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All rights reserved Steve Schmidt’s first visit to Italy was in 2002 as part of a delegation of Elk Grove Village leaders to Termini Imerese a town on the north coast of Sicily east of the city of Palermo “But once I got there I fell in love with Italy and Sicily and they had to drag me back to the plane.” So it isn’t much of a surprise that after the trip Schmidt began volunteering his time with Elk Grove Italian Sister Cities he was named the group’s president and has been working ever since to ensure other Americans can make the same journey Elk Grove Village and Termini Imerese became sister cities in 2000 thanks to the efforts of Giovanni Gullo an Elk Grove Village businessman who was raised near Termini Imerese and saw how similar the two municipalities are Termini Imerese is a town of around 35,000 people with an important seaport and large industrial area Elk Grove Village has around 33,000 residents is near the busy O’Hare Airport and has the largest contiguous business park in America Gullo remains the group’s executive director and chairman The cornerstone of EGISC is the student exchange program a group of Italian students from Gregorio Ugdulena State High School in Termini Imerese arrive for a few weeks in November staying with Elk Grove High School families “They live here and get to celebrate Thanksgiving with their American families,” Schmidt says a group of American students fly to Sicily and spend time with Italian families We’ve had many students who sign up for Italian classes as High School Freshmen knowing they had a chance to go to Italy through the program as Seniors,” Schmidt says “We’ve had families with multiple students go through the program as well.” The organization holds annual fundraising to cover the cost of activities like the welcome reception and farewell celebrations But he says costs are kept low because the students stay with host families and are responsible for buying their own airfare The organization also hosts annual tourism trips for adults a group that could grow to as large as 50 people will spend 10 days in Sicily and four days in Tuscany there will be another exchange of delegates from Elk Grove Village and Termini Imerese Schmidt says the Americans will visit Italy over the summer and the Italians will visit America in October Schmidt says the hope is that the Termini Imerese delegates will get to participate in the Chicago Columbus Day parade Schmidt says the lifelong friendships that have resulted from the sister city programs has been one of the most important outcomes “We know from the past that students have gone back to visit their friends they made on their exchange trip,” he says “We’re establishing lifelong friendships here and allowing students to meet someone from halfway around the world.” So far two marriages have also emerged from the program the bride and groom were both Americans who met while part of the exchange program Schmidt has the program to thank for his own marriage to Cindy Aloisio-Schmidt works for Giovanni Gullo’s company — the Gullo International Development Corporation – and is the treasurer of the Sister Cities organization The couple got engaged in Sicily in 2010 and were married in 2013 Tags One of the select few to qualify for and successfully complete Navy SEAL training Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Click here for details Ambrogio Cartosio ‘absolutely not ruling anything out’ as he opens inquiry into deaths of seven people in sinking The sinking of the superyacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily that led to the deaths of seven people could be the result of human error sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday morning after being struck by a powerful type of wind called a downburst including the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah the head of the prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese said in a press conference at the town’s court on Saturday that his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck “This tragedy would be even more heart-wrenching if our investigations were to prove that the sinking of the vessel was caused by actions not in accordance with the maritime code,” Cartosio said “We are only in the initial phase of the investigations … At this stage precisely because the investigation could develop in any way we are absolutely not ruling anything out,” Cartosio said adding that the investigation was not aimed at any single person it is probable that offences were committed but we can only establish that if you give us the time to investigate,” he said Bentivoglio Fiandra from the local fire rescue service said “the bodies were found in the highest part of the ship as it was clear people were trying to hide in cabins on the left-hand side” The ship landed on its right-hand side after it sank “The first five bodies were found in the first cabin on left-hand side and the final body was found in the third cabin,” Fiandra said Italian officials said it would be difficult to fully investigate the sinking if the wreck is not recovered Fiandra said 123 dives were conducted by 30 divers for a total of 4,370 minutes said the yacht had been hit by a downburst which are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground Experts are baffled by how the Bayesian sank within 60 seconds. Italian media, speaking with coastguard sources, reported that a hatch allegedly remained opened and that the keel was partially raised Investigators declined to respond to a question about the hatch stating that it would be premature to answer before the vessel had been recovered Pulling the Bayesian out of the sea may help investigators determine what