Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Bob Bong on Business: First Midwest Buys Bridgeview Bank Bridgeview Bank sells to First Midwest Community bank deal valued at $145 million By Bob Bong Bridgeview Bank, a community bank founded in Bridgeview in 1971 and which emphasized a personal and small business focus, has agreed to be acquired by First Midwest Bank in a cash…
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Red Robin in Orland Park closed after Carbon Monoxide affects 24 customers The Orland Fire Protection District treated 24 customers at the Red Robin Restaurant in Orland Park after they reported feeling sick on Friday Nov. 30, 2018. Four of the customers were taken to area hospitals after the OFPD determined that the cause was…
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Bob Bong on Business: Gas N Wash to open second Mokena location By Bob Bong Mokena-based Gas n Wash has announced it will open a second location in Mokena at 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 16, at 19990 S. LaGrange Road. It will be the company’s seventh location. The company also operates Food n Fuel…
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Sal’s Philly Steaks now open in Hickory Hills Bridgeview resident Sal Bal is the man behind the scripted Sal’s sign that adorns four different Philly cheesesteak restaurants throughout the southwest suburbs. Bal opened his first shop at 78th Street and Cicero Avenue near Ford City Mall around 2005. In 2015, he made his first move to…
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Bob Bong on Business: Hobo stores closing By Bob Bong In 1996, Home Owners Bargain Outlet rose out of the ashes of the Handy Andy bankruptcy. The chain of discount home improvement stores eventually grew to seven including locations at 8716 S. Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn and 1693 Plainfield Road in Crest Hill. Other…
No justice in fight against crime in Van Dyke conviction Two issues continue to bother me. The first is the imbalance and lack of justice in the prosecution of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, and the lack of attention to the criminal behavior of the victim Laquan McDonald. The second is the increasing amount…
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Facebook and worthless knock-offs like Classmates.com I always wondered what happened to my old friends back in Hgh school so I opened an account at Classmates.com thinking it would help me answer that question. But it didn’t work. Classmates is nothing like Facebook, where it is far easier to connect with old high school friends,…
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Shell Lockport to Better Serve Customers with U-Haul U-Haul Company of Illinois, Inc. is pleased to announce that Shell Lockport has signed on as a U-Haul® neighborhood dealer to serve the Lockport community. Shell Lockport at 518 S. State St. will offer U-Haul trucks, towing equipment, moving supplies and in-store pick-up for boxes. The arrival…
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Illinois job growth surges upward by 18,100 new jobs Unemployment Rate Steady at 4.3% The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3 percent in June and nonfarm payrolls increased by +18,100 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)…
Texas ranked as top state for business in CNBC study CNBC Special Correspondent Scott Cohn Revealed America’s Top Five States for Business Today on CNBC CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, today unveiled the results of its twelfth annual list of America’s Top States for Business with Texas taking the number one position. The Lone Star…
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Landek helps cut ribbon on remodeled McDonalds Bob Bong on Business By Bob Bong Salvation Army store closed in Bridgeview The Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center in Bridgeview remains closed after the front façade of the building came crashing down early last month. The store at 9000 S. Harlem Ave. has been closed…
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Highspeed rail association questions Chicago-O’Hare transit plans The Midwest High Speed Rail Association issue the following statement regarding Chicago plans to build a high speed rail connecting Chicago’s Loop with O’Hare Airport: Today, the City of Chicago announced that it has chosen Elon Musk’s Boring Company to construct and maintain an express link between downtown…
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$17 million invested in Sauk Village announced Mayor Derrick Burgess is very pleased to hear that SET Enterprises in Sauk Village announced that they will be the very first in North America to have a Laser blanking line. SET provides stamped parts for Ford Motor Company and has been in business in Sauk Village for…
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Rock ’n’ roll restaurant backed by KISS stars coming to Oak Lawn Two new restaurants, including one affiliated with KISS stars Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, will highlight the beginning of phase two of the Stony Creek Promenade development in Oak Lawn. Rock & Brews is a California-based restaurant chain born out of a post-concert…
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Rauner needs to block water rate increase bill The Illinois House and the Illinois Senate approved a new law, HB 4508, that would allow two major water companies to massively increase water rates on its customers to help them buy up smaller water companies so they can grow and profit. The sponsors used the confusing…
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2018 Illinois Governor’s Export Award recipients announced Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti and the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the recipients of the 2018 Governor’s Export Awards during a ceremony at the Union League Club of Chicago on May 24th. The Governor’s Export Awards are Illinois’ highest recognition of export achievement, honoring…
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Orland Mayor Pekau honors Old Navy manager at grand opening The Old Navy Orland Park Place store re-opened on Friday May 25, 2018 with great fanfare following a near month-long closure due to a devastating fire. Orland Park Mayor was there to cut the ribbonThe Old Navy Orland Park store re-opened on Friday May 25,…
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Online shopping killing retail stores and our families, too The closings of Toys-R-Us, Carsons and other major retailers is a sign of weakness in our economy and the erosion of family life, shifting from personal family involvement to individual use of computers and technology. It’s not just about an economic problem. It’s about the weakening…
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