Latest news with #Domenico
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Popular New York Italian Restaurant Closing After Nearly 60 Years
After nearly six decades in business, a beloved Italian restaurant on Long Island is preparing to close down. Domenico's Restaurant in Levittown, N.Y. will close its doors next month, ownership announced in a social media post Wednesday. Domenico's final day of service will be Sunday, June 29. "We want to thank you all for the last 58 years of unforgettable memories," the post reads. "We are hopeful that this is not our last chapter but as of right now nothing is concrete. "Please come in these last few weeks and see us, we would love to see as many of you as we can." A quick glance at the social media pages for Domenico's indicates the restaurant was functioning as normal recently, with daily and weekly specials and other events on the premises. Founded in 1967 by Domenico Belcastro, Domenico's became a staple for residents of Levittown and elsewhere. "His success was due in part by the use of his grandmother's original recipes from Calabria, Italy and using only the highest quality imported ingredients," the official Domenico's website says of Belcastro. "Over the years, people have come from all over Long Island, and more recently all over New York, to try these Old world recipes." The comments section of the Domenico's closure announcement on Facebook is full of disappointed customers, including one woman who says the restaurant will always have a special place in her heart because she went into labor with her first child during a meal there. "So sad to hear this! We had dinner here after my son's baptism. Great memories," another woman wrote. "Domenico's will always be special to me. 10+ years working there. So many fun, crazy days & nights. So many special friends & customers. Definitely a family restaurant I was happy to be a part of. Wishing Domenico's & his family all the best, you will be missed," a third woman said. "This is heartbreaking for my family. So many great memories at the restaurant and many friends made there," a fourth added. Right now, it appears Domenico's will remain open seven days a week for normal hours until it shuts its doors.
Winnipeg Free Press
03-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Family and faith, ferociously: Erminia Nocita lived to look after the people she loved
If there's one word that described Erminia Nocita, it's fierce — or, as she would have said in Italian, 'feroce.' 'She loved fiercely, she cared fiercely (and) she faced all the challenges in her life fiercely,' says Sarah Babson, Nocita's eldest grandchild. 'She kind of had to be that way, I think.' Indeed, Nocita, who died last November at the age of 86, had a lot to contend with. She and her husband, Domenico, moved to Canada from Italy to make a better life for the twins Nocita was pregnant with. About 10 months after Ted and Joe were born, Nocita gave birth to another set of twins, Tony and Sam — even before she spoke English or had made any friends. SUPPLIED Erminia Nocita, here celebrating her 86th birthday in April 2024, died in November surrounded by family, just as she'd lived her life. Caring for Domenico and their four sons became her focus. 'No matter what, you could feel the passion and love for her family when you talked to her,' Babson says. Nocita was born on April 12, 1938, in Satriano, a town in the Calabria region in southern Italy. The second-youngest of 10 children, Nocita was a devout Roman Catholic who considered becoming a nun in her youth. She spent much of her teens and early 20s in a convent, and that's where she met Domenico. The two locked eyes as Domenico walked by one day and they struck up a conversation. They were married in the spring of 1962 and Nocita became pregnant shortly thereafter. Domenico had a brother in Winnipeg and, sensing that life would be better for their family in Manitoba, he and Erminia left Italy. The couple settled in the city for about a year before moving to a rural property north of the Perimeter. Ted and Joe were born at the end of December 1962, and Tony and Sam joined the family the following November. While Domenico worked as a mason, Nocita ran the household. Domenico's brother lived with the family, too. SUPPLIED Nocita (front, seated) was the second youngest in her family, pictured here circa 1950. 'Mom had no close friends, as she didn't have time to go out and socialize,' remembers Ted Nocita, who describes his mother as selfless, generous, hardworking, upbeat and energetic. 'She worked her entire life and sacrificed her life… for her family.' Nocita taught herself English by watching soap operas, including Another World, and cooking shows such as The Galloping Gourmet and Wok with Yan. She dedicated 30 minutes each day to participating in her favourite TV exercise shows and never missed a workout in more than three decades. Cooking for her family was one of the primary ways Nocita expressed her love. She could create something delicious out of the most basic ingredients and had a magical touch that made leftovers taste even better the next day. Sunday family lunches were special occasions that featured many traditional Italian dishes, including pasta, meatballs, chicken and veal cutlets, seafood dishes and salads made using produce from the family's garden. Nocita's legendary Christmas Eve dinners were the highlight of the year and there was such a variety of food that it left the 15 or 20 guests astounded. SUPPLIED Nocita holds her first set of twins, Joe (left) and Ted (right), in 1963. 