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I have more than 40 years in the news business and have successfully evolved into an electronic journalist. Comings & Goings and Southland Savvy track news about businesses in Chicago's Southland.

OMG Cafe, a new Frankfort restaurant caters to people with celiac disease

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

For Julie Scianna, necessity was not only the mother of invention it was the only way she could find to eat out.

Scianna (pictured with chef Andrew Hebda), of Frankfort, suffers from celiac disease, which prevents her from digesting gluten, and gluten is found in anything made from wheat, barley and rye. It also is used as a stabilizing agent in otherwise gluten-free products such as ice cream and ketchup.

Scianna says she learned she had the disease four years ago after being misdiagnosed as having among other things irritable bowel syndrome and ovarian cancer.

“One in 100 people have celiac disease,” she says. “Most people diagnose themselves because doctors don’t know that much about the disease. It’s estimated that 97 percent of the people with celiac disease don’t even know they have it.”

Gluten also damages the lining of the small intestine, which makes celiac patients more susceptible to ulcers and cancers later in life.

“But the silver lining,” says Scianna. “Is that celiac disease is easily controlled through a gluten-free diet.”

Unfortunately, few restaurants offer gluten-free choices. Scianna has changed that by opening the OMG It’s Gluten Free Café at 19810 S. Harlem Ave. in Frankfort.

“I didn’t have anywhere to go out to eat,” says Scianna, who started cooking gluten-free meals at her home three years. That soon expanded into a food fest with eight friends who would cook and share gluten-free meals.
That’s where OMG Café comes in. Scianna started the eatery to give people like her a place to go.

“Our goal is to produce good, delicious food. We just take the wheat out.”
OMG Café opened March 20 and business has been brisk. Scianna attributes the early success to her chef Andrew Hebda. She also says she’s expanding the menu next week.

“We are going to start offering four or five dairy-free items next week because of requests,” she says.

“We also started Tasty Tuesdays this week. Every Tuesday, we’ll feature a special dish. We also are going to start serving sandwiches served on our gluten-free bread that is baked here daily.”

Scianna says she and partner Eileen Greenawalt eventually want to get into distribution and shipping of their foods.

“If we do that, we’ll have to expand our kitchen,” she says. “But I’ll always keep the café because of the smiles on the kids faces when they come in and see they can eat cookies or pizza.”

OMG Café is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday.

For more information, call 708-469-4900 or visit http://omgitsglutenfree.com/ OMG It’s Gluten Free also has a fan page on Facebook.

Evergreen Park, Homewood mourn firefighter killed in the line of duty

By Southland Savvy

Evergreen Park and Homewood are mourning the death of Homewood firefighter Brian Carey, 28, who was killed Tuesday night while trying to rescue a wheelchair-bound resident from a burning house in Homewood.

Carey, who his father said had wanted to be a fireman since he was a child, had been a full-time firefighter/paramedic since December.


Carey, who lived at home in Evergreen Park, was a 1999 graduate of Brother Rice High School on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

Homewood Fire Chief Bob Grabowski said Wednesday that Carey was the first firefighter killed in the line of duty in the village.

Wendell Elias, 84, a World War II veteran, was the man Carey was trying to save. He also died in the fire in his home at 17622 Lincoln Ave. His wife, Bertha, 89, escaped the blaze and is in stable condition at South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest.

A second firefighter, Karra Kopas, 21, was injured in the fire and is in stable condition at the University of Chicago Burn Center.

Firefighters from 24 fire departments assisted Homewood firefighters as did police from five neighboring communities.

Homewood firefighter dies in fire

Hollywood Video adds Oak Forest, Oak Lawn locations to stores being closed

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Hollywood Video has added Oak Forest and Oak Lawn locations to the list of Southland stores closing as part of the company’s bankruptcy.

Hollywood stores at 5570 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest and 5141 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn, which had originally been listed as staying open, are now holding going out of business sales. Sales are continuing at Hollywood stores in Bridgeview and Tinley Park.

A Movie Gallery store at 414 N. Nelson in New Lenox, which also had first been listed as staying open, also is holding a going out of business sale. So, too, is the Movie Gallery at 4314 N. Calumet Ave. in Hammond. Closing sales are continuing at Movie Gallery locations in Griffith and Munster.

Burrito Café opens in Palos Heights
Burrito Café has opened at 7210 W. College Drive in Tiffany Square in Palos Heights. The restaurant features authentic Mexican cuisine and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The phone number is 708-671-9050. For more information, check out the video below.

Refund rewards at Jewel
Through April 15, Jewel-Osco is giving customers a refund rewards bonus if they buy grocery gift cards. Jewel will add $20 to the value of a $250 grocery gift card and $30 to the value of a $300 grocery gift card. Cards may be purchased at service desks in any Jewel-Osco store.


Orland doc's drive-up window

Is this innovation? Or insanity? An Orland Park doctor plans to open a medical office with a drive-up window. If you can get a burger and fries at the drive-up window (essentially, heart disease and a fat keester in a white paper sack), then you ought to be able to get your Lipitor at the window, too. Eliminates the need for you to get out of your car and walk into the doctor's office.

Dr. Waldemar Nowak plans to turn the former Vito & Nick's restaurant, 54 Orland Square Drive, into medical offices with two drive-up bays. Not one, two. Cuts the wait in half, I guess. Nowak declined to tell reporters how the drive-ups would be used.

"This is my own idea," Dr. Nowak said.

Can you get a prostate exam at the window? Hernia check? I imagine the reflex test with the little hammer on the knee joint will be kind of difficult to perform. What if you're at the window and the doc has some bad news? "Pull up and park, I'll come out and tell you about your test results." Prescribing meds in the drive-thru should be a cinch, though.

Own a business? Then you're not alone in wondering how the new health care reform laws affect you.

Aggie's farm: If you read one story this week, make it this one. Guy Tridgell tells the story of a 100-year-old widow who raised dozens of foster kids, now on the verge of losing her Monee farm. After his story last Monday, the police are now looking into the management of the elderly woman's finances.

Getting jobbed: Local teachers will face mass layoffs. This is going to get so much worse.

Another season of roadwork: Almost every town in Will and south Cook counties will see some roadwork this spring, summer and fall, writes reporter Karen Sorensen, and the biggest undertaking in south Cook is the ongoing reconstruction of three railroad and two highway viaducts along 159th Street between Lexington and Fisk avenues in Harvey.

Standing up, being counted: Dan Lipinski, the only Illinois Democrat to vote "no" on Obamacare, says his Southwest Side district is 3-to-1 in his favor, according to John Kass.

New neighbor disclosure form: Finally, let's waste the government's time, why don't we. The Beverly homeowner who hung racially charged messages in his back yard didn't violate any local laws, reports Casey Cora, but Chicago Human Relations Commission chairman Dana Starks wants federal and state authorities to take a look and possibly charge him with crimes of intimidation. Michael Corrigan, 62, of the 9900 block of Fairfield Avenue, didn't want black neighbors when the house next door went up for sale. So he posted signs. "Say no to the ghetto" ... "White power" ... "Mt. Greenwood - the next Englewood."

