Latest news with #Labriola
Reuters
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Chicago like a local
Chicago may be informally known as America's 'Second City' — a nod to its rebirth after the Great Fire of 1871 and a nickname kept alive by snarky New Yorkers — but to comedian Stephen Colbert, and to millions of Chicagoans who call it home, it's simply 'the greatest city in the world.' I grew up in the Chicago area and moved back to the city in 2022 shortly after graduating from college. As a Reuters journalist covering commodity markets and agriculture, I spend most of my working hours in our downtown office and sometimes on farms and rural towns across the country. My off time, however, is spent enjoying everything the city has to offer, from its sandy beaches and unforgettable bars and restaurants to its towering skyline and rich cultural history. Here are my tips on how to visit like a local: When to visit: Our concrete metropolis turns into a beach town whenever the weather is warm. Lake Michigan is like a vast inland ocean, where you can swim and boat in glittering waters and play beach volleyball on the soft sand in the spring and summer. Our freezing winters, however, are so extreme that the Chicago Transit Authority will light train tracks on fire to prevent the steel rails from cracking under the icy cold. While visiting in the winter isn't ideal, even the cold weather and short days aren't enough to keep Chicagoans at home, and you can still find nightclubs, restaurants and coffee shops brimming with people. Getting around: Chicago is a city of more than 200 neighborhoods, and even those right next to each other have wildly different personalities. I live in Boystown, the city's historically LGBTQ+ neighborhood, which is home to drag brunches, rainbow-colored crosswalks and most of the city's gay bars. Nightclubs pulse with the sound of Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club,' and on summer days, high-heeled drag queens stop to pet my dog as I walk him to the nearby dog beach. Meanwhile, the Uptown neighborhood directly north has more conservative sensibilities. A longstanding landing spot for new immigrants, it features some of the best Hong Kong barbecue duck, Ethiopian tibs and Vietnamese coffee in the city. The diversity of neighborhoods makes living in the city an adventure, and visitors with the time should try to venture away from the skyscrapers and into the communities that make Chicago special. The best way to get around is to ride the 'L,' the city's train system, or to take the less reliable buses. Definitive food item: Although Chicago-style deep dish pizza is one of the city's most iconic dishes, jaded Chicagoans sometimes deride it as overrated. Don't listen to them. One of the best Chicago-style pizzas in the city is at Labriola, a cozy downtown Italian restaurant. Labriola's deep-dish is made with a buttery crust and is layered with a thick serving of mozzarella cheese, a tangy tomato sauce and toppings that include anything from pepperoni and sausage to basil and burrata. Deep-dish can take up to 45 minutes to make, so order it first or even call ahead so the restaurant can start baking it before you arrive. When the weather is nice, try to sit on the patio so you can people-watch and enjoy the metropolitan view while you eat. Getting away: On one of the last days of summer, my boyfriend and I cruised down the city's 18-mile (29-km), car-free Lakefront Trail on our bikes, enjoying the sunset over Lake Michigan, views of the glittering city skyline and a warm breeze until we got to Shore Club Chicago, a trendy restaurant and bar next to the trail. The restaurant serves summery dishes and cocktails, but the view and the vibes are the main attraction. It's easy to forget you're surrounded by high-rises and skyscrapers when you're sipping a frozen cocktail and looking out on beaches and shimmering water. Though only open for part of the year, it's one of the best spots alongside the lake to drink, eat and relax. If you don't want to shell out too much money at a beachside restaurant, a blanket, some food and a sweet treat from a popsicle cart at any of the city's 24 free beaches are an equally lovely way to enjoy a relaxed day in the city. To buy: Merz Apothecary, a family-owned boutique and pharmacy established in 1857, is one of the most unique shops in the city. In the style of an old-timey European apothecary, the store carries niche skincare products, high-end cosmetics and homeopathic medicines. The walls are lined with hundreds of bottles of essential oils and perfumes as well as herbal teas, European candies and holistic vitamins. Last time we visited, we came away with Danish chocolate-covered licorice, an Indian jasmine perfume and sheep-milk soap. The surrounding Lincoln Square neighborhood is also charming and laid-back, with a heavy German influence. While you're there, eat bratwurst and spätzle at some of the nearby German restaurants, explore the cobblestoned pedestrian-only street and visit the historic theater and local museums. To drink: Chicago's rich Prohibition-era history of mobsters, clandestine bars and bootleg moonshine have given Chicagoans a singular love for speakeasies. The best cocktails I've had in Chicago were at The Alderman, an intimate speakeasy-style bar that you enter through Pilsen Yards, a craft taco restaurant in Chicago's historically