'That's when she was at her happiest, was when we were all together enjoying a meal,' Ted says. Babson recalls making arancini with her grandmother and requesting her lasagna for family celebrations. She's attempted to make the same foods using Nocita's recipes. 'No matter how hard I tried, even if I followed her instructions to a T… I couldn't get it to be the same,' Babson says. 'She must have added something special or her love could be tasted in it, for sure. I could not replicate it.' 'She was the best cook I have ever known,' adds daughter-in-law, Loretta Nocita, who married Sam in 1987. 'Everything she made was so delicious.' SUPPLIED Nocita with (from left) Joe, Sam, Ted and Tony with the family's 1950s Chevy in 1967. Nocita welcomed two daughters-in-law into the family and eventually six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Her fierce love and concern for everyone were always on display and she generously shared advice on every occasion. Much of that advice related to being strong and honourable, the importance of getting a good education and the value of surrounding yourself with trustworthy people. 'She was fearless, she was strong, she told you what she was thinking and she never held back,' Loretta says. 'You knew when she disagreed with you because she would end the discussion with, 'Ah, what are you going to do?' She said what she was going to say and she respected our choices in the end.' A lifelong music enthusiast who loved classical works and singing Italian folk songs, Nocita started playing the guitar after Domenico died in 2004. She took pleasure in strumming, singing and entertaining. One memorable Christmas at the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg, where she spent her last few years, Nocita captivated everyone when she outperformed the entertainer during a rendition of O Holy Night. SUPPLIED Nocita and husband Domenico (left) met back in Italy when he passed by the convent where she spent her teens and 20s. 'She just started belting it out and took it over and the whole room stopped and watched her,' Ted says. 'She just loved that.' 'When the occasion arose later on in life where she could be around people, she was the joy of the party,' he adds. 'She was very outgoing.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. The once-aspiring nun remained a believer until the end, drawing strength from her deep faith throughout her life. She prayed constantly for every member of her family, confident that God was in control and often stating, 'come vuole Dio' (as God wills). 'When she had adversity, she'd always resort to praying and asking for help from God,' Ted says. 'It was never missing from her life.' Nocita died on Nov. 27, surrounded by family — fitting for a woman who dedicated her life to the people she cared about. SUPPLIED Erminia Nocita was dedicated to her family. 'Her family was everything to her,' Loretta says. 'She lifted us up with her love.' Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE raids at schools: Federal judge gives green light
A federal judge has ruled against the Denver public schools system's attempts to block immigration officials from carrying out raids on school grounds, marking a win for the Trump administration as it looks to ramp up its deportation efforts. U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico said Denver Public Schools failed to prove that a recent drop in student attendance at schools was due to the Trump administration reversing a 2021 Biden-era policy of protecting schools — and other sensitive areas like churches — from ICE raids. There are currently more than 1.4 million individuals on ICE's final order of removal docket. Denver Public Schools filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for reversing the policy, claiming the district was "hindered in fulfilling its mission" to students who didn't turn up to school for fear of immigration enforcement. Denver Public Schools had sought a preliminary injunction barring the federal government from making arrests at sensitive locations, which was denied. Domenico also denied a request that he grant a nationwide preliminary injunction forcing immigration officials to revert to the 2021 guidance. Colorado School District First In Country To Sue Trump Administration Over Fears Of Ice Raids On Campuses Besides a drop in attendance, Denver Public Schools said it had to divert resources to respond to fear among students and families over the lifting of longtime rules. Read On The Fox News App The school system also argued that rescinding the policy had caused schools to devote time and resources to teaching students and staff how to remain safe from immigration enforcement. Denver Public Schools has trained staff on how to handle ICE officers if they show up at school, telling them to deny agents entry if they don't have a warrant signed by a judge. Domenico, a Trump appointee and Colorado's former solicitor general, said that it wasn't clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions. He also pointed out