We all know Corrigan's far from alone in his views. But he did his new neighbors, whatever color they may be, a favor. They'll know well before they move in that their next-door neighbor is an ignorant buffoon. If only all prospective neighbors advertised their stupidity for the world to see. Maybe we could have a disclosure law, like if you have mold or asbestos in your home. If the house next door is up for sale, you must hang a sign that lets prospective home buyers know exactly what's wrong with you.

Dennis Robaugh can be reached at dennis@southlandsavvy.com

Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra honored by Illinois Council of Orchestras

By Southland Savvy

The Frankfort-based Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Music Director Carmon DeLeone, has been named the 2010 Professional Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.

The Illinois Council of Orchestras announced the IPO as winner of this prestigious award on March 18.

“I am thrilled that the Illinois Philharmonic has received this award for excellence in the field of music performance. Because it is the second time our dedicated staff and gifted musicians have received this honor during my tenure as Music Director, I feel even more humbly proud and grateful,” said Music Director Carmon DeLeone.

The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra last received the Professional Orchestra of the Year award from the Illinois Council of Orchestras in 1992, and DeLeone was named Conductor of the Year in 1995.

Now in its 32nd season, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra is in residence at Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center in Frankfort. Its nine concert season and numerous education programs serve the Greater Chicago Southland spanning from Joliet to northwest Indiana and Chicago to Kankakee. Musicians of the orchestra come from a four-state region including Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin.

“This award acknowledges the hard work, dedication, and artistry of our musicians, our music director, and our guest conductors,” said IPO Board President Charles Amenta. “Our musicians are here to serve the audience, and all the better when they can receive recognition in the process. We at the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra are hopeful that this well deserved honor and celebrity will inspire all the music lovers of the Southland to experience the beauty of an Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra concert as audience members.”

Executive Director Edmund Feingold said, “This is a welcome reminder that we are on the right track. Our musicians’ efforts are apparent at every concert, but this accolade also validates the dedication of our board of directors, staff, donors and patrons. We all work tirelessly to engage the community—planning, fundraising, volunteering for, and advocating on behalf of the orchestra when it is not on stage. This community engagement is often most clear in special events like the Friends of the IPO’s Rising Star Showcase which highlights aspiring young musicians and raises money for the professional orchestra. Thank you to the Illinois Council of Orchestras for recognizing that we are about community building through music. Bravo to all!”

Representatives from the Illinois Council of Orchestras are expected to join the IPO for its May 22 Season Finale Concert, Two Worlds: Old and New, where they will confer the award. To celebrate, the orchestra will host a pre-concert dinner party.

The orchestra’s next concert, Fateful Pairs, on April 10 and 11 at Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center, features a pair of soloists from the Orchestra’s own ranks, John and Laura Fairfield, who will perform the Chicago-area premiere of a movement from Stephen Gerber’s Concerto for Two Horns. The concert also includes Beethoven’s oft-neglected Symphony No. 2, and two beloved homages to
Romeo and Juliet: Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.

Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra
www.ipomusic.org

Red Dragon stands out among Asian restaurants in Southland

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Friendly service and generous portions of tasty food help Red Dragon Café stand out in a crowded field of Asian cuisine restaurants in the Southland.

Red Dragon opened a few months ago in a small storefront at 167th Street and 80th Avenue in Tinley Park.

Like most Asian restaurants in the Southland, Red Dragon is primarily a delivery and carryout establishment, but it does have two tables and a television if customers want to dine in.

Red Dragon is family owned and operated. One of the clan, Winnie Au (pictured), said her uncle is the chef and opened the restaurant after working at many other Asian restaurants in the Southland.

“One thing that sets us apart,” Au said. “Is that we prepare all of our food daily with only the freshest ingredients.”

Au recommends new customers try any of the restaurant’s signature dishes, which include salt and pepper pork chops, salt and pepper smelt and Japanese seafood udon.

Less adventurous diners can easily find something on the menu, which features staples of Asian restaurants such as egg rolls, wonton soup, fried rice, chop suey and lo mein.

On a recent visit, my group tried the vegetable lo mein, Mongolian beef, Szechwan delight and egg rolls. All of them were great. The servings were enormous and contained heaping helpings of peapods, onions, mushrooms, carrots and cabbage, noodles, rice and a slightly sweet sauce that was delicious.

Au said that dishes marked in red on the menu are spicy but all can be made without adding the hot sauce for those with more delicate stomachs, like me. “Just ask for non-spicy when ordering,” Au said.

Red Dragon offers lunch box and lunch combo specials as well as dinner box and dinner combo specials. The Mongolian beef lunch combo at $5.50 included a mountain of fried rice and an egg roll and could have fed two people.

The restaurant also serves fruit smoothies.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.reddragoncafe.com/

Three out of four stars
Red Dragon Cafe
16651 S. 80th Avenue
Tinley Park
708-532-3388 (phone)
708-532-3399 (fax)

Fun Center for children a dream come true for South Holland woman

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

It was a dream come true for Okeycha Pettigrew when she opened EduFun Play Center at 16102 South Park Ave. in South Holland in December.

Pettigrew first conceived the idea of combining education and fun in a center for young children in 1994. Since then she has earned a master’s degree in early childhood education. She also has been certified in special education, autism, CPR, First Aid, quality care training and nutrition. Nine years ago she started a home daycare center called Mom Knows Best.

Finally, last year, she decided the time was right to fulfill her dream and opened EduFun.

“The mission of EduFun is to provide fun and enlightening hands-on experiences for children,” says Pettigrew, a South Holland resident since 1998.

At EduFun, children up to 13 years old are encouraged to create their own worlds.

“They can pretend to be homemakers, doctors or business owners,” says Pettigrew. “One of the popular activities is the hospital. They pretend to be doctors and patients, and sometimes pet doctors operating on their pets.”

Other areas include a construction zone, a McDonald’s restaurant and a bank.

EduFun also has a free play zone where the children can play games using oversized cards, dominoes, checkers and chess pieces.

“It’s almost like Alice in Wonderland,” says Pettigrew. “It’s the world from a child’s perspective.”

The center also offers culinary arts, music and creative arts.
Pettigrew says EduFun is ideal for homeschooled children and kids in home daycare, but also is suited to teachers.

“We follow Illinois Learning Standards, so teachers can link classroom materials to the play areas when they visit,” she says.

Pettigrew and her husband, David, operate the center with some staffers, but she said parents are “encouraged to stay and play.”

Cost is $5 per child (adults are free) for a 90-minute session. EduFun can accommodate 45 children at a time. The only requirement is that children must wear socks.

The center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Response has been great since opening, says Pettigrew. “We’ve already had a lot of birthday parties.”

