Netflix sues Broadcom's VMware over US virtual machine patentsMarc Byrnes remembers the day he opened his property tax bill this summer to find it had quadrupled from the previous installment. “I think a fair number of people would have damned near had a heart attack when they read what I received,” Byrnes said. The bill had gone from $1,162.32 due in March to $4,706.75 due in August. Byrnes had a sense his property tax bill would likely be increasing after chatting in June with a neighbor whose bill had gone up several thousand dollars. He just wasn’t expecting the increase to be so dramatic. Byrnes lives in his late mother’s house in south suburban Park Forest. He has five siblings, and they all pitch in to keep up the property. They’re not sure what will happen with it long term. Some options include his sister moving in as its main resident or Byrnes buying out the place from his siblings. He’s saved money over the years from various jobs, such as professional driver and laboratory assistant, which has helped him respond to unexpected financial demands like the tax bill increase. Having to make pivots throughout his career taught Byrnes to always save more than he spends in case of an emergency. “Because I’ve had a few lean times in my, I guess, working career, I’ve become very careful with my financial resources,” he said. Although Byrnes lives frugally and considers himself fortunate to be able to make the payments, he feels angry that his tax bill has shot up while his property’s value hasn’t. He’s trying to understand how these two realities can coexist. “There comes a point when it’s like, this is so incredibly unfair to the people that are living in this area. This is a kick to the most sensitive part of the body,” Byrnes said. “Our houses have not gone up a million dollars in value. I want to know. I want to ask [Cook County Treasurer] Maria Pappas, right to her face, what’s your explanation for this?” Byrnes is one of many south suburban residents who experienced a record tax increase this year. Property tax bills rose nearly 20% this year for the median homeowner in south suburban Cook County — the highest increase in three decades, according to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office . Black residents in the south suburbs have been impacted the most. Of the 15 suburbs with the largest tax hikes, 13 are home to mostly Black people. In those suburbs, residents saw their property taxes go up 30% or more. A multitude of long-term issues — continual disinvestment, decreased commercial activity, stagnant population growth and increasing assessments — have contributed to the spike. But the problems extend far beyond this year’s record increase. Experts warn that a bleak economic future awaits many south suburban communities, if there’s no intervention. Some are reimagining what changes can be made to ignite the south suburban economic landscape. In the meantime, Byrnes and other frustrated south suburban property owners are grappling with how to move forward. Some south suburban residents are paying just as much in property taxes as their counterparts in well-to-do north suburban communities whose homes are worth two to three times more. How did we end up here? Pappas says “a lot” of people ask her why their property taxes increased. In her more than two decades as Cook County treasurer, she says it’s the No. 1 question people ask her, regardless of whether she’s picking up her dry cleaning or shopping for groceries. “I have spent a huge amount of time trying to make it understandable,” Pappas said. She cited a recent addition to county property tax bills, “Where Your Money Goes,” as an example of her efforts. The section, which appears near the top of the tax bills, breaks down how much money each taxing body is requesting line by line. It also lists what each taxing body charged the previous year and the difference in charges between the two years. Pappas said she had this section added to the bills because “people don’t know that they paid to 14 different governments. They have no idea.” A levy is the amount of money a taxing body requests every year from homeowners and businesses within its jurisdiction. Taxing bodies also take in revenue through additional taxes, fees and other sources. Often, municipalities and school districts are requesting more funds through levies. Matteson School District 162, responsible for the second-highest increase on Byrnes’ bill, posted an FAQ on its website for residents regarding the tax levy. Assistant Superintendent for Business Craig Englert said the levy increase was standard, just 3.1%. But levies aren’t the only factor contributing to an increase in property taxes. People leaving the region, depressed commercial investment and increased assessments can all lead to rising property taxes, even when tax levies and property values are not. At a public meeting last week, Englert explained to residents that increases in their tax bills were due to a shift in tax burden from commercial properties to residential properties. He also cited the loss of COVID adjustments for residential property assessments and the fact that commercial property assessments didn’t increase as much as residential ones. Englert demonstrated this point by breaking down the difference in assessments between 2022 and 2023 in Rich Township. Residential property assessments increased by 52% between those two years, whereas nonresidential property assessments only increased 7%. Byrnes’ home also serves as an example. The assessed value of his home grew from about $8,170 to $15,000. Officials with Matteson School District 162 are taking the significant tax bill changes into account as they plan the 2024 levy. Their goal is that, on average, taxpayers will see a 0% change in the amount of taxes paid to the district next year. “I have to qualify that, because if someone’s house value changes relative to their neighbor’s, they could see a slight tax increase,” Englert said. “But on average, it should be 0%.” Sluggish population growth can also result in higher property tax bills. As more people move out of an area, there are fewer people to help pay that levy, and