Judge: Pittsburgh officials have right to remove Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park
Two years after a group sued to try to keep the Christopher Columbus statue in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park over city officials’ objections, an Allegheny County judge has thrown out the complaint, clearing the way for the statue’s removal. A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said they are reviewing the opinion and considering next steps. Common Plea...
Preserving Italian and Italian American heritage: another award for Stephanie Longo
Stephanie Longo of Dunmore was recently recognized by both the Association of Former Citizens of Guardia Lombardi and the town of Guardia Lombardi for her work in preserving Italian and Italian American heritage. Ms. Longo’s grandfather, the late Joseph Anthony Longo, a prominent barber in Dunmore, emigrated to the United States from Guardia Lombar...
Reviving the Italian devotion to San Leucio in North Jersey
During the early 1900s, a wave of immigrants from San Salvatore Telesino ("sansalvatoresi") arrived in Paterson, New Jersey. During the 1920s, the sansalvatoresi established a devotion from their hometown. Each year on the last Sunday of July, the devotees would celebrate their town's patron saint, San Leucio. The celebration would include a mass (...
Pennsylvania Declares October as Italian American Heritage Month
It’s official: October is now Italian American Heritage Month in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania! ISDA member Stephanie Longo and Rep. Kyle Mullins (PA-112) brought this historic occasion to fruition. This proclamation recognizes the numerous contributions of Italian Americans to the state’s history, as well as NEPA’s local history. The Pennsylvan...
Rain Forecast From Ian Cancels Camden County Italian American Festival
Heavy rain in the forecast for southern New Jersey has prompted the Camden County Commissioners to cancel the 2022 Italian American Festival. The county announced the event's cancellation on Thursday afternoon. There is no rain date. Weather experts say remnants from Tropical Storm Ian will come into New Jersey by Friday, dumping 1-4 inches of rain...
Morris Sons of Italy Holds Its Annual Members Fall Picnic
Morris County Sons of Italy – Lodge 2561 held its annual Members BBQ/Picnic this past Sunday, September 25 at Knoll Park in Lake Hiawatha. The Brownstone once again grilled and prepared an abundant amount of all the usual picnic favorites and fixings for the event, chicken, burgers, dogs, salads, snacks, and much more. No one in the group of approx...
Linguine and clams discover a friend in Christopher Columbus
In recent years, the Columbus Day holiday – celebrating the man who discovered America — has taken a hit in some circles across the country. Some governments have changed the name of the holiday to Indigenous Peoples Day. Others, like Montgomery County, have removed Columbus Day from the list of official holidays and replaced it with Junteenth. In...
Dr. Cav. Gilda Rorro Baldassari, Grand Marshal of the 2022 Ocean County Columbus Day Parade
The Ocean County Columbus Day Parade is celebrating its 31st. year. As always, the Parade will be held on the Boulevard in Seaside Heights. This year it will be held on Sunday, October 9th, beginning at 1:00 pm and as the three-day Italian Festival, it has become one of the most popular ethnic events at the Jersey Shore, attracting thousands of vi...
New piazza, bocce court and statue erected at Cooper River Park
There’s a new piazza, bocce court, and statue at Cooper River Park to honor Italian American heritage. This is part of Camden County’s plan to include cultural education as part of the recreational activities at the park. “It’s a great place to reflect, and it’s really a spot where we’re hoping others learn about the Italian culture,” County Commis...
Former NJ governor, US Rep. James Florio, passes away at 85
Former New Jersey Gov. James Florio, who championed a plan that substantially raised the state’s sales and income taxes leading to his reelection defeat in 1993, died Sunday. He was 85. His law partner Doug Steinhardt and current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed Florio died in statements on Monday. "Governor Florio was a fighter who never back...
Metuchen’s St. Francis celebrating 40 years in diocese with inaugural Feast
The public is invited to the inaugural Feast of Saint Francis Cathedral, an Italian street fair with a Metuchen twist. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Campus, 548 Main St. “It has long been the desire of many people in our community to design and execute a major event that would attract fri...
'il Messarggero' tells the story of how a local Italian immigrant connected others to their homeland
A Sharpsburg native is paying tribute to his hometown with a documentary highlighting an Italian American immigrant who brought over more than just luggage with him from Italy. Pete Ferraro, an Emmy-award winning filmmaker, producer and writer, will premiere his documentary, “il Messarggero” — “The Messenger” — Oct. 1 on WQED. Ferraro spoke Italian...