happened but the operation is likely to be complex and costly The wreck is lying apparently intact on its side at a depth of 50 metres (164ft) “It’s in the interests of the owners and managers of the ship to salvage it,” Cartosio said adding “they have assured their full cooperation” Officials suggested that passengers who died were probably “asleep whereas the others who survived weren’t” with divers from the fire brigade working non-stop The first body to be recovered was that of chef Recaldo Thomas on Monday afternoon Four more bodies were recovered on Wednesday morning those of Lynch’s attorney from Clifford Chance Mike Lynch’s body was found in the evening and his death was confirmed on Thursday On Friday divers retrieved the body of his daughter The tycoon opted to celebrate in style in Italy alongside his family They were enjoying a lavish voyage around Sicily onboard the Bayesian Prosecutors said the captain of the Bayesian adding that he had been “extremely cooperative” Magistrates said British and American authorities were involved in the investigation The British ambassador to Italy thanking the Italian rescue teams and divers “I express my deep gratitude to the Italian authorities rescue teams and divers for working tirelessly following the sinking of the Bayesian,” Llewellyn said Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Specialist divers continue to search for six guests still missing from superyacht struck by a suspected tornado Rescue teams in Sicily have resumed their search for six people who are still missing after a luxury superyacht was struck by a sudden tornado off the coast of Sicily British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was one of 12 guests and 10 crew on board the 56-metre Bayesian when it went down near Porticello during a violent storm yesterday have also been named as among the six people still missing and 14 others were rescued by Italian coast guard patrol boats were transferred to local hospitals and are in a stable condition believed to be that of the vessel's Canadian chef From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox "In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open but all I could hear around me were the screams of others." Marco Tilotta, a specialist diver from Palermo's fire and rescue service, told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that the superyacht was "practically intact" on the seabed "It is resting on its side on the starboard side The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch confirmed that staff had been dispatched to Sicily to conduct a preliminary assessment of the incident. The guests on board Bayesian included Lynch's lawyers, employees and friends, who had been invited onto the £33 million vessel to celebrate his victory in a legal case in June. The 59-year-old was cleared of 15 fraud charges in the US over the $11.1 billion (£8.5 billion) sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. "I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field," he said at the time. A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week mostly covering UK and global news and politics she was a freelance journalist for seven years and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour” She has a master’s in international journalism from City University and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.  You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image Reuters was not able to independently verify the decision Being placed under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will necessarily follow is being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck the dailies La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera said on Monday Magistrates spoke to Cutfield on Sunday for the second time in a week It said prosecutors may also investigate a crew member who was on duty when the storm hit and survived the incident was carrying 22 people when it capsized and sank on Monday last week within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm while anchored off northern Sicily Maritime law gives a captain full responsibility for the ship Cutfield and his eight surviving crew members have made no public comment yet on the disaster "The Bayesian was built to go to sea in any weather" a nautical architect that was part of the team that designed it told daily La Stampa in an interview published on Monday He said it was likely the yacht had taken on water from a side hatch that was left open Romani said the crew underestimated the bad weather and that they should have made sure that all openings had been shut and the anchor removed before the storm hit the boat This month's new format kicks off a new section of La Gazzetta Italiana we will be highlighting a prominent Italian American who has made a difference in the community I sat down with the vibrant and passionate and how his Italian upbringing made a difference in his life and career Where in Italy is your family from and how did they make their way to Cleveland In the early 1900s he left his family and came to America where he eventually settled in Burgettstown married Josephine Longo and had six children I decided to move to Cleveland to be with my sister who had already relocated to the city I was the last child to leave my parents home and my parents also decided to move to Cleveland and start a new life here What did it mean growing up in an Italian household there is nothing more important than family and tradition My favorite tradition is certainly just getting together at Christmastime to make (from scratch) ravioli I also admired my mother for lighting a votive candle every Tuesday in honor of St For sure my parent's and sister's spaghetti I also