Columns

  Growing up in the dawn” of the variety show concept, one of my favorites had to be The Sonny & Cher Show. Each week, watching the little Italian guy get picked on by the tall beauty, well, really hit home for me for obvious reasons. When the show went on summer hiatus in 1974, its replacement starred a guy who I was excited to see, mainly because he was another Italian American with a great voice. Tony Orlando was actually Greek and Puerto Rican, but he still looked like one of my cousins with the big bushy moustache and …

  A significant event on the Far South Side, the 42nd annual Pullman House Tour has garnered more attention over the years as former area residents felt the need to connect with their roots. They have found that the tour is the perfect time to return to Pullman/Roseland/Kensington for a glimpse into their past. This year marks the first year that Annual Pullman House Tour will be taking place in the newly proclaimed and designated Pullman National Monument. I mention this as a cautionary statement to those of you have given thought to attending the Pullman House Tour. Due to …

It seems that this time of year always presents itself with so many different avenues to choose from insofar as a topic for Petals from Roseland is concerned. That is why this column covers a number of different topics. So, sit back and relax as we journey down many paths. Let me begin by saying I really enjoy being a member of the Veneti nel Mondo. They are a jovial and fun-loving group. Even those members who aren’t laughing every minute due to physical pain or the agonies of life manage to laugh at the wisecracks. This is the group …

So you’re single and ready to make the homeownership commitment. Well you’re not alone. According to the National Association of Realtors, 36 percent of recent home buyers were unmarried. With home prices and interest rates as low as they are, right now is a perfect time to buy instead of renting an apartment and paying someone else’s mortgage. And when it comes to buying your first home, the first rule is something that I learned over the years, and that is that mamma is always right! Although the opinion of your friends and co-workers can help, many of them probably …

View image | gettyimages.com When you begin your genealogical journey, two possibilities can happen. One is that you focus like a laser beam on a single person and do whatever you can to find everything you need about that one individual. The second possibility is the one that usually happens to everybody! Once you ask for the names of your grandfather’s brothers and sisters and THEIR kids, you have a lot of people and a lot of data to find for each of them, and it can be overwhelming, if you’re not organized. Everybody organizes their lives in different ways. …

View image | gettyimages.com In this part of our 10 installment series, I would like to discuss when it is necessary to invoke the services of a physician in the estate planning, long-term care planning and eldercare journey. Obviously, if there are immediate health concerns, a physician should be contacted straightaway, before legal counsel is sought. However, there are circumstances where involvement of a physician is necessary even if the client isn’t in the middle of a medical crisis. This generally arises in cases where clients come in to execute powers of attorney for property and powers of attorney for …

We at The Arcada Theatre have been fortunate enough to bring celebrities on a regular basis to St. Charles, many times being selected over venues in Chicago proper. Superstars, too many to count, appear on our stage regularly, performing their wonderful shows, further drawing attention to the wonders of the Fox Valley. In August of last year, the celebrity “buzz” was a bit different in downtown St. Charles, though. Jenny McCarthy, the former Playboy centerfold, television star, author and activist wed her internationally famous fiancé, actor and original New Kids on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg at the Hotel Baker, …

The Mozart-da Ponte “Le nozze di Figaro” (1786) is the oldest opera in the standard repertoire. In other words, it is the first “modern” opera. Before “Figaro,” opera was one thing, afterward it was another. Why is this? As Mozart was coming of age, the European political pot was coming to a rapid boil. The American Revolution was just on the horizon, and the social unrest that would explode into the French Revolution was simmering everywhere. Mozart was not what you would call a political radical or a revolutionary, but he was definitely a man of his times. The biggest …

From roughly mid-spring to now mid-summer, mortgage rates have moved up approximately half a point, which is a big move in the mortgage industry. Recent job gains in June have exceeded analyst expectations, raising expectations that the Federal Reserve will follow suit with a rate increase. It is now expected that the Fed will begin to raise short-term rates for the first time in approximately eight years in September 2015. The expectation has a lot of people wanting to purchase this year to lock in that low rate for the next 15 to 30 years. I have also has quite …

With recent changes to the real estate market, a seller never want a transaction to fall through once their property has gone under contract. Don’t make a mistake or a hard-headed decision that diverts you from the path you’re on, which is to make it past the closing table to the sale of your house. The biggest mistake I see a seller make is agreeing to make a repair brought up by a buyer only to not complete it. If you agree to make a repair, make sure it is completed in a timely manner. The buyer WILL come back …