Latino neighborhood. The dark room is lit with a chandelier and tableside candles and smells of the palo santo that is kept burning behind the bar. I particularly enjoyed the Sichuan Panda, a cocktail mostly made of baijiu, a fiery Chinese liquor known for its knife-like flavor and high alcohol content. Though I'm half-Chinese, I'd never had a good cocktail made from baijiu, as the liquor's sharp taste makes it difficult to mix and hard to drink for the uninitiated. This cocktail, however, was peppery, floral and lightly sweet and matched the dark, romantic vibe of the bar. Hot ticket: Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, is one of the most popular Major League Baseball stadiums for a reason. The century-old stadium and site of Babe Ruth's "called shot" has a friendly atmosphere as well as a stubborn sense of tradition and historic detail, with its hand-turned scoreboard, ivy-covered outfield walls and live organ music. One longstanding tradition: Any Cubs fan who catches a ball batted by the opposing team is expected to hurl the ball back into the field – or face a crushing amount of peer pressure and stadium-wide chants to 'Throw. It. Back.' Sit in the outfield bleachers if you want the classic experience and a party atmosphere, usually complete with overdrinking and heckling. But maybe sit elsewhere if you actually want to watch the game. The atmosphere at Wrigley and the surrounding neighborhood is unmatched on spring and summer weekends, especially after the Cubs raise the winning flag over the stadium and the crowds sing the victory song. Population: 2.7 millionNumber of skyscrapers: 138. The Sears Tower, sometimes called the Willis Tower, stands at the tallest at 1,451-feet (442 meters).Price of a cup of coffee: $4.00 for single origin coffee at Metric Coffee in West Loop. Price of an ice cream: $6.30 for a hand-rolled Thai ice cream at Legend Tasty House in Old Chinatown.A priceless sunset: Adler Planetarium Skyline Walk
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposal to ban flags that represent political viewpoints in schools & public buildings advances
The rainbow flag of the gay pride movement and the flag of the United States (Getty Images) Members of the LGBTQ community unsuccessfully urged members of a Senate committee on Tuesday to reject a proposal that would ban local governments and public colleges and universities from displaying a flag that represents a political viewpoint. Including ones that represent a 'racial, sexual orientation and gender, or politically ideology viewpoint.' The measure (SB 100) is sponsored by Republicans Randy Fine from Brevard County and Jonathan Martin from Lee County. 'If someone wants to walk in here draped in a flag of any political group, so be it, it's their First Amendment right. If you want to hang it your yard, so be it. But a teacher should not be hanging a political flag in their classroom, having a government take a position on political views,' Fine told the Senate Community Affairs Committee. 'That is the idea. You shouldn't be hanging them on flagpoles. Government should be in the governing business. Politics should be left to the politicians.' LGBTQ advocates said the measure is aimed at local governments that display the Pride flag in June during Pride Month, and argued there is no compelling reason to pass such mandates on to local governments. 'The flag ban bill is unnecessary, unclear, unconstitutional, and dangerous,' said Jon Harris Mauer, public policy director with Equality Florida. 'This bill is unnecessary. It does not help Floridians struggling with insurance and housing affordability. Instead it is a made-up solution to a cultural war for political purposes. But it will have real harms.' 'It's wrong because LGBTQ+ is not political and this bill sends a message that our diversity shouldn't be celebrated and people identifying as LGBTQ+ should be ashamed of who they are and hurts the fight against bullying,' said Tallahassee resident Colton Taylor. 'I believe we should embrace each other lovingly, have compassion, see each other's humanity, protect the LGBTQ+ community, and recognize that diversity is our strength.' John Labriola with the Christian Family Coalition of Florida supported the bill. 'The bill does not mention LGBTQ flags but it does say that you can't have political flags, which that flag would be,' he said. After he was challenged on that assertion by South Florida Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones that the Pride and/or Black Lives Matter flags were political, he fired back. 'The LGBT flag promotes a specific viewpoint that there should be special rights for LGBT people which isn't going —' Labriola began. 'Special rights or equal rights?' Jones interjected. 'No, special rights. We believe in equal rights. We don't believe in special rights,' Labriola said. Perhaps most controversially, the bill would allow active or retired members of the armed forces or National Guard to 'take reasonable efforts to stop someone from desecration, destruction, or removal of the United States flag.' 'I don't want a retired military person to want or feel that they would have to enforce this bill,' said Naples Republican Kathleen Passidomo. 