Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Illinois

online sales tax, Illinois website buyer in australia

compound eye — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:22:58 -0800

Hello, I bought something from an online store from a business in Illinois. I am in Australia, which does not require sales tax to be paid on items bought from overseas for less that $1000. When I realised the Illinois website had charged me sales tax, I pointed it out to them. They claim that: 'If you purchase something in Illinois, and that is where our "store" is you will be charged sales tax.' I don't think that is correct. Is it? Do you know of a clear authoritative document online I can send them a link to? Thank you

St Louis Tax Preparer

aetg — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 19:05:16 -0800

I'm looking for a recommendation for someone in the St. Louis area (or Metro East) who prepares taxes. For the past three years, my husband and I have been living in Illinois and working partly in Missouri, partially in Illinois. We have also been paying a sad amount to each state both years. I've always done our taxes and spent A LOT of time researching deductions to no avail. As this is the third year that we've managed to get a federal refund and had to pay the state taxes Mr. Aetg has determined we need to take them to someone to get confirmation that taxes do indeed suck.

Where can we go to get this accomplished? I refuse to go to HR Block or the like. Last year I tried to do this and after spending 30 mins telling the other person what my deductions were I just left without finishing it. I'm looking for more guidance than that. Also, I would like to know on average what I should expect to pay, as I've never paid to have my taxes done before.

Thanks in advance!

Midwest weekend

quiet coyote — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:03:11 -0800

I want to spend this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday driving around to see/do fun, cheap things in a ~3 hour radius from Champaign, Illinois (closer is preferred). Can you help a sister out? I love music, thrifting, antiquing, outdoorsy/active stuff, good food and drink, and art. I already go to Kickapoo and the main flea markets around here (Arthur and Gordyville, namely) pretty frequently. I've looked at roadsideattractions.com and may try some of those. Weird ideas are welcome.

I would prefer coming back to Champaign for Friday and Saturday nights over getting a hotel somewhere. Closer to Champaign is preferred to save gas money.

Want to sell my paintings - what to do?

Tullyogallaghan — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:38:29 -0800

I would like to begin to sell my paintings at local art fairs and online sites such as Etsy, $25-100.00 price range. Do I really need to set up an LLC or sole proprietorship, get a tax number and whatever else just to sell a painting or two (if I'm lucky?) Thanks. P.S. I live in Illinois.

Where is a better place to sit/stand at the Allstate Arena?

sc114 — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:26:06 -0800

I have two sets of tickets for Smashing Pumpkins at Allstate Arena and now I am trying to figure out which seats are the "better" seats in terms of having a pleasant concert experience which, for me, means being able to see at least part of the stage for most of the show and hearing the songs played loud through my really nice earplugs. Sometimes I am REALLY BAD at the Internet. So now I have a set of tickets on the floor (section G5, seats 193-194) and a set of tickets in the lower level section (section 113, row C, seats 1-2). I went to the Allstate Arena when I was really little and it was still called the Rosemont Horizon for Chicago Wolves hockey games, but that is a completely different thing and I can't remember what the place looks like inside. The virtual tour on the arena's website is not very helpful. Having to stand for 4 hours is not a problem for me, and I also don't mind sitting. So, people of MetaFilter - which would you choose?

(Note: the Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite band in the entire whole world and have been for...16ish years. I was way young when I got into them, then they broke up and broke my heart, and I was finally able to see them when they toured last year at the Riv in Chicago. This tour I am seeing them twice - St. Louis and Chicago - because WHO KNOWS with Billy Corgan, they could break up again.)

Family Leave Act - Illinois - how much notice?

Tullyogallaghan — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:53:22 -0800

How much notice would a person have to provide their employer (large hospital but she works in a smaller satellite medical office of less than 50 employees)in order to qualify for emergency medical leave? The employee (my niece) has worked there over 10 years and needs to take 2 months off to move her elderly, ill parents from their home to a nearby retirement center. Her mom has Alzheimer's and her dad has dementia due to lack of blood flow to the brain. The house is sold but there needs to be a huge garage sale of everything they aren't bringing with them, the move must be arranged and undertaken and then the parents have to be settled in the new center. Right now she is trying to start all this happening while working 40 hours and taking care of her husband who is in poor health. She needs to get the leave asap as her parents have to be out of their house in one month. I wonder if Illinois has any special peculiarities in the FMLA.