each person left ends up having to pay a little bit more of it. Chris Berry, the director of the University of Chicago’s Mansueto Institute, researches the ways cities are shaped and sustained. He said the current tax situation in Cook County’s Southland is not sustainable. “We can’t have a situation in which the government continuously, and in the long run, grows faster than the private economy,” Berry said. “I do think that’s essentially the concern in a lot of the southern suburbs ... that the tax base is shrinking, the spending is going up, and those two things cannot continue to happen simultaneously for very long before a jurisdiction goes bankrupt or people move out.” But the Southland’s economic troubles compound both the shrinking tax base and the increased government spending. Growing disinvestment and the lack of commercial activity mean fewer property tax dollars from businesses. On top of that, the region’s struggling economy also limits the range of viable revenue sources for school districts, municipalities and other local governments to provide services. For many government agencies in the Southland, property taxes are one of the few revenue sources upon which they can faithfully rely. Berry said it’s an economic picture in stark contrast to other municipalities with a wider tax base and more robust economic activity. “Think of Chicago, obviously, and we’ve got all these properties in the Loop (downtown), and that’s a really important part of our tax base,” Berry said. “A lot of the southern suburbs that we’re talking about don’t have nearly so much commercial activity, and so the commercial share of the tax base is much lower, which just means residents have to bear all that much more.” Holding the line on property taxes Residents like Glynis James-Watson are debating what to do with this larger slice of the levy pie. She moved to the south suburb of Harvey in August 2021 after receiving her calling from God to preach — a spiritual awakening that she thought might lead to a pastor position. She graduated from seminary just a few months before her home purchase. “I kind of followed what I felt I was being directed to do, and the pastor position didn’t open up. So I’m like, ‘Okay, Lord, what’s going on?’” James-Watson said. “So that’s how I ended up in Harvey. The way I got the house was kind of a miracle. And you know, everything was going well. The payments were well within my means.” However, James-Watson said she was “flabbergasted” when she opened her 2023 second installment property tax bill, which was $8,170.39 — an amount more than seven times the price tag of the first installment bill of $1,066.97. “I feel like I’m fortunate in the sense that I can afford to pay it, but that just obliterates any other items on my budget,” she said. On her latest bill, the city of Harvey charged James-Watson $3,470.76, nearly five times the $717.29 the municipality charged her a year ago. Back in July, in response to the dramatic property tax increases, Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark announced an effort to “ Hold the Tax .” He pledged not to unnecessarily raise property taxes in fiscal year 2025 and called on other mayors to do the same. Clark said he’d look for alternative sources of revenue, like collecting tax money that is already owed to the city but going unpaid. “We have a 52% collection rate, property tax collection rate, so we still have 48% worth of dollars that we can actually go out there and try to capture,” Clark said. Some taxes must be raised due to court orders and settlement agreements, but Clark said the pledge is a crucial step toward righting the taxing issues that the state and county need to address. “It should benefit [our residents], because once we start having the real conversations about what we’re going to do about the tax system in the state of Illinois, that should help them long-term,” Clark said. “Also, just for instance, if a bill has gone up, and the city of Harvey portion of it was $500, we just saved them $500. If no one else commits to holding the tax and we just do it ourselves, we’ve already benefited our residents.” A struggling economy in need of a boost Berry with the University of Chicago says these financial woes make it crucial to boost the private economy in the south suburbs. Since 2019, the nonprofit Southland Development Authority has been trying to provide that lift by investing in opportunities for economic change. The organization partners with local governments and small businesses to find and provide capital for projects to help boost the area. Bo Kemp, the group’s CEO, said there is a major opportunity to build robust neighborhoods through capitalizing on existing investments that could impact the south suburbs — for example, transportation investment. He cites the Metra Electric Community Initiative, which aims to modernize 13 stations across the South Side and south suburbs, and the CTA Red Line extensions, both reaching far south. “The ability for us to leverage that transportation means that a future world where there will still be cars, but not as many cars, and people are going to be much more reliant on public transportation, allows for enough property density around those nodes here in the Southland to create places where people live, shop and work out in the Southland and are still connected to the city of Chicago,” Kemp said. The Southland’s economy has endured a couple of rocky decades. According to data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the southernmost parts of Cook County — including Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Orland, Rich and Thornton townships — collectively lost more than 35,000 jobs from March 2001 to March 2021. The heaviest losses were in the manufacturing, retail trade and construction industries. The area’s economy has rebounded some in the last few years. Data show an increase of more than 6,000 jobs from March 2021 to March 2023. The strongest growth has occurred in the transportation and warehousing industry, thanks in large part to the opening of two massive Amazon warehouse facilities in Markham and Matteson. Even with all the complex