School priority union wages and jobs over educating children Political consultant and analyst Frank Calabrese and syndicated political columnist and former Chicago City Hall reporter Ray Hanania dig deep into the challenges facing the Chicago Public Schools, detailing how spending shows the priority is protecting union jobs over enhancing student education in…
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Homeowners hit again as Property Taxes increase $743.8 million in Cook County Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas analysis of property taxes shows that the homeowners have been hit with a $743.8 million increase in property taxes. The bills in mailboxes by Sept. 1, payment due Oct. 1 Cook County homeowners face a sharper increase in…
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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,…