10 Apr 2015

Ill State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Honored with Paul Simon Award

By Paris Ervin

CHICAGO - Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is among the 2015 Paul Simon Award honorees from at the Illinois Hunger Coalition 13th Annual Paul Simon Award Dinner.

"I am humbled to accept the Paul Simon Award. Mr. Simon was a good and faithful public servant for all of Illinois," Frerichs said. "There are many paths in our mission to end hunger and each includes paying workers a decent wage so we can rebuild working class families and lift up those who want to better themselves."

In addition to Frerichs, Paul Simon Award honorees include Illinois state senator Kimberly Lightford and Keith Kelleher, President of SEIU Healthcare IL-IN. The award dinner was Thursday evening in Chicago.

The Illinois Hunger Coalition is an advocacy leader that seeks to alleviate and end hunger and the underlying causes through community organizing, advocating for progressive public policies, and public education. It is a 501 (c)(3) organization that accepts tax-deductible donations.

Know someone who is hungry? The Illinois Hunger Coalition's Hunger Hotline in Illinois is 800.359.2163.

The Illinois Treasurer is the state's chief investment officer and Frerichs is a Certified Public Finance Officer. He protects consumers by encouraging savings plans for colleges and trade schools, increasing financial education among all ages and removing barriers to home ownership and a secured retirement. The $27 billion investment portfolio includes $5 billion on behalf of local and state government units and $7 billion in savings for college or trade school. The investment approach is conservative to ensure the safety of principal. Funds also are invested in support of community development efforts. The Treasurer's office predates Illinois' incorporation in 1818. Voters in 1848 voted to make it an elected office.

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03 Apr 2015

Illinois Treasurer Seeks to Reunite Quad Cities Area Residents with Assets, Wealth

By Paris Ervin

$22.3 million waiting to be claimed by residents of Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside Counties


SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois State Treasurer's Office is searching for tens of thousands of Northern Illinois residents who have unclaimed property. Through the I-Cash program, the treasurer's office safeguards more than $2.1 billion in unclaimed property belonging to millions of Illinois residents. Hundreds of thousands of new properties have been reported in recent months, including lost bank accounts, insurance policy proceeds, and utility refunds. Those new reports bring the total available to be claimed by residents of Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside counties to $22,353,481 from 114,077 properties as of January.


"We want to return this property to its rightful owners," Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said. "Whether it is a savings account someone started for you as a child, or U.S. savings bonds from World War II that your grandparents forgot about in a safe deposit box, the proper place for these items is with their rightful owners."


Starting April 5th, names of 78,895 individuals who have unclaimed property worth more than $100 or stock, bonds, mutual funds, or safe deposit box contents that was reported over the past six months will be featured in newspapers ads across Illinois. Those listings represent a fraction of the 14 million properties reported since the program began in 1962 that are waiting to be claimed. All Illinoisans are encouraged to visit illinoistreasurer.gov to search for property and initiate a claim in as little as three minutes. Once the claim is filed with proof of ownership, individuals will receive their property in as little as three weeks. Last year, the average amount returned was $1,000.

 

Hundreds of thousands of new properties are collected from businesses by the State Treasurer's I-Cash program each year, so residents are encouraged to check the State Treasurer's I-Cash database every six months. For more information about the State Treasurer's I-Cash program, visit illinoistreasurer.gov or call 217-785-6998.
30 Jul 2013

IDOT, Illinois Law Enforcement partner for the I-80 Challenge to save lives during More Cops, More Stops Campaign

By Paris Ervin

QUAD CITIES - The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois State Police (ISP) and the Office of the Secretary of State, Department of Police (SOS) joined other safety advocates and law enforcement officials for the More Cops, More Stops "I-80 Cross Country Crackdown" to ramp up enforcement of life-saving laws during one of the busiest travel times of the year.

The purpose of this campaign is to crack down on drivers who are speeding, driving drunk or distracted, or not wearing a seat belt, with the goal of achieving a zero fatality rate for the eight-day period. The campaign began on July 24 and wraps up on July 31.

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