issues facing the area, Kemp argues that people are sleeping on the Southland as an area primed for growth. “The western suburbs, the northern suburbs, are already built,” Kemp said. “So, we present ourselves as the best opportunity for that kind of growth — and growth that can be done in a way that maintains the legacy residents who’ve been here for 10, 20, 30, 40 years, while also incorporating new residents.” The future of the south suburbs may depend on the capacity to bring in that kind of vitality. But it’s not clear how long residents will hold out and wait for that growth — and the satisfaction of paying a property tax bill justified by the value of their homes and the public services and amenities they receive in exchange. Resources If you’ve experienced an outsized increase in your property taxes, here are some courses of action you can take: Appeal your property assessment with the Cook County Assessor . Use Cook County’s Payment Plan Calculator to make partial payments on delinquent property taxes. Adora Namigadde is a metro reporter and host of The Rundown (morning episodes) for WBEZ. You can follow her at @adorakn .How Is The Market Feeling About Pentair?TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are determined to not get ahead of themselves. Sunday’s 30-7 rout of the New York Giants began a six-game, regular season-ending stretch in which the Bucs (5-6) will face five opponents that currently have losing records. The victory coming out of the team’s bye week stopped a four-game skid and moved the three-time defending NFC South champions within one game of first-place Atlanta in the division. The Falcons swept the season series, so the Bucs essentially trail the Falcons by two games with six remaining. They’re in a good position to chase their fifth consecutive playoff berth, but can hardly assume they’ll benefit from having an easy remaining schedule. “We’re hoping it builds confidence. We have belief that we’re still sitting and controlling our own destiny,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said of beating the Giants. “But it’s not just going to happen,” Mayfield added. “So, we have to take it one week at a time. And you find the recipe for success within your work week. ... You try to emulate that week after week and continue to build it.” The Los Angeles Chargers, who entered Monday night’s game against Baltimore at 7-3, are the only opponent remaining on Tampa Bay’s schedule that currently has a winning record. The Bucs will face division rival Carolina (3-8) twice in the next six weeks. They’ll also host Las Vegas (2-9) and New Orleans (4-7) and play the Chargers and Dallas Cowboys (4-7) on the road. “We can’t get comfortable,” rookie running back Bucky Irving said. “We just got to keep our foot on the gas and keep running.” The offense continues to put up big numbers, finishing with 450 yards against the Giants. It’s the fifth time Tampa Bay has gained more than 400 yards this season. The Bucs have now scored 30-plus points six times, second in the NFL behind Buffalo’s eight. There wasn’t a lot to fault in the team’s performance against the Giants, although coach Todd Bowles said both the offense and defense could have been done a better job closing out the game late. “For the most part we executed on both sides of the football,” Bowles said. “Still like to have finished the game a little better, but they came back (from the bye week) mentally tougher, and they came ready to play.” Irving averaged more than 7 yards per carry in rushing for 87 yards on 12 attempts. He also had six receptions for 64 yards, finishing with a season-high 151 yards from scrimmage. Just when it looked as if the defense was beginning to trend the right way health-wise, the Bucs lost safety Jordan Whitehead (pectoral) and linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (ankle) to injuries on Sunday. Bowles said Monday he was still awaiting an update on the severity of Whitehead’s injury. Tryon-Shoyinka has an ankle sprain. LT Tristan Wirfs (knee) sat out against the Giants and his status will be evaluated as the week progresses. 11. With wide receiver Mike Evans back on the field after missing three games with a hamstring injury, Mayfield completed passes to 11 different players, tying a team record. “He obviously changed the game, even when he's not getting the ball,” Mayfield said. “It's huge that we have him in.” At Carolina, the second of three consecutive games vs. last-place teams the Bucs will face during their stretch run. They’ll also host the Panthers on Dec. 29. “It’s an NFC South battle, and all of them are going to be hard. None of them are going to be easy,” Bowles said. “I think (coach) Dave (Canales) has done an excellent job taking on that team and it’s taking over his personality right now,” Bowles added. “They’re playing pretty good football. ... It’s going to be a tough battle.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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Amazon has slashed the price of a Fire TV Stick rival that’s now half the price of the popular streaming device. The Roku Express 4K Streaming Media Player is currently reduced to £30, down from £39. That’s half the usual price of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K , which would set you back £59.99. However, Amazon has just reduced this model down to £34.99 to tempt customers in the Black Friday sale. The Roku device still works out £4.99 cheaper than the Fire TV Stick and lets you stream live TV, news, sports, films and TV shows on more than 250 free and paid channels and apps including Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and many more. Buyers can also claim three months of free Apple TV+ worth £26.97 by redeeming on the platform after setup. READ MORE: The Dunelm halogen heater that is 'great for giving instant heat' READ MORE: Amazon's giant Lindt Chocolate Hamper now cheaper than Tesco ahead of Black Friday The Roku Express 4K provides streaming in HD, 4K Ultra HD, and HDR for crystal clear picture quality and can turn any non-smart TV into a smart TV packed with streaming apps by plugging it straight into an HDMI port. It’s