that Denver Public Schools had not yet experienced any raids and noted that the head of ICE also issued a directive to its officers that immigration arrests at sensitive places still had to be approved by supervisors. The fear over the new rules, as well as the belief that the old rules provided protection to schools, both seem to be "overstated," Domenico said. It wasn't clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions, he said. Denver Public Schools issued a statement expressing disappointment with the ruling, while asserting that its lawsuit was successful in making public details of the Trump administration rules. The lawsuit was brought by the school district, not the city of Denver, which is a sanctuary city. The lawsuit stated that there were more than 90,000 students in the Denver Public Schools system during the 2023-2024 school year, and approximately 4,000 were immigrants. Colorado Councilwoman Encourages People To 'Report' Ice Activity To Help Illegal Immigrants Avoid Capture The ruling came just days after Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and the Democratic leaders of other cities were grilled by Republican members of Congress about their so-called sanctuary city policies that they see as undermining Trump's immigration and mass deportation efforts, as well as making such cities more dangerous. Since Jan. 20, ICE has arrested and deported thousands of people in the U.S. illegally – most of them being criminals with convictions in the U.S. or their home countries. Denver has seen a massive population jump in recent years as the city predicts nearly 43,000 people have arrived in the area from the southern border, the lawsuit said. The ruling also comes as the Trump administration has restarted the detention of illegal alien families that have deportation orders. Parents are now being detained, including with their children, at two ICE facilities in Texas. These are families who have already had their cases heard and have been ordered removed. Fox News is told ICE is now actively going into the interior of the U.S. and arresting migrant families that crossed the border illegally in years prior and have been ordered deported from the U.S. by a Justice Department immigration judge. This is known as a final order of removal, of which there are currently more than 1.4 million individuals on ICE's docket. Border Patrol data shows more than 2 million migrant family units were apprehended while crossing the southern border illegally during the Biden administration. Fox News' Bille Melugin and Elizabeth Pritchett as well as The Associated Press contributed to this article source: ICE raids at schools: Federal judge gives green light
Fox News
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
ICE raids at schools: Federal judge gives green light
A federal judge has ruled against the Denver public schools system's attempts to block immigration officials from carrying out raids on school grounds, marking a win for the Trump administration as it looks to ramp up its deportation efforts. U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico said Denver Public Schools failed to prove that a recent drop in student attendance at schools was due to the Trump administration reversing a 2021 Biden-era policy of protecting schools — and other sensitive areas like churches — from ICE raids. There are currently more than 1.4 million individuals on ICE's final order of removal docket. Denver Public Schools have filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for reversing the policy, claiming the district was "hindered in fulfilling its mission" to students who didn't turn up to school for fear of immigration enforcement. Besides a drop in attendance, Denver Public Schools says it has had to divert resources to respond to fear among students and families over the lifting of longtime rules. The school system also argued that rescinding the policy had caused schools to devote time and resources to teaching students and staff how to remain safe from immigration enforcement. Denver Public Schools has trained staff on how to handle ICE officers if they show up at school, telling them to deny agents entry if they don't have a warrant signed by a judge. Denver Public Schools had sought a preliminary injunction barring the federal government from making arrests at sensitive locations. Domenico, a Trump appointee and Colorado's former solicitor general, said that it wasn't clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions. He also pointed out that Denver Public Schools had not yet experienced any raids and noted that the head of ICE also issued a directive to its officers that immigration arrests at sensitive places still had to be approved by supervisors. The fear over the new rules, as well as the belief that the old rules provided protection to schools, both seem to be "overstated," Domenico said. It wasn't clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions, he said. Domenico also denied a request that he grant a nationwide preliminary injunction forcing immigration officials to revert to the 2021 guidance. Denver Public Schools issued a statement expressing disappointment with the ruling, while asserting that its lawsuit was successful in making public details of the Trump administration rules. The lawsuit was