For more information, call 708-670-5444 or e-mail Pettigrew at okeycha@aol.com. She says she is working on a Web site for the center.

Breakfast with the Bunny
Kids can have breakfast with the Easter Bunny from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday on the lower level of Orland Square Mall near Macy's in Orland Park. Costco is picking up the tab so there will be free bagels, pastries and other baked goods.

Deal of the weekend
Mention Twitter or Spring Break when reserving a room and get 20 percent off at the Days Inn, 9625 S. 76th Avenue in Bridgeview. 708-430-1818.

FreeEarth Day event at Irons Oaks

By Southland Savvy

Southland residents are invited to celebrate the Earth at a new, free event this year: Earth Day @ the Oaks. Earth Day @ the Oaks will be Saturday, April 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center in Olympia Fields.

Activities will include nature hikes, art projects, qi gong, a native landscaping workshop with Possibility Place Nursery of Monee and outdoor challenges, such as climbing up the 30-foot Climbing Tower (waiver required). Demonstrations will be held by the University of Illinois Extension, and Bloom High School will present its Bio Diesel Bus. Indoor activities include exploring the new Irons Oaks Discovery Center Museum and meeting with local, green exhibitors, including the Izaak Walton Preserve.

Entertainment will be provided by David Stokes, a naturalist and humorist from Wisconsin. Stokes uses songs, stories and hands-on materials to get kids actively engaged in learning. Live animals will also be included in his show. Catch him at noon, 1 or 2 p.m. The Illinois Raptor Center — a non-profit wildlife and environmental education center located near Decatur — will present Raptors 101, which includes meeting four different types of birds, at 1 p.m. A hot-dog lunch — compliments of Whole Foods — will be served until 1 p.m., and campfire s’mores will be served around 2:30 p.m.

The first 200 guests at the event will receive green giveaway items, compliments of Walt’s Food Center and the Irons Oaks Foundation. A raffle will be held for green prizes, including a rain barrel from Coyote Run Golf Course and a family picnic backpack from REI.

This free event is sponsored by Irons Oaks, the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District and the Irons Oaks Foundation with support from Whole Foods and Walt’s Food Center. Irons Oaks is a 40-acre nature preserve and a joint project of the Homewood-Flossmoor and Olympia Fields Park Districts.

For more information, call (708)481-2330 or visit ironsoaks.com.

Pet lover opens Best Bites pet food store in Palos Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

For Joy Metzger, of Orland Park, her new business was a natural progression, not to mention a mouthful.

Metzger opened Joy’s Best Friends Ltd. Best Bites the day after Thanksgiving at 13034 S. LaGrange Road in the Shoppes of Mill Creek plaza in Palos Park. She sells all-natural pet food for dogs and cats along with some other pet supplies and toys.

She said she decided to open the store as a result of her search for natural pet food for her boxer Layla after the pet food scare of 2007. Pet owners may recall that pet food contaminated with melamine was recalled by the FDA in 2007 but only after killing dogs and cats across the United States.

“I started trying to find all natural food for my boxer puppy Layla,” says Metzger. The quest eventually led her to open her own store.

“I sell all natural pet food made in the U.S.A,” she says. “There is no corn, no gluten, no soy and no animal byproducts in the food I sell.”

“I figured I should open the store while I can,” says Metzger, who has operated a pet-sitting service out of her Orland Park home for nine years.

“Business has been so far, so good for me. People always treat their pets nice, even in a down economy,” she says.

Pet sitting and selling pet food is a far cry from her previous job as a CPA. “I’m far happier now,” she says.

And the strangest pet she’s ever cared for?

“A bearded dragon lizard,” she says with a laugh.

For more information, call Metzger at 708-448-1515. Her Web site is being updated to reflect the pet food business. You can find it at www.joysbestfriends.com

Burrito Loco opens in Tinley Park
El Burrito Loco opened last week at 8005 W. 183rd St. in Tinley Park. It is the chain’s 21st location.

Burrito Loco is a place to go if you have a hankering for Mexican food either early or late. The kitchen opens at 8 a.m. daily and closes at 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday but not until 3 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

For a complete list of El Burrito Loco locations, visit www.elburritoloco.net

Meijer update
Readers keep asking about the Meijer store under construction in a former Value City Department Store near 159th Street and Harlem Avenue in Orland Park.

Here’s what I know. The store will be 102,000 square feet. That’s about half the size of traditional Meijer stores. It’s one of the company’s two experimental “grocery-focused stores.” The first opened in January in Niles. The idea is less general merchandise in favor of grocery items.
The store will have a deli and a drive-through pharmacy. Meijer expects about 150 jobs when the store opens.

The store is expected to open in June.

I’ll pass along more as I hear it.

The lieutenant gov sweepstakes: Yearning for a job no one should want

Dean Koldenhoven, a literal profile in courage from Palos Heights, wants to be the next Illinois lieutenant governor.

"Is this for real? I hope it is. I want the job. I want to do it," Koldenhoven told the Southtown's Guy Tridgell. "If I do get the job, you will know the process was honest."

He won't get the job.

Just the fact that Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings was on the panel selecting finalists speaks to the absurdity of how we're going to get the Democratic nominee to the most useless office in the constellation of statewide offices.

A decent man by all accounts, Koldenhoven's claim to Southland fame is his mayoral veto of a smarmy city council effort to buy an old church building to prevent a mosque from moving into Palos Heights. The move cost him his seat in the next election.

So unlikely a finalist is he, in the Beachood Reporter's "lieutenant governor brackets," Koldenhoven plays the role of "who's he? vs. who's she?"

Which is why he should get the job.

Dennis Robaugh can be reached at dennis@southlandsavvy.com

Calumet City teen one of 40 youths at epilepsy rally on Capitol Hill

By Southland Savvy

Monica Manly, 16, of Calumet City, is in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with congressional leaders and gain their support for epilepsy public health programs and more research toward a cure for epilepsy.

Manly is one of 40 young people from across the country participating in Kids Speak Up!, a national program coordinated by the Epilepsy Foundation. The program, which runs today through Thursday, rallies young ambassadors with epilepsy between the ages of 8 and 17 to personally petition congressional leaders for aid in assuring better access to care, improved public education and more research toward a cure for epilepsy.

"Monica was selected to participate in Kids Speak Up! to represent the approximately 350,000 children who are living with epilepsy," said Eric Hargis, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. "She is an ideal candidate because of her efforts to spread awareness of epilepsy in her community. Her courage is an inspiration to us all."

New this year is the congressional briefing in which Greg Grunberg, star of NBC's "Heroes," who also serves as a Foundation spokesman in honor of his son Jake, who has epilepsy, will highlight the need for increased support of epilepsy research and the importance of public awareness and understanding of the condition. Joining Greg, will be Jason Snelling of the Atlanta Falcons -- who lives with epilepsy, and Geoffrey Pope of the Philadelphia Eagles -- whose grandmother has epilepsy.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in children and affects nearly 3 million people in the United States. According to the World Health Organization, more than 300,000 children under the age of 15 live with epilepsy in the United States.

