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.

Mike Madigan, Bond cars, power grabs and drug tests

Every week, GuidePosts points you to the latest must-read stories of the Southland. We sort out the clutter for you.

Will Madigan shear this state rep hopeful?
Kristen McQueary, the Southland's pre-eminent political reporter, shows how Mike Madigan may add to his flock one Kelly Burke, who beat his candidate in the nasty 36th House District Democratic primary. Will she be a sheep? Meanwhile, state Rep. James Brosnahan (D-Evergreen Park) decides to step down and take a job as Blue Island's lawyer, where he hopes to "learn about municipal law."

He's no "Q" but he's pretty close
Larry Claypool, who owns The Vair Shop in Frankfort, is an expert in antique car repair. He's the guy you go to if you want to get a Bondmobile, the Renault 11 Parisian Taxi featured in 1985's "A View to a Kill", to run.

Power grabs? Secret deals?
Oak Lawn's Unity Party anything but unified, far from a party.

You know what the cup is for
Marist High School in Mount Greenwood may drug test all students.

Are you hiring?
This IT expert from Tinley Park with an MBA wants a job so bad, he'll work for free.

This boy's a lifesaver, literally
Frankfort boy, Cameron Harper, saves 5-year-old's life with CPR.