Double-digit property tax increases in city of Chicago and Cook County suburbs

properties get reassessed on a rolling basis every three years and may not fully capture recent declines in property values.

phasing out of a state-authorized program implemented earlier this decade to soften the tax blow of then-soaring home values. North suburbs received those benefits before south suburbs, so now north suburbs are feeling the pain of the phaseout earlier as well.

consider the situation in Northlake, which straddles the dividing line between the north and south assessment zones. In the part of the town north of North Avenue, the median assessment is up 20.9 percent. But south of North Avenue, the median increase is 8.7 percent

Click on the following for more of the story:  Double-digit property tax increases in city, Cook County suburbs -- chicagotribune.com

Wis. nonprofit gets $3.3M grant for solar training

based in Custer in central Wisconsin, is one of nine organizations to receive such funding from the Department of Energy for similar projects.

Midwest Renewable Energy Association will work with universities, colleges and other groups in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio to train 200 solar instructors in the next five years.

Click on the following for more details:  JG-TC.com > Ap-state-il > Wis. nonprofit gets $3.3M grant for solar training

Metra's fare hike? It's fair | Daily Chronicle

 

A weekend pass – good for unlimited rides Saturday and Sunday – would increase from $5 to $7 for adults and children over 11.

Click on the following for the Chronicle’s complete view:  Our View: Metra's fare hike? It's fair | Daily Chronicle

Bill in works to let U.S. dissolve failing firms - washingtonpost.com

"resolution authority" over non-bank financial firms for months, viewing it as one of the most important tools for dealing with future crises.   

give a government agency the power to take over a failing firm and dissolve it outside of the bankruptcy process, injecting money if necessary to make the unwinding orderly. Shareholders and creditors of the failing company would incur losses, and the financial industry would foot the bill for any bailout.

Click on the following for more details:  Bill in works to let U.S. dissolve failing firms - washingtonpost.com

A maker of electric cars plans to use old GM plant in Delaware

expected to create 2,000 jobs and will likely be operational by 2011. Administration officials said the deal will indirectly create another 3,000 jobs once the plant is fully operational, expected in 2014.

Fisker, which will pay the old GM $18 million for the facility and equipment, is getting tax incentives from the state of Delaware,

The car is expected to cost about $39,900 after tax incentives.

Fisker, which was started two years ago, recently received a $528 million loan from the Department of Energy and will use some of those funds to make the Delaware plant operational. Fisker is producing another electric vehicle, called the Karma, that is expected to come out in the summer and will cost about $80,400

Click on the following for the rest of the story:  A maker of electric cars plans to use old GM plant in Delaware - washingtonpost.com

George W. Bush is a hit on the motivational speakers' circuit

published reports that estimated his fee at $100,000.

Along with Bush, former secretary of state Colin Powell, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, retired football great Terry Bradshaw and a host of professional speakers spoke on a stage decorated with red-white-and-blue signs that said "Motivate!" and "Achieve!"

Read the rest of the story by clicking on the following:  George W. Bush is a hit on the motivational speakers' circuit - washingtonpost.com

BLOG Count for Boone County Watchdog: 558 visitors since 9-28-2009; 229 unique visitors

**********************************************************