Saturday, September 19, 2009

A 20% discount at CVS Drugstore available to residents of other counties.

Residents of Cook, Dekalb, DuPage, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, McLean, Peoria, Tazewell, Vermilion, Will and Winnebago Counties are eligible for 20% Prescription Drug Discount from the National Associations of Counties.  I don’t know why Boone County residents do not qualify, perhaps you can ask your county board.  From what I understand CVS is a very competitively priced drugstore so some may wish to pursue this discount. 

The following is the information  regarding the program from McHenry County’s website:  www.co.mchenry.il.us

 

NACo Prescription Drug Discount Card Program

Americans are paying more for prescription drugs than every before.  But there are now a number of prescription drug assistance programs in place to help decrease the costs.
McHenry County is participating in this nationwide prescription drug discount card pilot program sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo).  With this card, free to county residents, you can save money on many of your prescription purchases.

Free Enrollment for County Residents

  •   Average savings of 20%
  •   No limits
  •   No age requirements
  •   No income requirements
  •   Family coverage
  •   Use it anytime your prescription is not covered by insurance

To obtain your card please visit one of the following sites:

McHenry County Administration

   667 Ware Road
   Woodstock, IL 60098
   815/ 334-4000

Nunda Township

   3510 Bay Road
   Crystal Lake, IL 60014
   815/ 459-4011

More Information

Additional Information available at:

  toll free:  1-877-321-2652 or

  visit:  The NACO Website

McHenry County Board May Let Voters Have Say in Bar Slot Machines

And where is Boone County and Belvidere on this issue?  Will either board discuss or vote on the issue?

It conceivable that the McHenry County Board may allow citizens to vote whether they want slot machines and video poker in McHenry County.  It would be an advisory referendum, because the legislature only allowed binding referendums that are initiated by 25% of the voters in a county or municipality

The minimum that will happen is that the county board's License and Liquor Committee will hold a hearing on the evening of October 7 at the Administrative Center in Woodstock at 6:00PM.

Then, on October 20th, the county board could vote whether to ban slot machines in the unincorporated part of McHenry County having an effect on 44 bars, taverns and restaurants, plus 7 golf clubs

Read the further details at Cal Skinner’s Blog:  McHenry County Blog: McHenry County Board May Let Voters Have Say in Bar Slot Machines

where-home-prices-are-likely-to-rise.html: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

 

"Generally speaking the industrial Midwest has been hit very hard by the housing downturn, because the manufacturing economy has been very troubled and areas there have shed many jobs," says Chen. "The decline in population has also weakened housing markets."

Chicago, Il.

Percentage Change:

1 Year, 2009: -16.31%

3 Year, 2009-2012: 1.49%

5 Year, 2009-2014: 14%

Click on the following for the rest of the story:  where-home-prices-are-likely-to-rise.html: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

Failure Friday Twofer Brings Bank Toll to 94 - ProPublica

 

On Friday, FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said [3] that the agency may be forced to tap a $500 billion credit line it has with the U.S. Treasury to replenish its dwindling deposit fund. Congress mandates that the minimum level for the FDIC fund should be 1.15 percent of total insured deposits. As of June, the fund stood at just $10.4 billion, or 0.22 percent of insured deposits.

Failure Friday Twofer Brings Bank Toll to 94 - ProPublica

Wind farm company sues Lee | Daily Chronicle

This is a zoning/planning board’s nightmare—a legal suit by a corporation with deep pockets. 

A company that wants to build six wind turbines within the Village of Lee’s jurisdiction is suing the village board, saying members improperly denied construction permits after an Aug. 31 public hearing.

Click on the following for the rest of the storyWind farm company sues Lee | Daily Chronicle

Daily Herald | Grayslake group look at challenging property tax process

Interesting article about Grayslake’s Citizens Action Project. 

But assessments are only half of the equation regarding property tax mills, Minsky said.

The other half is the tax levy, the amount of money each school district requests from property taxes.

When the assessed value of property goes down, the tax rate needs to go up to raise the same amount of money for the school district.

Minsky said their mission is to assure the way local entities arrive at their calculations is fair and open

Daily Herald | Grayslake group look at challenging property tax process

Patti denies taking charity's donor list :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Gov. Blagojevich

Rick Roberts, director of strategy for the charity, told Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed that Patti Blagojevich upset donors because she was contacting people off the group's donor list to promote former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's new book.

Click on the following for more details:  Patti denies taking charity's donor list :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Gov. Blagojevich

Daily Herald | Another Illinois Tollway official hits the road

 

The Illinois Tollway leadership exodus continues as the agency's technology chief becomes the seventh top administrator to leave within a year.

Ted Young, chief of information technology, resigned Wednesday from his $142,632 position at the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

Daily Herald | Another Illinois Tollway official hits the road

H1N1 shots to be free, but not available to all - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

Those groups are pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months, health-care and emergency medical services workers, anyone aged 6 months through 24 years of age, and people 25 through 64 with chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

But officials said people who aren’t among the priority groups to receive the vaccine will be turned away.

H1N1 shots to be free, but not available to all - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

Redistricting committee ready to hear proposals - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

 

Currently, if lawmakers can't agree on a new redistricting map, the job goes to a panel with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans.

In a deadlock, Illinois is the only state that puts the names of one Republican and one Democrat in a hat and picks one. That party then wins control of the redistricting process and can draw boundaries to benefit their political party, and the result is noncompetitive districts.

Click on the following for more details:  Redistricting committee ready to hear proposals - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

Northwest Herald | Health care marketplace thrives on secret prices

Increasingly, consumers have an incentive to shop around because of high deductibles that require them to open their own wallets before insurance kicks in. A growing number of employers are shifting more costs to workers through these high deductible plans.

Until now, the push for price transparency hasn’t played much of a role in the national debate over health care reform. However, the Senate Finance Committee version of health care overhaul would require hospitals to list their standard charges for services.

Northwest Herald | Health care marketplace thrives on secret prices