Local News

Fourteen attorneys at Romanucci & Blandin have been named 2020 Illinois Super Lawyers and Illinois Rising Stars by Super Lawyers magazine. Founding partner Antonio Romanucci and partner Frank Sommario are among the firm’s Super Lawyers, with Romanucci ranking in the top 100 in the state. Senior associate Bruno Marasso is among the firm’s Rising Stars. An Illinois Super Lawyer for the past 16 years, Romanucci was named a Top 10 Leading Plaintiff Lawyer in Illinois in 2019 by Leading Lawyers and a Best Lawyer from 2013-20 by U.S. News and World Report. He was selected by his peers for inclusion …

With Jo Ann Serpico as its Woman of the Year, Casa Italia celebrated another hugely successful 50th anniversary gala. Friends from across the community flocked to Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village on Feb. 8 to honor Serpico, and the program book was filled with words of praise. “There’s nobody who works as hard on as many fronts as you do,” Casa Chairman Angelo Castanza wrote. “You set the gold standard for community leadership that we all aspire to.” The admiration continued to flow during the presentations that evening. “Where would we be without our dear friend Jo Ann?” asked …

Retired CFO Mark M. Corrado stepped up to the presidency of the Columbian Club of Chicago at a black-tie optional installation dinner on Jan. 18 at the Medinah Country Club. Joining Corrado as 2020 officers are First Vice President Michael D. Russotto, Second Vice President John F. Curry, Third Vice President Victor M. Guerrieri, Secretary Carmen P. Forte Jr., Treasurer Christopher M. Derks and Sergeant at Arms Gerard Iannuzzelli. One-Year Directors for the coming year are Edoardo D. Izzi, Matthew Rubino, Jack Ross, Michael Quaid and Anthony L. Scola. Two-Year Directors are Joseph K. Marinacci, John D. Brescia, Vincent Maietta, …

The John Cadel Art Gallery in the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia recently welcomed a model of a catapult that was designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Local artists and engineers Matthew McKee and Jonathon Boley built the catapult for exhibition at the third annual One Book, One Village series at the Arlington Heights Library in 2016. There is no record the catapult was built during da Vinci’s lifetime, but the design appeared in his notebooks. The model took 160 hours to build and is held together with dovetail joints and dowels. Casa Italia supporter and volunteer Frank Cesario purchased …

If you’re stuck at home, why not have some good old-fashioned Italian fun and share it with Fra Noi? Send us photos or videos of you and your family celebrating your heritage while you’re sheltering in place. Making pasta by hand with the kids? Take a picture! Playing a game of tombola or scopa with your spouse? Make a video! Watching your grandkid create the next “Mona Lisa” at the dining room table? Don’t just stand there, capture the moment! Email your files to info@franoi.com by April 30. The best photos and videos will be posted on our Facebook page …

On Nov. 10, Chicago-area activists Carlo Vaniglia, Frank Di Piero and Dominic Candeloro travelled west to Cherry, Illinois, to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Cherry mine disaster. They laid a wreath at the monument that honors the 259 victims of the mine fire, 73 of whom were Italian immigrants, mainly from Emilia Romagna. It was the third worst disaster in American mining history. Welcomed with open arms by the descendants of the miners, the trio promised that they would share their story with the Chicago-area Italian-American community.  

The following was provided by the sponsoring organization. The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Grand Lodge of Illinois/Wisconsin, celebrated its 95th Annual Columbus Banquet on Oct. 12. Anna DeLuca, Columbus Banquet Chair, welcomed the guests and introduced the Master of Ceremony for the evening, the Hon. Anthony Caldarone. The MC introduced the Grand Lodge officers, our honored award recipients, the Consul General of Italy, and the Columbus Day Queen as they entered the hall. The MC introduced Paul R. Loparco, Grand Lodge of IL/WI president, who greeted the guests and stressed the importance of celebrating and recognizing …

Domenica Insieme has gone international! Listeners from no fewer than 35 countries now tune into the local bilingual radio program hosted by Pat Capriati and John Conenna. The top five countries are the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom. After that comes Belgium, Jordan, Greece, Chile, Russia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Venezuela, India, Macedonia, France, Israel, Luxembourg, Spain, Ukraine, South Korea, Brazil, Taiwan, Poland, Ireland, Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Japan, Sweden and Argentina. The show airs from 9 to 10 a.m. each Sunday on WSBC 1240 AM, and streams live from …

Colonel Renato Bacci, U.S. Army (Retired), was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in a ceremony at the Pentagon Office Complex in Washington D.C. on Nov. 15. He was recognized for his service as state chair of the Illinois Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve from October 2013 to September 2019. The award was presented by ESGR Chairman Ronald E. Bogle (on left in photo). The award citation states that his exceptional leadership, dedication and commitment to the mission of the Illinois Committee significantly enhanced and sustained employer support for …

Mina Amendola has vivid memories of travelling as a child with her family to their charming ancestral hometown of Altomonte, Cosenza in Calabria. In those early journeys, the die was cast. “I always felt connected to Italy, and I knew that I wanted to spend my career helping others make those same connections,” the Midwest Director of Sales and Marketing for Perillo Tours explains. As the public face of the Italian Government Travel Office for more than two decades, she dedicated herself to building bridges between the USA and the land of her ancestors. Through her work, she had plenty …