Columns

A feeling of dread always comes over me when I read a passage like this one from the news release for “Bottom of the Ninth,” which trumpets its Italian-American street cred. “The film is about a man who returns to the Bronx after serving 17 years in prison for a violent mistake he made as a kid, ultimately robbing him of a professional baseball career and the love of his life.” “Here we go again,” I thought. “Another film that leans too heavily on tired Mafia tropes instead of standing on its own two feet.” The foreboding persisted throughout my …

There are times when I have to wonder what I’m going to write about, and then there are serendipitous times like this! We’ve had reunion picnics, a garden tour, progress on the artists residence, the loss of the Gately’s building, a St. Anthony’s festival, the loss of Roselandites who we’ve known from years gone by, and the initiation of the Kickstarter campaign for my book.” “Petals from Roseland: Fond Memories of Chicago’s Roseland, Pullman, Kensington Neighborhoods.” Summer always provides us with plenty reunions but the best seem to hold off until August and that’s why it gets top billing. There …

Even though I have mountains of genealogy work to do, I am often sidetracked by other projects. These projects start out with a simple question, and then my Problem Solver takes over. If you haven’t met Problem Solver, he’s 9 feet tall, lifts weights and gets his way no matter the cost! So I am looking at marriage licenses for Cook County. The top two-thirds of the page lists the groom, the bride, the date of the license and the signature of the Cook County Clerk. (For a few years, the County Clerk was the future Mayor Richard J. Daley!) …

You have placed your property on the market and an offer or even multiple offers have been received, but how do you know if the offer is good for you? Your broker is obviously there to assist you and offer you guidance, but the ultimate decision belongs to the property owner. You always want to achieve the highest price for your property, but believe it or not, the choice may not always come down to price. Take a look at the amount of earnest money a buyer is offering to deposit. Earnest money is the amount the potential buyer is …

In Italian we need to learn how to use three important verbs and we are all set to talk about what we are wearing—vestirsi, mettersi, and indossare.  If we learn how to use these verbs properly, we will be able to tell others how we dress and make “small talk” about how well others are dressed — part of “fare la bella figura” (making a good impression) in Italian — just as we do in our native language! Vestirsi Let’s start with the Italian verb “vestirsi,” which carries the general meaning of “to get dressed.” To use this verb, just conjugate it as …

At first glance, it seems easy to say “get” in Italian.  The verb prendere translates as “to get.”  But, the verb prendere actually has the specific meaning of “to procure something.”  In English conversation, which is typically less formal than written English,  the verb to get is used in many more ways and conveys many more meanings than the verb prendere does in Italian.  We English speakers rely on our basic understanding of what is going on in any given conversation to come up with the meaning of the verb to get. Instead, in both written and conversational Italian, the use of …

I started my career back in 1991, nearly 30 years ago, when rates were roughly around 10 percent. We have seen rates below 6 percent since 2001, and the current run of low rates is unprecedented in modern history. It’s been a good year for mortgages rates so far. Rates have been down as low as 3.99 percent recently for a 30-year fixed after being as high as 5 percent in November 2018. Then the housing market dwindled to a slow crawl, knocking rates back down again. The mortgage interest market is in a very strange and unique position right …

The home buying process can be exciting, and many first-time buyers are eager to get the ball rolling. That’s definitely a good thing, but don’t let your heightened emotions get the better of you. Most folks these days begin their home buying search online. When you come across that special property on the computer, you may be tempted to jump the gun and call the listing agent immediately. But stop yourself. Why? There should always be a proper chain of communication and your agent should be the one to make the phone call on your behalf. Remember, your agent has …

If you’re talking with Roselandites about popular folks we grew up with you’re going to hear mention of local baseball players, teachers who were unforgettable, well-known cops, popular bar or restaurant owners, and community leaders. Through these conversations, I began to wonder what about Roselandites that made their mark outside of Roseland. I looked on the internet and Wikipedia gave me a few names, but nothing that I didn’t already know. When I don’t know, I know where to go — my readers! Thanks to everyone who made the time to contact me with suggestions of those that were from …

The Gene Siskel Film Center will screen the world premier of “Shelf Life: The Story of Lanzi Candy,” a documentary by Michael Lahey on July 12, 13 and 17. For decades, Chicago was renowned as “Candy Capital of the World,” home to the giants Brach, Mars, Ferrara, and Wrigley, and scores of mid-sized and small family-owned companies. Those glory days are largely gone, but, against that background, filmmaker Lahey explores his grandfather Elmo Lanzi’s sweet spot in Chicago’s history. An Italian immigrant in search of the American dream, Lanzi began making candy and selling it from his storefront in 1920. …