Will Oak Lawn cash in big on video gambling machines in local bars?

Oak Lawn is debating whether to allow video gambling in local bars and restaurants. But will the village make any money off this?

Oak Lawn could get $540,000 in tax revenue from the machines, according to Back to Work Illinois, a civic and labor group. That assumes every business that holds one of the 48 liquor licenses in town installs the maximum five gaming machines, reports Casey Cora in his On the Lawn blog.

Says Mayor Dave Heilmann: "My personal belief is that it's not the way you should try to get revenue ... I'm just not a big fan of it."

Benefit at Gaelic Park tonight for Tinley family that lost mom in 2009 fire

Family and friends of Bianca Hedinger, a Tinley Park woman who died in a fire last year, are hosting a fundraiser to benefit the three children she’s left behind. Today's event will feature live music, food, a raffle and a cash bar. The goal is to raise money for the three young children who still have years of schooling ahead of them, said Kellie Brotan, Hedinger’s cousin.

The kids – Gavin, 7, and 6-year-old twins, McKenzie and Griffin – are being cared for by Hedinger’s parents and sister, relatives said.

Hedinger, a 31-year-old hairdresser, was killed in a fire Aug. 2 in her Tinley Park townhome. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Bianca graduated from Oak Forest High School and was a hair dresser at Jeffrey LaMorte Salon in Orland Park. Bianca was married to Bob Hedinger, who died on on July 25, 2003.

Donations may also be made on the family's web site.

ESSENTIAL INFO
What: Dreams for the Hedinger Children
When: 6 p.m. today (Friday)
Where: Gaelic Park, 6119 W. 147th St., Oak Forest
Admission: $25
Information: www.dreamsforthehedingerchildren.org.

Chicago Press release services

Pawn shop now open in Tinley Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Gold is the top item being seen at Tinley Jewelry and Loan since the pawn shop opened a few weeks ago at 7112 W. 171st St. in Tinley Park.

Indeed, while interviewing owner Rich Clousing (pictured in Tinley Jewelry) on Thursday, a woman walked in and asked Clousing to look over a handful of assorted gold items she inherited from her father.

“They might be gold fillings,” she says. “I just don’t know what they are or what they are worth.”

They get a lot of customers like that, Clousing says. “Pawn shops have been buying gold for years. We’ll still be buying gold long after the ‘We Buy Gold’ stores and TV pitchmen disappear.”

But the store in a strip center across from Jewel-Osco also has shelves filled with DVDs and electronics. A display case shows off watches, rings and other jewelry. There’s even a set of golf clubs in the corner.

“We are the first and only pawn shop in Tinley Park,” Clousing says with a hint of pride. “We provide a service people can’t get anywhere else. Will a bank give you a $200 loan until the end of the month?”

Clousing says pawn shops have traditionally offered bridge loans to people who are strapped for small amounts of money.

“Our average loan balance is $100,” Clousing says. “And I charge half of what a payday loan costs. Plus, I don’t attach myself to your bank account or report you to a credit bureau. Collateral loans are strictly between you and me.”

Clousing says loans are made for 30 days and terms can be extended. “In theory, the loan could be stretched out indefinitely. But I wouldn’t suggest that. I’m not a mortgage company.”

Tinley Jewelry is a family operation with Clousing’s wife and daughter also working in the shop.
Business has been good so far, Clousing says. “People have been stopping by to check us out. One of the first things they say is, ‘It’s so clean’.”

What about crime concerns?

“Pawn shops are fully regulated by the state,” Clousing says. “I file daily reports with the Tinley police. We videotape everything all the time,” he says pointing to cameras in the room. “Thieves just don’t come to pawn shops. They know they would get caught.”

Tinley Jewelry is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The phone number is 708-444-2425. The Web site is Tinley Jewelry and Loan.