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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MAY 20, 2020
Aldermen voted Tuesday to advance a proposal to open a new cannabis dispensary in Fulton Market as questions linger over whether pot shops will be able to reach the final approval stage as the city remains on lockdown. -
As the Chicago City Council meets Wednesday, its challenge will be to start addressing an elephant in the room: Having to fill a budget hole of more than $500 million created by revenue lost from the Covid-19 pandemic.
That estimated figure emerged Monday during a city finance committee hearing when alderman questioned Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett about how much revenue the city needs to find without slashing services or raising property taxes. Although she recently told Crain’s a more realistic shortfall estimate is $1 billion, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has resisted releasing hard numbers in past weeks but has been transparent about the difficult decisions that lie ahead for the City Council in addressing the hits in tax revenue the city has taken as a result of the pandemic. Illinois’ stay-at-home order started in late March and set to be lifted May 30, although it’s not yet clear if Gov. JB Pritzker will extend it into June. -
The City Council Committee on Finance approved $3.3 million in settlements on Monday, including a $2.25 million payment to an autistic man who was shot by an off-duty Chicago Police sergeant in 2017. The man, Ricardo Hayes, was a teenager when Sgt. Khalil Muhammed shot him twice while Hayes was running and skipping down a street in the Morgan Park neighborhood.
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MAY 19, 2020
UNLOCKEDA flurry of cannabis entrepreneurs seeking zoning approval for their proposed dispensaries or indoor weed farms are stuck in regulatory limbo, as the coronavirus pandemic has slowed the already tedious public approval process for pot-related businesses to a near-standstill.
Six proposals for pot shops and another two for craft grow facilities were included on the agenda for a 10 a.m. meeting of the City Council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Tuesday. But none of the applicants have won over their local aldermen, and none are expected to be considered at the meeting. -
MAY 18, 2020
A developer is set to be awarded city funds for its plan to build a 100-unit affordable apartment complex in Logan Square, clearing a final hurdle in its multi-stage public approval process underway since last year.
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MAY 18, 2020
Businesses that operate out of Chicago’s airports will see a major break in rent they pay to the city under a measure approved by aldermen on Friday in an effort to keep the Covid-19 pandemic from forcing the travel kiosks to close.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot met with a coalition of faith leaders Friday to emphasize the importance of social distancing in their congregations throughout the city. In doing so, she launched a working group to discuss a timeline to reopen houses of faith amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
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MAY 15, 2020
Cook County leaders will focus on expanding broadband access and further shrinking the county jail population as part of a long-term economic recovery plan that prioritizes the county’s most vulnerable residents, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Thursday.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle details the county’s long-range recovery goals Thursday during a virtual address to the City Club of Chicago. [photo courtesy of Cook County] -
MAY 15, 2020
BOOST FOR ‘MICRO-BUSINESSES’ — Two weeks after the launch of Chicago’s grant program aimed at keeping extra-small businesses afloat, the city has already paid $5,000 each to 959 “micro-businesses” such as “family-owned coffee shops” and “mom-and-pop retail stores” city officials announced Thursday.
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MAY 14, 2020
Aldermen gave a nod on Wednesday to Kenneth Williams as their choice to lead the City Council’s Office of Financial Analysis, casting him in a central role in the city’s effort to piece together a 2021 budget amid the devastation and uncertainty of the Covid-19 crisis.
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MAY 14, 2020
Cook County property owners won’t be penalized if they take an extra two months to pay their second-round property taxes this year, county officials announced Wednesday.
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Local counties across the U.S. are asking the U.S. House of Representatives to pass an aid package Friday they say will prevent future layoffs and reductions in important social services at the local level.
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MAY 13, 2020
A proposal to build a storage facility and retail complex on a long-vacant lot in Portage Park took a leap forward on Tuesday, as aldermen approved a $3.4 million tax incentive to support its development.
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MAY 13, 2020
Aldermen advanced a $3 million rescue package on Tuesday for owners of affordable apartment buildings as the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis squeezes renters and landlords across the city.
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MAY 12, 2020
A sweeping new report last week cranked up pressure on the City Council to pass legislation legalizing coach houses and extra basement units in Chicago, a proposal city housing officials have been eyeing for more than a year as similar laws take hold in other parts of the country.