Carr Gardens has new home in Blue Island

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Carr Gardens, a home and garden store in Blue Island, recently moved from its longtime home on Western Avenue to new digs at 2357 York St.

“We moved at the end of February after 12 years on Western,” says owner Candace Carr. “It’s a smaller store but in a much better location. There’s more foot traffic. We’re smack dab in the middle of everything.”

Carr says that while she and co-owner husband Steve Carr are evaluating their wares, they have already added clothing to their list of offerings.
“We have men’s Hawaiian shirts and spring scarves for women,” says Carr.

The Carrs live in Blue Island and Candace is a firm believer in the 3/50 Project, which asks residents of a community to spend $50 a month among three businesses in that community.

“It’s not a big commitment,” she says. “But if only a fraction of the community did it, the results would be fantastic for local businesses.”

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 708-824-9171 or visit www.carrgardens.com

Under construction
A Firestone Complete Auto Care Center is going up next to the Shell gas station at 191st Street and LaGrange Road in Mokena.

Martial arts academy opens
Spire Complete Martial Arts Academy opened recently at 17104 South Park Ave. in South Holland. Owner is Dr. Michael D. Adams. The phone number is 708-357-0279.

Creamery springs back
All six Creamery locations – New Lenox, Homer Glen, Orland Hills, Frankfort, Mokena and Manteno – are now open again in a sure sign that spring is right around the corner. And the Southland eatery chain is once again offering 99-cent hot dogs on Weenie Wednesdays. For more information, visit www.mycreamery.com They also have a fan page on Facebook.

Papa’s Fresh Foods opens in Palos Heights
Papa’s Fresh Foods, a European-style restaurant and deli, has opened in the former White Hen Pantry at 12207 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights. The store offers meats, salads, sandwiches and breakfast. For more information, call 708-923-0109, or check out this video.


Southland's Lipinski the only Illinois Democrat to vote against health reform bill

The only Southland congressman to vote against the landmark health care reform bill passed Sunday evening was Dan Lipinski (D-3rd), who put out this statement.

“My decision to vote against the Senate health care bill is the result of months of studying our broken health care system, developing and analyzing various proposals for reform, studying legislation, and listening closely to my constituents. ...

“As I have said many times, I strongly believe reform is needed to lower soaring health care costs and make insurance coverage more affordable and accessible for individuals and working families. But reform must be done right. The Senate bill does make a number of improvements to our health care system, including expanding access and reforming health insurance by doing such things as immediately banning discrimination based on pre-existing conditions for children, prohibiting lifetime coverage limits, and banning rescissions. Unfortunately, the bill also contains a number of serious flaws, and many of the good aspects could have been done without passing this massive bill. The Senate bill does not do enough to lower the skyrocketing cost of health care, cuts more than $400 billion from Medicare, is not fiscally sustainable over the long term, and breaks with the status quo by providing federal funding for abortion and abortion coverage. This bill was also marred by backroom deals that benefit pharmaceutical companies and other special interests. In the final analysis, I cannot support such a deeply flawed bill."

As a diabetic, Lipinski's decision not to support the Democratic plan has irritated others in his party who claim that were he not a congressman, Lipinski wouldn't be able to get health insurance on his own.

Every other Illinois Democrat voted for the legislation, while every Republican from Illinois voted against.

Lipinski goes on to highlight his concerns about the failure of the bill to affect insurance premiums for more than two-thirds of working Americans and the possibility of local health-care providers losing so much money as to become unprofitable.

“As the Congressional Budget Office has stated, the Senate health care bill would do little to affect the cost of premiums for those who currently get their health care through large employers. Since 70 percent of Americans who are not on Medicare are in this group, this bill fails to sufficiently reduce costs for the majority of working families in the Third District. The Senate bill also does not include several specific measures that were in the House bill that could increase competition. These include the elimination of the health insurance industry’s anti-trust exemption and a provision to begin to require health care providers to disclose their prices.

“I am also concerned that the bill’s more than $400 billion in Medicare cuts could have ramifications for seniors in my district. For instance, the Senate bill reduces Medicare reimbursements to providers – such as hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies – by over $200 billion. The Chief Actuary of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has stated that these cuts would likely result in roughly 20 percent of providers becoming unprofitable; this could lead to providers refusing to take care of seniors on Medicare. And if these cuts are going to be made to Medicare, the money should at least be put in the Medicare Trust Fund instead of being spent elsewhere as this bill does. In addition, unlike the House bill, the Senate bill does not allow the government to negotiate for lower drug prices, which I have long supported."

Democrats on the far left have vowed to introduce new bills to get the provisions they wanted that aren't in this bill. And Republicans have vowed to get this overturned. So the debate, really, is far from settled.

Reaction on Twitter by Southlanders, via the SavvyTweets page, was immediate and varied.
mikeproper: RT @aleagueofherown: Welcome to the civilized world, America. #hcr

LauraKoni: I think he cared about this one the mostRT @KevinKuhle: Kansas, Villanova and Healthcare bill - Obama is 1 for 3 this weekend....

electadam (this is Adam Kinzinger, running for Congress to unseat Democrat Debbie Halvorson) Could Nancy Pelosi be elected in Illinois' 11th District? I don't see see a difference between Nancy Pelosi or Debbie Halvorson

LauraKoni Best part of Obama press conference is Biden didn't speak. Will healthcare fix foot in mouth disease? I know many people suffer from this

ranzeb45 What a historic day. Immediate Benefits: http://bit.ly/d3KCvF #HCR Proof that hard work and determination pays off.
Dennis Robaugh can be reached at dennis@southlandsavvy.com

New grocery store opens in Hegewisch

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new grocery store opened this week in Chicago’s Hegewisch community, making it the third Southland community in the past year to regain a major supermarket after years of going without.

Hegewisch Food Mart opened Tuesday in the former Hart’s Foods at 13209 S. Baltimore Ave. in the Southeast Side community. The neighborhood had been without a supermarket since Hart’s closed a couple of years ago. Residents had to travel to the neighboring East Side community or an adjoining suburb to do their supermarket shopping.

The new store is a full-service supermarket. Owners Eric Roque and his brother Brian Roque could not be reached for comment.

Janice Minton-Kutz, former president of the Hegewisch Chamber of Commerce, hailed the new store’s opening.

“We needed it desperately,” says Minton-Kutz. “It helps fill a huge void in the neighborhood. I hope it succeeds. Eric and Brian put a lot of money into remodeling the new store.”

Last year, Pete’s Fresh Market opened stores in Calumet City and Evergreen Park. Both towns had been without major supermarkets for years.

Supermarkets have been busy in the Southland lately. Kroger’s Food 4 Less discount branch opened a store in Dolton last year and has plans to open one in Chicago Heights later this year in the former Dominick’s Finer Foods. That will join the Los Compadres supermarket that opened in Chicago Heights about six months ago. Aldi also opened stores in the Southland last year in Orland Hills and Lansing.

