Condemning ‘cancel culture,’ New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart vetoes council vote to remove city’s Columbus statue
New Britain’s controversial Christopher Columbus statue won’t be heading to storage — at least not yet. Mayor Erin Stewart on Thursday vetoed the common council’s decision to take down the statue, meaning the issue will drag into January or possibly beyond. After learning of her decision Thursday afternoon, a top council Democrat said he’ll try to...
Tuscan Market Opens Winter Village with Ice Skating and More
No need to catch a flight to visit the Italian Alps this year—Salem, New Hampshire has turned into Trentino, Italy’s coldest city, with their Winter Giardino at Tuscan Market Salem. Join Boston Bruins alumni with Joe Faro and the Greater Salem Chamber for a ribbon cutting on Saturday, December 12 at 12:00 p.m. at Tuscan Market. Guest can now enjoy ...
New Britain votes to get Columbus statue off city property as Italian-American supporters decry erasure
Over spirited protests by Italian-Americans, New Britain on Wednesday night decided to take down its controversial Christopher Columbus statue. The decision was an apparent win for the New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, Puerto Rican activists and Democrats on the council, who’ve all been campaigning to remove what they call a racist memorial....
Rocco Polletta
Rocco Polletta, 90, of Waterbury, entered into the gates of heaven on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, at the VITAS Inpatient Hospice Unit at Saint Mary’s Hospital. He was the loving husband of Angela Maria (Ciarlo) Polletta. Rocco was born in Pontelandolfo, Benevento, Italy, on Aug. 13, 1930, son of the late Giuseppe and Teresa (Longo) Polletta. Growing up...
Entertainer Jimmy Celona Sings with his Supper at the VFW Joseph L Mottola Post #4524
As we all know by now Covid-19 has taken a toll on all of us, it has forced a lot of us to take up new careers, get pets, or start new hobbies. Local entertainer Jimmy Celona was out most nights entertaining crowds with dinner shows and local entertainment venues, well we all know how the night club and large venues events has gone. This caused Cel...
Judge Ferrino
The passing last week of Judge Joseph V. Ferrino marks the end of an era in the East Boston, Revere and Winthrop area. It is fair to say that there is no person who has been more impactful and was more esteemed in the communities over the course of the past 50 years than Judge Ferrino. He truly was a giant in so many respects and in so many varied...
Toscana Italian Chophouse opening in historic Portsmouth building
Inside the recently restored 1804 New Hampshire National Bank building in Market Square, one of the original vaults has been transformed into a wine room, abutted by humidity and temperature-controlled dry aging cabinets containing premium cuts of sirloin, long-bone ribeye and pork loin. The light-washed brick walls now have hand-painted murals in...
Decapitated in July, Waterbury’s Christopher Columbus statue is restored
Five months after the Columbus statute in front of City Hall was decapitated by a vandal with a hammer, a sculptor set the repaired head back in place Wednesday morning. “I think the sun is out, so God’s in our favor, I think,” Francine Nido, head of the Waterbury chapter of Italian-American service organization UNICO told sculptor Randall Nelson....
8 months later, comic Anthony Rodia finally on track to perform at Foxwoods
Anthony Rodia is a real character. In fact, with Snapchat filter-aided alter egos Uncle Vinny and Zia Lucia on Facebook, he’s several funny characters to his growing legion of fans. Earlier this year, the New Rochelle, N.Y.-raised stand-up comic with the gift of gab was on the brink of performing in his largest venue at the time, Foxwoods’ Fox Thea...
Committee seeks to provide more context for Westerly's Columbus statue with new film
An online program created to better understand a sensitive, complicated issue will be available to everyone with access to a computer and the Zoom application this week. "Columbus: From Quarry to the Park," a collaboration between the Babcock-Smith House Museum and Westerly Library and Wilcox Park, will be presented virtually on Wednesday at 5:30 p...
New Britain mayor suggests a public vote to resolve dilemma over Columbus statue
After months of debate, New Britain city government may ask residents to say whether the controversial Columbus statue at McCabe Park stays or goes. Mayor Erin Stewart is floating the idea of a nonbinding referendum on what to do with the 14-foot-high bronze monument that’s become a political lightning rod. Local Democratic leaders say that’s...
Italian Americans, food and the Thanksgiving holiday
Those who enjoy reading this column seem to have dual goals: nostalgia, reminiscing about the days and times of youth, and also to gather information about the way things were when grandparents or parents lived in Wooster Square. You see, for some, family history remains fragmented or unknown. Those who are now seeking DNA-based documentation are a...