Prohibition catalyzed the mob, and labor racketeering institutionalized American gangsterism. Still, something bigger allowed it to grow practically unchecked into the behemoth it became: the ...

Damian Leigh, the fabulous and quick-witted character from “Mean Girls,” has cemented his place in pop culture history.

Standing over a boiling pot of pasta in the kitchen of his popular La Nova restaurant on Buffalo’s West Side, Joseph A. Todaro dipped his manicured hand into the water and fished out a piece of pasta.