The Italian American Police Association will honor Niles Police Chief Joseph Romano on Oct. 4 at Chateau Ritz in Niles. The IAPA will also honor Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department Chief of Police Leo Schmitz (Police Officer of the Year Award), Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge President Chris Southwood (Lifetime Achievement Award), and attorney David Petrich and businessman and philanthropist Dr. Willie Wilson (Special Recognition Award). The following profile was provided by the IAPA. Niles Police Chief Joseph Romano Joseph Romano grew up in the Niles area and attended Nelson Elementary School and Gemini Junior High School in …

The Italian American Labor Council of Greater Chicago will honor labor leader Dan Allen on Oct. 11 at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. Allen has served since 2013 as executive director of Construction Industry Service Corp., a labor-management association representing 140,000 union workers and 8,000 union contractors across six counties. He is the chair of the DuPage Workforce Development Board and serves on the board of the Chicago Building Congress, Choose DuPage, Workers Compensation Research Institute, and Gateway to Learning, which provides lifelong learning for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For event details, click here.    

by Elena Ferrarin and Doug Graham As a driving force behind Friends of the Uffizi Galleries, Lisa Marie Conte Browne has helped raise millions of dollars toward the restoration of the renowned art museum’s expansive collections. Visitors flock by the millions each year to the Uffizi Galleries in Florence to marvel at its vast and dazzling array of art. Opened in 1769, it is one of the largest and best-known art museums in the world, boasting one of the most expansive collection of works from the Italian Renaissance. The mission of Lisa Marie Conte Browne, president of Friends of the …

written by Lionel Bottari, illustrated by Jean Parisi Once, in the province of Lombardy, there lived a young couple, Bernio and Alchia. They fervently wanted to have a family, but the years went by without their wish being granted. Unwilling to give up their dream, they went to an orphanage and adopted one of the infants, who they named Fortunio. But as luck would have it, Alchia became pregnant some time afterward. This child, also a boy, they named Valentino. Until Valentino was born, Fortunio was the center of their attention, but as they grew older it became obvious to …

The Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York has chosen “Michelangelo, An Italian Genius” as its annual theme, in celebration of the 550th anniversary of the birth of the Renaissance master. For the rest of the year, the IHCC-NY will host, coordinate and publicize theme-related presentations, symposiums, exhibits, seminars, a student essay contest, proclamations at every level of government, and assorted tributes. Informational material including posters, bookmarks and booklets will be distributed free of charge to educational, cultural and public institutions. Founded in 1976, the IHCC-NY is a volunteer group of community leaders dedicated to promoting, presenting and preserving …

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court unanimously ruled 7-0 that former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney didn’t have the power four years ago to replace Columbus Day as an official city holiday with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The court found that former Mayor Kenney violated the city charter. “The power to establish, change or eliminate official city holidays is essentially a legislative power,” Judge Patricia McCullough wrote in a unanimous 21-page opinion. “This unanimous decision affirms both the rule of law and the value of our Italian American heritage,” declared George Bochetto, national counsel for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations …

The National Italian American Foundation and Aspen Institute Italia have signed an agreement aimed at promoting and strengthening relations between the United States and Italy. Titled “USA and Italy: Common History, Common Values, Common Future,” the three-year partnership will feature a series of meetings on economic, institutional and values-based themes to be held alternately in Italy and the United States. Aspen Institute Italia and NIAF will collaborate to determine the format, agenda and organizational structure for each event. The agreement was penned at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., by NIAF President and CEO Robert Allegrini and Aspen Institute Ex …

Robert M. Ferrito, national president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America’s Commission for Social Justice, sent a letter of thanks to Nevada Governor Joseph Lombardo, who vetoed a bill that would have formally replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in the state’s calendar. “We believe in diversity and tolerance by addition, not by subtraction or substitution,” Ferrito wrote. “We urge you to continue supporting Italian Americans and our heritage in this battle that has been unjustly thrust upon us, and we also urge and fully support you to recognize the contributions Native Americans made to …

The Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum is backing five budding directors whose films bring to life stories of family memories, immigrant dreams, Hollywood stereotypes and a surreal quest for the perfect plate of pasta. Maky Rupert, director of “St. Joseph”; Katerina Munis, director of “Tiramisu”; Michael Mastronardi, director of “Forgotten Flavors”; Adriano Valentini, director of “Pasta di Niente”; and Luke Salvatore Petronella, director of “Luigi Lookalike,” will receive $10,000 grants to produce their films. Once the films are completed, a selection committee will choose one winner to receive an additional $10,000 and a spot in the AGBO Storytellers Collective, …

Ferrari will venture into the world of sailing with a Hypersail project led by Italian yachtsman Giovanni Soldini that would “blend racing tradition with technological innovation,” ESPN reported. The world’s first 100-foot monohull ocean racing yacht with a foil on the keel was designed by French naval architect Guillaume Verdier and is being built at an undisclosed location in Italy with a launch scheduled for 2026. “It perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition, drawing inspiration from our Hypercar, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said. “Designing a yacht for offshore racing is perhaps the …