💰 The state wants to give you your unclaimed property

As hard as Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs works to publicize it, the state’s I-Cash program remains an unintentionally well-kept secret. I’ve seen the mainstream media mention it once or twice over the years, but I suspect many readers haven’t heard of it.

It certainly came as a pleasant surprise to me.

I bring this up because today is “National Unclaimed Property Day” — another initiative I didn’t realize existed until recently.

You could have cash coming your way

Did you realize state and local government entities can be holding onto billions (with a B) of dollars worth of citizens’ “unclaimed property” at any given time?

That’s what National Unclaimed Property Day is all about: Returning cash and assets to their rightful owners.

An “asset” can be anything from stocks and CDs to safe deposit boxes and other valuables. Typically, these items are transferred to the state after they've been inactive for at least three years.

The State Treasurer is holding more than $5 billion in unclaimed funds that belong to Illinoisans. You can find out if you’re one of those people on the Treasurer’s website.

Getting your assets

When I first discovered the program three or so years ago, I entered my name and location into its search tool, and voila — I had a couple hundred bucks coming my way. The check arrived a few weeks after I submitted the claim. Pretty legit, right?

I also noticed that Kane County is holding onto nearly $10K in unclaimed funds as well. You can visit the Kane County Treasurer website for a searchable list showing who’s owed money from the county.

If you’ve never checked either database (or if it’s been a few years since you last did), a quick search might be a good idea.

You might find nothing, you might find a small amount. The Treasurer’s Office claims that one in four people who check the website find at least some money or asset.

But there’s a small chance it could pay off handsomely — after all, the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office returned $11 million (the largest unclaimed property return in the nation) to the family of Joseph Stancak in October 2022.

📰 News to use

The 🔒 icon indicates a potential paywall. The *️⃣ icon indicates that an account/login may be needed.

🔒 Dam discussions: With much public scrutiny on the issue, St. Charles may form a task force focused on gathering intel and evaluating factors related to the potential removal of the dam.

☑️ A new system: Those big changes to Metra’s fares, zones and ticketing processes we’ve mentioned in previous newsletters? They go into effect today — here’s what you should know.

☑️ Public goods: Thanks to a cost-sharing program between state and local governments, several Kane County park districts have received grants to help fund parks and outdoor recreation projects.

🔒 Project progress: A Geneva committee recommended approval of $700K worth of infrastructure improvement contracts related to the big General Mills expansion project off of Kautz Road.

🔒 Local reps: In Kane County, primary races for county board and recorder of deeds are among those heating up as we approach election day on 3/19.

☑️ Hooked on phonics: To keep up with the latest language education research, Illinois passed a literacy plan that emphasizes phonics — and hopefully improves reading scores.

🏘️ In the community

🔒 A hero’s milestone: Thanks to the Gary Sinise Foundation, a St. Charles veteran who was severely wounded in Iraq now owns a new, mortgage-free home built specifically for him and his family.

☑️ Distinguished accreditation award: An Illinois state program issued a special commendation to the Batavia Park District for going “above and beyond” in servicing its community’s needs.

☑️ Love for seniors: You can drop off homemade Valentine’s Day cards at the Batavia Chamber of Commerce (106 W. Wilson Street) through 2/9. Batavia United Way will distribute them to local folks in assisted living and similar facilities.

☑️ Town centerpiece: A small crowd celebrated the grand opening of the new First Street Plaza in downtown St. Charles last week.

☑️ Wine, Cheese & Trees: A Feb. 24 event at the Geneva Public Library will feature food, drinks, music, auctions and raffles — all to raise funds for bringing more trees to Geneva.

🏬 Local biz

🔒 A culinary experience: As Hacienda Real approaches the one-year anniversary of opening its Geneva restaurant, its owners are thrilled with how the community has embraced its authentic food and atmosphere.

☑️ Advancing agro: The state is now accepting applications for special grants to help small farms, new farmers and underserved communities that contribute to the local food supply chain.

🔒 Ugly Noodles: When Lauren McLaughlin developed a food allergy, she realized how hard it was to find good, gluten-free pasta — which is where the story behind her new Geneva restaurant begins.

🎸 Live music 

On the live music front, things cooled off a little bit once we got through the holidays and entered the dog days of January.

That seems to be changing, though. This week’s lineup features 43 shows, including Cozy Fest at Sturdy Shelter (three days of music, food, hot cocoa and creature comforts) and a special School of Rock Geneva performance at Pollyanna Brewing on Saturday.

🎈 Special events

Thursday-Sunday

🎟️ All Canada Show | Kane County Fairgrounds | St. Charles | If you love fishing and untouched wilderness, look no further than this event (trust me, I’ve attended many times). Fishing/hunting resorts and outfitters from up north converge to share info and book summer trips during this annual four-day trade show.

☑️ Groundhog Days | Woodstock | It’s not exactly local, but seeing as Woodstock’s only an hour away, I figured why not? From ceremonies and trivia to site tours and pub crawls, the town where the iconic Bill Murray movie was filmed goes all out for four straight days. Tom Skilling will be there, too!

Saturday

🎟️ Playhouse 38: 10th Anniversary Celebration | Geneva | 1PM | The cultural arts facility is bringing past performers together with the community to reprise old shows, share memories and have a good time.

Sunday

☑️ Water Street Writers| Batavia | 5PM | Four local authors will perform their short works of prose and poetry at this regularly occurring reading series.

📜 On this day: 1940

The City of St. Charles was celebrating that the community had raised more than $3K in support of Finland as the Scandinavian nation fought off a Soviet invasion in what is now known as the “Winter War.”

🌖 Weather snapshot

🌤️ Today: High 50F | Low 32F | FIFTY?!

⛅ Friday: High 42F | Low 29F | Not complaining

🌤️ Saturday: High 48F | Low 29F | I like you, February

☀️ Sunday: High 49F | Low 30F | Tank top time

📖 Thanks for reading

Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with:

• Questions, feedback, tips or suggestions

• Story, press release or event submissions

• Ad, sponsorship or partnership inquiries

I respond to all replies — let’s work together.

If you enjoy Tri-Cities Central, please SPREAD THE WORD and/or leave a review! We grow primarily through word of mouth.

📱 Follow TCC

We’re also on Facebook and Instagram. Follow us for updates about what’s happening in the area throughout the week. Mon