Legally how can we force this unconventional tenant to leave?

Eyelash — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 19:03:33 -0800

My boyfriend's relatives just moved out of a house in Illinois which belongs to his grandmother (who lives in a different state). She wants us to move in and take care of the house. There is someone living in the guest house who we want to leave. Apparently without his grandmother's permission, his relatives invited someone to live in the guest house at some point. (I'm guessing he is a friend or acquaintance of theirs who had nowhere else to go.)
My boyfriend's relatives told him that they have been warning this guy for months that he is going to have to leave because they are leaving. We went over there yesterday and this guy is still there, though he has said that he only has one van-load left to move to a storage unit (he owns the van). My boyfriend told him to be sure to be out by Sunday, which he agreed to. But I am worried that he won't leave. He was hinting at wanting an extra day today, but my boyfriend held firm. It seems weird that he's still there after being told by the relatives to leave by such and such date multiple times. I'm worried that he isn't going to comply and is going to try to play on our sympathy. (We do kind of feel bad, the guy is probably close to being considered/is a senior citizen.)

On Sunday we are going to go over there and remind him that he promised to be out that day, offer to help him move his stuff out, and tell him not to worry about cleaning up any of the garbage (the place is pretty trashed). But what do we do if he throws out excuses and won't leave? Call the police? Will they do anything or just tell us to go talk to a lawyer?

Things that might be relevant legally:
- He has been there for quite a while (at least a year, maybe 2) and receives mail there, although he told us he has already filled out a mail forwarding form.
- I don't think he has been paying rent, but can't be positive he's never contributed anything. I know they didn't ever have a formal lease.
- His grandmother did not know about this guy living there, they didn't get her permission and she wants him to leave. She lives almost 1,000 miles away.
-We are in Illinois.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give. Let me know if there's anything important that needs clarifying.

Medicaid therapy?

zeek321 — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:52:42 -0800

I have a friend who lives in Bolingbrook, IL (Will County). She has a car. She's looking for a mental health care professional. There are complications. She has some form of medicaid (http://www.allkids.com/pregnant.html). She has found that most private practice therapists do not take medicaid. What should she do? She feels like she really needs someone to talk to.

What fees will I face to register a title transfer a year late

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:24:53 -0800

I bought about a year ago car in Chicago, Illinois but haven't yet updated the registration info. What penalties could I be facing? I know I'm definitely outside the 'acceptable' date but I am now worried about actually registering the change of ownership if I'm going to have to pay through the nose or face other penalties. I have no tickets or anything and have updated my Chicago sticker so that's at least heartening. The problem is my registration sticker is going to be out of date soon and those tickets are expensive if you get one.

On the title the seller, who's a friend of mine, definitely dated it for a year ago. It's on the documents as the date so I can't fudge it there. The purchase price was $1200 for tax purposes.

What damage am I looking at here?

Where Should We Live in North Chicago / Waukegan?

rossination — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:02:56 -0800

Where should we live in the North Chicago / Waukegan area? We are moving from Seattle to the North Chicago area this fall. My wife will be attending Rosalind Franklin University and I will be teaching in an elementary school in Waukegan. We are trying to find a place to live and are hearing some conflicting information about what neighborhoods/towns are considered safe. On the one hand, we don't want to live somewhere scary -- on the other hand, we don't want to live somewhere that's gentrified or whitewashed. (For comparison, we would feel comfortable living in almost any part of Seattle).

We are a 20-something, white, cis-gendered, heterosexual couple with a small dog, and we would be looking to rent an apartment or small house. Budget is about $1000 a month including utilities, although that's somewhat flexible. We'd like to be close to the El and at least somewhat close to Rosalind Franklin and my school in Waukegan.

