Words matter, and even accurate terms, if they conjure the wrong connotations, are not the best fit. Take “road diet,” for example. I’ve been advocating for Homewood to prioritize its plan to convert 183rd Street east of Dixie Highway from four lanes to three (two travel lanes, a turn lane[Read More…]
Opinion
Column: Road diet complements village’s vision for downtown; local singer plans to record more originals with Wind Creek contest winnings
The Homewood Board of Trustees has been on board with the plan to convert 183rd Street east of Dixie Highway from four traffic lanes to two with one center turn lane and two bicycle lanes. The board endorsed that plan in 2007 when it adopted the Bike Plan and again,[Read More…]
Column: Books Without Borders reading club starts Sept. 11, plus the benefits of meandering
I remember talking with an older white man in front of Homewood village hall about five years ago. He had just tried to persuade Mayor Rich Hofeld to include in the village 4th of July festivities a reading of Frederick Douglass’s famous 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the[Read More…]
Column: Don’t pay for what you can get for free: How to claim your property tax refunds
Every year, many Cook County homeowners are bombarded with letters, emails and phone calls from vendors offering to help secure property tax refunds — for a fee. But here’s the truth: You don’t need to pay anyone to get money that’s already yours. My office has $122 million in potential[Read More…]
Democracy Watch: Gerrymandering off the chain, 2nd District and Senate campaign updates
All-star gerrymandering throw down Gerrymandering is a time-honored American sport, but it doesn’t always create the kind of buzz it’s getting this week. Texas legislators, on orders from President Donald Trump, are proposing to redraw districts five years early in order to basically acquire all districts in the state for[Read More…]
Page 4: Making the community safe from shooters and speeders
Public safety and quality of life are intertwined values that are top priorities in our community, but achieving both is complicated by a powerful force: American culture, specifically its preferences for guns and speed. Of course, Homewood and Flossmoor are very safe villages. We have much less crime than many[Read More…]
Column: Treasurer’s office protects billions for taxpayers
Two times a year, my office mails nearly 1.8 million property tax bills and collects over $18 billion. That’s not a typo — $18 billion. As Cook County Treasurer, I oversee the second-largest property tax collection and distribution system in the United States. Only Los Angeles County is bigger. But[Read More…]
Page 4: H-F represented at No Kings protests, even in Kansas
We might look back on June 14, 2025, as a tipping point. Donald Trump has a long history of transgressing norms, but he appears to have finally gone far enough to awaken mainstream America to the danger of his presidency. The No Kings day of protest on Saturday had been[Read More…]
Column: How property tax levies work
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[Read More…]
Page 4: The season of pride: Pope pride, gay pride, Black pride
Whatever challenges, problems and woes south suburbanites were wrestling with prior to May 8, we all had reason to be distracted from them temporarily by the momentous news that the newest pope had Southland roots. Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, lived in Dolton as a child.[Read More…]
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