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The International Press Club of Chicago hosted an eye-opening presentation by Italian Consul General Thomas Botzios on July 29 at the Italian American Veterans Museum. Botzios spoke proudly of the positive economic impact Italy is having on America, with more than 100 Italian companies boasting a presence in his consular area alone. Among them are pasta manufacturers Barilla and Rana; packaging company SEDA; tech products manufacturer STMicroelectronics; and the Ferraro Group, manufacturers of a wide range of products, including the iconic Ferraro Rocher candy. Noting that the economic benefits flow in both directions, Botzios pointed out that Minneapolis-based 3M has …

Casa Italia volunteer and archivist Barbara Stasell has created an opera display in the first-floor library room in the Italian Cultural Center at the Casa. The figurines were created by Nora (“Norie”) Kalka, a local ceramicist who learned the craft during a short sojourn in California in the late 1940s. Back home in Chicago, Kalka hoped to continue her work, but the equipment and materials were only available at the time from suppliers on the West Coast. Buying them there and shipping them east, she set up her shop and developed her skills, making many gracefully imaginative pieces. “An interest …

A new day is dawning at Casa Italia as the village of Stone Park enters into negotiations with the Scalabrini Fathers to purchase the property bordered by Division Street and 39th, 37th and Soffel avenues. The Casa currently leases the property from the religious order. Plans for the property include a park district-style facility with banquet rooms and offices, police station, and pro-size soccer field and event pavilion, but the Casa isn’t going anywhere. The organization will consolidate operations in the building that houses the Italian Cultural Center. The oldest structure in Stone Park, the building will be brought up …

The Italian American Executives of Transportation will honor a pair of luminaries at its dinner dance on Nov. 18 at Ashton Place in Willowbrook. Michael Sturino will be honored as Man of the Year. Sturino has served as the president and CEO of the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association since 2009, representing the state’s transportation industry to members of Congress, the state legislature and governor’s office, and transportation agencies on every level of government. He is a past chairman of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association Council of State Executives, and currently chairs the Transportation for Illinois Coalition …

A wide range of Italian classes for both children and adults will be available across the Chicago area this fall. The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia offers exploratory language classes for 5- to 7-year-olds, beginning classes for 8- to 12-year-olds, and intermediate and advanced classes for 12- to 14-year-olds. Locations include Addison, Carol Stream, Elmwood Park, Highwood and Lemont. Children’s classes run for 30 weeks from September 2023 to May 2024. Adult Italian classes include beginning, intermediate and advanced, and will be conducted exclusively online. Adult classes run for 16 weeks starting in mid-September and are two hours long. …

For more than half a century, the Highwood Bocce Club has hosted social activities for members while promoting the game of bocce and creating an awareness of Italian heritage and culture. A community treasure with an international reputation, it boasts some of the finest bocce courts in the country. During the week of June 19-24, the courts and the community were on display as the club hosted more than 140 competitors from around the country during the 44th annual United States Bocce Federation National Championships. “We were thrilled that the national tournament returned to Highwood, and we were excited to …

The Day 1 Survivors’ second annual Grand Garden Party & Bocce Tourney for Cancer Care on June 10 transformed the Wilmette Harbor Club into a “Summer Soiree,” with guests dressed in Kentucky Derby-style hats and attire while raising funds for cancer research. The event was organized and hosted by an all-volunteer crew. The organization was founded by Dina Bair Maher, a medical reporter and anchor at WGN-TV, and her husband, John Maher. The couple presented an initial check for $35,000 to Dr. Leon Platanias, director of the Lurie Cancer Center. The funds will support Lurie’s Day 1 Survivorship Program. “Our …

The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America Grand Lodge of IL/WI has installed new presidents for a pair of Illinois lodges. The OSDIA state grand lodge encompasses seven local lodges in Illinois and Wisconsin. Mario D’Antonio will preside over Leone D’Oro Lodge #2700, which meets in Tinley Park. Formerly a network design engineer at AT&T, D’Antonio currently is a senior field architect at Insight Inc., where he provides Fortune 100 companies with technology solutions that use artificial intelligence in a responsible way. “Home is where you make it,” he says. “If Italians stand together as one family in …

  The Italian Cultural Institute will host the DITALS Base and I Livello courses from September 21-24 at its offices on Michigan Avenue. The coursework is required for admission to the professional certificate exam for teaching Italian to adults as well as  teaching Italian to undergrad and graduate students. DITALS certificates are issued by the Università per Stranieri di Siena, which certifies technical and practical skills for teaching Italian language to foreign students. The courses will be conducted in person. The registration deadline is Sept. 6. To register, click here.    

State Rep. Anthony DeLuca has been appointed vice chairperson of the House Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, & IT Committee, where he will review cutting-edge technological issues and their impact on communities across the state. “From the rise of social media targeted toward our children such as TikTok, to cyberattacks from foreign countries, we’re increasingly facing new technological challenges here at home,” DeLuca says. “It’s important that we are ready and knowledgeable to adapt however necessary to these changes.” This legislative session alone, the committee has fielded bills related to social media moderation, TikTok usage policies on state property, artificial intelligence, data …