Creamed me in his mom's minivan!

InsertNiftyNameHere — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:26:23 -0800

Corvette body shops in the Chicago, IL, USA area? (sorry for the wall of text!)

Some dumb, moronic 16 or 17 year old driver blasted into the rear end of my 1996 Corvette and did a lot of damage while I was stopped (with my turn signal on) waiting to make a left turn without a dedicated left turn lane. His explanation was, "I wasn't sure what I was thinking." I'm pretty sure I know what he WASN'T thinking like "keep your eyes on the road in front of your vehicle." I insisted that he stay until the police showed up, and, while he didn't have an insurance card in his vehicle, he phoned his parents and got the info. I'm guessing it was valid because the police officer gave me his info with Allstate listed as his valid insurance.

The car seems to still drive OK, but I'm not sure what will crop up in the future as a result of this. It appears that I'm going to need three estimates from body shops for an estimated cost of repair. From talking to body shop guys I know who work on conventional steel vehicles, since this has occurred, they all seem to think I should find body shops that specializes in corvette body (fiberglass, I guess) repair, and it makes a lot of sense to me.

I hope the hive mind can help me find three (or more) such businesses in the Chicagoland area. IIRC, there was a body shop that worked exclusively on corvettes in Glen Ellyn, on one of the major east-west roads there. I plan on checking that place out to see if it's still there, but I'd really appreciate any other ideas.

The other driver was ticketed for failure to yield, so I'm hopeful that I can get a corvette only shop to fix the damage without a huge fight.

I don't want to try and make a profit here, I simply want my car back in the same shape it was before this joker hit me because of his inattention.

Many thanks to all!

Thinking of switching electrial provider and need some tips.

lampshade — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:23:59 -0800

I am considering changing my electricity provider and I have never done this before. What I want to know are what things should be considered before making a switch such as this. My basics reasons are cost and that Comed, the local provider has treated me like crap over the years and I am tired of their corporate doublespeak and crappy service. So yeah, Illinois, check my profile for the town. Dupage county. I rent an apartment downtown. Anyway, Comed has always been nasty to me making me pay for deposits that were totally unnecessary and frankly the service sucks. While I understand that another energy supplier won’t be able to fix the blackouts during windstorms and such, at the same time as long as I am getting crappy service, I may as well pay a little less for it.

So the questions are these:
- Who of the myriad of alternative energy suppliers have a better record than others?
- Can anyone give me the straight answer on what, if any, deposits are required?
- How difficult is the change over to an alternate provider from the current one?
- I have checked this website, Plug In Illinois, but can anyone point to pages that may be more useful than others or websites that have more information?

Finally, any answers don’t have to be local to Illinois. I am trying to get an idea of the whole alternative/green energy delivery picture so examples from other locations are welcome. It is also possible that your local provider also has a presence in Illinois.

Help me make an informed choice! Thanks!

Travel ideas U.S. midwest

wallawallasweet — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:50:13 -0800

[Very last minute U.S. Midwest travel filter] Going to be in Bloomington for a conference and then have a couple days planned in Chicago...what to do with the three extra days? Will be flying over to Indiana on a conference later this week and then meet up with a friend in Chicago. Afterwards, I'll still have three days to play with (but no car) and will eventually fly out of Indianapolis. Any ideas on what to see in the vicinity of this area?

Note: never been to the Midwest, but if I could I'd love to explore the surrounding nature and wildlife (don't have much gear though)...what are my options like? Wish I had more time to plan ahead, but my brain has been a bit fried with this presentation, and I'd certainly appreciate any ideas to help me along in the last minute logistics.
Thanks in advance!

Restaurants in/around Lake Villa, IL

JJtheJetPlane — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:43:09 -0800

Posting for my girlfriend: I am looking for restaurant recommendations for a date somewhere in or around Lake Villa, IL (roughly 10 miles west of Gurnee.) I am willing to drive up to 30 minutes. I am looking for good food, strongly prefer an independent restaurant to a chain and absolutely no sports bars. Unique/hole in the wall is okay, as long as the food is good and we can talk. Both people on this date are female, but I'm not holding my breath for lesbian bars/restaurants in that area.