'I do not want to see a 90-year-old veteran getting into an altercation with someone twice his size.' Although she supported it on Tuesday, Passidomo, chair of the Rules Committee, said that unless constitutional problems are resolved for the measure, 'I don't see it going forward.' Fine argued that the citizens who spoke out about how their First Amendment rights would be violated if the measure passed wouldn't feel the same way if some of those local governments were flying 'Make America Great Again' flags. The bill passed along party lines. With Fine leaving the Senate today to campaign for a congressional seat next week, Lee County Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin will carry the bill the rest of the way this session. It has one more committee stop before making it to the floor. The measure's House companion (HB 75) is being sponsored by Republicans Berny Jacques from Pinellas County and David Borrero from Miami-Dade County. It has yet to be heard in any committee so far. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Contractor faces hefty fines for illegal development on protected land: 'Putting convenience and his business interests over ... vital natural resources'
New York State fined a contractor $121,000 for construction on protected wetlands, and he could be fined an additional $75,000 if he doesn't comply with the lawsuit. According to MSN, Long Island contractor Anthony Labriola removed native trees and plants on protected land to build a parking lot and storage facility. New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the lawsuit against Labriola and his companies on Nov. 8. The construction was done near Carlls River in West Babylon. This land is listed under the highest level of protection by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Labriola illegally stored construction equipment to avoid paying storage fees elsewhere. After building on the protected land, he spent almost a decade refusing to comply with state enforcement. Labriola prioritized "convenience and his business interests over Long Island's vital natural resources," James said. She added, "Our freshwater wetlands are a valuable natural resource." Labriola has also been ordered to remove construction equipment, vehicles, and debris from the protected area, build a wall separating the worksite from the wetland, replant 60 native shrubs and trees, monitor the plants for five years with updates to DEC, and install a new irrigation system. If he fails to comply, he will be fined another $75,000. He still owes $46,000, including interest. Wetlands are vital to protect because they are, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, "valuable for flood protection, water quality improvement, shoreline erosion control, natural products, recreation, and aesthetics." Wetlands are also home to "thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals." Do you think governments should ban gas stoves? Heck yes! Only in new buildings Only in restaurants Heck no! Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Biodiversity is essential for humans. The Royal Society stated there cannot be a healthy ecosystem with a lack of diverse animals, microorganisms, and plants. They are essential for air to breathe and food to eat. According to New York State, the Tidal Wetland Act, passed in 1973, guarantees the protection of the state's wetlands. In 1974, a map was created of all the wetlands in the state. The DEC also enacted updated regulations for wetlands in January 2025. "Audubon is thrilled that the Department of Environmental Conservation has adopted strong regulations that will protect over a million acres of freshwater wetlands in New York State," National Audubon Society Policy Director Erin McGrath said. You can also use your voice to communicate with local representatives to ensure regulations like these are being implemented to protect vital wetlands. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Reuters
13-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Telecom Italia CEO says Iliad and Poste both valid M&A options
MILAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Poste Italiane ( opens new tab and French telecoms group Iliad are both valid M&A options for Telecom Italia (TIM) ( opens new tab, the CEO of the former Italian phone monopoly, Pietro Labriola, said in a conference call on Thursday. "From an industrial point of view, as we already said in 2022, Iliad or Poste are the only possibilities for a consolidation," Labriola said. "We have no preferences," he added. State-backed Poste is expected to hold a board meeting over the weekend to discuss the terms of a potential investment in Telecom Italia, three sources close to the matter told Reuters. Under the scheme being examined, Poste would invest in TIM by taking the 9.8% stake currently held by state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP). Poste offers phone services through its Poste Mobile unit. Reuters reported last week that Iliad was exploring a tie-up of its Italian unit with Telecom Italia and had met top Italian government officials to inform them of its intentions. In Thursday's call, Labriola said consolidation was essential to fix the Italian telecoms sector, where fierce competition has thinned out operators' profit margins. The TIM CEO said he saw the possibility of upside on the group's outlook linked to potential consolidation in the sector and a more favourable exchange rate in Brazil, where TIM operates through its listed subsidiary TIM Brasil ( opens new tab.
