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Identity issues subject of AG’s round table By LAWERENCE SYNETT lsynett@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Avoiding jury duty, asking grandparents for money and winning a sweepstakes remain prevalent scams targeting unsuspecting residents, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan told an audience Thursday at Northern Illinois University. Consumer protection was the focus of the roundtable discussion led by Madigan and members of her office. Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com The group updated law enIllinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan talks to DeKalb County officials forcement officials, commuabout identity theft and consumer fraud Thursday at Barsema Hall on nity leaders and business owners on the hazards of the Campus of Northern Illinois University. consumer fraud and identity
theft. “There is obviously more companies need to be doing, but there is a lot we can do as consumers to protect ourselves,” Madigan said. “It is happening every week, every day, and individuals are unaware until they need access to their credit.” Madigan created her office’s Consumer Protection Division in 2006 as consumer fraud reports and identity theft cases began to rise. Since then, Madigan said her staff has helped more than 40,000 victims and returned more than $26 million in fraudulent charges. In DeKalb County, about
18 percent of investigations deal with consumer fraud and identity theft, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said. That includes phone and email scams, as well as people attempting to forge payroll checks. “We see everything and more here in the county,” Scott said. “Once it happens, it is very time consuming and tough to track down the perpetrators.” Those most commonly victimized include older people and those who may not speak English, but “the reality is, it’s everybody who can
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‘Wonderful historic treasure’
Tips on identify theft To avoid being victimized: n Set up transaction alerts for debit and credit cards n Carefully review bank and credit card statements n Place a security freeze on your credit.
If you suspect identity fraud n Report it immediately to creditors n Place a fraud alert on credit report n File a police report.
For more information or to report suspicious activity, call Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office at 312814-3000 or visit www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.
Illinois voters should expect more ballot questions Initiatives may reach unrivaled number By SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
The Ellwood-Nehring House’s former owner Shirley Hamilton-Nehring (center) helps cut the ceremonial ribbon along with DeKalb Mayor John Rey (right) and Brian Reis (left), executive director of the Ellwood House Museum, before the house was opened to public tours Thursday. Hamilton-Nehring donated the house to the Ellwood House Museum Foundation and now lives in Wisconsin.
Ellwood-Nehring House open to the public for first time By JESSI HAISH news@daily-chronicle.com DeKALB – Shirley Hamilton-Nehring was happy to hear music in her former home Thursday. “I specified, it was a requisite for this place, that they had to have music in it,” she said. “I even left the piano there.” In the Ellwood-Nehring House sits a 1929 Mason & Hamlin grand piano, which was purchased on her and her husband, Paul’s, first anniversary. She said this piano has special meaning because it was made the year she was born. “There was always music in the house,” Hamilton-Nehring said. “So I wanted the piano to stay there.” The Ellwood-Nehring House, home of Perry and May Ellwood before they
inherited the Isaac Ellwood mansion, hosted a grand opening Thursday on North First Street. The house was sold from the Ellwoods to Paul Nehring in 1942, and was reunited as part of the Ellwood estate in 2012. The public was invited to walk through the first floor of the home, which Hamilton-Nehring lived in until it was donated to the Ellwood House Association in 2012. The first floor will be open for tours along with the first floor of the Ellwood House, and was open to the public for the first time Thursday. Hamilton-Nehring said it was “painful” to come back for the opening. “It was time for me to do it,” Hamilton-Nehring said about donating
Former owner Shirley Hamilton Nehring stands Thursday in front of the Ellwood-Nehring House after commenting on how nicely the front hostas have filled in since she had planted them. The fully restored Ellwood-Nehring House, on the grounds of the Ellwood Mansion in DeKalb, opened to the public Thursday.
Voice your opinion What is your favorite part of the Ellwood House? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.
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“It was time for me to do it. I didn’t feel like I could take care of it anymore. But living here was one of the happiest periods of my life.”
SPRINGFIELD – Let the voters decide. Whether it’s figuring out if the state should tax millionaires or who should pay for birth control, Illinois voters could see more November ballot questions than they have in decades. As many as seven ballot measures could be up for consideration, including four proposed to alter Illinois’ constitution and three pollstyle questions. Brought by Democrats and Republicans, they’re aimed at boosting voter turnout, which was abysmal during the primary, in a general election that features one of the nation’s most competitive and expensive governor’s races. But political experts and voters groups warn of risks too, such as voter fatigue and detracting from other issues. Still, voters groups are gearing up. League of Women Voters of Illinois executive director Mary Schaafsma said so many possibilities raise questions about political motives and could dilute efforts to raise awareness, but it’s a way to motivate voters. “It’s a way for voters to feel like they have a little bit of empowerment,” she said. “Voters are capricious, and they can change their mind.” None of the ballot measures – term limits, political redistricting, voters’ rights, crime victims’ rights and minimum wage – are sure things. Some are still emerging as legislators prepare to adjourn this week. Election officials are verifying signatures for petition-driven efforts on political boundaries and term limits while a lawsuit could threaten both plans. Election officials certify ballots in August. The sheer number of potential ballot measures could be unprecedented. State Board of Election records, which date back to 1970, show there have not been more than three ballot measures in one election year – Including constitutional amendments and nonbinding questions. Nationally, Illinois isn’t a heavy hitter on ballot questions that change laws, especially when compared with California and Colorado. But Illinois could stand out for potentially asking so many nonbinding advisory questions, which isn’t as common, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The issue hit a frenzied pitch in Illinois on Thursday when the Senate advanced one nonbinding question that asks voters if prescription drug plans should cover birth control, an Illinois law on the books since 2003.
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Shirley Hamilton-Nehring, Former owner of Ellwood House
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