Can a car in Illinois have "In-Transit" plates permanently affixed?

JoeZydeco — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:55:09 -0800

Can a car in Illinois have "In-Transit" plates permanently affixed? So, aside from the fact that this guy nearly wiped into me this morning on the drive to work, I noticed that his car was sporting IT-D Illinois license plates.

I know that these plates are usually used to temporarily hike cars from one point to another, say from an auction to the dealer. But these plates were fixed to the car under license plate carriers from a local dealer. I'm guessing the dealer is using this car to move drivers to other places to rearrange cars, but this seems like license plate abuse to me. That's what dealer plates are for.

Putting the road rage aside, I'm still tired of paying more and more each year for plates while others get away with abusing things like these (and don't get me started on handicapped cards). Any thoughts?

Will unpaid Illinois traffic camera fines be reported to credit bureaus?

dvrcthewrld — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:55:36 -0800

What happens with unpaid traffic camera tickets issued by Harwood Heights, Illinois? Someone was driving my vehicle and received a red light violation from Harwood Heights. I may try contesting it, but that is probably futile. If I do not pay the exorbitant fine, what will happen?

IMPORTANT:
I live out-of-state, and the car is registered where I live. Ultimately, I am concerned about two things: 1- collections reporting the unpaid fine to credit report agencies / credit bureaus, and 2- problems if I choose to move to Illinois in the future.

As I understand it, reporting to credit bureaus for camera ticket fines is forbidden in some states. Is Illinois one of those states?

NOTE: I am not advocating for or suggesting illegal activity or dismissing of all traffic camera tickets. If I was truly at fault, I wouldn't bother asking this question.
Please only address my questions.

No income, no job prospects, and no possibility of unemployment benefits. Help me.

A neighbourhood park all covered with cheese — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:33:46 -0800

I left a good job to go back to school. Now I can't find a job, but I don't qualify for unemployment. What next? Back in 2006, I inherited a little money, and decided to quit the job I had held for four years to get a second Bachelor's degree. I lived on my small inheritance and school loans until I got my degree a year ago December. I have been looking for jobs, but so is everyone else in the world, and I am getting nowhere.

I am intelligent, well-spoken, presentable, organized, reliable, and possess a variety of skills that are useful in both corporate settings and more creative situations. Unfortunately, my resumé is a disaster because I haven't held a job in six years. If I could jump directly to the interview stage for a job, my chances of gaining employment would increase exponentially (I do very well in interviews), but my resumé, as it stands, will never make it past HR.

I don't qualify for unemployment because I haven't had a job in the past eighteen months. I never had any savings, and in order to stay afloat since I graduated, I had to empty the 401K I'd invested in at my previous job. Now that money is gone forever, and I am about to be forty years old.

I looked into Illinois' Public Aid options (I am in the Chicagoland area) but they are all for "low income" (i.e. currently employed) moms with infants, and people with serious medical issues or other problems that prevent them from being able to work, and I am none of these things. They also ask for "household size," and I have a roommate, which puts me at "two," but my roommate has a decent job, and her income has nothing to do with my situation.

I have sold everything I owned that was worth selling. I am about to run out of my university's health insurance (I took advantage of the option to buy an extension after graduation), but I have the one pre-existing condition that every PPO/HMO hates (depression). The cheapest individual insurance plan I qualify for is ~$500/mo., which I (obviously) cannot afford.

I have deferred my school loans, which is a terrible decision in the long run, but it is the only option I have.

I have no money coming in, and the much-vaunted "safety net" in the U.S. has a me-sized hole in it.

