Wednesday, May 15, 2013
As part of our new Smart Spending series, Patch wants to uncover the true going rate for various goods and services in town, so you'll know exactly how much you should pay for what you need. Help us out by replying in the comments.
This week: How much do lawn services cost? How much do you pay for your lawn service? And what does that cover? Just mowing, or does it cover weeding, pruning, planting? Please share in the comments below — we promise we won't judge you! And if you've got a lawn service you love, tell us that too. Here's a sampling of a few lawn-care services companies in Cook County: This is the first of an ongoing series, "What's the Going Rate for..." where Patch seeks to uncover how much things cost so you never have to ask again. - - - - - - - - - - There are plenty of ways to keep up with the news:
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
On Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., 10 Cook County Jail detainees will go head-to-head against Russian counterparts in a historic first-ever international chess game.
America and Russia are classic rivals. The space race, the Cold War and the Miracle on Ice all stand testament to that. Now, thanks to a new Cook County program, we can add prison chess tournaments to the list. On Wednesday morning, 10 Cook County Jail detainees will compete in an online chess match against Russian Federal Prison Service inmates in a first-ever event of its kind. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Cook County Jail chess program head Dr. Mikhail Korenman will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. Wednesday with Russian officials via Skype. The games will then begin promptly at 9:30 a.m., inside Division 11 of the Cook County Jail. Patch published a preview of this concept last year. Here’s what some south suburbanites thought of…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The Cook County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management is asking residents to fill out a flooding damage survey at the village hall or public works facility. The survey will be used to assess the amount of flood damage county-wide.
Following the heavy rains and flooding earlier this week, the village of Flossmoor and Cook County are asking residents to report any flooding damage or losses in a survey available at the village hall or Flossmoor Public Works building. The survey does not guarantee any money for Flossmoor, or its residents, it is simply an inquiry from the Cook County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management to assess if the $18 million threshold was met countywide. Residents are encouraged to fill out the survey at either the Flossmoor Village Hall or Flossmoor Public Works Building by the end of the business day Friday, April 26. For more information about the survey, contact the Flossmoor Village Hall at (708) 798-2300. It's easy to keep…
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart releases a surveillance video that purports to show a corrections officer didn't slip and fall as he claimed in a workers compensation claim.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart wants you to know he's keeping an eye on the "duty injury king" — a corrections officer known among his peers for submitting false injury claims while on the job — and others like him. The sheriff's office released a video tape Wednesday that purports to show the time and location where a corrections officer claimed he slipped and fell, injuring his back on Nov. 20. The officer is now suspended without pay, and the sheriff wants to press criminal charges. The sheriff's office's claim about the video states: On November 20th of last year a Correctional Officer submitted a false injury report claiming that he sustained a back injury while returning from transporting a detainee. He reported to other staff the he …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Cook County Clerk David Orr's lawyers filed a brief in defense of a lawsuit attempting to overthrow the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
Cook County Clerk David Orr’s office is taking a stance against opponents of same-sex marriage. On Monday, Clerk Orr's lawyers filed a brief in opposition to a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Illinois' same-sex marriage ban. Orr was the original defendant in the suit to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage: Darby v. Orr. However, the longtime equal rights advocate, along with Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, refused to defend the state ban, the Chicago Phoenix reports. Instead, Orr sided with the 25 plaintiffs across the state—from Evanston to Rock Island, Hyde Park to Alto Pass—who were denied marriage licenses. As a result, downstate County Clerks Kerry Hirtzel and …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The organization claims President Toni Preckwinkle's office refused to divulge information on dozens of her appointments to various county positions.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The organization claims President Toni Preckwinkle's office refused to divulge information on dozens of her appointments to various county positions.
The Better Government Association (BGA) is suing President Toni Preckwinkle’s Cook County government for denying a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in January, according to the BGA. The BGA’s denied FOIA request asked for names and addresses of dozens of Cook County board members and commissioners appointed by Preckwinkle. Her office refused to respond after filing for an extension because disclosure of the information “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” according to the BGA. Preckwinkle’s office did not respond to multiple attempts seeking explanation for the refusal. “It’s clear this information doesn’t belong to the County Board president – it belongs to the public, and she should turn it over…
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sheriff Tom Dart says CHIProperties has been issuing "highly illegal" notices to a number of Cook County residents.
Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart directed a Chicago-based property management company to immediately cease and desist from providing tenants in Cook County, who reside in properties that are the subject of foreclosure proceedings, with illegal notices that contain threats and misleading, inaccurate information. CHIProperties of Chicago has been posting notices telling rental residents they are considered trespassers and must call immediately to make arrangements to move out. The posting also says an eviction process has started—even if an eviction suit has not yet been filed in Circuit court. “This notice is illegal, highly deceptive, and amounts to a constructive eviction in apparent violation of various federal, state and local laws, …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Nearly a quarter of Cook County adults lack physical activity and over a quarter are obese.
A recent study lists Cook County residents as some of the least healthy in the state. We rank 78th healthy out of 102 counties, according to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report also provides a snapshot of health statistics for Cook County. Here are a few: The survey was based on several factors, including length of life, quality of life, clinical care, health behaviors, socioeconomic factors and physical environment.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Want to see who sold their home in Cook County? Patch has compiled a searchable ongoing list of property sales in Cook County, based on data from the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.
Bob Levy
11:53 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013
Sure hope people respond with some numbers. Sort of a Patched angielist? more ›