For years now, Homewood residents have expressed concern about two issues: affordable housing and downtown parking congestion. On Feb. 10 I attended the village board meeting where the trustees, in a 5-1 vote, opted to pursue a proposal submitted by Holladay Properties, a Midwestern developer with experience in housing for[Read More…]
Opinion
County officials call on State’s Attorney to charge federal immigration agents who use excessive force
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and 10 commissioners, including Kisha McCaskill, who represents the 5th District, including Flossmoor, issued a statement Thursday, Feb. 12, urging the state’s attorney to pursue charges against federal immigration agents who use excessive force. “We call on the Cook County state’s attorney to pursue[Read More…]
Commentary: Humor misfire leads to learning opportunity
Humor is risky business. Sometimes jokes launch laughter. Sometimes they land with a thud. Sometimes both. The Homewood Police Department tried a little humor on Friday, Dec. 19, with a brief video posted on social media that was intended to lighten the mood after recent immigration enforcement activity in the[Read More…]
Commentary: Tom Houlihan had ink in his veins, community in his heart
There’s an old saying to describe any dedicated newsman, passionate about the craft of journalism and obsessive about keeping his community informed. “He has ink in his veins.”It seems like a good characterization of Tom Houlihan, however cliché that might be to say.Tom died on Nov. 23. When I met[Read More…]
Letter: Consequences can be severe when dog owners are negligent
Dear Editor, I am writing to you about the article “Homewood board updates off-leash pet violation fines” published on page 31 of the Dec. 1 edition of the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle. While I am thankful that your staff covered the story and provided notice to those reading the Chronicle that fines would[Read More…]
Column: Amid tax bill shock, homeowners can read bills to find out where their money goes
Record-high increases in property tax bills have angered many Cook County property owners. My office has released an analysis of the nearly 1.8 million tax bills. It showed that in Chicago the median tax bill jumped 16.7%, the largest percentage increase in at least 30 years. And it wasn’t just[Read More…]
Column: Third-party notices tell you if a relative or anyone you know misses a tax payment
Each year thousands of property owners in Cook County are late paying their taxes, putting their homes in danger of being included in the annual state-mandated tax sale. That’s a problem we want to help you avoid. Since 2005 my office has allowed you to sign up a relative[Read More…]
Column: Illinois expands property tax breaks for veterans to include World War II vets
Illinois lawmakers in recent years have enacted significant changes to property tax exemptions benefiting veterans, including a landmark provision for those who served during World War II. These changes underscore our commitment to support veterans in Cook County and beyond. The Illinois Property Tax Code makes veterans who served during[Read More…]
Column: Flossmoor streetscape renovation improves safety; Homewood speed beacons help slow some drivers
The finishing touches are still being applied to Flossmoor’s renovated downtown streetscape, but the trees were planted on Oct. 31, so the project is, for practical purposes, done. It looks to me like a thing of beauty. I’m not talking about aesthetics. Probably best to wait until the trees and[Read More…]
Column: Superintendent pushes back on social media post; Riffice reports on 1st Books Without Borders discussion
School administrators, especially superintendents and principals, catch it coming and going. Just about every decision or policy inevitably angers somebody, whether teachers, parents or students. If the decision was different, somebody else would be angry. They are often in no-win situations, but it comes with the job, and administrators generally[Read More…]
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