Bamboo Blue closes, Grady’s to open
Bamboo Blue, an Asian Fusion restaurant in downtown Homewood, has closed its doors after eight years of operation at 18147 Harwood Ave. But it won’t be closed for long. A notice on the Bamboo Blue Web site says a new restaurant called Grady’s owned by the Garofalo family will be opening in early May in the same location.

Edible Arrangements in Lansing adds hours
Edible Arrangements at 3422 Ridge Road in Lansing is now seven days a week. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 708-418-000 or visit www.ediblearrangements.com

Deal of the weekend
Ronald McDonald will be giving away coupons for free ice cream cones at 1 p.m. Saturday at the McDonald’s, 17810 S. Torrence Ave. in Lansing.

Bed Bath & Beyond opens in Schererville
A new Bed Bath & Beyond store opened this week at 124 U.S. 41 in the Town Center shopping center in Schererville, Ind. For more information, visit www.bedbathandbeyond.com

Chick-fil-A coming to Orland Park, Aurora

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Chick-fil-A, a Southern restaurant chain that features chicken sandwiches, will break ground next month on locations in Aurora and Orland Park.

Company spokeswoman Cindi Pickett said company officials will be in Chicago on April 20 for the groundbreaking ceremonies.

Pickett said the Aurora restaurant is scheduled to open first a few months later with the Orland location opening about three weeks after that.

Pickett said the Orland location is planned for an out lot on LaGrange Road in front of the Lowe’s home improvement store.

Wild wings coming to Calumet City

A Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant is expected to open any day now at 1250 S. Torrence Ave. in the former Bennigan’s restaurant. The Calumet City Council last week approved a sign variance for the restaurant.

Mattress Express closing

Mattress Express is closing its store at 358 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort in the Jewel plaza. The store’s last day is scheduled for March 31. The phone number is 815-806-8090.

Deal of the week

BlueStone Bar & Grill, 2387 E. Joliet Highway, New Lenox, is offering half-price pizza during Chicago Black Hawks and Chicago Bulls games. For more information, call 815-463-9707 or visit www.bluestonebarandgrill.com

Criminal, prejudicial, comical and hopeful

GuidePosts: Southland educators get jobbed again. The ugly face of racism speaks on the Southwest Side. First GM, now the local pancake house? Government bailouts run amok. And finally, Toni Preckwinkle discovers the Southland. Every week, GuidePosts points you to the must-read stories of the Southland.

Education just isn't that important
Phil Kadner tells it like it is when it comes to the corruption in the useless office of the Cook County Regional Schools Superintendent and the utterly senseless decision of some state lawmakers to turn a blind eye. The office, held by Charles Flowers, is under a cloud of scandal exposed by Southtown reporter Duaa Eldeib, who's now at the Chicago Tribune. Thanks to her reporting, Flowers is now charged with theft and official misconduct.

The Daily Southtown first drew a bead on Flowers back in 2006-2007 when Southtown reporter Angela Caputo, now at Progress Illinois, exposed the nepotism in the office and rampant financial mismanagement, which forced Cook County to loan Flowers money to run his office

Timeless sensibilities
"Mike Corrigan doesn't want to be anybody's villain or a neighborhood hero," writes Casey Cora in one of the most interesting Southland stories of the week. "He's just a guy who wants to see his West Beverly neighborhood packed with white people and no one else."

"What's so wrong with that?" the 62-year-old South Sider asks.

Bowing to pressure, Corrigan covered up the racist signs he posted to scare blacks away from buying the house for sale next door. Clearly, the age-old racial divisions that define so many interactions in the Southland still fester here.

The pancake bailout
This would be funny if it weren't for the fact that the joke is on Country Club Hills taxpayers. Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch gave a city loan to a local eatery that couldn't pay its utility bills. And residents are fuming.

Welcome to our suburbs
Toni Preckwinkle, the Democratic nominee for Cook County Board President, doesn't know much about the Southland. But she's willing to learn. Recently, she's met with the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, the East Hazel Crest-based group that tries to promote the economic interests of 42 suburban communities in south Cook and Will counties, according to the Times of Illinois.

"They presented me with their economic development agenda, and I will do what I can to help implement those projects they desire," Preckwinkle told the paper. "I know that one concern here is access to hospitals and the health care system that the county provides."

She says she'll pay close attention to the fate of Oak Forest Hospital.

Ridgeway Chevrolet to remain GM dealership in Lansing

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Ridgeway Chevrolet in Lansing has a new lease on life as a GM dealership now that the automaker has decided not to end its franchise agreement with the 83-year-old car store.

Sales manager David Crutchfield said the dealership was notified last week that it was one of 600 dealerships GM said would not have to go through the appeal process to remain in the GM family. The automaker last year said it was dropping franchise agreements with more than 2,000 dealerships, but more than 1,100, including Ridgeway, appealed that decision.

Some longtime Southland GM dealerships have already closed, including Gibson Chevrolet in neighboring South Holland.

Crutchfield said the news was icing on the cake for the dealership. “We just had our best February ever,” he said. “It’s nice that we are going to stay a GM dealer, but we were going to stay open no matter what. We were ready to be a great used car store.”

Crutchfield said the dealership was down to its last dozen 2009 models and a half-dozen 2010 models.

“As soon as the paperwork goes through we’ll be ordering 200 new cars,” Crutchfield said. “But we have a great used car inventory right now.”
Crutchfield said the dealership’s service department “carried us through a tough time.”

He also attributed the store’s success to owner Bob Van’s philosophy. “Bob defies logic,” Crutchfield said. “But he’s always right on.”

Ridgeway was opened in 1927 by Van’s grandfather and the store is the second oldest business in Lansing.

For more information, call Ridgeway at 708-872-1012 or visit www.ridgewaychevy.com

Vic’s Barbecue in Worth

A new barbecue restaurant opened recently in Worth. Vic’s Barbecue is now open at 11306 S. Harlem Ave. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. The phone number is 708-448-5000.

Did Tinley Park connection help bring down Boston Blackie's?

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

I can’t help wondering whether Tinley Park is responsible for the seeming collapse of the Boston Blackie’s gourmet hamburger chain.

The owners of the gourmet hamburger chain and one of its managers were charged today with stealing $1.8 million from at least two Chicago banks in a check-kiting scheme. That’s when you deposit checks from one bank at another bank and help yourself to the money before the new bank finds out the checks are worthless. The new bank is left holding the bag for the missing funds.

Prosecutors also said today that one of the owners, Nick Giannis, 62, was arrested in Detroit while trying to cross the border into Canada. Not good.

Before any of this took place, however, Giannis and his son Chris, 38, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November. At the time, they listed debts of $6.4 million against assets of about $17,000.

