The Rhode Island General Assembly is close to passing legislation that will cap out of pocket costs for insulin, a costly drug that is the lifeline for thousands of insulin dependent diabetics in Rhode Island. Rhode Island will join several other states that have capped out of pocket insulin costs, for a drug that has […]
Frank Prosnitz
Frank Prosnitz brings to WhatsUpNewp several years in journalism, including 10 as editor of the Providence (RI) Business News and 14 years as a reporter and bureau manager at the Providence (RI) Journal. Prosnitz began his journalism career as a sportswriter at the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, moving to The News Tribune (Woodbridge, NJ), before joining the Providence Journal. Prosnitz hosts the Morning Show on WLBQ radio (Westerly), 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, and It’s Your Business, also on WBLQ, Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Prosnitz has twice won Best in Business Awards from the national Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW), twice was named Media Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration, won an investigative reporter’s award from the New England Press Association, and newswriting award from the Rhode Island Press Association.
Posted inArts & Culture
Jazz saxophonist Greg Abate will join What’s Up Newp for a live virtual conversation
For the last four weeks, Greg Abate’s Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron has been number one on Jazzweek, and was an editor’s pick in a recent issue of Jazz Times. Greg is consistently rated among the top alto saxophonists in polls in Jazz Times and Downbeat. A native Rhode Islander, who often plays […]
Posted inCity & Government
State Archives kicks off Summer 2021 programming
Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea and the Rhode Island State Archives are excited to welcome the public into the new Archives location at 33 Broad Street in Providence on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning today. To celebrate this reopening, Secretary Gorbea and the Archives have scheduled a series of in-person events […]
Posted inOpinion
Just My Opinion: Possibilities
When my daughter told me she was participating in a fundraising project for the Leukemia and Lymphoma (LLS) I couldn’t have been prouder. LLS has been providing funding and support that has turned what had been a virtual death sentence for so many children, into hope. She was nominated as a candidate for the Leukemia […]
Posted inNews
Providence Journal increasing subscriber rates by 33 percent
The Providence Journal is raising its monthly subscription rates by nearly 33 percent, according to a letter it has sent to its “loyal subscribers,” asking them for their support, while touting the paper’s dedication to producing “in-depth stories and compelling journalism.” The undated letter did not explain the monthly increase from $43.77 to $58 a […]
Posted inNews
RI Senate votes to improve Caregivers Insurance without increasing rates
While the Rhode Island state Senate this week approved doubling the amount of time caregivers can receive Temporary Caregivers Insurance (TCI), it failed to approve measures that would have increased payments to low wage earners or extend coverage to care for additional family members. The House of Representatives will take up a similar measure, said […]
Posted inNews
Nellie M. Gorbea announces candidacy for Governor
Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, 54, of North Kingstown, officially announced her candidacy for governor in 2022, challenging current Governor Dan McKee, who assumed the governorship only a few months ago when Gov. Gina Raimondo joined the Biden Administration. Gorbea, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico and became the first Hispanic elected to […]
Posted inCity & Government
Family homelessness rising in Rhode Island
Family homelessness in Rhode Island is rising, and is expected to worsen, leaving many feeling hopeless and advocates for the homeless feeling frustrated. Skyrocketing multi-family home prices, the anticipated end to the eviction moratorium, a lack of affordable housing, and accelerating rental costs are leaving advocates for the homeless, like Caitlin Frumerie, executive director of […]
Posted inBusiness
Catherine Taylor named AARP Rhode Island State Director
Catherine Taylor, who had served as executive director of Age-Friendly, RI has been appointed AARP Rhode Island State Director, succeeding Kathleen Connell, who became the state’s first State Director when she assumed the position in 1999, the state organization announced today. Taylor officially joins AARP on May 17, a week before Connell officially retires. Catherine […]
Posted inNews
Blood Center tries to avert summer blood shortages
As the nation emerges from the pandemic, and the restrictions it brought with it, blood collectors nationwide, and in Rhode Island, are concerned that “cabin fever” will lead to “a really bad case of spring fever” followed by an even more difficult summer for blood collection, according to a Rhode Island Blood Center spokeswoman. To […]
Posted inCity & Government
South Kingstown voters reject school bond
Voters in South Kingstown overwhelmingly rejected an $85 million school facilities bond in yesterday’s special election, according to unofficial results posted on the town’s website. South Kingstown was one of four communities holding special elections yesterday. Westerly voters overwhelmingly approved two referenda, while voters in Coventry and West Greenwich filled town council vacancies. In South […]
Posted inCity & Government
Understanding the Census, a live virtual video conversation with John Marion, executive director of Common Cause
John Marion, Executive Director of the Common Cause in Rhode Island Rhode Island dodged a bullet in the recent census, retaining its two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, its electoral votes, and perhaps of hundreds of millions of dollars that would have been lost had the state lost a Representative seat. But this […]
