Billy Joel & Elton John Together in Chicago

Billy Joel and Elton John, the most successful and longest-running concert pairing in pop history, will reunite for their Face 2 Face tour July 21, 2009 at Wrigley Field in Chicago . Billy and Elton open the concert with a series of duets, playing twin pianos and trading vocals. Each artist then performs a set with his own band. A grand finale brings the two superstars and their supporting musicians back together for a closing encore. This includes some of both Billy and Elton’s greatest hits along with an unpredictable selection of rock and roll classics.

Tickets range from $55 to $175 before fees and service charges. They go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at Tickets.com or by calling 1-800-THE-CUBS.

Illinois Callers Overpaying for Phone Service

The Citizens Utility Board is a non-profit organization created by The Illinois General Assembly in 1983 to represent the utility customers in Illinois. Tuesday, Febrauary 10, 2009 they a released a report aimed to help consumers save hundreds of dollars a year on their phone bills.

ILLINOIS CALLERS OVERPAYING BY $500+ A YEAR, WASTED MONEY COULD GIVE LAND OF LINCOLN ECONOMY $1.5 BILLION BOOST

The vast majority of Illinois households are overpaying on their telephone calls, but making simple changes to their local, long-distance, and wireless service could cut their bills by more than $575 this year, giving the state’s economy a $1.5 billion boost—an “economic stimulus” equivalent to a 14 percent tax cut, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Tuesday. 

Local: Using data collected by the consumer group’s online phone-bill analysis tool, the
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Phone Cost-cutter, CUB found potential average savings of $187.15 a year for most
customers. Applying that to AT&T customers statewide produced an economic benefit of $485.3 million. Callers could reap significant savings with the “Consumer’s Choice” plans, which CUB designed and AT&T is forced to offer under a legal settlement with the consumer group in 2006, the report showed. Additional savings could come from dropping unnecessary services, such as Line-Backer, a plan covering wire repairs needed every 20-30 years, on average.

Long Distance: CUB found potential average savings of $80.12 in the first year, and $60.12 a year after that. Applying that statewide produces a $319.7 million economic boost in
the first year alone. CUB’s phone-bill analysts discovered one of the best long-distance deals in
the nation, with the Maine-based Pioneer Telephone’s “Rate Buster” plan. It charges 1.9 cents a
minute to 2.7 cents a minute. The 99-cent monthly fee is waived for consumers who get their
bills e-mailed to them. After discovering the offer, CUB negotiated a one-time $20 credit to any
Illinois consumers who sign up for it.

Wireless: Using data collected by a new online tool, the CUB Cellphone Saver, which has analyzed 5,140 bills, the consumer group found potential average savings for most consumers of $308.28 per year, which translates into statewide savings of $710.4 million. In mid-August, CUB became the first nonprofit group in the nation to offer the free online service, which analyzes wireless bills from the industry’s top five providers. Within seconds, the tool can recommend better calling plans and catch charges, such as “roadside assistance” and insurance,which consumers may not need. 

Visit the CUB website>>

Baseball & Softball Registration Begins

The Evanston Baseball & Softball Association has opened registration up for the 2009 season. For almost 60 years the Evanston Baseball and Softball Association has offered baseball and softball programs for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 15. Our mission is to help Evanston’s young people learn the skills, values, and just plain fun of baseball and fast-pitch softball. We are an all-volunteer organization working hard to provide our city’s young people with a baseball and softball experience that becomes increasingly challenging as players build their skills. We do our best to make sure it is always fun. And when it comes to teams that play in our most competitive programs, we play to win.
We are proud to be the most rapidly growing baseball and softball program on the north shore, with some of the finest ballparks in the region. If you live in Evanston, this is your youth baseball and softball program.

Bill Blanchard
Mike Weber

Co-Presidents, Evanston Baseball and Softball Association

<<Register Here

Save Time & Money on You Taxes

It’s that time again, the dreaded tax season. Preparing taxes is often a painful experience. It requires sifting through bank statement, gathering reciepts and organizing potential write-offs. Not to mention, completing all of your filing by April 15. But what once took days to finish can be done faster and more efficiently with Tax Sofware.

TurboTax

 NOW FREE: Up to 5 Federal E-files and Unlimited Paper Returns! Chances are, filling out your federal income tax return isn’t a cookie-cutter sort of process. Whether you’ve changed jobs, gotten married, seen an increase in your medical expenses or other important life change, you need more than just A-B-C guidance when preparing your tax return. With TurboTax Deluxe, you can reduce the hassle of filling out your tax return with the help of a variety of features that take into account that income tax return preparation is not a one-size-fits-all process.

<<Visit Turbo Tax Website

 

 H&R Block

Cover your bases with ease as you prepare your income tax returns this year with the help of TaxCut Premium Federal + State. This convenient, easy-to-use tax preparation software guides you smoothly through the process of preparing both your federal and state tax returns and even includes a free federal e-file so you can submit your return instantly online. With the expertise of the professionals at H&R Block behind it, TaxCut Premium Federal + State offers the simplicity and accuracy you need and the reassurance you crave as you navigate the maze of tax preparation.

<< Visit H&R Block Website

Vote for Your Favorite Superbowl Commercials!

Superbowl 43 turned out to be one for the history books. As the Arizona Cardinals tried to mount the biggest comeback in Superbowl memory, the Pittsburg Steelers tried to become the first NFL team to reach six Superbowl victories. However, year after year, fans glue to their television between plays to view some of the funniest ads of the year. If you happened to miss any of the ads or your friends and family were laughing to loudly for you to hear the punchlines, YouTube’s Ad Blitz 2009 allows you to view all of the Superbowl ads and vote for your favorites. But do it quickly, you only have until February 4th. Click the link below

http://www.youtube.com/superbowl

FREE Jazz Concert March 7

March 7 Free Jazz Concert by Ken Arlen Orchestra

Free Admission

Ken Arlen Orchestra’s jazz quintet will perform a concert open to the community. One of the North Shore’s hottest music groups, Ken Arlen Orchestra performed for President Bush’s 2005 Inaugural Ball and just performed at the signature New Year’s Eve event at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for the fourth consecutive year. For more info., please call 847-448-8250.

Location: Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave.
Day/Date/Time: Saturday, March 7 at 2pm
Age Level: All ages Fee: Free

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Trailer

Opens June 26, 2009

Rating: This film is not yet rated
Genre: Action
Director: Michael Bay 
Cast: Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson

Save Money, Use the Library!

When most people think of a library they grew up with, they think of books, a strict no-talking policy and the dewey decimal system. Today’s library, however, is much more sophisticated. Our own Evanston Public Library is a perfect example. The library has thousands of resources including online database that allow card holders to download books and movies straight from their internet. EPL has over ten computers available to the public with unfilter internet access aswell as Microsoft’s Office programs like Word, Excel and Powerpoint. If you have your own laptop, the Evanston Public Library offers free wifi. In addition, the library has hundreds of DVD and available for checkout at the cost of $1 per item. CD’s are available for check for free. The main question you have to ask yourself is, how much money could you save by taking advantage of our library’s services. Afterall, as Evanston residents, we pay for them through our taxes. If you are interested in seeing just how much money you could save, click on the link below. The “Library Value Calculator” is an eye-opening tool that will change your perspective on what resources are available to you and at what rate.

Library Value Calculator