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.
About Me
- Bob Bong
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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