love the ravioli made by my family at Christmas Sicily—I love to walk around and imagine my dad growing up there It is a totally different way of life—a much slower I moved to Cleveland and enrolled at Case Western Reserve University in 1950 both my parents died and I left school to "find myself." I got a job doing carpentry work being a handyman and other construction work with house builders in the Cleveland area I was married and had two children at that time I also had five sisters who kept calling saying I bit the bullet and put an ad in the paper for "Handyman—Repair Work" and started my own company How has your Italian heritage/values influenced your career One of the most influential statements ever made by my father was "how do you know unless you try?" Another one I fondly remember is "to try is to risk failure; not to try is to guarantee it." I have built my career on these two adages Were you ever stereotyped in the workplace due to your ethnicity that was years ago and where I am in my life now Some people are just going to be prejudiced against anyone who is different than themselves What is the best advice you could give young Italian Americans today My favorite advice is the story about tomatoes my father used to tell me you don't plant the seed at the end of July; you plant the seed in a pot inside during the month of May you fertilize it—it starts getting taller—then you put a stake in it to help it grow taller the tomatoes refer to your job or whatever you want to achieve Then you see the fruits of your time and labor—whatever it might be The theme of this little story says it all—you have to work for what you want unless you try?" I also would like to remind the younger generation to always be true to traditions Discover all our subscription plans and become a member Witnesses tell of ‘absurd tragedy’ and a mother describes how she fought to save her child from drowning The 12 holidaying passengers had come from the UK, the US, Canada occupying six luxurious suites of Bayesian a 56-metre-long superyacht boasting the tallest aluminium mast in the world Among the 10 crew members were people from Sri Lanka which was built in 2008 by the Italian shipbuilder Perini and managed by Camper & Nicholsons left the calm blue waters of the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August sailing for a few days around the Aeolian Islands and off the historic coastal village of Cefalù dramatically recounted how she fought to save her child from drowning in the dark and raging Mediterranean while hearing the piercing screams of fellow passengers “For two seconds I lost the baby in the sea then I immediately held her again in the fury of the waves,” she told Giornale di Sicilia the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on it.” an Oxford graduate who works for Invoke Capital told Corriere della Sera she had left London with a group of nine people She said they were all “colleagues and collaborators” of the high-tech software firm extraordinary person who maybe they have not yet saved,” she added large boat” that had visited the Aeolian Islands Milazzo and Cefalù before the journey was disrupted by bad weather who is in the emergency unit of Termini Imerese hospital in Palermo province told doctors the boat began to tilt at 4am Both she and her husband were awakened by the incident Bacares then climbed up to assess the situation but the vessel suddenly started to capsize One witness described Bayesian as “a beautiful boat “A normal holiday spent happy at sea turned into a tragedy,” the witness told Ansa news agency the captain of the yacht who is also at the Termini Imerese emergency unit told La Repubblica: “We didn’t see it coming.” the captain of a boat nearby that rescued some of the survivors told Reuters that when the storm hit he had turned the engine on to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian “We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” Borner said adding that the other boat “went flat on the water He said his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft and took them onboard before the coast guard picked them up the manager of the Baia Santa Nicolicchia restaurant in Porticello described how he witnessed the tragedy unfold in front of him before the death of one of the passengers was confirmed: “The yacht on the left sank at 4:05am hit head-on by the hurricane 300 meters from the port of Porticello next to another sailboat that provided assistance A video clip of the tornado wreaking havoc on an area of beach was also shared on the restaurant’s Facebook page alongside the message: “In an instant the hurricane took everything!” Americans and Canadian missing after storm sinks yacht off Sicily – videoPietro Asciutto He told Ansa: “I was at home when the tornado hit I saw it suddenly sink.” He added that shortly afterwards he went to the bay of Santa Nicolicchia “The boat was still floating and then it suddenly disappeared Specialist divers arrived from mainland Italy on Monday morning as hopes of finding those still missing began to fade The coastguard said the wreck of Bayesian was lying at a depth of 49 metres Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation Bayesian is owned by a firm called Revtom Limited was named as the sole shareholder of the firm adding that Lynch’s PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory We all have preferences when it comes to cars we share something in common: we’re all enthusiasts So seeing an abandoned factory is always sad especially knowing that it's where workers put together the cars some of us enjoyed back in the day The factory in Sicily had been operational since 1970 and also used to produce the Fiat 126 The last car to roll off the line