Wednesday, May 22 2013 10:07 AM EDT2013-05-22 14:07:37 GMT
Illinois Sen. Donne Trotter has apologized for remarks that compared a member of Gov. Pat Quinn's cabinet to a Nazi.
Illinois Sen. Donne Trotter has apologized for remarks that compared a member of Gov. Pat Quinn's cabinet to a Nazi.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has announced the investment of an additional $5 million to the Welcome Home Heroes home buyer financing package to make home ownership more affordable for more military families.
The new Illinois Jobs Now! capital funding will allow an additional 500 military families to access a $10,000 forgivable grant toward the purchase of a new home, as well as a mortgage tax credit worth up to $20,000 over the life of the loan.
"As we honor our Illinois heroes on Veterans Day, we are proud to invest in the Welcome Home Heroes program to help those who sacrifice so much buy an affordable home," Governor Quinn said. "The Welcome Home Heroes program offers a secure financing package that protects those who have committed their lives to protecting us. This program helps military homeowners and improves local real estate markets across Illinois."
Since Governor Quinn launched the financing package last December, Welcome Home Heroes has helped more than 550 military families achieve their dream of buying a home. Welcome Home Heroes originally was funded through $5 million in Illinois Jobs Now! capital funds and $5 million from the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The additional $5 million investment announced today will stimulate statewide economic activity:
250 full-time jobs
$8.4 million from real estate-related industries
More than $6.7 million in economic activity for the state
Additional $2.7 million in other statewide spending
Welcome Home Heroes is open to all qualified Illinois veterans. Active military personnel, reservists and Illinois National Guard members can also participate, but have to be first-time buyers.
"Under Governor Quinn's leadership, Welcome Home Heroes will continue to eliminate barriers to home ownership that many Illinois military families face by providing a financial package that is one of the most substantial in the nation," IHDA Executive Director Mary R. Kenney said. "As the state's housing finance agency, IHDA has enabled nearly 60,000 low-to-moderate-income families buy a home securely and this investment means we can help even more families."
Buyers have to qualify based on income and purchase price limits, and can apply for the loan package through an IHDA lender. A list of participating lenders throughout the state is available at ihda.org/homeowner/heroes. For more information about programs for Illinois veterans and service members, visit OperationHomefront.org.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:13 AM EDT2013-05-22 04:13:11 GMT
A British woman who claimed to have hit a cyclist while driving her car and then driving off tweeted about driving off and not caring much about it. But then the cops tweeted back.
The first rule of Twitter - it's not smart to tweet about a crime.
Monday, May 20 2013 9:30 PM EDT2013-05-21 01:30:20 GMT
A stop on a roadtrip turned one traveler's trip into a nightmare that lasted more than a month.. It happened in Marston, when Debbie Vallejo let her dog, Slick, go to the bathroom at Pilot's.
A stop on a roadtrip turned one traveler's trip into a nightmare that lasted more than a month.. It happened in Marston, when Debbie Vallejo let her dog, Slick, go to the bathroom at Pilot's.
The StormTeam Digital Doppler image will be updated approx. every 5 minutes. This is a screen capture of what the StormTeam is looking at. So from time to time, the image might be zoomed in on different
The StormTeam Digital Doppler image will be updated approx. every 5 minutes. This is a screen capture of what the StormTeam is looking at. So from time to time, the image might be zoomed in on different
Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:16 PM EDT2013-05-21 23:16:48 GMT
MOORE, OK - The Oklahoma County Sheriff's office tweeted a photo of a frightened, muddy dog Monday after the deadly EF-5 tornado ripped through the town.The comment accompanying the photo said, "scared,
A heartbreaking photo of a little dog guarding the body of his owner, who was killed in the Moore, OK, tornado, is going viral.
Saturday, May 18 2013 4:47 PM EDT2013-05-18 20:47:58 GMT
Good afternoon - Here is what's coming up tonight on Heartland News: Authorities are investigating a shooting death that happened Friday night in Benton, Illinois. The chances of winning the estimated
Good afternoon - Here is what's coming up tonight on Heartland News: Authorities are investigating a shooting death that happened Friday night in Benton, Illinois. The chances of winning the estimated