Cook County, IL, which includes the city of Chicago, recently became the largest local government in the country to successfully impose a tax on sweetened beverages. Now the same County Board of Commissioners that approved the tax has repealed it, only a few months after it went into effect. [More]
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Walgreens Charged Soda Tax On Unsweetened Beverages
By 8.8.17
It’s only been a few days since Chicago’s tax on sodas and other sweet drinks went into effect, and already some Illinois residents are claiming they’ve been charged improperly for drinks that don’t contain any sweeteners. [More]
Appeals Court: Sorry, Still No Soda Tax For You, Chicago
By 7.11.17
Cook County, which encompasses the city of Chicago and a bunch of its suburbs, passed a $.01 per ounce tax on sweetened beverages last year. The tax was supposed to go into effect on July 1, but a state judge put a temporary restraining order in place that keeps the tax from going into effect, though certain McDonald’s restaurants didn’t get the memo. Now a state appeals court has upheld the decision, leaving drinks untaxed for now. [More]
Chicago Might Be Next To Try Tax On Sodas & Sugary Drinks
By 10.13.16
Days after the Whole Health Organization announced it supported taxes on sugary drinks in order to curb obesity, the largest county in Illinois is weighing that option — following in the footsteps of Berkeley, CA, and Philadelphia, where a similar tax is now subject to a beverage industry legal battle. [More]
County Tells Foreclosed-Upon Homeowners: We May Have Some Money For You
By 8.25.11
The typical image of a foreclosure auction involves a seized house being sold for, at best, the remaining value of the mortgage. But that’s not always so, with some auctions attracting buyers who pay above what’s owed on the home. That money usually belongs to the former owner, but it looks like many aren’t aware of this fact. [More]
Chicago Judges Not Impressed By Laser Gun Speeding Tickets
By 11.17.09
Good news if you live in Chicago and enjoy driving too fast: traffic court judges in Cook County are throwing out speeding tickets issued by laser gun-wielding cops because the LIDAR technology is apparently not “scientifically reliable.”
Steer Clear Of The Call Forwarding Scam – Don't Dial *72
By 9.9.07
Cook County prison inmates posing as Sheriffs are scamming St. Louis households with calls that start with a request to aid someone who has just been in an accident by calling a number that starts with *72. The prefix activates call forwarding, allowing all incoming calls to ring at an alternate number; the calls are then billed to the victim.