I don't know what to do next. I don't know how I am going to pay rent this month. I am willing to take on almost any job at this point: running errands for busy parents; cleaning other peoples' homes; tutoring middle- or high-school or college students in a variety of subjects, etc. I will work days, nights, and weekends. I will work 60-80 hours a week if it means that I will take home a living wage. Other than a job that would require me to wade in toxic waste, I'll take pretty much anything—though a job that offers health care (obviously) preferable to one that does not. I don't need much as compared to the "average cost of living" in Chicago: I can survive on ~$550/wk after taxes.

Any kind of advice will be dearly appreciated. Thank you.

Boozin' and Gamblin' in an unlicensed venue.

OompaLoompa — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:06:45 -0800

How can I set up a party with boozin', gamblin', and charity fundraisin' in a privately owned commercial space without bringing the wrath of the state of Illinois down upon us all? Private member organization is throwing annual cocktail party. This is usually held at a rented restaurant location, but this year we'd like to do it in an historic building owned by one of the members. The building is unoccupied, but it is a commercial space, if that makes a difference.

We'd like to do a casino night, with possibility of fundraising for a good cause. We always charge a fee to attend events to cover cost, so it's not simply a private party.

We're hoping to have some food, a bar, and we'll bring in a licensed games company for the casino bit (fun money, not real stakes), but what other permits/licensing might we need, in addition to one for charity fundraising?

We had planned to purchase the food and alcohol and just hire servers in order to keep costs down, but do we need to be licensed for this since people will be paying for entry?

The absolute last thing we want is to throw a great party people are paying to attend and have the cops shut us down for breaking the law.

Thanks in advance!

Call 1-800-FEAR.

mykescipark — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:28:34 -0800

Mom: Cancer + unemployed + broke. Just shy of Medicare eligibility. She needs help immediately. But how? (Cook County, IL) Cook County, Illinois: My mother is 64, unemployed, and has no savings. She's just been diagnosed with anal cancer and needs a CAT scan right away to determine the stage.

She's not eligible for Medicare until February. A Medicaid application takes 45 days to process, and obviously we can't wait that long. The social worker at her current hospital (Sherman) isn't calling her back, and she can't get answers from anyone.

Her twin sister died from this same cancer three years ago due to lack of money and sub-standard care, so you can imagine she's absolutely dizzy with fear right now. I'm an artist and live hand-to-mouth, so I simply don't have anything to give her but love, support, and information. I also live in Los Angeles and I'm trying to handle all this from afar, despite knowing nothing about this whole system or process.

What can she and I do right now - not the "one week" now, not the "two months" now, but now - to ensure that she gets a scan, gets a diagnosis, and gets treated? Where can we go, who can we call, what are the local and federal resources that we aren't thinking of? Good hospitals, charitable organizations, financial assistance?

Lay it all on me, please.

Can I pay all my tolls online?

andrewesque — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:50:08 -0800

Rental car, no I-Pass, driving the Tollway to and from Wisconsin. Can I just pay all my tolls online to avoid paying at the plaza booths? I am driving between Chicago and points in Wisconsin for work this week. I am driving a rental car that does not have an I-Pass transponder for the tollway; I'm doing Kennedy>Edens>Tri-State.

I forgot to rent a transponder, it's an excessive $7/day and in any case I won't have a chance to go back and pick one up before I leave anyway. So I was thinking about just driving through the plaza-less lanes -- the ones you normally drive through if you have I-Pass, and then paying the tolls online, from that sign you always see that tells you have 7 days to pay an unpaid toll.

I'm only passing through the tolls round-trip, so I'm not worried about miscounting or forgetting which ones I've passed through. For a variety of reasons, I prefer to charge to a credit card instead of just paying the tolls at the plazas (corporate reimbursement, etc. It's small change but I might be doing these trips frequently, and it adds up. Also, I don't mind paying tolls, but I'm irrationally set against stopping at booths when I know there's another option.)

Is there anything wrong with this plan? Will they flag me for continually passing through the plazas without an I-pass? Are there things I'm not considering?

