Columns

Such a simple phrase for a never-ending trip down memory lane. Throughout the years, Roselandites have entrusted many nostalgic items to me in the hope that they will find a permanent home in a display of some sort. I think it is time to celebrate some of these items by discussing them in my column. Whenever one of us kids would ask, “What’s the phone number?” our mother or father would yell out “It’s in the book!” Of course, the book they were referring to was the local phone book that was about the size of a half of an …

It doesn’t always take a home inspector to find the problem points on a property that you’re looking to buy. Many times, all it takes is a keen eye during your first walkthrough. Before you leave for the walkthrough, grab that old pair of binoculars, and start on the outside of the home you’re looking it. This will help you get a closer look at the roof. Are the shingles worn or missing? And how is the concrete around the property? Is it broken or cracked? Does it pitch towards or away from the foundation of the home? The latter …

The Medicaid application process involves many steps generally described as follows: 1) Projecting Medicaid eligibility by categorical reference 2) Establishing eligibility based on countable assets and exempt assets 3) Determining income eligibility 4) Establishing the treatment of transfers and penalty periods that are result of the Medicaid applicant’s history 5) Anticipating whatever estate recovery and lien rules there may be and then applying them. Illinois Department of Human Services and Healthcare and Family Services websites have a list of documentation that applicants are to gather. For example, you’ll need to provide 60 months of statements for all accounts, copies of …

  Most of the time, my columns are designed to give advice on how to find genealogical records and work with different web sites. Unless something new is released, there is rarely an element of timeliness to what I write. If you find an Italian record now, ten years from now that record will be the same. Since Fra Noi is a monthly publication, it’s lucky for me that I don’t have to worry about being “up to the minute”. The only problem is that when web sites change quickly, I have no way to rush that information to you. …

    Minimizing the cost of long-term care requires a strategy that takes into account the intricacies of estate planning and government benefits, and the strategy you chose depends on the mode you’re in: Preplanning, Wait-and-See or Crisis. Preplanning can be done when there is no imminent threat of a long-term care. Wait-and-See Mode exists when there is a diagnosis but the senior will not be leaving home in the near term. Crisis Mode occurs when the senior is either in or soon to be in a nursing home. In Preplanning Mode, because time is on our side, we can …

  This has been a challenging year so far for the financial world. With stock indices down close to 20 percent and with oil dropping to its lowest level since 2003, mortgage rates have remained unexpectedly low. The economy reported a weak 4th quarter reading for GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and the February jobs report showed that job creation was below the pace of previous months. With world economies still showing signs of weakness, the Fed, which has stated that they would like to raise rates four times this year, have begun scratching their heads. Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen recently …

  The snows are about to melt and the spring real estate market is about bloom. Preparing your home to hit the market can be easier than you think. There are many things that can be done at little or no cost that will make your home stand out. Do you still have wallpaper in your home? Buyers can sometimes see wallpaper as an added hassle and expense. If you can, spend an afternoon removing the old wallpaper and painting your walls a neutral color. Use a heat gun or blow dryer to heat up the wallpaper; this will make …

  With my Roseland background and all the Roselandite events I’ve attended throughout the seven plus years I’ve been writing this column, I could go on and on about what I know about Gately’s. That would only be my story because we all have stories of growing up in and around Roseland and have recollections of visits to Gately’s. I put out a call to as many Roselandites as I could via electronic communications and some in person interviews and have had fifty-plus responses. Shopping at Gately’s with your mom or on your own gave every Roseland boy or girl …

  Dec. 12, 1915, Hoboken, New Jersey … “Chairman of the Board” to be Francis Albert Sinatra, was born to Italian immigrants. The wiry, blue-eyed kid with a huge smile loved to sing, and at the tender age of 8 sang publically for the first time. His father, Antonio, a lightweight boxer and Hoboken Fire Department Captain, propped him up on the bar in a local saloon to entertain his fellow firemen and “The Voice” was born. Music was his passion, and school wasn’t. He barely made it to high school before he decided to pack up his blue eyes …

The real star of “Nabucco” is the chorus, and conductor Carlo Rizzi clearly understands this, as he gave the celebrated body their head. And under the direction of Chorus Master Michael Black, they sang more exuberantly than ever, thrilling the jam-packed Civic Opera house audience that braved single-digit temperatures to see the opera that launched Verdi’s career as the King of Italian Opera. Again and again, the chorus, if Hebrews, Babylonians or whatever, made the very most of each choral number. And they were consistently excellent whether singing distinctly as a chorus, like the famous Act III, scene ii “Va, …