The Franklin Park Police Department and the Westwood Criminal Justice Association will host a fun-filled holiday event for families on December 10 from 11:00AM to 6:00PM.  The event will include music, food, crafts and photos with Santa!  A $5 donation or a donation of a toy for children 12 or under is requested.  The event will be held at Westwood College, located at 8501 West Higgins, suite 100, in Chicago.

 

During the Thanksgiving holiday, our Franklin Park Police Department supported enforcement to remind motorists to buckle up and not drive impaired.  The highly successful Click It or Ticket/Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign works to reduce highway fatalities by cracking down on unbuckled motorists and impaired drivers.  From November 18 - 30, the Franklin Park Police Department issued:

The annual Click It or Ticket mobilization may be over in Franklin Park, but that is no excuse to stop using your seat belt.  Our officers are out all year long.  If you or your passengers are caught not wearing a seat belt, day or night, you will be cited for the safety violation.

 

For more information on the Illinois Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit: www.buckleupillinois.org

In the mid-1990s, the Cub Scouts and Boy Scout Troops in Franklin Park initiated the Paul G. Ruch Food Drive to collect food donations from local residents.  The event has grown to become one of the largest food donation events within our Village.  Once again, our Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and their parents will be asking for food donations to benefit the Leyden Family Services Food Pantry.  If you would like to participate, please place a bag or box of non-perishable food items on your front doorstep by 9:00AM on Saturday, December 14th.  The Scouts will collect the food items and bring the donations to the Food Pantry.  If you cannot donate food for this event, you can still donate to the Leyden Family Services Food Pantry by visiting their office at 10200 West Grand Avenue or by calling 847-455-5688.

The Village of Franklin Park is sponsoring its annual contest to see who has the Best Decorated Home or Business this holiday season!  We hope all our residents and businesses will be inspired this holiday season to demonstrate their festive spirit by decorating the outside of their property.  Winners will receive a prize and special recognition from the Board of Trustees for their creativity.  Show us your creativity!

The "Get Covered Illinois" program helps provide affordable health insurance to currently uninsured residents.  The program offers essential health benefits including doctor’s visits, hospital stays and prescriptions for many residents with medical challenges but without insurance coverage.  Get Covered Illinois may offer more affordable insurance options for Illinois residents who currently purchase health insurance, but are struggling with high costs.  This coverage will vary depending on the size of your family and your income.  Small businesses with fewer than 25 employees may also be eligible for a health care tax credit to help provide insurance for their workers.

 

"Get Covered Illinois" open enrollment is available now and goes through March 2014.  For insurance coverage starting January 1, 2014, you must enroll by December 15 of this year.  To learn more, please visit www.GetCoveredIllinois.gov or call the toll-free Get Covered Illinois help desk: 1-866-311-1119 (open from 8:00am to 8:00pm).

 

If you already buy your own insurance and want to know if you might be able to cut costs with this program (also referred to as the "marketplace"), go to www.healthcare.gov/how-can-i-save-money-on-marketplace-coverage.

 

Key provisions of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) are beginning to be phased in including the elimination of some of the artificially low rates and discounts that may local homeowners currently enjoy.  This change in law may result in some policyholders having their subsidy eliminated.  Specifically, the legislation will require rates to increase to reflect true flood risk and to help make the program more financially stable. The changes will mean premium rate increases for some – but not all -- policyholders over time.

 

Not everyone will be affected immediately by the new law – only 20 percent of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies receive subsidies. Contact your insurance agent to help you understand if your policy is impacted by the changes and if it it could affect your policy premium.

 

For more information on Biggert-Waters Reform Act implementation, visit www.fema.gov/bw12. To learn more about flood risk and explore coverage options, visit www.floodsmart.gov.