MIDWEST GREEK NEWS: Odysseus held to the fire with intriguing ICE sidelines; NBC5’s Greeks spin Olympic glory; Marks, a giant in skyline evolution; New chief of DuPage criminal bureau; Chicago’s Greek property bros; Attorneys embrace AI for bio-pharma; Much more
By Terry Poulos, special to the Hellenic News
SIRENS TO COURTROOMS: Just when Odysseus thought he had eternal immunity, on March 12 at Chicago’s Harris Theater, the unthinkable becomes debatable. Did the ancient Greek king commit atrocities upon his return from his infamous 10-year Odyssey? Or did he simply stand his ground? The National Hellenic Museum holds Odysseus’ legendary arrows to the fire in the latest installment of its award-winning mock trial series. A star-studded lineup of legal eagles again takes the stage. Team Odysseus boasts former assistant U.S. attorneys Tinos Diamantatos and Patrick Collins, the latter of whom helped convict former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Both barristers are now in private practice at King & Spaulding (Diamantatos having joined the firm in early February). One half of the prosecutorial tandem is Antonio M. Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin LLC. Romanucci was recently hired by the family of Renee Good, a woman killed by ICE agents in Minnesota, in a civil action filed against the federal government. The other Odysseus prosecutor is Katerina Alexopoulos of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. That pairing will make for some intriguing sidelines. We’re also reasonably sure Odysseus speared one or three “foreign” invaders who were attempting to steal his wife’s hand.
SPINNING OLYMPIC HELLENISM FOR NBC: The Milan-Cortina Winter Games began last week. NBC is airing the action. NBC5 Chicago reporter Alex Maragos is in Italy covering the Games. He was also in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. NBC5 made a big hire in February, naming veteran sportscaster Lou Canellis its lead sports anchor. For the past 18 years, Canellis was the lead sportscaster at FOX32 Chicago. Both men are area natives. Other Greek connections at NBC5 include reporter Lexi Sutter and anchor/reporter Kate Chappell, a noted philhellene.
LEFT CHI-TOWN MARKS: Chicago Greeks bid farewell to a pillar of the community in early 2026 with the passing of John Louis Marks, founder of Mark IV Realty and a major player in Chicago’s downtown redevelopment. His signature project was an overhaul of the House of Blues concert venue, along with an adjacent hotel and commercial space below the landmark Marina City towers — the twin “corncob” skyscrapers featured prominently in the film The Blues Brothers. Marks also owned the city’s most prominent billboard, situated right off the I-90 expressway. The jumbotron electronic display is seen by millions of commuters annually. In the Greek community, Marks was one of the top officials with the United Hellenic American Congress, served on the board of the National Hellenic Museum for a number of years, and was one of the two primary stewards of The Greek Star, at the time America’s longest-running Greek newspaper.
EARLY MUSEUM CHAMPION: Longtime philanthropic leader, journalist, and writer Themi Vasils passed in early February. She was a board member and president of the National Hellenic Museum in its infancy, going back a half century. Her primary occupation was managing director of the National Confectioners Association Chicago Office. She also was “a published translator of short stories; also co-translator of two books by renowned Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis,” according to her Museum bio. Additionally, Vasils was a director, volunteer writer, and advisor to the editor for The Greek Star, and held roles with the Greek Welfare Foundation Retirement Home project, the Metropolis of Chicago, Orthodox Christian SYNERGY, and International Orthodox Christian Charities.
CHIEF OF CRIMINAL BUREAU: Veteran prosecutor Lee J. Roupas was recently appointed chief of the Criminal Bureau of the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. In 2008, while barely finished with his undergraduate degree, Roupas was elected chairman of the Cook County Republican Party.
GREEK PROPERTY ‘BROS’: Longtime Ahepan Brian Liston and his business partner Peter Tsantilis of Liston & Tsantilis have been recognized as one of the top land use law firms in Illinois. In 2025, the firm expanded with new downtown Chicago headquarters. On January 5, Liston — ranked “top attorney” for 25 consecutive years by Leading Lawyers Network — was invited to speak at the Wells Fargo Economic Summit. Tsantilis is slated to moderate Bisnow’s Chicago Capital Markets and CRE Finance Conference on February 19.
ATTORNEYS FLEX BIO-PHARMA AI: Working with artificial intelligence has become a must for compliance issues at bio-pharma companies. Two Greek Americans getting ahead of the curve are Eleni Katsoulis, senior counsel at AbbVie, now a certified AI Governance Professional (AIGP), and GeoVax board member Dean Kolintzas, an IP attorney and Chicago transplant to the Lone Star State who completed AI curriculum at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.
SPORTING GOODS WRITER: Veteran journalist Nicholas Vlahos, a longtime Peoria Star Journal general interest and sports reporter, is now a staff writer for the National Sporting Goods Association, the top industry trade association. While at the Journal, he wrote a series of moving pieces on his then battle with Hodgkin’s disease, a battle he has since beaten.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The Enosis Federation of Illinois announced the final official dates for the annual Greek flag-raising ceremony at Daley Plaza (March 25) and the annual Greek Independence Day parade (April 19).
ICING ON THE KOKAKIA: Parting pastries as we segue out… Eleni Demertzis joined crisis communications group Culloton + Bauer as VP… Former Mercedes-Benz marketing associate Effie Gountanis transitions from school board member to executive director of the Hellenic American Academy… Attorney Gregory Frezados recently joined Amundsen Davis LLC as partner in the trusts, estates, and succession planning division… Alex Georgelos joined J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Evanston, IL, in its business, corporate wealth management, and advisory services division… Theodora Williams just released her first romance novel, Just Friends. She’s the wife of prominent attorney Dino Armiros, an executive board member at the National Hellenic Museum.
Until next…
Terry Poulos is a writer and publisher of TheSportsIndex.com who also chronicles Greek America. He’s co-founder of Chicago’s Greek Media Club and a member of the AHEPA Athletics Hall of Fame selection committe.
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