also designed to deliver a smooth streaming experience and fast WiFi connection even with several devices running simultaneously. The ‘easy to use’ remote also features shortcuts to the most popular streamers and has voice control so you can search for your favourite shows hands free. The Roku Express 4K Streaming Media Player has earned more than 1,800 positive reviews from Amazon customers, with users hailing it as ‘great value for money’ and an ‘improvement’ on a Fire TV Stick. One satisfied customer said: “Brilliant and great value for money. Switched to this from a Fire Stick which we were having many problems with and it’s a huge improvement. Absolutely recommend this to anyone. So handy I can control it from my phone as the remote can be a bit slow. Seriously amazing.” Another said: “Fantastic value, versatile streamer. Added to an older Samsung non-smart TV. Does everything I want and more. Large range of streaming channels including all the popular ones. Simple to use remote, plus the option to use an app on your mobile as a remote, so you can type and issue voice commands to Roku . It is probably better than the options provided on many smart TVs and for a small fraction of the price.” A third shopper said: “Ditch the Fire Stick and get one of these. My Fire Stick was getting slower and slower which got to be a bit of a drag. While looking for alternatives I saw lots of good reviews for the Roku and decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did as it’s completely changed our viewing experience. No more lagging and waiting, no more drop-outs from WiFi. The apps all seem to work a lot better too.” However, the same buyer pointed out a downside, writing: “The only thing this lacked were the power and volume buttons on the remote. I bought a replacement remote with these and voice control while it was on special and that solved the problem.” Elsewhere, Sky is also offering big discounts on TV packages in its Black Friday sale , with plans offering hundreds of TV channels and a free Netflix subscription. Shoppers can currently save £168 on the provider’s Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle that’s at its lowest-ever price of £19 a month, down from £26.
Donald Trump has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, revived calls to buy Greenland and joked about annexing Canada -- leaving the world guessing once again whether he is serious or not. By challenging the sovereignty of some of Washington's closest allies four weeks before he even returns to the Oval Office, the US-president elect has underscored his credentials as global disruptor-in-chief. His comments have renewed fears from his first term that Trump will end up being harsher on US friends than he is on adversaries like Russia and China. But there are also suspicions that billionaire tycoon Trump is looking for leverage as part of the "art of the deal" -- and that the former reality television star is grabbing headlines to look strong at home and abroad. "It's hard to tell how much of this he really wants, and how much is the latest soundbite that will be heard around the world," said Frank Sesno, a professor at George Washington University and former White House correspondent. "He puts other leaders in position of having to figure out what is literal and what is not," he told AFP. The idea of buying Greenland is not a new one for Trump. He also raised the prospect of purchasing the vast strategic island, a Danish territory, during his first term in office. He revived his push over the weekend when naming his ambassador to Copenhagen, saying the "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for US national security. But he received the same answer this time as he did then, with Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede saying on Monday that the resource-rich island was "not for sale." Yet his most headline-grabbing remarks have been on Panama, as he slammed what he called unfair fees for US ships passing through and threatened to demand control of the Panama Canal be returned to Washington. Trump said on Sunday that if Panama did not agree "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America -- in full, quickly and without question." He also hinted at China's growing influence around the canal, which was built by the United States in 1914 to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was returned to Panama under a 1977 deal. Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino dismissed Trump's threats, saying that "every square meter" of the canal would remain in Panamanian hands. Trump responded on TruthSocial: "We'll see about that!" Trump also teased neighboring Canada last week that it would be a "great idea" to become the 51st US state -- but against a dark backdrop of threatened tariffs. Sesno said it was hard for other countries to know how to deal with Trump's comments. "Well, it's clearly a joke. Or is it? said Sesno. "Imagine if you're the President of Panama, how do you react to something like that? You can't ignore it and your country will not let you. So the ripple effect of these comments is extraordinary." Trump's harsh treatment of US allies also stands in stark contrast to his repeated praise for the leaders of US foes -- including Russia's Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine in 2022 in a bid for a land-grab. But there is still likely to be method behind Trump's rhetoric. "Maybe the message is for China" when Trump talks about buying Greenland, said Stephanie Pezard, senior political scientist with the Rand Corporation. Just as Trump expressed concern about Beijing's influence in Panama, China's growing presence in the Arctic and its ties with Russia were "something that the US is really worried about," Pezard told AFP. But there could also be a signal to Denmark that 'If you're too friendly with China, you'll find us in your way" -- even though Denmark and Greenland had been "very good NATO allies." And perhaps Trump knows the reality. Any US plan to "buy" Greenland would be unfeasible "not just in international law but more broadly in the global order that the US has been trying to uphold," she said. dk/bgs