IRMA's Featured Retailer
We Are Retail: M.D. Trains
M.D. Trains in downtown Woodstock is a full-service hobby shop owned by Matt Drennan, offering model trains, cars, and collectibles for hobbyists of all ages.
The store has become a welcoming community hub for those with a passion for railroading and model building. From vintage finds to modern supplies, M.D. Trains has it all for nostalgic and creative collectors.
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OCT 27, 2020
Hearings on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed 2021 budget resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Aldermen will hear from the Office of the City Clerk, Office of the City Treasurer, Board of Election Commissioners and License Appeal Commission.
A Chicago elections worker sorts mail-in ballots. [Facebook/Chicago Board of Election Commissioners] -
OCT 27, 2020
Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett and Budget Director Susie Park respond to questions from aldermen on the 2021 budget proposal on Monday.
Aldermen on Monday took quick aim at Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed $94 million property tax hike and potential city layoffs to help close the 2021 budget gap, urging city officials to look elsewhere for new revenue and savings. -
News in brief: Cook County launches $2M cash assistance program; new restrictions in suburban Cook County
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OCT 27, 2020
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A red light camera in Chicago [DNAinfo Chicago]Mayor Lori Lightfoot and top financial officials in her administration on Monday stood by their proposal to widen the criteria for issuing speeding tickets next year, saying they did so primarily as a public safety measure.
Lightfoot’s plan to close a $1.2 billion gap in the 2021 budget includes a $38.8 million hike in fines, fees and forfeitures over 2020, including by ticketing drivers who exceed the speed limit by more than 6 miles per hour. The $35 citation, first reported by the Tribune, would be sent to drivers who are twice caught by cameras driving between 6 and 9 mph over the speed limit. The first infraction would incur a warning. -
OCT 26, 2020
Faced with plunging ridership and revenues, leaders of the CTA are charging ahead with a $1.6 billion proposed operating budget for 2021 that promises not to raise fares or cut service — as long as the federal government comes through with another rescue package.
The recently-rebuilt Wilson CTA station [Flickr/Chicago Transit Authority] -
OCT 26, 2020
Hearings on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed 2021 budget begin Monday.
Hearings on the 2021 “pandemic budget” proposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot last week are set to begin Monday as the city’s top financial officers acknowledge they are looking at so-called scoop-and-toss-measures, in addition to a $94 million property tax hike among other moves, to fill the historic $1.2 billion budget hole. -
News in brief: Extension for business licenses moves forward; Lightfoot defends “modest” property tax hike -
OCT 23, 2020
Aldermen Thursday advanced a proposal to sell city-owned parcels for the construction and sale of affordable housing in the 26th Ward.
A proposal to sell multiple city-owned parcels in the 26th Ward for the construction and sale of affordable housing and a proposal for the city to buy land next to the planned Police and Fire Training Academy in the 37th Ward for the construction of two restaurants will both move forward to the City Council for approval following committee votes on Thursday. -
OCT 23, 2020
Israel Rocha, Jr. was confirmed Thursday as the next CEO of the Cook County Health system.
The new top executive of Cook County’s behemoth health and hospital system plans to audit bill collections, enroll more patients in insurance plans and work with private hospital systems to keep the county’s public network “financially resilient” as it faces long-term mounting costs amid a historic pandemic, he said Thursday. -
OCT 22, 2020
Cook County Clerk chief legal counsel Sisavanh Baker speaks to commissioners during a meeting of the county board’s Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Wednesday.
The union representing employees in the Cook County Recorder of Deeds office is raising an alarm over nearly 80 county workers they say are in danger of losing their jobs when it comes time for their roles to be subsumed into Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough’s office later this year. -
OCT 22, 2020
Developers would have to apply for a special permit before using certain demolition materials under an ordinance set for consideration Thursday.
Cook County commissioners are set Thursday to confirm Israel Rocha, Jr. as the next CEO of the $2.8 billion Cook County Health system and adopt new regulations aimed at protecting residents from demolition dust during their last regular meeting before budget hearings get underway later this month. -
OCT 22, 2020
Businesses won’t have to renew expired licenses until at least Jan. 30 under an ordinance set for consideration by a City Council committee on Thursday.
Businesses will enjoy an extended forgiveness period for expired city licenses under a measure set for consideration Thursday, a small consolation as they brace for a long winter with no federal aid in sight. -
OCT 22, 2020
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday outlined her second city budget, a spending plan that relies in part on hikes in property and gas taxes, potential layoffs and furloughs for city employees and the refinancing of city debt.
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OCT 22, 2020
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot in her budget proposal plans to shift $55 million in costs to Chicago Public Schools (Photo credit: Stacey Rupolo/Chalkbeat)
In Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s efforts to close a $1.2 billion gap in the city budget, City Hall will shift more costs onto Chicago Public Schools.
In a budget plan detailed Wednesday, which includes a property tax hike and job cuts, the mayor proposed shifting about $55 million in costs onto schools. But she offered a sweetener: additional funds from a tax surplus account, which would ostensibly cover the costs for this year and then some. -
News in brief: Preckwinkle proposes no layoffs, small tax hike in Forest Preserves budget; City adds five states to travel quarantine list as cases rise
