Michael A. Ferro honored as Marlborough’s 2019 Veteran of the Year
The city of Marlborough has recognized Michael A. Ferro as its 2019 Veteran of the Year. Ferro served in the National Guard from 1970 to 1978 and has been involved in countless city veteran services and activities for 35 years. President of the Marlborough Veterans Council Richard Jenkins presented Ferro with a plaque at the May 6 City Council mee...
Identical twin sisters celebrate their 100th birthday in Portland
Ninety years ago, Amelia and Mary Pizzo spent their 10th birthday aboard a ship bound for Ellis Island. On Wednesday, the identical twins spent the afternoon with close family members, celebrating their 100th birthday together. They shared pizza and cake, and reminisced over photo albums and obituaries clipped from newspapers through the years. Tho...
St. Sebastian feast to display passion of devoted in Middletown
A massive chorus of devotees of all ages will take to the streets Sunday, clad in white garb, bright red sashes and carrying bouquets of flowers, barefoot or in socks, shouting “Primo Deo San Sebastiano!” as they run into their church, then parade around the block hoisting a heavy likeness of their patron saint. “First God and then St. Sebastian!”...
ABCD North End / West End Service Center Pasquetta
The ABCD North End/West End Neighborhood Service Center (NE/WE NSC) recently celebrated the arrival of spring and Pasquetta. Pasquetta is often translated to “little Easter,” and is a day to relax. It was instituted in the post-war period to create a long weekend, which allows people to have a weekend getaway, or at least a “scampagnata” (jaunt to...
Vermont Ditches Columbus Day, Renames Holiday To Honor Native Americans
Vermont has joined a handful of states in renaming Columbus Day to honor Native Americans. Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law on Friday recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day. A half dozen states, including Vermont, and several cities, have made the change. The governors of Maine and New Mexico signed sim...
Celebrating Ella
Friends, family, former colleagues, and local leaders celebrated what would have been former Gov. Ella Grasso’s 100th birthday Friday, paying tribute to the first woman in the country elected to the position without having been the wife of a former governor. Before being elected governor in 1974, Grasso served as a state representative from Windsor...
My Mother And The Sea
My mother stood at the edge of the water near the cottage she rented every year in Wareham and performed what we kids called the “Italian dip.” She waded in up to her knees, crouched and splashed her chest and arms with the icy waters of the bay. Then, ablutions over, she went back to her blanket and soaked in the sun. Before immigrating to America...
In debut novel, Juliet Grames delves into Calabrian immigrants' history
She's been gone for more than a year now, but Antonette Cusano's influence over her oldest granddaughter remains powerful and profound. Cusano, who was born in 1920 in the Calabrian village of Ievoli, emigrated to the United States with her sister and best friend, Concetta; married, and raised her family in a Calabrian-American enclave outside Hart...
Franklin's Geromini honored by Sons and Daughters of Italy
Carlo B. Geromini, a member of Franklin’s Quattro Eroi Lodge, 1414, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, was presented with the Public Service Award by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts on May 5. The recognition was part of the Massachusetts Education and Law Awards, presented under the leadership of the Commission for Social Justice Grand...
Long-serving priest Hilarion Cann remembered for his service to WV communities
Father Hilarion Cann served the Catholic priesthood for more than 60 years as he touched countless lives and worked to make the world a better place. Cann passed away Monday at the age of 90 due to heart complications, according to family members. Born Dec. 27, 1928, Cann was the eldest of James and Antoinette (Oliverio) Cann’s five children. He re...
Marblehead votes to drop Columbus Day
Residents voted Monday night to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day in town after a spirited debate about the meaning of the day and Columbus’ legacy in U.S. history. That was the result of a heated debate on the first night of Annual Town Meeting, however, a debate on a new school will have to wait until the second night of the meeting...
Out of Rushmore’s Shadow: The Luigi Del Bianco Story @ I AM Books
Saturday May 18. 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm. I AM BOOKS, 189 North Street, Boston, MA 02113. When 8-year-old Lou Del Bianco finds out that his Grandpa Luigi was the Chief Carver on Mount Rushmore, his young life is instantly changed. Follow Lou’s journey as he and his Uncle Caesar make the painful discovery that Luigi is not even mentioned in the most defin...