Mom to the Rescue, Almost: Cops Make Arrest in 4 a.m. Oak Park Avenue Crash

A Matteson man faces several charges, including drunken driving, after crashing his car on Oak Park Avenue and calling his mother for a ride home, police said.

A 26-year-old Matteson man arrested near the scene of a Jan. 26 accident faces drunken driving charges after police spotted him trying to get away in his mom's car. A resident called police after hearing a loud crash and a man yelling at around 4:15 a.m. near Oak Park Avenue and 172nd Street. Police found a black Hyundai Santa Fe blocking the southbound lane of Oak Park Avenue. Officers saw damage to its front end, a flat tire on the passenger's side, a cracked windshield and a flat front passenger's tire. There was no driver in the car. After a search, they found Anthony Ray Voight, 26, of the 260 block of Hibiscus Circle, Matteson, getting into his mother's car at 171st Street. Officers stopped the car and spoke with Voight, who admitted…

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Village Needs Artists for 2013 Benches on the Avenue Designs

Next year's theme for the public arts program, which is in its 10th year, is Fairy Tale Festival. Applications are due Feb. 1.

The application process has begun for artists interested in participating in next year's Benches on the Avenue public art program, according to a Village of Tinley Park press release. In its 10th year, Benches on the Avenue lets artists and designers create colorful displays around outdoor benches, built along a central theme. Next year's theme is Fairy Tale Festival, and designs should connect to classic fairy tales. The theme for 2012 was the Magic of Music.  PHOTOS: Check Out the 2012 Benches on the Avenue in This Gallery The village will have 20 handcrafted, wooden benches available, and they will be displayed along Oak Park Avenue from mid-May until Oct. 1. Designs need to be submitted by Feb. 1, and the village will notify the …

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Photo Gallery: Residents Line Oak Park Avenue as Salute to Wounded Veteran

Hundreds lined up along Oak Park Avenue over the weekend to honor Gunner's Mate 1st Class Petty Officer. Jeanette Tarqueno. She was injured on Dec. 4,2011 while serving our country in the Persian Gulf.

Around dusk on Saturday, Oak Park Avenue was peppered with patriotic colors and hundreds of American flags. Jeannette Tarqueno, a U.S. Navy veteran who was injured last year while serving in the Persian Gulf was greeted in style on her way to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2791 in Tinley Park. A benefit intended to help her recover from a traumatic brain injury was held there. See the accompanying photo gallery for a look inside the event.

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Cops: Intoxicated Man Passes Out on Sidewalk Outside Teehan's, Then Becomes Combative

Police charged a drunken man with battery on Monday night.

Tinley police arrested an intoxicated man shortly before 9 p.m. Monday who was found face down on an Oak Park Avenue sidewalk. Officers were dispatched to the walk outside Teehan's, 17329 Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park, at 8:54 p.m., according to the report. Callers had said Timothy J. Ficker, 27, was passed out there. When the cops arrived, Ficker, of Lockport, was alert and talking. "(An officer) learned from subjects outside of the bar that the suspect was asked to leave Teehan's due to his intoxicated state," the report said. "Trace paramedics arrived on scene and spoke with suspect who refused medical assistance." While speaking with Ficker, police said he became uncooperative, started yelling and was "making strange noises and cursing at…

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Photo Gallery: Every 'Benches on the Avenue' Bench

This year's theme for Tinley Park's yearly display of public art is "America the Beautiful."

See a bench you like? A $20 donation will give you a chance to win a bench in a drawing to be held later this year. Only 45 tickets per bench are available. Call 708-444-5045 for more information.

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Tinley Looks to Lure Indie Businesses to Oak Park Avenue

The village is considering a $22,365 contract to create a marketing plan to lure mom and pop businesses to Oak Park Avenue.

Tinley Park is looking to hire a marketing firm to help lure independent businesses and small, "Mom and Pop" operations to Oak Park Avenue. On Tuesday night, the Finance and Economic Development Committee discussed a $22,365 contract with Findzall Community Marketing not only to bring small businesses to Oak Park Avenue, but to help those businesses market themselves through Facebook, Twitter and other social media. "It's a 'grow your own' philosophy," said village Marketing Director Donna Framke. The village's plans for Oak Park Avenue are for independent, locally owned businesses, rather than the large-scale commercial developments pursued on Harlem Avenue and La Grange Road, said Finance Committee Chairman Dave Seaman. "(Oak Park Avenue…

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Tinley Business Spotlight

The Attic Door: A Place to Find Hidden Treasure

The Tinley Park consignment shop has seen its share of history pass through its doors.

Household items are to your right, clothing to your left and jewelry in the middle at The Attic Door. The second level of the store is reserved for clothing and shoes. Purses take over the corner. Everything has its place. “It’s funny,” owner Christy Johnson said. “sometimes we will have customers who will just come in and look at the clothes. Others will just look at the household items. So it’s a nice mix.”  Clothing, furniture, household appliances, books, picture frames and jewelry are among the items that can be found inside the Oak Park Avenue consignment shop. Calumet City resident Pauline Washington has been shopping at the store since they opened. “I’m thrifty and I save a ton of money by shopping here,” Washington said. “I also …

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OPAMA Halloween Kiddy Parade Takes Over Tinley Square Plaza

A record number of competitors entered the costume contest at the Oak Park Avenue Mainstreet Association's 12th Annual Halloween Kiddy Parade and Party.

Tinley Square Plaza was swamped Sunday afternoon with ghouls, robots, lions and more as residents from Tinley Park and surrounding areas flooded the space for the Oak Park Avenue Mainstreet Association's (OPAMA) 12th Annual Halloween Kiddy Parade and Party. The festivities kicked off at noon, and soon, the shopping center, located on the northwest corner of Oak Park Avenue and 171st Street in Tinley Park, was packed with families ready for some Halloween revelry. Children and parents marched up and down the plaza, playing games, snacking on treats and admiring decorations. Local business owners set up tables in front of the shopping center, mixing Halloween enthusiasm with business promotion, passing out treats alongside coupons and …

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Tinley Gets Two-fer on Road Project

The bid came in so low for the westbound lanes, the village found it could throw in the eastbound lanes and still come in $100K under budget.

When the bids came back for fixing up the westbound lanes of 171st Street between Harlem and Oak Park avenues, one of the bids was low. Very low. It was $190,000 for a project the village expected to cost $370,000. And, after village staff determined West Chicago-based Triggi Construction would be capable of pulling off the project, they found they could legally add to it. "Long story short, we're able to do both sides for the amount we've budgeted for one side," Trustee Thomas Staunton said. So instead of paying $370,000 for half the project, now the village could pay $279,000 for the whole project. "We can increase it by another 50 percent and still come in $100,000 under budget," Public Works Director Dale Schepers said. Because the …

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