The U.S. Department of Energy has a site for fuel economy information which many drivers may find helpful in saving money, finding the right car, and checking EPA ratings. Please take a look at www.fueleconomy.gov.
Because of budgetary constraints, in 2011 the Social Security Administration (SSA) stopped sending estimated Social Security benefit statements on paper. For a number of years these statements had been sent to all workers age 25 and older and not currently receiving Social Security benefits. In addition to listing a worker’s lifetime earnings record (the basis for Social Security benefits), the statements contained estimated benefits for retirement, disability, and surviving family members.
This month (May, 2012), the SSA unveiled a program to provide the same information electronically, on the SSA website. Any individual who wishes to sign up must be at least age 18 and have a valid Social Security number, e-mail address, and United States mailing address. Create an account at www.ssa.gov/mystatement.
The new electronic version of the benefit estimate statement provides the same information as the paper statement, a worker’s lifetime earnings record and estimated benefits for retirement, disability, and surviving family members. At the same time, the government has resumed mailing paper estimated benefit statements to workers age 60 and older who are not currently receiving Social Security benefits.
Google has just introduced “Google Drive” an online storage service. For an overview of it and comparison to 12 of the other most popular online storage servers: http://goo.gl/KfvPf.
The Mount Prospect Village Board contracted the engineering firm Burns & McDonnell to examine the cause of flooding that occurred throughout the Village on July 23, 2011. According to the Village website: “The scope of Burns & McDonnell’s work included examining the condition and capacity of the Village’s existing sewer system as well as analyzing flood surveys and home inspections conducted by the Public Works Department.”
The results from this project have been compiled in to a report available for viewing at Public Works and the Mount Prospect Public Library. It can also be downloaded here: 2011 Comprehensive Stormwater Study. For more info: July 23rd Flood Study Report Available.
The Illinois comptroller’s office has launched a data website that gives users a daily snapshot of the state’s finances, employee salaries and contracts.
Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka unveiled what her office calls “The Ledger” on Monday. She says it’s a user-friendly site that sets a new standard for transparency.
Topinka says much of the information on the new site was already available online, but it hasn’t been pulled together in one place or hasn’t been complete
Speak to an Attorney for free, provided by Between Friends, an advocacy organization to help battered women and children of domestic violence. You can call to set an appointment at either at Rolling Meadows or a Chicago location. Please call for a specific location 773-274-5232 x23.
Also, please review the attached to find dates of this service and free or low cost legal services.
legal-assistance_domestic-violence
The Illinois Department of Insurance site provides information on the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP). SHIP is a free statewide health insurance counseling service for Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers. A Medicare Supplement Premium Comparison Guide is available, as is Medicaid Related and Long Term Care Information
RentSocial.com is a new website using social networking to search for an apartment. Similar to the consumer-reviewed site Yelp, users can leave remarks of buildings they currently or used to live in. You can also create your own RentSocial profile using your info from Facebook. The site gives an “activity feed,” where building owners, friends and neighbors can post messages. It’s all free of charge to users (the site makes money by charging building owners a monthly fee to be listed).
On April 2, 2012, the National Archives will release the records of the 1940 Census. The only place they will be available is the web site http://1940census.archives.gov/ There is no name index available yet. Volunteers from many genealogy organizations are working to prepare this index but the project will take several months. Therefore, in order to find the record for a particular family, a researcher must know where that family lived in 1940 and from that information determine the enumeration district that included that address. For more information on locating that enumeration district, please look at the web site prepared by Steve Morse http://stevemorse.org/census/unified.html. He has prepared search engines for many large cities and other areas. FamilySearchhas some states and so does My Heritage.
We have some new titles at MPPL for start-up business issues – I invite you to come check them out!
The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup by Noam Wasserman
It’s Your Biz: The Complete Guide to Becoming Your Own Boss by Susan Wilson Solovic
How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses by Neil Smith and Patricia O’Connell
Results Without Authority: Controlling a Project When the Team Doesn’t Report to You by Tom Kendrick
All Business Is Local: Why Place Matters More Than Ever in a Global, Virtual World by John A. Quelch
Fearless Referrals: Boost Your Confidence, Break Down Doors, and Build a Powerful Client List by Matt Anderson
