News

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has launched a pair of scholarship programs that takes academic financial aid up a notch. A $5,000 Frank J. Vigilante Scholarship will be presented to students of Italian extraction who demonstrate financial need and high academic achievement. In addition, a $6,500 Nick and Helena Patti Foundation Scholarship will be awarded to college students of Italian heritage, with preference given to music or education majors who are orphans or who were raised in foster homes. The scholarship may also be awarded for other fields of study “Due to the rising costs of a college …

Lovers of Italian language and culture are invited to join a lively group of Dante enthusiasts for an ongoing discussion of “La divina commedia” every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Italian Cultural Center in Stone Park. At each session, moderator Vincenzo DeVito introduces a canto with a short summary after which participants take turns reading from Dante’s “Purgatorio.” Readings are followed by a group discussion in Italian about the passage’s meaning, etymology, history and related critical commentary. Admission is free, and the text is available for $20. To join, contact group organizer Leo Colsant at colsant@sbcglobal.net.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners and the Chicago City Council introduced ordinances to authorize a property tax abatement for the surviving spouses of Cook County’s fallen heroes. The program would aid the spouses of a fallen police officer, soldier or rescue worker. “The financial impact of the loss of these families’ loved ones does not go away when the TV cameras shut off,” says Board of Review Commissioner Michael Cabonargi, who brought the initiative to the County Board’s attention. “This program will recognize and honor the ongoing impact of this sacrifice on these families.”

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has announced that the annual Italian Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center will take place on Oct. 9. The tour is co-sponsored by the JCCIA and the Justinian Society of Lawyers. Offering the public a sense of the day-to-day operations in one of the nation’s largest unified court systems, the tour will include a visit to a courtroom to observe a trial in progress, an informal presentation by a circuit court judge and a meeting with bar association representatives. Reservations are required by Oct. 4 with …

A reform sponsored by state Rep. John D’Amico that aims to close the wage gap by prohibiting employers from using unfair practices to force women and people of color into a lifetime of lower pay was recently signed into law. D’Amico sponsored and helped pass House Bill 834, which updates the Equal Pay Act by prohibiting employers from requiring job candidates to submit their current wage or salary history. Given historic wage discrimination based on gender and race, banning this unfair practice aims to prevent a history of unfair pay from following women and minorities from job to job.

The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America’s Grand Lodge of Illinois and Wisconsin held its 48th Biennium State Convention on June 15 at the Edward Hotel Chicago in Rosemont. Grand lodge officers elected at the convention for the biennium 2019-2021 are Paul Loparco, president; Frank Schiro, first vice president; James LasCola, orator; Anna DeLuca, recording secretary; Maria Mancini, financial secretary; Carl Busateri, treasurer; Joseph Dentice, historian; and the Rev. John Belmonte, S.J., chaplain. Grand lodge trustees are Margurite Rowley, Giacomo Mancini, Elia Kress, Carol Hatley, Gino Montalbano and Joseph Santoro. Delegates to the convention were members elected by …

There are pillars in the community. Those individuals who stand for something. Those who truly make a difference in the lives of all whom they touch. George Randazzo, the founder and president of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, was one such person. We lost George on July 28. He was 77. George was born on Oct. 21, 1941, and grew up in the classic Chicago Avenue Italian neighborhood. An extremely proud U.S. Army veteran, he served 11 months in Vietnam. In 1977, he founded the Boxing Hall of Fame. He threw a grand inaugural gala, with every …

The Cook County Board recently honored the passing of Dominic DiFrisco with a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Peter Silvestri. On hand were (from left) Commissioner John Daley, daughter Nina Mariano, grandson Pasquale Gianni, widow Carol Loverde, Silvestri and Pressident Toni Preckwinkle. The resolution reads as follows: WHEREAS, on April 27, 2019, Almighty God in His infinite wisdom called Dominic DiFrisco from our midst; and WHEREAS, Dominic DiFrisco was the beloved husband of Carol (nee Loverde) and loving father of Nina (Robert) Mariano; and WHEREAS, Dominic DiFrisco was the proud grandfather of Pasquale Gianni and fond brother of Carmela Soricelli of …

Antonio Romanucci has been installed as the 66th president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and Frank Sommario has been sworn in as the secretary of the National Italian American Bar Association. Romanucci and Sommario are partners in the Chicago-based law firm of Romanucci & Blandin. Romanucci has been an active member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association since 1995. He was elected to the Board of Managers in 2003 and has served on ITLA’s Executive Committee as well as ITLA’s Nominating Committee. He is a past president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers and the founder of the Justinian’s …

Ron Ricchio was among the top 50 mortgage brokers in the country last year in terms of total loan volume, according to Scottsman’s Guide, a national residential and commercial publication. The ranking places him at the pinnacle of a profession that includes thousands of brokers nationwide. Ricchio was ranked among the best mortgage lenders in 2018 by #BorrowWisely, the top 350 originators in the country in 2016 by National Mortgage News, and the top 200 originators in the country in 2010, 2011 and 2014 by Origination News. A broker since 1991, Ricchio is president of Chicagoland Home Mortgage Services in …