A couple of months before that, Boston Blackie’s lost its Tinley Park location when a lender foreclosed on the property in the 6700 block of South Street. The lender claimed in the suit filed in August that the chain owed him $862,000.

The property is now vacant. It used to be home to the Bremen Cash Store, which Boston Blackie’s bought in 2003. The chain originally planned to convert the building into apartments and a Boston Blackie’s restaurant. Then a Carson’s Ribs carryout was added to the plan.

For years, nothing happened. Then, citing safety concerns, the store was demolished in 2008 leaving a gaping crater. After several months, the crater was finally filled in early last year. Then nothing happened until the foreclosure, and nothing has happened since.

As I recall, back in 2003 Boston Blackie’s was a well-respected chain. Its burger was called by some the best in Chicago. Then the Tinley Park location was announced and Boston Blackie’s has been in a downward spiral ever since.

The chain may yet survive, though its immediate prospects are pretty dim. All Tinley Park has to show for its years-long dalliance with the company is a vacant lot. I guess it could have been a lot worse.

Flossmoor Station brew wins tasty honor

GuidePost: Bourbon McElroy, an imperial stout brewed by Bryan Shimkos of Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, was named 2010 Champion Real Ale of Chicagoland. The beer was honored through ballots cast by folks at the Chicago Beer Society's Day/Night of the Living Ales celebration at Goose Island's Wrigleyville brewpub last week, reports the Chicago Beer Examiner.

Bourbon McElroy is a bourbon-barrel aged version of Flossmoor Station's Dark Matter Imperial Stout. The barrel-aged version is estimated at 10.5% alcohol by volume. It's been described as combining notes of bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and other flavors.

Gov's budget would hike taxes and strip local towns of money

By Illinois Statehouse News

Gov. Pat Quinn gave lawmakers two choices. Raise the income tax rate by one-third or make more than one billion dollars in cuts to schools.

In his annual budget address Wednesday, Quinn said the state’s finances are in dire straits and will only get worse unless lawmakers can find a way to pump billions of new dollars into state government.

Reaction to Quinn's budget was swift.

Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said his village could lose $1.4 million in funding, blowing a big hole in village finances. Speaking to Newsradio 780 this afternoon, Zabrocki said he wished the governor had given local communities more warning. He also said cuts in services would have to make up the shortfall.

House Speaker Michael Madigan called it brave of Quinn to call for a tax increase.

"That doesn't mean it's going to happen," Madigan added in an interview with public television.

Quinn is targeting $1.3 billion in education cuts, and even more cuts in health care and social services. The governor says he will chop the budget, even though he says he thinks it is wrong to slash spending that much.

"The approach is both heartless and naive. Taking a chainsaw to our state budget for schools, and for healthcare, and for human services is just plain wrong," he said.

(Related commentary on potential local education cuts.)

His solution is a 1 percent income tax increase.

"That 1 percent will be enough to restore our education budget ... and allow us to get caught-up on some of the millions of dollars we owe to our public schools, our community colleges, and our four year universities."

But the governor acknowledged lawmakers are unlikely pass a tax increase.

Ouinn saising income taxes by one-third is necessary and told lawmakers they will have to face the consequences if school budgets are whacked.

"I've made some difficult and painful choices in the budget. And you must make tough choices as well. Either by approving a plan for new revenue for education. Or by passing a budget that will starve public education at every level, in every community in the state of Illinois."

Quinn’s income tax hike is one of his five "budget pillars." The Governor is also basing his $32.1 billion general revenue budget on $4 billion in borrowing, $2 billion in cuts, and another billion or so in new help from the federal government.

"There’s been a historic drop in state revenues, amounting to billions and billions of dollars. And we don’t expect our revenues to rebound in the coming fiscal year," said Quinn.

Illinois Statehouse News is a non-profit public affairs news organization.

New grocery store opens in Orland Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Green Food & Produce has opened at 11333 W. 159th St. in Orland Park in the former Frank and Angie Simply Fresh Foods in Wolf Crossing Plaza, which used to be called Bobak’s Plaza.

The new store features has a deli, bakery, meat, produce and liquor department. It also carries ethnic and imported foods as well as organic foods.

New owner Margaret Antonik also has kept the restaurant that was a big attraction for the store in its earlier incarnations. The restaurant is offering a $9.99 all-you-can-eat buffet as part of its grand opening.
Store hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, call 708-675-1700. Green Food and Produce

Sun rises

Sun Nails opened recently at 16703 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park in the former Dracula’s Café. The nail shop number is 708-342-1484.

My Bike open again

My Bike of Tinley Park has opened at its new location at 17747 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park. Owner Brian Poncin had been moving into bigger digs since January. Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The shop is closed on Wednesdays.

Blue Fox reopens in Tinley Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The Blue Fox at 6820 W. 179th St. in Tinley Park reopened today after being closed for a few days last week to make some repairs to the restaurant. The bar reopened today and the kitchen is reopening tomorrow. The restaurant is celebrating its second anniversary on St. Patrick's Day next week.

South Suburban Memorials consolidates new offices in South Holland

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Brian Tennis said his decision to move his monument businesses into South Holland could not have worked out better.

Tennis, 53, moved South Suburban Memorials, a retail outlet for cemetery monuments, grave markers and plaques, and DOH Services, a memorial production company, into a single operation at 16525 Van Dam Road at the end of last year.

“We have the store on the lower level and the production facility on the upper level,” Tennis said.

A stonecutter since 1974, Tennis started DOH Services in Blue Island in 1995. He acquired South Suburban Memorials in Glenwood in 1999.

Tennis, who lives in Blue Island, said he tried for two years to find a suitable location in that city but was eventually told by officials they could not help him.

That’s a far cry from the reception he said he received from South Holland officials.

“Everyone in the village hierarchy welcomed us with open arms,” Tennis said. “We bought an eyesore in October 2008 and converted it into a beautiful showroom and production facility.”

Though now open, Tennis said there are a few unfinished items. “We still have to put in the landscaping,” he said.

Tennis has 17 employees at the two companies that make and sell everything you find in a cemetery. He said he makes monuments for all faiths including Christian, Muslim and Jewish. He said his customer base reaches as far as Iowa and Indiana.

The South Suburban Memorials showroom is open to the public. For more information, call 708-331-4450 or visit their Web site, http://www.southsuburbanmemorialsinc.net/

Cafe Closed
Cafe on Cedar has closed after being open just over a year at 398 N. Cedar Road in New Lenox.

Get your culture on
The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and guest conductor Victor Yampolsky are presenting Mozart Light and Dark at the Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center on Saturday. Tickets are $30, $40 and $50
for adults; $15 for students (18 and under. Tickets available at (708) 481-7774, and  http://www.ipomusic.org/
 
Calumet College Job Fair
 
Calumet College of St. Joseph is hosting its Spring 2010 Career Fair from 3 to 6 p.m. March 18 on the second floor of the main campus, 2400 New York Ave. in Whiting. Students, alumni and the public are invited to attend and admission is free. Parking is available in the rear of the building.