was a Lancia in November 2011 and yet it looks as if it wouldn’t take much effort to resume production factories are emptied shortly after the facility closes but the former Fiat plant near Palermo seems to have been left untouched It had a maximum annual production capacity of 140,000 units less than 40 percent of that capacity was being utilized the factory – employing some 1,800 people – was bleeding money the last time when Italian company Blutec bought it to make electric cars It's allegedly being stripped down before being demolished thus putting a sad end to a once flourishing assembly plant New Fiat Cronos Lands at Dealerships Before Its Reveal 2026 Jeep Compass Unveiled: Hybrid or EV With Up to 375 HP Fiat 600 (1955-1969): The Italian Volkswagen turns 70 Lotus Emira With Yellow Exhaust Tips Pays Tribute to an F1 GOAT The Cadillac Celestiq Will Be as Rare as a Bugatti The recent discovery of the decomposed bodies of three scuba divers on the beaches of Sicily could be tied to drug trafficking None of the bodies have been identified and local authorities have not received any reports of missing persons Five separate district attorney offices are working on the case, which they believe could be tied to hashish trafficking. In recent days, hundreds of packets of hashish, totalling over 100kg and with an estimated street value of over €1m washed ashore on three beaches in northern and south-west Sicily “We are not ruling out that those two bodies were victims of a shipwreck caused by strong north-westerly winds that hit our coasts around the time of their death,” said Angelo Cavallo, district attorney of Pratti, in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica “The other hypothesis is that the divers fell into the water while aboard a stricken vessel that was transporting drugs and that the drugs found on three separate beaches ended up in the water as well these are only hypotheses that need to be verified.” The district attorney’s office in Agrigento is also working on the case which they confirmed with the Guardian is “top secret” “The sea around Sicily is a crossroads of illicit trafficking from Morocco and Spain among other places,” said a prosecutor in Agrigento “It may certainly be the case that the presence of all these packets of hashish on our coasts is due to inclement weather which caused an accident aboard the vessel that was transporting them.” Coroners have so far been unable to ascertain the age of the victims although recent analysis suggests an approximate age of between 40 and 50 years Estimates indicated that the deaths occurred two months ago but more recent examination suggests a more recent time the outline of a bat between its shoulder blades and the letter M on its right arm However, a new strategy for trafficking hashish, which was uncovered last year by the Spanish Guardia Civil could shed light on the mystery of the bodies washed ashore in Sicily Spanish authorities announced the arrest of 32 people suspected of “large-scale hashish trafficking” around Tarifa The traffickers recruited expert scuba divers who would recover the parcels and load them on to dinghies before transporting them ashore The Office of the Public Prosecutor and the courthouse of Termini Imerese in Sicily ruled that a surgeon was criminally liable for forcing a blood transfusion on a woman who is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses The surgeon was ordered to pay her 10,000 euros ($11,605 U.S.) in damages as down payment for compensation and another 5,000 euros ($5,803 U.S.) in compensation to her husband This ruling is the first time an Italian court has found a doctor criminally responsible for violating the fundamental right to have control over what is done to one’s own body in line with one’s beliefs after having gallbladder surgery in December 2010 Even though she persistently refused to accept blood products she was physically restrained and forcibly given a transfusion of red blood cells Her surgeon falsely claimed to have authorization from a magistrate she and her husband filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Public Prosecutor The court decided that in “the circumstance of a Jehovah’s Witness the doctor must refrain from providing this treatment” if it violates the recipient’s will The court also declared that the Constitution of Italy prohibits doctors from administering treatments without consent even if the doctor claims that the treatment is necessary “the justification of the state of necessity  is not applicable in presence of a clearly expressed professor of Legal Medicine and Bioethics at Padua University and expert witness observed that “the right to refuse a specific health treatment is protected by regulations of constitutional rank and made explicit by [article] 32 of the [Italian] Constitution stating that ‘no one may be obliged to undergo a particular health treatment except under the provisions of the law.’” Commenting on the court’s decision Italian jurist and health law expert Luca Benci wrote in Quotidiano Sanità (Health Daily): “There is no law that imposes a blood transfusion on dissenting patients The refusal of treatment prevails over all other aspects.” a lawyer with the litigation team for Jehovah’s Witnesses states: “We are pleased to see that this ruling is in line with established European standards such as those codified by decisions of the European Court of Human Rights that maintain the right to self-determination for all patients in 2017 the Italian Parliament established law 219/2017 known as the ‘Living Will Law,’ which underscores the same principles as this decision.” comments: “The ruling constitutes a precedent that stands as a guarantee for all the doctors who conscientiously and