Local News

  State Rep. John D’Amico helped welcome members of the Loyola University basketball team to Springfield. Leading the delegation from Loyola were Coach Porter Moser and Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, the 98-year-old team chaplain. “Countless negative stories come from the sports world,” said D’Amico. “I am so proud that a Chicago basketball team could captivate the country through great sportsmanship and teamwork.” After only three winning seasons over the past 30 years, Moser led Loyola to 32 wins, a Missouri Valley Conference title, Loyola’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 1985, and a Final Four finish.  

Ramona Elementary School in Wilmette showcases the food, music and culture of countries around the world at its annual International Festival. Representing Italy at this year’s festival was assistant principal Elena Ryan, daughter of local Joseph and Martha Monastero of Monastero’s Ristorante & Banquets fame. Ryan wore a traditional Italian folk costume, provided by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, and sang “Santa Lucia.” “With all of the conflict and challenges occurring around the world, it is important that we teach children to celebrate the differences of others,” Ryan says. “There was a wonderful connection among students and faculty …

  The Justinian Society of Lawyers recently held its 16th annual Children’s Endowment Fund dinner at Lux Bar in Chicago. More than 60 Justinians were in attendance as the 2018 CEF recipients, Shriners Hospitals for Children-Chicago and Child’s Voice each received a grant of $3,350 from Justinian President Michael F. Bonamarte of Levin & Perconti. The mission of CEF is to assist disabled or disadvantaged children in our community. Since establishing CEF in 2002 during his term as president, Romanucci & Blandin principal and partner Antonio Romanucci and his fellow Justinian members have raised crucial funds for a wide range …

Retired Cook County Circuit Court Judge Lisa Curcio has joined the panel of senior arbitrators and mediators at ADR, a Chicago-based alternative dispute resolution service provider. Curcio spent more than 15 years on the bench, 11 of which in the Chancery Division, where she presided over cases involving mechanics liens, construction contracts, and commercial and residential mortgage foreclosure. “During her judicial career, she was known for her measured and practical approach, careful management of complicated multi-party cases and understanding of the nuances involved in litigation and alternative dispute resolution,” said ADR President Marc Becker in welcoming Curcio to the company. …

  The Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish & Shrine of in Melrose Park will host a weekend of events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the church. Festivities begin with an outdoor concert at 7:30 p.m. on June 8, followed by an ice cream social hosted by the parish Scout troop after the 5:30 p.m. Mass on June 9, and a Jubilee Mass at 1:30 p.m. on June 10 celebrated by Bishop John R. Manz. The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will celebrate its 125th anniversary on July 15. (708-344-4140, www.olmcparish.org)

  This year, IC Catholic Prep held its first ever induction ceremony for its Italian Honors Society. La Società Onoraria Italica (Italian Honor Society) is a national organization, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Italian, whose purpose is to recognize outstanding and highly motivated students of Italian language and culture. Its mission is to help honorary members deepen their knowledge of Italian language and culture. Six upperclassmen were inducted into IC Catholic chapter this year including Seniors Vincenzo Cerasuolo, Joshua De La Cruz, Anna Gendusa, Casey Kristie, and Juniors Demitri Davlantes, and Payton James. The inductees lit their …

The American Association of Teachers of Italian-Midwest hosted a symposium based on the current “Made in Italy” trend sweeping World Languages. With enrollments diminishing, programs closing, and the lack of teachers to replace retiring teachers and long-term leaves, we need to come together! It is important to begin to look towards the future and to move our classes into a more hands on, career pathway type of methodology, or at least a unit lesson to expose our students to the reality of “life in Italian beyond high school and not just for credit”. That isn’t enough anymore. In this way, …

Jazz singer Paul Marinaro collapsed at Winter’s Jazz Club in December 2017 with a case of diverticulitis so severe it burst his intestines and brought him to the brink of death. Lacking health insurance, Marinaro would have been buried in medical bills were it not for the Chicago jazz community, which rallied support through a GoFundMe campaign and benefits at local clubs. Fellow performers have launched individual campaigns and cared for the singer at his Evanston apartment. Marinaro is on the mend, but requires an additional surgery. To lend a hand, click here for the gofundme page.

Caliendo’s Banda Napoletana is aiming to cap off its 45th anniversary year with new uniform hats for its musicians. One of the few authentic Italian festival bands left in America, the ensemble was launched by Raffaele Strocchia in 1926, and is now run by Strocchia’s cousin Marty Caliendo. “All of the years playing outdoors in virtually every type of weather has taken a toll on the hats,” Caliendo notes. “Many are worn out so badly they are barely holding together and some musicians simply don’t have one.” To lend a hand, click here to visit their gofundme page.

“Unforgettable”, “exciting”, “informative” and “fun” are several adjectives Maine East Italian 1-4 students used to describe their field trip to Barilla (the number one pasta company in America) at their North American Headquarters in Northbrook. As an Italian teacher, I wanted to provide students with an opportunity that would highlight how knowing and using Italian can help them in the professional world. So, I contacted Mrs. Wilkens, one of our Career Pathways coordinators, to help me plan this trip and she helped establish the relationship and organize the field trip with our class goals in mind. Immediately upon arriving on …