There will be recruiters in the areas of education, human services, health care, business, management, sales and marketing, accounting and finance, computer science and information technology, and law enforcement. Employer profiles and contact information will be available on the college Web site after March 10.

Job seekers should bring resumes and wear business attire. http://www.ccsj.edu/.
 
Deal of the Week
 
It's March Madness at Piazza's Pizza, 19608 S. LaGrange Road in Mokena, which is offering a half-price pizzas every Monday in March. For more information, call 708-479-9400. http://www.piazzaspizza.com/.

Piazza's Pizza is a family affair

By Dennis Robaugh
Southland Savvy

When I bit into my Piazza's meatball sandwich, lathered in red sauce, smothered in cheese, I tasted a memory.

Piazza's sauce reminds me of my grandmother's tomato sauce. A first-generation Italian-American who cooked with a timeworn set of pots and pans, Christmas Eve dinner was a much-anticipated event in my youth. Meatballs and pasta sauce loomed as large in our minds as the dancing visions of mythical Christmas sugar plums.

And so, if I wasn't already hooked on Piazza's for the pizza, the red sauce sealed my infatuation.

From their little Mokena strip-mall storefront, Piazza's has been serving up Italian specialties for less than a year. An unlikely neighbor to a yoga center and a nail spa, Piazza's is the kind of place that would seem more at home in an old red-brick storefront on a South Side neighborhood corner. In Mokena, they do business on busy LaGrange Road.

But large family portraits hang from the walls, dominating the decor of the small shop. Here, family and food are intertwined. The Piazzas have been in business since 1976, and in the pizzeria game since 1985. And it's always been a family affair.

Every other occasion I've had to stop by and pick up a pie, there've been Piazzas hanging around, eating dinner. Once, I even came across a Piazza family birthday party.

But back to the food. That big meatball sandwich was meaty and saucy, a meal all by itself. And throw out your low-carb diets. The beer nuggets, little fried dough coated with parmesan cheese, are a tasty treat you can't avoid. (The owner likes to sprinkle a little sugar on them, too.)

The pan pizza here comes in hefty slices. One slice weighs as much as two or three of those tasteless Pizza Hut imitations, and offers four times the taste.

And Piazza's knows how to save you a buck. Sign up for the Internet specials, and you'll get e-mails touting half-price pizza nights and other specials. Sign up on their web site.

Hungry for something other than pizza or pasta? Their chicken parmigiana sandwich offers a hefty breaded chicken breast, layered with sauce and cheese. This is a satisfying meal unto itself.

And the perch dinner, featuring four tasty filets and a side of fries, is delectable Lenten goodness. On a recent visit, fellow diners ogled our perch and wished they had ordered the same. The breaded isn't too crunchy, nor is it overbreaded, and the plentiful portion doesn't come to your table dripping in frying oil.

Piazza's Pizza
4 out of 4 stars
19608 N. LaGrange Road
Mokena
(708) 479-9400

See more reviews via Google.

You can reach Dennis at dennis@southlandsavvy.com

Cancer scare, stem cells and reality tv

Crestwood residents are worried the cancer cluster, apparently caused by contaminated water, will ruin property values. A local woman who was the nation's first recipient of experimental stem cell transplant for CIDP is healthy five years later. South Siders are needed for a new reality show, ala Jersey Shore. Adam Kinzinger takes a swing at Debbie Halvorson. Finally, will Oak Lawn find favor with Google?

The region's must-reads, in this week's GuidePosts.

Cancer scare in Crestwood: Frank Caldario worries the water he drank for years without knowing it was contaminated caused his kidney cancer. The 30-year-old office worker told the Chicago Tribune, which broke the Crestwood cancer story, that surgeons removed a gumball-size tumor and about 40 percent of his right kidney. "I can't help but wonder if what happened to me had something to do with the water," says Caldario. "It's just unreal for someone my age to get that." The state released a report Friday suggesting toxic chemicals in Crestwood water could have contributed to the town's cancer rates.

Stem cell transplant: On April 1, Jennifer Osman celebrates a new chance at life, reports columnist Donna Vickroy. That day marks the close of a five-year clinical trial to treat the chronic disease that brought her to death's door. In 2005, the 38-year-old Plainfield mom became the first in the nation, and second in the world, to undergo an experimental stem cell transplant for Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, an inflammation of the nerves that leads to a loss of movement or sensation. "This was my first hope for life," she says of the groundbreaking transplant.

Go ahead, embarrass your mom: South Siders and south suburbanites who want to become reality-TV stars should be "buff, hot, sexy, crazy, fun, outgoing," and "love to make things exciting." Well, that pretty much describes the staff of Southland Savvy! If you fit this description, send an e-mail to Chicago@oconnorcasting.tv with your full name, address, phone number, three recent pictures of yourself, and "a brief description of your awesomeness." You might end up in a South Side reality TV show, just like "Jersey Shore."

Give the money back Debbie: GOP congressional candidate Adam Kinzinger wants incumbent U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson to return campaign contributions from New York Congressman Charlie Rangel, now embroiled in an ethics controversy that forced him to give up his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means committee. Kinzinger, the GOP nominee for Halvorson's 11th District seat, says Halvorson should donate all tainted campaign donations, totaling $60,000, to Haitian relief.

Meanwhile, columnist Phil Kadner is wondering whether Kinzinger will stand up to the extreme elements of his party whose views Kinzinger doesn't necessarily share.

Let's Google, says Oak Lawn:
It appears Oak Lawn may be trying to get residents in on Google's project to deliver ultra-high-speed Internet service, says Casey Cora.

Greek restaurant to open in Orland Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

With a name like It’s Greek to Me it should come as no surprise that the new restaurant set to open Monday at 13119 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park will feature Greek cuisine.

Owner Mike Flamburis says the new eatery will feature only authentic Greek dishes. “We’ll have traditional authentic Greek dishes,” says Flamburis.
Restaurant hours will be daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 708-923-1400.

Flamburis also owns the adjoining Country Cottage Café, which he says will be opening a few weeks after It’s Greek to Me.

Flamburis says both restaurants will have some common areas but the kitchens and dining rooms for each will be separate.

“They will be distinctly different restaurants,” says Flamburis.
Country Cottage Café will be one of those breakfast/lunch restaurants serving only from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The café’s phone number is 708-923-0400.

Now open

Susan’s Accessories and Gifts has opened at 7659 W. St. Francis Road in Frankfort Square.

Closed

The Cricket Wireless store has closed at 9442 W. 191st St. in Mokena.

Coming Soon

A United Liquor store is planned for 11320 W. Lincoln Highway in Mokena. The owners also operate United Liquor stores in Joliet, New Lenox and Country Club Hills.

