New service
Logan
County property
information
online
[JUNE 25, 2002]
An online service to simplify and speed up the retrieval
of data for residential, agricultural, industrial and commercial
properties was unveiled June 12 by Logan County Treasurer Mary
Bruns, County Clerk and Recorder Sally Litterly, and Supervisor of
Assessments Rosanne Brosamer.
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The system will allow
real-estate agents, appraisers, banks, title companies, taxpayers
and other interested parties to access Logan County’s tax
information via the Internet
People can visit the
Logan County website at
www.co.logan.il.us and click on "treasurer," "tax search" and
"property search" or go directly to
http://loganilpropertymax.governmaxa.com.
Access to the service
is currently being offered at no cost.
For users of this
information, the ability to access
property valuation and real estate tax information data in an
easy-to-use format is a great advantage over a trip to the
courthouse offices. Placing it on the
Internet moves the county closer to a "virtual courthouse," which
makes the best possible use of our human technological resources.
The system has been
in the works for the past couple of months, being customized to the
needs of Logan County.
The development was
in coordination between Logan County and Governmax.com, the Internet
division of Manatron of Portage, Mich., which is the county’s real
estate tax software vendor. Governmax.com is an industry leader in
Web-based system designs for local government applications across
the nation. Governmax.com is also a leader in e-commerce
applications for local government, making the future of a virtual
courthouse available to the taxpayers today.
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All changes in the
data will be updated nightly. Users will be able to download or
print out detailed information on the almost 17,000 parcels in Logan
County. On a residence, for example, data would include parcel ID
number, owner, address, legal description, recording information and
tax bill information, including current taxes due, installment paid
amount and date paid; also assessment information, including
exemptions, assessed value for land/lot, building and total
assessment; and sale information.
The system offers
great functionality and utilizes user-friendly searching
capabilities on parcel ID, name or address. The possibilities for
the future are exciting. With new technology just around the corner
for the county, possible enhancements to this public service could
include the ability to do sales searches for properties in a certain
price range or location or for comparable properties and also an
opportunity to view digital images of the comparable properties.
The county will work with Manatron
representatives from the Springfield regional office to continue to
provide information in a user-friendly, cost-effective manner.
[News release]
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Miss Illinois Teen Leadership
Program focuses on lupus
[JUNE 25, 2002]
OAKBROOK TERRACE —
Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough will announce the new Teen Leadership
Program of the Miss Illinois Scholarship Pageant at the preliminary
Miss Illinois competition on June 26. The state affiliate of the
Miss America organization will hold the event at 8 p.m. at the Drury
Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. For tickets, call (217) 653-1257 or (630)
833-4607, or download the ticket form from the Miss Illinois
website,
www.missil.org.
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The teen program will focus on
developing leadership skills for young women ages 13-17 by requiring
each participant to create a community service project benefiting
the Dorough Lupus Foundation, a nonprofit organization started by
Dorough shortly after his sister succumbed to the disease in 1998.
Other areas of competition will include personal interview, fitness
and on-stage presentation.
The community service projects will aim
to raise awareness and funds for lupus research, education and
financial assistance for individuals living with lupus who cannot
afford treatment, as well as teach the skills required to develop
grassroots support necessary to make a difference.
"The disease took my sister from my
family," said Dorough. "It means the world to me to have the support
of family, friends and the public to help find a cure for lupus.
Hopefully, in the near future, a cure will be found and no other
family will have to endure such a tragic loss as our family has
endured."
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease
that causes inflammation of various parts of the body, especially
the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. The immune system normally
protects the body against viruses, bacteria and other foreign
materials. In an autoimmune disease like lupus, the immune system
loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances
and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes
antibodies directed against itself.
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The new Miss Illinois Teen Leadership
Program will combine the popularity of Howie D. and the Miss
Illinois Program to empower young teen girls to develop their
leadership voices while competing for scholarships. The visibility
of these two partners will raise awareness of lupus and the
tremendous work being done by the Dorough Lupus Foundation. By
tapping into "teen power" the lupus story can be told and the
disease placed on the path toward a cure.
Chloe Lewis, a 13-year-old eighth-grade
student at the Latin School of Chicago and teen spokesperson for the
new program, states, "By teaching girls at a young age how to be
leaders, we can call our generation to action and tackle any number
of problems facing the world." Miss Lewis calls on teens across the
state to enter the program and join with Howie D. and the Miss
Illinois Scholarship Pageant to communicate the hope for a cure.
For
information about entering the new teen program, send a stamped,
self-addressed envelope to The Miss Illinois Scholarship Program,
Inc., P.O. Box 301045, Chicago, IL 60630-9998, or click on the "Teen
Program" icon at
www.missil.org for
more information.
[News release]
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