Last May 14, the President of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, Ron Onesti, arrived in San Marino to express his concrete solidarity in favor of the reception of Ukrainian refugees that San Marino is offering. Dr. Maria Alessandra Albertini met with Onesti to express the deepest gratitude of San Marino's Secretary of State for Foreign...

It was a historic week in Rome and within Vatican City as a delegation of Italian American leaders met with government officials and Pope Francis to advance cultural and religious initiatives — and to set the stage for new economic opportunities — between the U.S. and Italy. The delegation, assembled by Judge Basil M. Russo — who leads The Conferen...

Being in the biz of entertainment for almost four decades, one can only imagine how many boxes of “stuff” I have packed away in my basement. An extra-ordinary and unorganized collection of autographed posters, set lists, vinyl albums, and backstage passes join other unique bits of Rock ‘N Roll memorabilia I have stashed away over the years. While m...

On Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that she “fully expects” the return of the Christopher Columbus statue to the Grant Park. Ron Onesti, President of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, joined Lisa Dent on Chicago’s Afternoon News to talk about Mayor’s comments. You can listen to him clicking here.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday she “fully expects” the statue of Christopher Columbus to be returned to its pedestal in Grant Park, but not before a security plan is in place to prevent a repeat of the 2020 debacle that left dozens of ambushed police officers injured.  “I’m not gonna do anything that puts our officers in harm’s way. I will probab...

Ciao from Rome!   Dear friends, I would like to inform you that the audio version of We the ItaliaNews, the podcast born two years ago and which is now a real news broadcast followed on various platforms and social media by more than 1000 followers for each episode, is also on Spotify. Every Monday and Thursday there is a new episode, which tells y...

A civic leader is demanding that Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologize for the obscene and derogatory remarks a lawsuit alleges she made about Italian Americans during a phone call to discuss the statue of Christopher Columbus removed from Arrigo Park. That statue was taken away on Lightfoot’s orders in 2020 after it became the target of protests and vand...

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans marked the 700th anniversary of the passing of Dante Alighieri with a standout media luncheon on Sept. 14. Galleria Marchetti in Chicago was bursting at the seams with journalists, elected officials and community leaders who had come to honor CBS President and General Manager Jennifer Lyons and Chicago...

ABC7, Chicago's most-watched television station, is celebrating the city's vibrant Italian American community with the broadcast of the 69th annual Columbus Day Parade. The hourlong event is hosted by ABC7 Windy City Weekend anchors Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini. They will be joined in the broadcast booth by Anthony Rago, Italian American Human Re...

July 25 was the one-year-and-one-day anniversary of the removal of the Christopher Columbus statues by the City of Chicago. It was also the day Chicago’s Italian-American community turned out in droves to show unity and strength at the JCCIA’s “Pack the Park Italian Unity Day Rally.” “After all that has been going on with the Columbus issue and the...