Tag Archives: email course

Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Plan Now Available!

People in Illinois who have a pre-existing health condition, and no health insurance, may be able to get health insurance now. This is part of the recently enacted national health legislation. You will need to act quickly to take advantage of this program. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, or PCIP, is part of the Affordable Care Act. Different parts of the Affordable Care Act will become available as time goes on. The PCIP is the first part that is being rolled out. It is designed to make health insurance available to people who have been turned down by private insurance … Continue reading →

Get Fingerprinted to Sell Your Home

If you live in Cook County, Illinois, you might feel like a criminal when you go to sell your home. That is because a law quietly passed that requires anyone notarizing documents for selling a home in that area to provide a thumbprint. Lawmakers say that the legislation was put into affect to dissuade people from committing real estate fraud. Criminals may think twice about selling a home illegally if their thumbprint is on record, I suppose. The law, which was passed last October and goes into affect this June has residents of the county concerned about privacy issues. The … Continue reading →

More on the Jennifer Hudson Case

So far, no one has been charged in the killings of Jennifer Hudson‘s mother Darnell, brother Jason, and nephew Julian. The bodies of Darnell and Jason were found Friday in her house while Julian’s body was not located until Monday in the back of a white SUV. His death was ruled a homicide as he was shot multiple times. Police do have William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister Julia, in custody as a “person of interest.” Balfour is out of prison on parole, after serving 7 years for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking, and possession of a stolen car. … Continue reading →

Body of Jennifer Hudson’s Nephew Found?

It seems as if there may be no good news at all in the case of the Jennifer Hudson family attack. After the Oscar winning actress’ mother Darnell and brother Jason were found shot to death in their home on Friday, authorities announced that her seven year old nephew Julian was missing from the South Side home in Chicago. Police put out an Amber Alert for Julian, saying that it was believed the child may have been taken away in a white Suburban SUV with the license plate number X584859. Jennifer, who had to identify both the bodies of her … Continue reading →

Summer Travel Tidbits: Roadkill, Reckless Driving and Record High Gas Prices

ROADKILL If you are planning to drive along Illinois highways this summer don’t expect the views to be very pleasant. Unless you enjoy staring at miles and miles of roadkill, you will likely find the drive somewhat… well… gross. According to the state’s transportation department, it simply doesn’t have enough money to pick up as much roadkill as it normally does this time of year because it spent too much of its budget during the winter months. Representatives from IDOT say they spent more than twice the allotted $40 million to clear ice and snow during last winter’s severe storms … Continue reading →

How the Midwestern Floods are Affecting Summer Travel Plans

I live in a state that has been ravaged by floods. More than 15 counties here in Wisconsin have been declared disaster areas and FEMA workers continue to assess the damage to homes and businesses. Mother Nature’s wrath has already exceeded the $20 million mark and is expected to rise in the coming days. The devastation may not be as widespread as it is in Iowa, but residents here are still reeling from the destruction left behind from last week’s torrential rain and severe floods. This month’s deluges have also soaked several Midwestern tourist spots, most of which rely on … Continue reading →

Summer Theme Park Review: Splashes and Screams

I must admit, even though I grew up frolicking on Hawaii’s powder soft sand beaches and surfing in the state’s cobalt blue waters, as a kid I would have given my right foot to visit a water park on the mainland. Luckily my parents obliged every few summers (and I didn’t have to lose an appendage) and to this day I still consider those trips some of the best moments of my childhood. Water parks have come a long way since I was a kid… and they keep getting bigger and better each year. Take a look at the wet … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits: Road Block—Oreos, Pigs, and Veggies, Oh My!

In what some motorists in Morris, Illinois would consider an inconvenience my young daughter would see as a dream come true. Last week a trailer loaded with 14 tons of double-stuffed Oreos overturned on an Illinois highway spilling the cookies (which by the way were still in their plastic sleeves and therefore still edible in my book) into the median and roadway. According to police, the truck’s driver was traveling from Chicago to Morris on Interstate 80 around 4 a.m. when he fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into the median. The end result: a virtual Oreo downpour… and … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits: The Merry Month of May… Maybe

HAWAII May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii. And this year visitors to the 50th State were given a chance to help the Islands make history. A call out was sent to hotels on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu asking tourists to team up with locals to help create the world’s longest lei. Thousands gathered at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki today to string together a flower garland that stretched for more than a mile. When all was said and done the lei measured 5,336 feet in length and video, photos and witness statements documenting the project will be sent to … Continue reading →

Facts About Earthquakes

Folks in Illinois and as far as Indiana were woken this early morning by windows rattling and the earth shaking beneath them. A 5.4 earthquake shocked many people in the midwest, since an earthquake of that size is very unusual for the area. Thankfully, no damage has been reported so far, but since the earthquake took many people by surprise, I thought I would share some facts about earthquakes, such as the one that they can occur in places not expected. I remember, for example, experiencing an earthquake some years ago in New Work City, not an area known for … Continue reading →