Deal of the weekend

Denny’s, which already has kids eat free deals (two kids eat free with each paid adult meal), now is serving up unlimited fries and pancakes, as long as they come with the meal you ordered. For more information, visit
Denny's

Dancing Spartans set to invade Oak Lawn

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Eileen Jones knows she probably will never be invited to be on “Dancing With The Stars.” That’s why the librarian at Oak Lawn Community High School did the next best thing; she is bringing the show to her. So to speak.

Jones is one of eight educators at Oak Lawn High who will be dancing for bragging rights and charity next Friday at “Dancing With The Spartans.”

Jones and her seven colleagues have been training for the past two months with dance instructors from Heart & Sole Dance in Tinley Park. They will put it all on the line at 7 p.m. March 12 at the high school, 9400 Southwest Highway.

“I wanted to be on ‘Dancing With The Stars,’ but knew that wasn’t going to happen. So I started thinking how I could bring the show to me,” says Jones.

“Someone suggested doing it as a community event and that’s how we came up ‘Dancing With The Spartans’.”

Jones says the event will mirror the TV version. “We’ll have video montages of the teachers in training. We’ll have a Green Room. We’ll even have voting and celebrity judges.

“Gina Glocksen, who was a contender on ‘American Idol,’ is going to judge. We also have Scott Blevins, who is an internationally known choreographer.”

Doors open at 6:15 p.m. with dancing to begin at 7 p.m. Admission is $10, $7 for students with ID and free for children 10 and under. Votes go for $1 and stuffing the ballot box is encouraged, says Jones.

All proceeds are going to the Parent Project for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. “That charity was chosen because a son of one of the teachers has that condition,” says Jones.

For more information, visit Dancing Spartans

Here's a video sneak peek at what you'll see next Friday. Eat your heart out "Glee."


Tin Fish offers cooking class

Tin Fish restaurant in Tinley Park is offering a cooking class. The class takes place on Monday, March 22, and offers three courses, paired with wine and recipes. Reservations are necessary. The class costs $40.

Prizes will be offered, too. For reservations, call (708) 532-0200. Check out the web site and click on Special Events for more information. The restaurant is at 18201 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park.

Dino Anthony's closes in Frankfort

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Dino Anthony’s, a popular Italian restaurant, closed its doors this week at 20590 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort after being open less than a year.

Fans of owner Dino Pavoni’s pizza can still get it at Simply Slices, 14280 S. Cicero Ave. in Crestwood, which remains open. Simply Slices offers pizza and sandwiches but none of the pasta dishes that Dino Anthony’s served.
Dino Anthony’s is the second restaurant to fail in that location. It was originally a Tore’s restaurant.

Once Upon A Child opens in Chicago Ridge
A Once Upon A Child resale shop opened late last year at 9990 S. Ridgeland Ave. in the Chicago Ridge Commons.
The store buys and sells "gently used" children's clothing, toys, baby equipment and furniture, as well as movies, books and other items for children.
For more information, call (708) 499-7035 or visit www.onceuponachildchicagoridge.com

Chocoholics prefer Fannie May
The votes are in and readers overwhelmingly prefer Fannie May chocolates. The chain received more than half of the votes in last week’s poll.
This week, we’re asking readers to choose their favorite local burger joint. The nominees are all local businesses, though one or two have more than one location. We’ll do another poll in the future on your favorite fast-food burgers.

Meet Otis Wilson
Former Bears great Otis Wilson will be signing autographs and posing for pictures from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Super Kmart at 16300 S. Harlem Ave. in Frankfort.

Pet contests at Alsip Nursery
The pet department at Alsip Home Nursery will be holding Best Looking Pet and Most Unique Pet contests on Saturday and Sunday at 20601 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort and 10255 Wicker Ave. in St. John, Ind. There also will be free treats and free nail trims for your pets.

Cubs owner to visit Southland
New Chicago Cubs Chairman Thomas Ricketts will be the guest at Monday’s monthly luncheon for the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce.
The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Tinley Park Holiday Inn & Convention Center, 18501 S. Harlem Ave.
Two lucky guests will win tickets to a Cubs home game.
Cost is $25 for chamber members and $35 for non-members. Make reservations at 708-957-6950 or Chicago Southland Chamber

Party for Bill Gleason in Oak Forest

By Chuck Ingwersen
Southland Savvy

Bill Gleason's going-away party won't be a solemn event. You can count on attendees sharing exuberant stories about the legendary sports columnist, raising a glass in his name and enjoying the jazz music that stirred Gleason's soul.

Gleason, who died at age 87 on Dec. 31, 2009, wouldn't have it any other way. The celebration of a life fully lived is scheduled for April 10 at Gaelic Park in Oak Forest, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Dixieland jazz will be provided by the Mississippi Mudcats, and the event will serve as a fundraiser for the Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, S.D.

Gleason grew up on the south side of Chicago, was a decorated Army veteran of World War II, and worked for 60-plus years in sports journalism. It was my honor to work with Gleason during his years as a columnist for the Daily Southtown. I was in awe of him when he joined the Southtown, having read and admired him for years when he was the premier sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. But I found him to be generous and gracious — and always supremely entertaining.

It should be a great party.

Here's a favorite video clip of mine, posted shortly after his death. It features Bill discussing former White Sox owner Bill Veeck, as well as his love for jazz.


CharleyHorse returns to northwest Indiana

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The CharleyHorse is back in Munster, Ind.

Years after the original restaurant closed its doors near Calumet Avenue and Ridge Road, a new CharleyHorse opened last month at 8940 Calumet Ave. in the former Charlie’s Ale House.

The Munster restaurant was originally supposed to be called Savard’s Hall of Fame with former Black Hawks star Denis Savard lending his name to the project. He pulled out of the deal in January.

CharleyHorse also has restaurants in New Lenox and Tinley Park.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, with brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call 219-836-4040 or visit www.thecharleyhorse.com

Catching up

Reflections Yoga Center opened late last year at 18675 Dixie Highway in Homewood. The phone number is 708-960-4996, the Web site is www.ryogacenter.com

One Shot Kustoms, an auto restoration and customization business, moved late last year from Lockport to new digs at 9232 Gulfstream Road in Frankfort. The phone number is 815-524-4016. Check out owner Justin Clark’s MySpace page.

Neptune Society, a cremation service, opened late last year at 15111 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. The phone number is 708-226-6928, the Web site is www.neptunesociety.com

Antonis restaurant opened late last year at 1151 E. Ninth St. in Lockport. They don’t have a Web site but the phone number is 815-836-8141.

Black Hawks to appear

Black Hawks players Andrew Ladd and Colin Fraser will stop by the CharleyHorse at 9501 W. 171st St. in Tinley Park from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There is a $30 wristband autograph fee. For more information, call the restaurant at (708) 873-9455.

2 Sisters Frozen Custard the Deal of the Week

2 Sisters Frozen Custard, 4734 W. 147th St. in Midlothian, will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday starting tomorrow. Co-owner Lisa Callaghan says you will get 10 percent off if you say you read about 2 Sisters in Comings & Goings.