brought by the school district, not the city of Denver, which is a sanctuary city. The lawsuit stated that there were more than 90,000 students in the Denver Public Schools system during the 2023-2024 school year, and approximately 4,000 were immigrants. The ruling came just days after Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and the Democratic leaders of other cities were grilled by Republican members of Congress about their so-called sanctuary city policies that they see as undermining Trump's immigration and mass deportation efforts, as well as making such cities more dangerous. Since Jan. 20, ICE has arrested and deported thousands of people in the U.S. illegally – most of them being criminals with convictions in the U.S. or their home countries. Denver has seen a massive population jump in recent years as the city predicts nearly 43,000 people have arrived in the area from the southern border, the lawsuit said. The ruling also comes as the Trump administration has restarted the detention of illegal alien families that have deportation orders. Parents are now being detained, including with their children, at two ICE facilities in Texas. These are families who have already had their cases heard and have been ordered removed. Fox News is told ICE is now actively going into the interior of the U.S. and arresting migrant families that crossed the border illegally in years prior and have been ordered deported from the U.S. by a Justice Department immigration judge. This is known as a final order of removal, of which there are currently more than 1.4 million individuals on ICE's docket. Border Patrol data shows more than 2 million migrant family units were apprehended while crossing the southern border illegally during the Biden administration.
Washington Post
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Federal judge won't order immigration officials to change school arrests policy
DENVER — Immigration authorities don't need to revert to a Biden-era policy limiting arrests at schools after officials in Denver challenged new policies from the Trump administration, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico said Denver Public Schools failed to prove that a drop in attendance was due to the Trump administration's new policy. It wasn't clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions, he said. The new policy has not yet been acted upon, according to a group representing large urban school districts across the U.S. Besides a drop in attendance, Denver Public Schools says it has had to divert resources to respond to fear among students and families over the lifting of longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and other sensitive locations . 'This includes providing mental health support to students, diverting administrator attention from academics to immigration issues, and assisting students who miss school to catch up,' lawyers for the school district said in their request to block the new rules. The ruling came just days after Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and the Democratic leaders of other cities were in Washington to answer questions from Republican members of Congress about their their so-called sanctuary city policies that they see as undermining President Donald Trump's immigration and mass deportation efforts. The lawsuit was brought by the school district, not the city. Under the previous 'sensitive locations' guidance issued in 2021, officers were generally required to get approval for any enforcement operations at those locations, although exceptions were allowed for matters like national security. The change announced in January by the acting leader of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement, scrapped that guidance and emphasized that field agents should use 'common sense' and 'discretion' to conduct immigration enforcement operations. However, Domenico noted that the head of ICE later issued a directive for its officers that immigration arrests at sensitive places like schools still had to be approved by supervisors. The fear over the new rules, as well as the belief that the old rules provided protection to schools, both seem to be 'overstated', Domenico said. Domenico, a Trump appointee and Colorado's former solicitor general, denied a request that he grant a nationwide preliminary injunction forcing immigration officials to revert to the 2021 guidance. Denver Public Schools issued a statement expressing disappointment in his ruling, while asserting that its lawsuit was successful in making public details of the Trump administration rules. Arrests at schools have been rare. According to data from ICE cited by lawyers for Denver schools, there were only two immigration arrests made in schools between 2018 and 2020 along with 18 arrests near schools. There have not been any arrests at schools under the new policy as of last week, according to a filing submitted by the Council of the Great City Schools in support of Denver's lawsuit. Last month, a federal judge in Maryland blocked immigration agents from conducting enforcement operations in houses of worship for Quakers and a handful of other religious groups after they filed a lawsuit challenging the directive. The order does not apply to any religious groups beyond the ones who brought the lawsuit.