courageously strive to cure patients in the best way possible while respecting their dignity of choice.” A recent ruling strengthened our brothers’ right to make decisions regarding their own medical care blood transfusions have been considered harmless and the only life-saving medical treatment option for patients undergoing complex medical or surgical procedures This assumption was challenged by many of the conference speakers protects basic human dignity and patient autonomy for all Namibians Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano (L) and the chief of the public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese Ambrogio Cartosio (R) give a press conference on August 24 Rome: The investigation into the deadly sinking of a UK tech tycoon's superyacht off Sicily has widened to include two more crew members in addition to the captain Prosecutors on the Italian island are probing potential manslaughter offences over the sinking of the Bayesian yacht in a pre-dawn storm on August 19 a New Zealand citizen who was one of 15 people who survived the tragedy his lawyer Aldo Mordiglia confirmed to AFP following media reports who was in charge of the engine room that night and a crewman on look-out named as Matthew Griffith have now also been placed under formal investigation Prosecutors on Saturday said their probe remained at an early stage but have since declined to formally comment Italian media said Parker Eaton -- who is British -- is accused of not having properly checked that the yacht's windows were closed and watertight compartments activated had invited friends and family onto the boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case But the 56-metre (185-foot) yacht was struck by something akin to a mini-tornado as it was anchored off Porticello divers pulled up the bodies of four of Lynch's friends from the wreck -- US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Lynch's body was recovered the day afterwards and the following day The Sicilian coastguard said Tuesday it was carrying out checks on the site for potential pollution but said so far there was no indication of fuel leaks By 2023-06-15T08:00:00+01:00 ITALY: Infrastructure manager RFI has awarded a consortium of Webuild (75%) and Ghella (25%) a €1·32bn contract to rebuild the 30 km Fiumetorto – Lercara section of the Palermo – Catania main line on a new double-track alignment The Lot 1+2 package is to include 20 km of double-track tunnels 2 km of road and rail bridges and 7 km of new roads The stations at Cerda and Lercara are to be refurbished and a new station is to be built at Valle del Torto The consortium is to use four tunnel-boring machines The stations are to be equipped to reuse rainwater in toilet facilities In May the same consortium members were awarded a contract to rebuild the Caltanissetta Xirbi – Nuova Enna section of the corridor The realignment of the Lercara – Caltanissetta Xirbi section was let to Webuild Work on the first package of the realignment of the Palermo – Catania main line began in March 2019 between Bicocca and Catenanuova; construction is also underway on the Enna – Dittaino and Dittaino – Catenanuova sections RFI is currently tendering the remaining packages of the Palermo – Catania and Catania – Messina routes and it expects all the relevant sections to be tendered by the end of the year ITALY: As part of an intensive investment programme underpinned by EU funding infrastructure manager RFI has awarded two route enhancement contracts totalling €633m Under a €374·2m contract announced on October 31 a consortium of Eteria Consorzio Stabile Scarl and Salcef is to double-track the 9 km .. ITALY: Infrastructure manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana awarded three civil works contacts on July 18 totalling €836m having called tenders for a further six work packages at the end of June with a total value of €904m The procurement covers a raft of infrastructure enhancements all funded .. ITALY: Infrastructure manager RFI has awarded two design and build contracts for the realignment of the Palermo – Catania main line to allow higher speeds Both of the projects are to be financed through the EU’s Recovery & Resilience Fund Site powered by Webvision Cloud This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Chasers miss out in Termini Imerse as Tudor rider nabs uphill win Joel Suter (Tudor) held off the peloton on the twisting uphill finish in Termini Imerese to win stage 3 of the Giro di Sicilia and secure the first win of his professional career The Swiss rider was part of the break of the day and then hit out alone in the final 15 kilometres The peloton had timed their chase well but Suter refused to give up and used his power to speed through the hairpin final climb and hit the line first Local rider Filippo Fiorelli (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) finished four seconds behind Suter with Elia Viviani (Italian national team) third Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Team Emirates) finished in the chase group and so kept his red leader's jersey before Friday's 216 km final stage over Mount Etna to Giarre The Kiwi leads Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) by just six seconds with his teammate Diego Ulissi third at 14 seconds Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) slipped out on a late curve but was given the same time as the chasers and so also remains an overall threat The Ragusa resident is tenth overall at 18 seconds Suter gave Tudor their third win of their debut season at ProTeam level and was emotional after his first career victory Every win and good result is important for the whole team," Suter said "I wanted to win but at the halfway point I was pessimistic