If anyone received a defective sticker, they should bring the sticker to any City Clerk office location for a free replacement. Motorists also can receive a free replacement sticker via mail by calling 312-742- 9200 or emailing cityclerk@cityofchicago.org.

To purchase a 2010 - 2011 sticker in person, residents must bring their driver's license or renewal form and know their vehicle license plate number.

Annual vehicle stickers and residential parking as well as daily guest passes, motorcycle and scooter tags can all be purchased online at www.ChiCityClerk.com. Motorists should allow up to 14 days to receive the sticker by mail if purchased online.
 
Vehicle sticker and residential parking permit prices remain unchanged from last year. The cost of a passenger vehicle sticker is $75 and larger passenger vehicle stickers are $120. Senior citizens, age 65 and older, are eligible to receive one vehicle sticker for $30. Annual residential zone parking is $25 and residential zone daily guest passes are $8 for 15 passes.

A complete list of sale locations and more details about this year's vehicle sticker can be found at www.ChiCityClerk.com or by calling 312-742-5375.

As a reminder, all 2009-2010 Guest Passes (Blue) have expired.  Please make sure you are using the new 2010-2011 Guest Passes (Beige).  There is no exchange policy for new Guest Passes.

City Clerk Office Locations for Free Replacement Stickers:

City Hall
121 N. LaSalle, Room 107

Southwest Satellite Office
5674 S. Archer Ave.

Northwest Satellite Office
5430 W. Gale St.

Alderman Daley is working with the Department of Transportation to make sure that this process will be as efficient as possible.  Thank you for your patience. 

Medicare “spoofing” is an emerging scam that uses caller ID to trick unsuspecting seniors into revealing sensitive financial information. If thieves are given this information, you may quickly find yourself the victim of an emptied bank account.

I recently heard that some scam artists claiming to be Medicare representatives have the ability to make calls that appear on my caller ID to come from a real government agency. Is this true? If so, how can I determine if a call is legitimate and protect myself from fraud?

Unfortunately, some scam artists have developed the ability to falsify the phone number displayed on caller ID so the call appears to come from a legitimate source. This practice is called “spoofing.” Some con artists “spoof” the contact information of state or federal government agencies to deceive seniors.

The scam you describe is fairly common. In this type of scam, Medicare recipients receive a call from a con artist claiming to be a Medicare representative. The con artist falsifies the number that shows up on the caller ID so that it appears to come from a government agency. The caller explains (falsely) that the new Health Care Reform Law requires new Medicare cards to be issued to each recipient. The caller then asks the recipient to provide his or her bank account information in order to activate the new Medicare benefits.

Because the caller ID indicates that this call is from a legitimate government agency, Medicare recipients may be more likely to believe the caller and provide the requested information. Unfortunately, if they do so, they will have fallen victim to the spoofing scam.

So how do you know whether to provide information when the request seems to come from a legitimate source? The most important rule to remember in situations such as these is to never give out personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call and know with whom you are speaking.

It is also important to check your credit report regularly to ensure that your personal and financial information is secure. You are entitled to free annual reports from each of the three major credit agencies. To check your credit report, call 1-877-322-8228 or 1-877-730-4104 (TTY) or visit www.annualcreditreport.com.

If you believe you are the victim of a Medicare “spoofing” scam, please contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Senior Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-5377 or 1-800-964-3013 (TTY) to file a consumer fraud complaint.

For more information on this and other scams, please visit www.IllinoisAttorneyGeneral.gov.

You may be eligible for a loan modification if you:

• Are behind on your mortgage or at risk of foreclosure
• Are an owner–occupant of a 1 to 4 unit property
• Have a loan that was originated before Jan. 1, 2009
• Have income that will support monthly mortgage payments

SATURDAY, July 24, 2010
9:30 a.m.to 2:00 p.m.
Little Village High School
3120 S. Kostner

SATURDAY, August 21, 2010
9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
NORTHSIDE COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOL
5501 N. Kedzie

SATURDAY, October16, 2010
9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WESTINGHOUSE COLLEGE PREP
3223 W. Franklin

Call Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago to pre-register: (773) 329-4185 (English)

Reliable Contracting & Equipment Company will install approximately 2,004 feet of 8-inch water main on Fullerton Ave. from Lakewood Ave. to Ashland Ave.

Water main installation is anticipated to begin in mid May 2010 with completion of this project projected for late August 2010.  Please be aware of parking restrictions and drive slowly while going through the work zones.

Every effort will be made to expedite project completion and minimize the inconvenience to constituents. Should you have any questions regarding the progress of this project, please contact Hans Krueger at the Bureau of Engineering Services at 312-742-3611.

Saturdays
May 15-October 30
7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lincoln Park High School Parking Lot
(Armitage & Orchard)

The Lincoln Park Farmers Market now has parking!  The new layout has vendors on the east half of the parking lot, allowing for patrons to enter and park through the west entrance. But don't worry-your favorite vendors are still here! And even some new faces - with a new vendor cooking brats on site, a new meat, pasta and cheese vendor and more!

Visit www.chicagofarmersmarkets.us for more information.

32nd Ward

SCHEDULE

MAP

43rd Ward

SCHEDULE

Please be aware of the color coded street sweeping signs around your neighborhood.
 

CHICAGO – WE’RE COUNTING ON YOU!

2010 Census:
Participate By Mailing Back Your Census Form and Remind Your Friends, Family and Community.
The Census is Important to Your Future and Chicago’s Future.

