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Facility marks 10 years
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Digital billboard proposed Some Sycamore officials have concerns over plan By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com
Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
Pay-It-Forward House Executive Director Joyce Mathey holds the scissors before the March 12 ribbon-cutting with volunteers and Sycamore Chamber of Commerce leaders to celebrate 10 years since the house opened.
Pay-It-Forward House celebrates decade of good-nights’ rest If you go
By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – As Barry Cohn’s wife of 43 years rested in her final weeks of life in Kindred Hospital last summer, he was almost always by her side. Or at the very least, right next door to her. Cohn’s wife, Diane, was being treated for multiple systems atrophy, a rare nerve and muscular disorder that could best be treated at Kindred Hospital near downtown Sycamore. The couple lived in Streamwood, and Cohn needed to be by her side every day without making a daily 60mile round-trip drive back home. Instead of sleeping in uncomfortable hospital lobbies, the backseats of cars, or expensive, bland hotel rooms, Pay-It-Forward House, 719 Somonauk St., next door to Kindred, offers people in Cohn’s situation a more comfortable, economical option. Guests are asked to pay $10 a night, plus a $20 refundable key deposit, but nobody is turned away for inability to pay. Pay-It-Forward House, a three-story, three-bedroom house, differs from the sterile hotel rooms by adding flavor and personality to each room, with
n What: 10-year donor and volunteer
celebration. n When: Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. n Where: Taxco Restaurant, 223 W. State St. in Sycamore n More info: Donations are accepted.
floral bed sheet patterns, pillow tops garnished with stuffed animals, and other pieces of furniture that make it feel like home. The refrigerator and pantries are filled with donated food, and the kitchen includes a microwave, but not a stove – city officials were concerned that people under such stress might forget to turn it off. “It was almost like coming home – well, it was like coming home,” said Cohn, a filmmaker. “It was an incredible, warm and homey environment. Diane would have liked the house.” For a decade, Pay-It-Forward House has provided comfortable nights of rest to “14,000 heads that have hit the pillow,” Executive Director Joyce Mathey said. A donor and volunteer celebration marking the anniversary will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Sun-
Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Volunteer Debbie Poole of Sycamore stocks the refrigerator March 17 with bottled water in the kitchen of the Pay-It-Forward House next to Kindred Hospital in Sycamore. day at Taxco Restaurant, 223 W. State St. The house can house 11 guests, who are asked to perform certain household chores depending on the day of the week. “The guests are usually financially, physically and emotionally drained,” Mathey said. “Their loved one has gone through some major medical crisis. They’ve been in a big hospital sleeping on a recliner next to the bed for the
last 30 days.” The story of the Pay-It-Forward House began 12 years ago, when Mary Lou Eubanks, the nonprofit’s eventual founder, had a sister-in-law receiving treatment at Kindred. At the time, the house next door was a private residence, but Eubanks had a vision to replicate the Ronald McDonald House model there.
See PAY-IT-FORWARD, page A8
SYCAMORE – A new company is looking to bring a bright form of advertising to the city. Jay Sauber and Paul Simon of Sycamore Media Network approached the Sycamore Planning Commission after the company was established in December with a proposal to install a digital billboard at 1775 DeKalb Ave., near Portillo’s. The digital billboard would display static digital images for 10 seconds before rotating to the next one. It could advertise anything from local sales to Amber Alerts or traffic problems. Once found almost exclusively in metropolitan areas such as Chicago, digital billboards have been cropping up in suburbs throughout Illinois. “There’s a lot of use for these things, plus it’s beneficial for the community,” Sauber said. “They’re more eye-appealing and you can do more with them. You can change copy and advertise different sales. It’s the future.” An informative workshop was held at the March 9 commission meeting. City officials have raised concerns about the two-sided electronic sign with 11-foot by 22-foot faces. “The question that comes about, which is a byproduct of the proposal, is whether this type of sign is something that’s consistent with the community’s vision,” City Manager Brian Gregory said. The city’s unified development ordinance states billboards cannot be within a thousand feet of other billboards and cannot be within 500 feet of a residential property. The proposed billboard would violate both regulations. The city’s existing ordinance restricts electronic signs to message boards with a maximum size of 50 percent of the allowable design area, which is determined by the zoning district. In addition, the ordinance prohibits the use of red or green lettering to avoid confusion with traffic lights, illumination that can cause traffic hazards and backgrounds featuring simulated fireworks, explosions, flags or other distracting displays. Sauber said he is waiting to hear back from the city for the next step. He said the reaction at the March 9 meeting went “both ways” in terms of support and opposition of the idea. “Some had some specific questions, others said it was something that could be really utilized,” Sauber said. Mayor Ken Mundy praised members of the Sycamore Media Network as well as the benefits of having a digital billboard, but raised concerns about the sign as it pertains to the existing ordinance. “I think it’s OK, except what bothers us a bit ... is if we loosen the regulations too much, what could we end up with?” Mundy said. “You can’t legislate for one vendor or one company. From what I understand, they’re not too far off from the current regulations. My concern is if we allow too many of these. Electronic corridors are truly not pleasing to the eyes.”
More cash-strapped Americans turn to tax refund advances By HOPE YEN The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Cashstrapped Americans anxious for tax refunds are increasingly turning to payment advances, prepaid cards or other costly services when getting tax preparation help, according to new federal data raising concerns among regulators about whether consumers are fully informed about the fees. Regulators are looking to increase oversight of preparers amid the rise in “refund anticipation checks,” a type of cash advance especially pop-
ular among low-income families who receive the Earned By the numbers Income Tax Credit, the government’s $65 billion cash benefit About 55 percent of Earned program. The advances are beIncome Tax Credit recipients in ing marketed as a way to get the U.S. reported using a paid tax fast refunds or defer payment preparer last year. of tax preparation costs. The Consumer Financial States with highest rates: Protection Bureau says some n New York: 68 percent consumers have complaints n New Jersey and California: about refund anticipation 66 percent checks centered on advertisn Alabama: 63 percent ing, quality of service or fees. The bureau is finalizing the first rules on prepaid debit sures upfront about costs and cards, including those for tax risks. Refund anticipation checks refunds, that would require “easy to understand” disclo- rose to roughly 21.6 million in
recipients; roughly 84 percent are low-income, according to the data. Industry analysts project the payment advancStates with lowest rates: es and their fees will become n Washington and New Hampmore widespread as tax preshire: 39 percent parers seek to boost revenue. n Oregon: 38 percent Currently, refund anticipan Alaska: 36 percent tion checks and prepaid cards make up 10 percent of indusIllinois’ rate: 55 percent try giant H&R Block’s revenue and more than 20 percent of Source: Internal Revenue Liberty Tax Service’s, accordService ing to earnings reports. Both companies said they 2014, up 17 percent from 2011, are committed to providing according to IRS data provided consumers with the informato The Associated Press. About tion they need to make tax-filhalf the purchasers are EITC ing decisions, including use
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of refund anticipation checks. They said the payment advances offer added value, such as convenience. The Internal Revenue Service has been pushing Congress for new authority to regulate the $10.1 billion tax preparation industry after an appeals court last year barred it from requiring tax preparers to undergo background checks and testing. “It’s the wild, wild West,” said Nina Olson, the IRS’ national taxpayer advocate, describing the current state of
See REFUNDS, page A8
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