that we'd stay away I knew that the other teams would chase and so when the break faded The 150km stage took the riders from Enna in the rugged and hilly centre of Sicily to the northern coast near Palermo The climbs came early and helped the break get away after 10km Michele Berasi (General Store-Essegibi-F.lli Curia) Roberto Carlos González (Mg.K Vis-Colors for Peace) Giacomo Garavaglia (Work Service-Vitalcare-Dynatek) and Edoardo Faresin (Zalf Euromobil Désirée Fior) joined the move and they soon opened a lead of over a minute Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) did some of the chase work on the early climbs as the gap reached 4:00 and then UAE Team Emirates took over to defend Fisher-Black's lead Team Corratec and Intermarché-Circus-Wanty also helped convinced of their chances on the rising finish At the top of the Portella di Bafurco climb after 67 km the gap was down to 2:25 but then the peloton let the break hang out front on the long descent to the Mediterranean coast The real pursuit began on the flat and fast coast road towards Termini Imerese with Eolo-Kometa sent to the front to chase The gap fell quickly as other teams joined the chase Suter decided to go solo and surged away from the others The peloton lacked riders and teams willing to chase hard and Suter used his time trial skills to stay away to the foot of the climb He had a lead of 1:00 with 10 km and 12 seconds as he started the 1.2 km hairpin climb to the finish in central Termini Imerese The peloton thought they would sweep him up but Suter had something left for the climb and pushed on Results powered by FirstCycling Stephen FarrandSocial Links NavigationHead of NewsStephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team having reported on professional cycling since 1994 He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022 before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters I never thought I'd see the day when the abandoned Michigan Central Station would glow with life again It opened back up to the public just last month thanks to the efforts of Ford Motor Company CEO William Clay Ford Jr but real glass as Ford attempts to turn it into a "...high-tech mobility hub." Ford vowed to revitalize the train station in part because of the way the press used the derelict building as a symbol of the city's fall from greatness it got me thinking about all the other abandoned buildings and factories left by the auto industry across the world and right here in Michigan They made for some great ruin porn back in the day but what ever happened to all those creepy A lot has changed for the empty automotive sites of the world (though some have stayed exactly the same) click through to get an update on where we stand in 2024 Thought we'd start off with one not in Detroit (see, other places have industrial wastelands too!) This shuttered Fiat plant is in Termini Imerese on the island of Sicily has been closed for over 13 years the plant still had a great deal of equipment on site including a broken down fleet of crash test vehicles According to the most recent update from the YouTube channel Forgotten Buildings, all of the test cars are gone. The channel says the factory itself is now being trashed by miscreants, but a video from six months ago shows much of the site still in a time-capsule like state The last bits of the old factory are gone and now the grounds serve as a really charming public park The park still has the Alfa Romeo sign across the entrance gates and the park is simply called the Parco Indutria Alfa Romeo Portello the Packard is something of a local celebrity here in Detroit It's definitely up there in recognition with Michigan Central Station it was then in the running for the largest abandoned factory on Earth The Packard plant was designed by Albert Khan a renown architect of the city and stretched 3.5 million square feet across 40 acres Packard shuttered the plant 68 years ago when the brand closed down The empty factory has been bought and sold by a variety of hucksters before invariably falling into the city's hands when taxes were not forthcoming the wrecking of the site will cost $26 million The city used federal funds to remove the blight as the site's absent owner—Peruvian developer Fernando Palazuelo—failed to secure the site or keep up with taxes the man known for building one of the first closed-body coupes tougher car body designs build to withstand America's early rough roads Fisher Body worked closely with brands that would eventually become General Motors as well as forgotten car companies like Abbot and Elmore Fisher Body was acquired by GM in the 1920s The now-abandon plant was shuttered in 1984 during the General's North American restructuring The plant was bought by Cameo Color Coat and later transferred to another industrial paint business which declared bankruptcy in 1993 The plant has stood empty since then at the Northwest corner of I-75 & I-94 The site is being redeveloped! Outlier Media reports the old Fisher Body Plant will soon contain 400 apartments Outer buildings have been demolished and work has started on the main structure This site became the headquarters for the American Motor Corporation through a rather circuitous route It was first built for the Kelvinator Corporation famous for building some of the first commercially available refrigerators for home use the Kelvinator Corporation produced the industry's first self-contained electric home refrigerator and its fortunes and manufacturing needs grew This administration building and factory were built in 1927 and designed by the Detroit firm Smith The lead architects on the project were Amedeo Leoni and William E The centerpiece of the complex was a tall office tower with a