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.
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.
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.
“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.
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. #hcrDennis Robaugh can be reached at dennis@southlandsavvy.com
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.
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
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
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