DiNoto, Amherst police veteran, launches independent bid for Erie County sheriff
Ted DiNoto not only officially declares his candidacy for Erie County sheriff on Thursday, he also injects an entirely new dimension into the contest by running on an independent line. A 30-year Amherst Police Department veteran and detective lieutenant commanding the Narcotics Squad, DiNoto told The Buffalo News on Wednesday that he will no longer...
FDNY firefighter who responded to Ground Zero dies of COVID-19
A veteran FDNY firefighter who responded to Ground Zero has died from COVID-19, officials announced Sunday. Joseph Ferrugia, 61, a 30-year department veteran, is the first active FDNY firefighter to die from the illness, authorities said. “This horrific illness has taken far too many lives, and now it has killed a man who bravely served New Yorkers...
Saveria Gangone 1950-2021
It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our IABF family matriarch Saveria Gangone, the mother of IABF co-founder Carmine Gangone. A familiar face at our IABF dinners and meetings, Saveria welcomed us with a love that shined brightly from her beautiful smile. Her voice bellowed above the crowd cheering and supporting as we were introdu...
Laboratorio Virtuale di Scrittura, Virtual Writing Workshop “Writing the Italian in Your Memories” A creative way to get through these cold months!
Saturday mornings from 10am to 11:30am. As Italians and Italian Americans, when we look back on our pasts, whether a year or decades ago, our stories are often intertwined with our culture—all of its richness, expectations, challenges, and humor. During these workshops, led by author and instructor Maria Giura, we’ll focus on how three aspects—food...
Staten Island couple, married 64 years, test positive for coronavirus; die 4 days apart
They met on a company-sponsored fishing trip in 1955. Louis “Lou” Maiello felt honored to drive the former Nancy Kraft home from the fishing adventure sponsored by Rockefeller Center, where she worked as an executive assistant and he was doing construction. It wasn’t long before the couple started dating. A year later they tied the knot on June 16,...
Botticelli portrait expected to fetch $80 million at Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s is preparing to sell next week a rare portrait by Italian painter Sandro Botticelli that experts value at $80 million, a record for an old master print that is in exceptional condition and is one of the only three portraits of the Renaissance artist remaining in private hands. “In my 30 years of professional career, I have never had a Bot...
A message from Prof. Fabio Finotti, the new Director of the IIC New York
I would like to extend warm greetings to those who have considered the Institute as part of their life, either because they have enjoyed and participated in its initiatives, or because they are part of the working team that contributes to it, to its vitality. This is for sure a difficult time. For health reasons, the building is not open to the pub...
It Happened in Italy, Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust
Tuesday, Jan 26th 7:00-9:00pm EDT. Commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Book Presentation: “It Happened in Italy, Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust". With Elizabeth Bettina. REGISTER HERE!! Imagine Elizabeth Bettina's surprise when she discovered that her grandmother’s village had a secr...
Dominic Ruggiero, of Dom & Vinnies in Yonkers, dies from COVID-19
Dominic Ruggiero, the patriarch and former owner of the popular Yonkers restaurant Dom & Vinnie's, died Thursday from COVID-19. He was 87. Ruggiero and his brother-in-law, Vinnie, opened up the restaurant in 1971 in Ardsley. They moved to Yonkers 36 years ago and created a spot that has always been known for their welcoming spirit and its Italian c...
Lou Giani, Legendary Huntington Wrestling Coach, Dies at 86
Lou Giani’s love affair with wrestling began as a junior at Robert L. Simpson High School as Huntington High School was then known. On the horsehair filled mats in that dusty old room in the building’s basement, the sport took hold in the teenager’s life, propelling him to the 1960 Olympics and a National Wrestling Hall of Fame coaching career. Gia...
The family secret
In 1936, Walden Cassotto was born into a poor Italian-American family in East Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. Shortly thereafter, Walden’s family, which consisted of his sister, Vanina “Nina” Cassotto, and mother, Paula “Polly” Cassotto, moved to an Italian Catholic neighborhood in the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City. Poll...
Father Carlo Graziano, Extern Priest at St. Athanasius, Dies of COVID
Father Carlo Graziano, a priest of the Diocese of Ariano-Lacedonia, Italy, who assisted at St. Athanasius for more than two decades, becoming a familiar face to the parish’s Italian-American community, died of complications of COVID-19 at Maimonides Medical Center on Jan. 18, parish officials confirmed. Father Graziano, 82, was diagnosed with coron...