three-story factory and power plant behind hit the complex comprised 1.5 million square feet Above the tower's main entrance was inscribed a quote from Lord Kelvin: "I've thought of a better way." Following the January 1937 merger between Kelvinator and Nash Motors of Kenosha the building became the home of Nash-Kelvinator With the merged company's merged production needs the Plymouth Road site expanded the plant to 1.46 million square feet in 1940 Nash-Kelvinator assembled airplane propellers and hundreds of helicopters at the plant Nash-Kelvinator merged with Hudson Motors in 1954 to form the American Motors Corporation which continued to call the Plymouth Road plant home And that's how you go from refrigerators to cars The site served as a headquarters for decades before AMC moved to nearby Southfield It would live on as the engineering offices for Jeep until Chrysler bought the brand and relocated to a facility in Auburn Hills the building wasn't totally empty until 2009 who would muck around and dump at the site until the city took control in 2018 By 2021 the mayor of Detroit promised the demolition of the site A new facility on the site should be coming on line including a GM-owned warehouse for storing EV parts history-disrupting assembly line in 1910 and was the second plant to build the Model T (behind the Ford Piquette Plant on Woodward which still stands and is now a museum dedicated to the Model T!) It's still there, rotting away. In 2020, Ford told WWJ News in Detroit that rehabbing the site was not a priority for the company. An urban explorer who dropped into the site in 2022 found it to be in a sorry state Fordlandia is fascinating because Ford didn't just abandon a factory in the heart of the Amazon rainforest This town was stylized to look like a Detroit suburb Ford had a vision of a utopia where man could be perfected by engaging in both robotic assembly work and back breaking agricultural work It was meant to give Ford a direct source for rubber but my dude went about it all wrong and the town was left to its own devices by the company in 1945 when the end of WWII made rubber plentiful However the people there are suffering under the effects of deforestation and the remoteness of their location The water pump installed in the 1930s still services the homes however the pipes are badly in need of repair The shining hospital that once provided world-class healthcare for people in the area burned down in 2012 Edilson de Araujo Branco was born in the hospital built during the Ford era He lives in the former workers' part of town in one of the once-identical rows of clapboard "We're making the most of what they left," he says from the porch of his home The once-stately houses are occupied by Brazilians who are technically squatters a short woman whose graying hair is tied back in a ponytail and I can have a vegetable plot and a henhouse," she adds as she pulls clothes off the line. dozens of students are brightening up city streets and power plant walls with murals inspired by local tradition and the importance of renewable energy It's the result of a project jointly launched by Enel Green Power and the “Pittamuri.” Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text Published: Invalid Date AN EERIE abandoned car factory that produced a very famous model still has all its equipment after 13 years New footage has revealed that a Fiat factory in Termini Imerese on the northern coast of Sicily remains untouched since being left for dead in 2011 Famous for building some of the Italian manufacturer's most popular models the factory is littered with history and success The iconic Fiat 500 was built in this very factory on the Italian island Having been operational since 1970, the last car to be built inside the factory's four walls was a Lancia Ypsilon in November 2011 the abandoned factory in Termini Imerese is a sad sight After eventually sneaking his way inside, Jessey, who runs the account, reveals the hidden gems within. In most cases, factories are emptied shortly after the facility closes, but this former Fiat plant is virtually untouched. Huge floor spaces are still littered with equipment and machinery, while hallways and offices remain in good condition. helping to illuminate the rest of the surroundings without the need for electricity As Jessey continues to wind his way through the factory it becomes more apparent that nothing had been taken and everything was just left behind to decay While Jessey mentions that security is in force at the front of the factory there appears to be nobody patrolling inside Despite previously changing hands on a number of occasions no one has ever claimed or restored the building It will allegedly be stripped down before being demolished with new owners putting an end to the former assembly plant in order to resurrect it as something of their own The forgotten showroom in Malta, known as Fuji, was once the only Subaru dealer on the European island but was soon put out of business by a rival garage And an explorer has revealed a stunning collection of hidden classic cars that could be worth a fortune The treasure trove of retro motors included rare Porsche, BMW and  Maserati models  - but some are in need of a lot of TLC Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ The initial phase of the submarine cable laying for the eastern section of the Tyrrhenian Link one of the most significant power infrastructure projects in Italy within the municipality of Termini Imerese (PA) This interconnection will link Sicily and Campania which also includes the western section between Sicily and Sardinia represents a total investment of approximately €3.7 billion by Terna The infrastructure plays a pivotal role in the decarbonization