Posted inCity & Government
Voters to the polls in four Rhode Island communities
Voters in four Rhode Island communities go to the polls on Tuesday (May 4), voting to fill council vacancies and approve or defeat referenda, including an $85 million school bond in South Kingstown. Voters in Coventry will fill the vacant District 4 seat and voters in West Greenwich will fill an at-large seat on the […]
Posted inCity & Government
Magaziner wins first-quarter fundraising sweepstakes
General Treasurer Seth Magaziner has won the first quarter campaign finance sweepstakes, but other potential gubernatorial candidates are not far behind, according to reports the candidates filed today (Friday, April 30) with the state Board of Elections for first quarter campaign fundraising and expenses. Magaziner raised $286,460 from individuals and $12,750 from Political Action Committees, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Treasurer Magaziner will join What’s Up Newp on Friday to discuss the need to require financial literacy education
General Treasurer Seth Magaziner joins WhatsUpNewp for a videocast tomorrow (Friday, April 30) at 2:30 p.m. to discuss financial literacy bills his office has introduced into the General Assembly. “When Rhode Islanders learn personal financial skills early in life, it leads to better outcomes and sets them up for financial success in adulthood,” Magaziner said […]
Posted inNews
Police Detective/legislator to share his views on police accountability
There are few issues more volatile today than policing around the country. Local communities, state legislatures, and Congress are grappling with proposed legislation that would significantly impact policing on a local level, demanding more accountability. Greg Howard, a detective in Stonington, CT also serves as a state Representative in Connecticut, and is chief among legislators […]
Posted inCity & Government
May 4 Elections: Voters to fill council vacancies and vote on infrastructure projects
Voters in four Rhode Island communities will fill council vacancies and vote on school and infrastructure bond referenda on May 4, with voters in three other communities poised to fill council vacancies in late spring and early summer. The latest addition is the Providence Ward 15 City Council seat recently vacated when Sabina Matos was […]
Posted inBusiness
Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal reopens on April 26
In response to stakeholder feedback about reopening the Shuttered VenueOperators Grant application this weekend, The Small Business Administration’sapplication portal will now reopen Monday (April 26) at noon. In preparation for theopening, the SBA said in an announcement late Friday night that potential applicantsshould register on the portal in advance. Applicants, the SBA said, will also need asmartphone and a multi-factor […]
Posted inNews
Rhode Island news briefs: April 18
Rhode Island News Briefs is a regular feature of WhatsUpNewp, selecting interesting stories from around the state, gathered from various news organizations, and other sources from business, government, and non-profit organizations. April 18, 2021 Fire displaces several in Providence PROVIDENCE — A four-alarm fire at a 16-unit apartment complex on Chatham Street on Saturday afternoon displaced […]
Posted inNews
Rhode Island news briefs: April 17
We’ll be running Rhode Island News Briefs regularly, featuring interesting stories from around the state, gathered from various news organizations, and other sources from business, government, and non-profit organizations. Vartan Gregorian, former Brown President and “savior” of New York City’s Public Library, Dies Vartan Gregorian, who served as Brown University’s president from 1989-1997, and credited […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Music Festival tickets on sale April 19
After a year’s hiatus due to COVID-19, the Newport Music Festival, one of Newport’s iconic music events, today announced that tickets for its 17 July concerts will go on sale next Monday (April 19). Since its inception in 1969, the Festival has established itself among the world’s premier chamber music festivals, with world-renowned classical performers […]
Posted inBusiness
JP Morgan Chase continues Rhode Island expansion, opening two new branches next month, others by summer’s end
JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank, is gaining a foothold in Rhode Island as part of a nationwide expansion that includes 13 new branches in the Ocean State. The nationwide 400 branch expansion in 10 states was announced in 2018, with the first Rhode Island bank opening in Providence in 2019. Next month, Chase will […]
Posted inArts & Culture
WUN videocast profiles Touro Synagogue Foundation’s upcoming lecture on anti-Semitism
Dan Snydacker, a board member and education chair of the Touro Synagogue Foundation, joins WhatsUpNewp for a videocast on Tuesday at noon to discuss the Foundation’s upcoming lecture series, particularly its opening event on April 1, which explores the rise in anti-Semitism today. In what is arguably among the most racially charged periods in the […]
Posted inBusiness, News
‘Pop-Up’ Visitor Center demonstrates hope for the area’s tourism season
In May, Discover Newport will open what it calls a “pop-up” visitors’ center, demonstrating its optimism that the local tourism industry will rebound this summer and fall, a prelude to a more robust recovery next year from a worldwide pandemic that started a year ago. That’s the view of Evan Smith, executive director of Discover […]
Posted inNews
Just My Opinion: Journalism: From town crier to the web
On this, the ninth anniversary of WhatsUpNewp, it is easy to reflect upon Journalism’s evolution from the all-important town crier, the main source of news in what was a primarily illiterate world, to online publications, like WhatsUpNewp. We have seen the development … and decline … of print publications, with circulations plummeting, staffs rapidly declining. […]