Afforable day trips around chicago, Metra/public transit accessible

faeuboulanger — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:02:10 -0800

Afforable day trips outside of chicago, Metra/public transit accessible I am looking for excuses to get out of the Chicago proper (probably during weekdays) and experience a little more of Illinois. The caveat? I'm a poor student without access to a car and I'd like keep these excursions relatively short--a day or less. I love art, eating, shopping (record/thrifting/antiquing especially)... I'm open to most anything! Thanks for the suggestions in advance!

Applying for Illinois state jobs?

bobbyno — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:57:03 -0800

Can anyone give me a quick narrative about getting a job with the State of Illinois? I'm on the job trail and I'm interested in including the state as one of my potential employers. The problem is, the process seems sort of complicated. I'll all for complicated, but if someone who has navigated the whole grading/counseling process can tell me generally how it works, I would be grateful!

Thanks very much!!

How to best resolve a seemingly rigged speed trap situation?

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:34:25 -0800

We got caught in an insane speed trap in a small Illinois town with a seemingly inactive construction zone. We had to post bond from the car, got a mandatory court date (400 miles away from our home of Chicago), looking at $1100+ in fees. Any ideas? Anon as this is a potential legal situation and we are trying to figure out if there are any solutions beyond eating all the costs. I read a couple of the posts on speed traps, but this one has a few different factors at play.

The details: Husband, kids, and I were on the home stretch of a 2000-mile roadtrip, having just entered into our home state of Illinois via I-57. At the Missouri/Illinois state line, the speed limit dropped from 70 to 65. Husband was traveling around 70, so yes, speeding by 5-6 mp/h over at this point.

A construction zone sign quickly appeared, along with a series of orange road cones in the right lane. No apparent work was being done – it was a Sunday for one, but no bulldozers or workers were to be seen, and the road was perfectly intact. A county sheriff was stationed behind the sign and, of course, pulled us over. He cited 71 in a 55 construction zone, and my husband, acknowledging guilt of speeding (to me, not the sheriff), was prepared to pay the ticket and move on. This is where, IMO, it gets goofy.

The sheriff required a $120 cash bond to be posted then and there, or he would confiscate husband's license. I argued how we were supposed to get our family back home to Chicago, 400 miles away, without a license, but luckily husband had enough cash and paid up. He was handed the ticket and told he had a mandatory court date (again 400 miles away), or else he would face license suspension. Husband just wanted to pay the ticket, acknowledge guilt, and be done with it, but apparently this is not possible.

After calculating the court fees ($500), the ticket ($375+) and having to hire an attorney to appear in Mound City for him ($250+ or else, in theory, taking 1-2 days off work to drive 800 miles round trip), we are looking at over $1100 to get this resolved.

In looking online, I have found a number of mentions of this spot (not just Mound City but the entire county of Pulaski) as a speed trap, along with similar ticket situations, and questions as to whether this is not simply a semi-permanent "construction" zone speed trap erected to bring more money into the county.

So here's the question: is there a way of finding out if this is a legitimate construction zone, or any other routes to consider pursuing? He is prepared to pay up (and certainly can't risk having a license suspension), and knows he is guilty of speeding, but can't stand the feeling of this being a major shakedown and a rigged game. Thanks all!

I'm really asking Mefi about license plate colors?

Rallon — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:45:17 -0800

I've seen several solid orange license plates with black or navy lettering on them in the Chicagoland area in the past couple of days. A couple have been dealer plates, but I think not all of them. The Secretary of State and similar websites won't acknowledge the existence of these plates at all, and the closest I can find on Google are plates from decades and decades ago that obviously wouldn't be street legal today. What do these mysterious orange plates signify?

Commuting from Oak Park to Libertyville

who squared — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:01:09 -0800

Looking for options for commuting from the near west suburbs to the far north suburbs in Chicagoland. A friend needs to commute from Oak Park to Libertyville for the next 4 months or so. This is for a job with the normal 8-5 ish hours.

We've seen a couple of commuting websites but they don't look all that legit or active. Can you recommend any specific sites? (The train isn't an option because it's not within walking distance of the Libertyville location and Pace Rideshare doesn't show any commutes for that route.)

Also, if anybody is doing that commute, please send MeMail. Thanks.