strategy outlined in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) enhancing transmission capacity and supporting the energy transition it will contribute to improving the security and flexibility of the national transmission grid The Tyrrhenian Link will consist of two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power lines operating at 500 kV with a total cable length of 970 km and a transmission capacity of 1,000 MW per section It will also reach a record installation depth of 2,150 meters below sea level Demonstrating a strategic partnership between two leading Italian companies the production and laying of the submarine cable along the Termini Imerese (PA) – Battipaglia (SA) route will be carried out using the Leonardo da Vinci vessel and has been entrusted to Prysmian a global leader in energy and telecommunications cable systems Prysmian was awarded the framework contract in 2021 for the design which will be manufactured at the Prysmian facility in Arco Felice (NA) this is a record-breaking installation: for the first time an HVDC cable will be laid at a depth of 2,150 meters which has secured €500 million in funding under the REPowerEU plan approved by the European Council in December 2023 received authorization from the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security at the end of 2022 the project includes the construction of a converter station in Eboli (SA) which will be connected to the landing site at Torre Tuscia Magazzeno via an approximately 15 km underground cable route designed to minimize environmental and landscape impact the converter station will be built in Termini Imerese and will be connected to the Fiumetorto landing site through an approximately 10 km underground cable path a new 380 kV section will be installed within the existing Caracoli station The entire project is scheduled to be fully operational by 2028 with the first pole of the eastern section entering service in 2026 The Tyrrhenian Link is also a cutting-edge project in terms of sustainability Terna launched an experimental transplantation initiative for Cymodocea nodosa – a protected seagrass species essential to the marine ecosystem – at the Fiumetorto landing site This initiative aims to restore approximately 20,000 plant cuttings across a 1,200 m² seabed area while also helping to protect the coastline from erosion Terna signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the final tranche of financing to support the construction and commissioning of the interconnection the Tyrrhenian Link represents a decisive step forward for the future of both the Italian and European electricity grids Top News,Events CSN is excited to announce the launch of a new high-level event that will be happening yearly ‘The 1st CSN Greece Shipping Debate’ Top News,Cyprus C.M.C.L Cyprus Marine Club Limited (CMC) hosted Members Get Together with a presentation from Mr Top News,Greece In the face of unpredictable provisioning costs and longer lead times MCTC has reinforced its commitment to supporting vessel… World,Word newsletter The British International Freight Association has launched a cargo community advisory body which will undertake a lot of the activity previously… Design & Development by P.KAN.DESIGNER Design & Development by P.KAN.DESIGNER Palermo-based Adormare is adding an anchor handling tug to its fleet of work ships confirmed to Splash that “the AHTS renamed Mer Provider formally has been purchased by a Maltese company and will be chartered out to Adormare for a work in the port of Termini Imerese The AHTS will be deployed for towing a 10,000 dwt barge transporting stones from Trapani” Adormare is a family owned company active in the field of civil works at sea and has a fleet of several barges Furthermore the Adorno-led shipping firm also operates a shipyard in Palermo equipped with a floating drydock Don't have an account? The expected tariff cost is significantly lower than the $4 billion to $5 billion crosstown rival General Motors estimates which Ford attributes to its higher mix of U.S.-built vehicles One of Europe's largest floating cranes in action to refloat the wreck the sea of ​​Palermo witnessed a tragic shipwreck that led to the loss of seven lives including that of British tycoon Mike Lynch sank in the seaside village of Termini Imerese sparking an unprecedented recovery operation The complexity of the situation is accentuated by the structure of the vessel made of aluminum and equipped with a 75-meter mast This has made the recovery operations particularly difficult and delicate one of the largest floating cranes in Europe has arrived at the port of Termini Imerese will be essential for the recovery of the wreck The recovery operations are scheduled to last approximately 80 days and will involve over XNUMX European experts naval engineers and underwater vehicle pilots The synergy between these professional figures will be crucial to ensure the success of the operation The recovery of a sunken vessel presents numerous technical and logistical challenges The fragility of the aluminum structure of the Bayesian requires a meticulous approach to avoid further damage the environmental conditions of the sea of ​​Palermo can significantly influence the operations using advanced equipment and innovative techniques to ensure a safe and effective recovery The local community is closely following the evolution of the situation aware of the importance of this intervention not only for the recovery of the wreck but also for the safety of navigation in the area Notizie.it is a newspaper registered with the Court of Milan n.68 on 01/03/2018 Impara come descrivere lo scopo dell'immagine (si apre in una nuova scheda) Lascia vuoto se l'immagine è puramente decorativa