Lake County News

What if you could know about a traffic accident, construction, or other kind of incident before you started driving, so you could take a different route? You can, and have it sent right to your email! The new Lake County PASSAGE Email Notification program allows users to sign up for real-time traffic alerts for designated roadways throughout Lake County.

All you have to do is go to www.lakecountypassage.com and click on Email Notifications. You can create your own personal profile (ie: work commute), create regions that encompass the roads where you will travel, and choose when you want to receive notifications. Users can adjust notifications for different times and days per profile, and choose to receive alerts for different types of events including roadwork, unusual congestion, and incidents such as stalls, crashes, debris, traffic signal malfunctions as well as countywide special alerts. Also, users can create up to 15 customizable regions per profile and multiple profiles for different travel patterns.

The email notification is another feature of Lake County PASSAGE, which also includes real-time traffic information on www.lakecountypassage.com, 1620 AM, LCTV, and variable message signs along roadways.

The traffic information is generated by police departments' Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems and then sent to the Transportation Management Center (TMC) in Libertyville where it is then communicated over the radio, website, and now emails.

Lake County continues to expand the PASSAGE coverage area. The County has projects underway to add the Lewis Avenue and Grand Avenue corridors in Waukegan, connect the traffic signals throughout Highland Park, and employ wireless technology to expand the network into several western communities.

"The PASSAGE system is a great resource for Lake County residents to get up-to-date, reliable, local traffic information so they can know before they go. Motorists can use the information to make smart travel decisions, save time, and avoid traffic headaches," Lake County Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt said.

To learn more about PASSAGE, visit www.lakecountypassage.com. There is a video tutorial on the website to assist users in registering.

Watch Web Tutorial

Watch Video on new PASSAGE Passage Email Notification Tutorial

Each year, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago honors community members who have demonstrated heroism through extraordinary acts of courage or kindness. With more than 600 philanthropic and distinguished guests in attendance, our annual Heroes Breakfast is a celebration of spirit and community.

This year's honorees will receive a Red Cross medal of honor on Thursday, April 14, 2011, at The Fairmont Chicago. Awards will be given in the following categories - Adult Good Samaritan, Citizenship, Community Impact, Disaster Relief, Emergency Medical Assistance, Firefighter, Nurse, Law Enforcement, Military and Youth Good Samaritan.

Nominations will be accepted through January 28, 2011. Candidates must live or work in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry or Will Counties. The heroic act must have taken place on or after January 1, 2010.

To nominate your hero, please visit www.chicagoredcross.org/heroes or call 312.729.6138.

LIHEAP Grants Program Opens for ALL Eligible Customers on November 1

Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas are strongly encouraging all of our customers who meet the specified requirements to apply for LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) funds now. The program provides grants to help customers struggling financially to pay their energy bills. Customers who have lost their job or have had their hours reduced, may have a very good chance of qualifying for a LIHEAP grant.

The grants are available to help customers pay outstanding bills, reconnect natural gas service and maintain their home's service. The utilities are sending out postcards to customers who may be eligible to receive LIHEAP funding to encourage them to apply. Customers may be eligible for a grant if their income is 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines according to the following chart:

Family Income Guidelines
Size of Family	30 Days Income
1	$1,354
2	$1,821
3	$2,289
4	$2,756
5	$3,224
6	$3,691

To apply for LIHEAP, customers must have proof of household income for the last 30 days, a copy of their current utility bill and Social Security numbers for everyone in the household. During the 2009-2010 heating season, approximately 50,000 customers took advantage of LIHEAP assistance.

To find the location of the closest LIHEAP application site, Peoples Gas customers can call CEDA's hotline at 1-800-571-CEDA (2332) or visit http://www.cedaorg.net. North Shore Gas customers can call the Community Action Partnership of Lake County at 1-847-249-4330. Customers can also visit www.peoplesgasdelivery.c om or www.northshoregasdelivery.com for a list of application sites and guidelines.

The utilities are also encouraging customers to take advantage of various other programs and services to help them use energy more efficiently, stabilize their bills and manage their accounts during this environment of tough economic times.

Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas recommend that customers sign up for Budget Billing to help manage heating bills year-round. Budget Billing spreads annual payments more evenly over the year to help customers plan their utility payments.

In addition, there are also a number of low-cost ways customers can manage their energy usage. More information can be found on the companies' websites.

Free Medical Services from Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital's CareCoach

More information on carecoach program

CareCoach takes its free health services and educational programs on the road to 22 community sites each month. Services provided a registered nurse include:

Cholesterol screenings
Blood pressure screenings
Diabetes screenings
BMI screenings
Waist measurement screenings
Tobacco cessation services
Counseling with a registered nurse
Immunizations
Referrals to a physician, if needed

Check the Calendar for a visit near you.

Prescription Drug Card

County residents can take advantage of a prescription drug discount card program. The free card that is accepted at most pharmacies offers average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs. This is intended for people without prescription coverage or on medicines not covered by your plan. The card may also be used where accepted to fill prescriptions for pets. To print a card, click here.