Columns

At the time of this writing, mid-June rates are holding at a level that is lower than what I expected. The 30-year rate is currently at 4.125%-4.250%, the 20-year is at 3.875%-4.000%, the 15 year is 3.250%-3.375%, and the 10 year is at 3.000%-3.125%. That is lower than when we started the year, when rates were.25%-.375% higher across the board. That’s surprising because the Federal Reserve has been tapering their bond purchases by $10 billion per month since the beginning of the year, that move was expected to drive rates higher. Why do we think the opposite is taking place? …

It’s been too long since I’ve extolled the virtues of Family History Center and given the low attendance at many of them these days, maybe it’s time to do so. Family History Centers are open to anyone, no matter what level they may be in their research. They are affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (commonly known as Mormons), and most of them are located in church buildings owned by them. Please be assured, however, that you do not need to be a member of their church to use the Family History Center. Please also …

In 2014, it is expected that Gov. Quinn will sign into law three new bills affecting seniors: First, there will be a revised power of attorney for healthcare document. This new power of attorney form is quite controversial. While it appears to be shorter than the original power of attorney, it lacks some of the options for end-of-life decisions that are in the current version. There are those that feel the new power of attorney is an improvement and others that feel it is not. Perhaps time will tell. Second, there will be new legislation addressing abuses in the caregiver …

Today we explore the basics of genealogy software. We need a place to store, organize and reproduce the work we have done. Using pencil and paper can get complicated and messy, and unless you have a Xerox machine in your house, it’s hard to make copies for anyone. We talked about the basics of using genealogy software in the last column and most genealogy software programs are pretty similar. Each one does specific tasks that differ and the screens don’t look alike, but for the basics the screens are pretty close. I will use Family Tree Maker as my example …

The end of summer is approaching but there’s still time to make up for the frigid winter we went through. That is, of course, if you weren’t able to make it to some of the summer festivals that took place in Chicago and suburbs. One of the summer events that was well attended is the St. Anthony Festa which took place on Sunday, June 8th. Fr. Mark Krilowicz, the pastor of St. Anthony’s for the past eight years, has kept the celebration alive with a strong parish St. Anthony’s Feast committee that meets year-round to come up with food, activities, …

Recently, I came across an article that began with “The Best Year for …” I don’t remember what the focus of the article was but the article did spark an idea: What was the best year of your life in Roseland? Throughout my tenure with Fra Noi, countless people have shared their fondest memories of growing up in Roseland. I’ve met couples at Spaghetti-Os dining at Carlos Lorenzetti’s, at St. Anthony’s on Sundays, and at special events like the St. Anthony Feast that took place on June 8th; at Roseland Roundtable’s Traverso Pizza Parties; and as they came to visit …

During baseball season, three things bring me to an out-of-body, Field-of-Dreams experience: having a couple of smokie-link sandwiches in the left field box seats at Wrigley facing the base that Santo built; throwing down a cold one while watching the post-home-run fireworks at Comiskey (sorry, it will always be Comiskey); and recalling my day with a man who is spoken of in the same conversation as is Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig: Joe DiMaggio. For many years, I volunteered my time to The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame on Taylor Street in Chicago. I produced all its fundraising …

One of the most popular television commercials out today features rock icon Eddie Money as a travel agency owner singing “Two Tickets To Paradise” to a family looking for tickets to a vacation. The humor of the commercial stems from Money holding two plane tickets in his hand and doing the song a cappella in a somewhat inebriated state. A fair representation of a stereotypical rocker of the ’70s and ’80s, this spot proves that comedy was never really meant to be pretty. I have worked with Eddie on several occasions, most recently two sold-out shows at the Arcada Theatre …

As Lent drew near this year, the Veneti nel Mondo held their annual Carnivale con Cudighi Dinner, which spotlighted that beloved spicy Northern Italian sausage, and that got me to thinking about carnivals in general. That brought me right to the St. Anthony carnivals that the St. Anthony’s Holy Name, with the help of the parishioners, used to put on every year. When I mentioned St. Anthony’s carnival in a conversation, someone brought up the fact that there were numerous carnivals held throughout Roseland and the surrounding communities. A number of the larger Roseland parishes put on carnivals as one …

My friend Eddie Wolak didn’t even grow up in Roseland but we eat at the Cal Harbor Restaurant at 115th and Forestville often. We were talking when the subject of “The Ave” came up, and Eddie wanted to know more. Eddie worked for the railroad in and around Roseland for more than 20 years so he is acquainted with the area and he wanted to know all about “The Ave” that all the guys from Roseland talked about. “The Ave” was our slang name for Michigan Avenue from 110th to 115th Street. It not only was the main shopping strip …