Overview of Census Bureau Timeline

March 15-17:  Questionnaires arrive to households

March 19- April 19:  Census Bureau Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs) and Be Counted Centers (BCs) are open in communities
o    When available from the Census Bureau, the list of sites will be posted on the City of Chicago and US Census Bureau websites

March 15-April 20:  Strong push to encourage all Chicagoans to mail back Census form

April 1, 2010:  Census Day  (Census awareness events to be held across the nation)
o    Responses to the census form should include everyone who will be living at your address on that date. (It is not necessary to wait until Census Day to return census forms, however. Forms should be returned as quickly as possible.) People should be counted at the residence where they live or sleep most of the time.

April 20:  If forms are not mailed back by this date, Census Bureau enumerators will go to your door starting May 1

May 1:  “Non Response Follow-up” begins; Census Bureau employees will go door to door to remind people to mail back the form

Through July:  Residents can still mail back forms

IMPORTANT

The Census count helps to determine how much federal money Chicago receives every year (for the next ten years) for important programs that benefit you, your family and your neighborhood:

• Schools
• Public transit
• Job training
• Public safety
• Housing
• Social services

A few examples of specific federal funding programs include the following (many others):

• Title I Education            
• Section 8
• Federal Transit Grants           
• CDBG (Community Development Block Grants)
• Head Start               
• Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds
• Medicaid                   
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP)

** For every Chicagoan not counted, the City will lose approximately $12,000 per person over 10 years.  If no one returned the form, Chicago would lose $33.6 Billion over 10 years.

SAFE (CONFIDENTIAL)

By law, the Census Bureau cannot share your answers with anyone, including federal, state and local agencies. This includes immigration agencies and law enforcement entities.

EASY

Every resident will receive a short questionnaire with only 10 questions that is fast and simple to complete. Mail back your questionnaire right away because Chicago is counting on you!

For more information, call 311 [which can direct you to the Census Bureau’s Telephone Assistance Line 866-872-6868 (English) 866-928-2010 (Spanish)], or visit www.cityofchicago.org (or www.2010.census.gov)

Questionnaire

Non-English questionnaire languages: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese. For these languages, in-language questionnaires, and assistance will be available through the following: Telephone Questionnaire Assistance, Be Counted sites and Questionnaire Assistance Centers, on the Census Bureau Web site, and through national or local partnership and outreach programs.

Language Guides – 59 languages, Braille, Large Print

Questionnaire Assistance 

A Questionnaire Assistance Center (QAC) is a place in the community where people may go to get assistance in filling out their questionnaire; Language Guides available. Sites can be City facilities or space donated by community groups and organizations and staffed by Census Bureau employees.  QACs are available approximately 15 hours per week, March 19 - April 19, 2010.

Be Counted sites (BC) are locations in high-traffic areas of the community where people may pick up a Be Counted form if they did not receive a questionnaire, or believe they were not included on the questionnaire that was returned for their house. Questionnaires are available in six languages and Language Guides are available (March 19, 2010-April 19, 2010).  Be Counted forms will also be available at Questionnaire Assistance Centers.

Telephone Assistance in completing questionnaires is available by calling a Telephone Questionnaire Assistance center at 866-872-6868 (English) 866-928-2010 (Spanish) between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time seven days a week between February 25 and July 30, 2010.

* Residents can also call 311.

LPCC Joins Community Businesses to Welcome new Qdoba Mexican Grill Location to Lincoln Park
Mexican Food Born Out of Traditional Ingredients and Contemporary Flavors

CHICAGO (March 5, 2010) – What does it take for a neighborhood to meet the culinary needs of thousands of residents and guests on a daily basis?  A popular response of many Lincoln Park residents points to the diversity of food styles and price ranges available in the community.  With ethnic flare, affordable prices or distinctive flavors, residents and guests to Lincoln Park can find the exact meal, at the right price point, to answer any food craving.

Located at 957 W. Diversey, Qdoba Mexican Grill’s new location offers another Lincoln Park location for residents to access the complete Mexican food experience provided in a timely fashion.  On Thursday, March 4, the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCC) joined community members, local businesses and staff from the new location to officially welcome Qdoba Mexican Grill to another location in Lincoln Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Qdoba Mexican Grill is not your typical fast-casual restaurant,” said Jena Pupinoska, Regional Marketing Specialist-Chicago for Qdoba Mexican Grill.  “We are an artisanal Mexican kitchen where anyone can go to enjoy a fast, handcrafted meal prepared with fresh ingredients and innovative flavors.”

Qdoba Mexican Grill, complete with more than 500 locations throughout the United States, has become a leader in the quick preparation of quality ingredients to offer traditional Mexican food at affordable prices.  Qdoba Mexican Grill opened their first location in 1995 in Denver, Colorado.  Locations are now available from coast to coast.  Qdoba Mexican Grill prides themselves on building upon traditional flavors and menu items to continue to innovate affordable Mexican cooking.

Qdoba Mexican Grill offers each guest the opportunity to customize their order, whether it’s a burrito, tacos or quesadilla.  Varied ingredients come together to form different levels of spice in Qdoba’s salsa choices, while unique breakfast options help set the restaurant apart from other fast-casual Mexican restaurants in the market today.

“The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce is excited to welcome Qdoba Mexican Grill to their new location at Diversey and Sheffield – on the northern border of our neighborhood,” said Kim Schilf, President and CEO of the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce.  “Qdoba Mexican Grill will provide further opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy quality and diverse food options in our neighborhood.”

Qdoba Mexican Grill is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven days a week and offers a complete approach to traditional Mexican favorites, from tacos and burritos to chips, dips and nachos.  For more information please call (773) 868-0213 or visit them online at www.qdoba.com.

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