Retired law enforcement officer Kenneth Lavorata will top the list of honorees at the Italian American Police Association dinner dance on Nov. 3 at the Chateau Ritz. Lavorata served in the Marine Corps from 1964-67, including a tour of duty as a battalion scout in Vietnam from 1965-66. He entered the Police Academy in November 1967, and served as an officer for the Chicago Police Department for 35 years. His assignments included the 12th, 25th and 20th districts; Area 4 and 5 Traffic; the Radar and Mass Transit units; and the Office of Special Events, coordinating police presence for major …

The Italian American Labor Council honored Lawrence Picardi Sr. as Man of the Year at its dinner dance on Oct. 14 at the Drury Lane Oak Brook in Oakbrook Terrace. Picardi is the financial secretary treasurer of Cement Masons Union Local 502. His father brought him into the union as an apprentice in 1980, and he worked for years for various Chicago-area contractors as a foreman and union steward. Picardi was elected as a trustee of the local’s Welfare Fund in 1988, a member of its executive board in 1997 and its business agent in 2006. In 2012, he was …

Maribel Weisz of Antique Resources and Stephanie Sarris of Bellehaven Designs will celebrate Italian American Heritage Month by hosting a charity event they’re calling “Che Bellezza! An Evening of Italian Culture and Murano.” The fundraiser will run from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 19 at Antique Resources, 1741 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Boasting the largest collection of antique chandeliers in the Midwest, Antique Resources recently added a wide array of antique and vintage Murano glass chandeliers and accessories to its collection. “Maribel was so excited about her new Murano pieces, I suggested we host a party so people can find out …

Past JCCIA President Enza Raineri is inviting the Chicago-area Italian-American community to take part in Back the Blue Italian Style! — a fundraiser in support of the Chicago Police Foundation. The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Morgan Art Complex in the city’s Bridgeport Neighborhood. Tickets and sponsorships are available, with proceeds benefiting the Mounted Police Unit of the Chicago Police Department. For details, click here.      

Chicago attorney Michael Grieco was among the many lawyers honored at the American Association for Justice’s 2023 annual convention in Philadelphia this July. An AAJ Board of Governors member since 2022, Grieco was presented with the F. Scott Baldwin Award, which recognizes a young trial lawyer with one or more outstanding trial verdicts who has made a significant contribution to the New Lawyers Division of the AAJ. Grieco also serves on the executive committee for the Professional Negligence section of the AAJ. The award was presented by AAJ officer Jared Smith of Jared Smith Law in Kentucky. Grieco was recently …

On June 29, members of the Harlem Avenue Little Italy Business Association met with representatives from the Chicago Department of Planning and Development and two urban planning firms to come up with a strategy for developing Harlem Avenue from North to Lawrence avenues. HALIBA board members gave their guests a tour of the area, introducing them to local businesses and offering a sense of the area’s rich Italian history. The tour began at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame at 3417 N. Harlem Ave. “This museum is going to be the anchor of Harlem Avenue, bringing tourists from …

The International Press Club of Chicago hosted an eye-opening presentation by Italian Consul General Thomas Botzios on July 29 at the Italian American Veterans Museum. Botzios spoke proudly of the positive economic impact Italy is having on America, with more than 100 Italian companies boasting a presence in his consular area alone. Among them are pasta manufacturers Barilla and Rana; packaging company SEDA; tech products manufacturer STMicroelectronics; and the Ferraro Group, manufacturers of a wide range of products, including the iconic Ferraro Rocher candy. Noting that the economic benefits flow in both directions, Botzios pointed out that Minneapolis-based 3M has …

Casa Italia volunteer and archivist Barbara Stasell has created an opera display in the first-floor library room in the Italian Cultural Center at the Casa. The figurines were created by Nora (“Norie”) Kalka, a local ceramicist who learned the craft during a short sojourn in California in the late 1940s. Back home in Chicago, Kalka hoped to continue her work, but the equipment and materials were only available at the time from suppliers on the West Coast. Buying them there and shipping them east, she set up her shop and developed her skills, making many gracefully imaginative pieces. “An interest …

The Consulate of Italy in Detroit and the Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan will once again team up to produce LoveITDetroit. The month-long celebration of artists, innovators, designers, architects, engineers, brands, influencers and more from Italy and Detroit will hold forth throughout September at 1001 Woodward Avenue. A virtual experience is also available. The second-annual series of events will take place during the Detroit Month of Design. Last year’s event won Detroit the distinction of City of Italian Creativity in the World by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. For details, click here.  

A new day is dawning at Casa Italia as the village of Stone Park enters into negotiations with the Scalabrini Fathers to purchase the property bordered by Division Street and 39th, 37th and Soffel avenues. The Casa currently leases the property from the religious order. Plans for the property include a park district-style facility with banquet rooms and offices, police station, and pro-size soccer field and event pavilion, but the Casa isn’t going anywhere. The organization will consolidate operations in the building that houses the Italian Cultural Center. The oldest structure in Stone Park, the building will be brought up …