Illinois RealEstateRama

Governor Bruce Rauner visited the Quincy Veterans Home this morning after two cases of Legionnaires' disease were confirmed in residents of the Quincy home. The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) is working with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Adams County Health Department, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to determine where the residents acquired the Legionella bacteria. Due to the nature of the bacteria, the source may never be determined, but the Quincy home is taking all precautions to ensure the safety and welfare of residents and staff

Governor Bruce Rauner visited the Quincy Veterans Home this morning after two cases of Legionnaires' disease were confirmed in residents of the Quincy home. The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) is working with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Adams County Health Department, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to determine where the residents acquired the Legionella bacteria. Due to the nature of the bacteria, the source may never be determined, but the Quincy home is taking all precautions to ensure the safety and welfare of residents and staff

The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) today announced that two residents of the Quincy Veterans’ Home have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. IDVA is working closely with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Adams County Health Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine where the residents acquired the Legionella bacteria, although a definitive source may never be identified. Senior administration officials with the IDVA, IDPH and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency are en route to Quincy to coordinate closely with veterans’ home, county and city personnel.

A Chicago woman has been indicted on federal wire and mail fraud charges for allegedly using two social security numbers to fraudulently obtain a Chicago Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher and Social Security benefits to which she was not entitled

U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) to announce the re-opening of the Illinois Hardest Hit Fund program (HHF). Starting August 1, the program will provide mortgage assistance to families struggling to make mortgage payments due to loss of income

The City of West Chicago, Illinois is seeking a qualified consultant or group of consultants to prepare an update to the City’s Central Main Street Redevelopment Plan. The Plan, which was originally prepared in 2007, presents redevelopment scenarios for those properties located primarily along Main Street west of the City’s traditional Downtown Central Business District area. 

Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has made appointments to the Illinois Finance Authority and the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has appointed Beth Smoots to the Illinois Finance Authority Board of Directors. Smoots’ years of experience in management make her an ideal choice for the board.

Homebuyer demand drove sales and prices higher in June and marked a strong first half of the year for the Illinois housing market, according to Illinois REALTORS®. Statewide home sales (including single-family homes and condominiums) in June 2016 totaled 18,593 homes sold, up 1.4 percent from 18,328 in June 2015. Year-to-date, home sales totaled 78,547 homes sold, an increase of 5.5 percent compared to the first six months of 2015.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will award Winnebago County $2,492,455 to control lead-based paint hazards in low-income homes with children. Today’s funding will allow the county’s health department to address hazards in 150 housing units, protecting families from dangerous lead exposure. A total of $52,645,790 was awarded nationwide today as part of HUD’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program and Healthy Homes Supplement.

In an effort to increase transparency and provide the public with a quick and easy method to verify the authenticity of a professional’s certificate of licensure, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is now including a unique quick response (QR) code for all professions within the Divisions of Professional Regulation and Real Estate.  When the QR code is scanned using a QR reader application from any mobile device, the latest license information from IDFPR’s database will be displayed, including licensure status.  The QR code announcement is the latest from IDFPR in their ongoing efforts to modernize the state’s regulatory agency.

Last week, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced H.R. 5835, the Fair Distribution of Affordable Housing Funds Act of 2016, to reform the funding formula for affordable housing. The bill would repeal the fixed minimum funding level given to every state by the National Housing Trust Fund and return to a formula based on population and need.

The Chicago Housing Authority announced today that it has awarded 230 prospective and current college students with $268,000 in scholarships for the coming school year. The scholarship winners were notified on July 5 and can use the funds for the 2016-2017 school year to cover costs including tuition, fees, room and board, books and other eligible expenses

Governor Bruce Rauner today announced appointments to the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Housing Development Authority

The Chicago Housing Authority will receive restitution for money stolen by a former contractor and her husband after the pair pleaded guilty to stealing funds intended for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, a crime that was exposed following an investigation by the CHA’s Office of the Inspector General.

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), took his “Mike on the Move” transportation initiative to Elk Grove Village, Illinois to ride Chicago’s Terminal Short Line Railroad. His visit highlighted the importance of the short line rail industry to small and mid-sized communities and local businesses, as well as the need for funding to keep these rails functioning safely