Voters in November, besides a host of contested political races and statewide and local referenda, will be voting to determine whether the state holds a constitutional convention. If approved, it will be the state’s third constitutional convention since 1973, and first since 1986. The 1986 constitutional convention was the last held by any state in […]
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 inNews
Schools: Meeting the challenge with less money
Will the governor’s proposed budget ease challenges for schools across the state that are bracing for lost COVID funds and the Rhode Island Department of Education no longer forgiving districts for declining enrollment? Add to the lost federal and state funds, there are concerns in some communities that town or city councils will level fund […]
Posted inColumns
Just My Opinion: Greatest threat to Democracy — Indifference
Indifference. As the future of our democracy is debated in this presidential election, as fears grow that some candidates are intent on unraveling our form of government, as the demonization of facts becomes the norm, perhaps democracy is most at risk from indifference. According to Ballotpedia and Ballotready, more than 60 percent of the 500,000 […]
Posted inCity & Government
Homeless shelter on URI campus opens Tuesday
After a couple of months navigating the state bureaucracy, officials now say a 12-family homeless shelter at the University of Rhode Island is expected to open on Tuesday. “It’s a go, we’re excited and overwhelmed,” says Russ Partridge, executive director of Westerly’s WARM Center, which will manage the facility. The shelter will finally open after […]
Posted inCity & Government
Legislative Outlook: Senator Dawn Euer (D – Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown)
With the start of Rhode Island’s legislative session now a few weeks in, we reached out, as we have these past few years, to the area’s legislative delegation with a brief survey looking at their initiatives in the past session, and what they hope to accomplish in the 2024 session. We also asked about their […]
Posted inNews
A decade after receiving a $4.2 million state grant, Opera House project still needs millions to complete restoration
It has been nearly a decade since Rhode Island voters approved a creative and cultural economic bond that provided the Newport Performing Arts Center $4.2 million, and it has been more than 22 years since the opera house renovation was first envisioned. When NPAC received the state grant, it was welcomed by then Board Chairwoman […]
Posted inNews
Superintendent Jermain joins What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation on Jan. 31
With the school year half over, WhatsUpNewp will check in for our monthly videocast with Newport Schools’ Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain on Wednesday, January 31 at 1:30 pm, updating ongoing projects and looking at future funding, some of which is now in jeopardy. Statewide, COVID relief funds to school districts are drying up, and the […]
Posted inNews
Kids Count snapshot: Kids living in poverty, foster care, or minorities are at risk
This year’s annual Kids Count, while recognizing some gains in Rhode Island, shows instead a dire situation for children who are in foster care, are members of minority groups, or those that live in poverty. The report was issued today with a long list of recommendations, many seeking funding for new or existing programs. Most […]
Posted inCity & Government
Legislative Outlook: Senator Linda Ujifusa, D-Dist. 11 (Portsmouth, Bristol)
With the start of Rhode Island’s legislative session underway, we reached out, as we have these past few years, to the area’s legislative delegation with a brief survey looking at their initiatives in the past session and what they hope to accomplish in the 2024 session. We also asked about their perceptions of the state’s […]
Posted inNews
Governor holding final interviews for Director of the Department of Health
The state of Rhode Island may be close to hiring its first Director of the Department of Health in more than two years, ending a period of post-pandemic interim directors. Gov. Dan McKee, appearing on WBLQ’s It’s Your Business, hosted by Frank Prosnitz, says he’s down to “two or three final interviews” and working with […]
Posted inNews
Homeless Count across Rhode Island begins today
The annual count of homeless individuals and families in Rhode Island – and across the nation — began today, with the expectation that the numbers that have consistently been rising for five years will continue to rise. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducts its Point-in-Time Count on what used to be one […]
Posted inNews
New England: Salaries barely outpace inflation
Salaries in New England outstripped inflation slightly over the last year, from November to November, according to the latest New England Economic Conditions report issued earlier this week by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The report also says New England unemployment is lower than most other regions, real estate costs continue to escalate, prices […]
Posted inNews
State of State outlines some spending; full budget to be presented Thursday
While Gov. Dan McKee said a few weeks ago that it was his intent to present a “more constrained” budget to the General Assembly, his State of the State address alluded to hundreds of millions of dollars in additional spending, including a number of bond issues. The governor was vague about many of his proposals, […]
Posted inNews
Just My Opinion: Remembering the inspiring words of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, it was a time not unlike today. Our country was divided by war, racial strife, and was less than four years removed from the assassination of a president. King, at 39, stood for hope and peace, […]
Posted inNews
Family shelter’s opening on hold
Some six weeks ago, Russ Partridge, executive director of the WARM Center, a homeless shelter in Washington County, was hopeful a new 12-family shelter would open near the University of Rhode Island campus in West Kingston. Six weeks later, Patridge is still waiting, still hopeful, and the building remains shuttered. That State Properties Committee meeting […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport cracks down on short-term rentals
As a state legislative commission explores ways to regulate the growing short-term rental industry, the city of Newport has launched its own effort to crackdown on what it considers illegal short-term rentals, primarily in residential areas. A compliance officer was hired, and the city is determined to rid itself of illegal short-term rental units that […]
Posted inCity & Government
Gov. McKee to propose a “more constrained” budget, while looking to build a state archive building
When Gov. Dan McKee presents his state budget proposal to the General Assembly in about three weeks, he promises it will be “more constrained” than in the past, not include any broad tax increase, while seeking bond approval to build a permanent state archive. Appearing on the Morning Show with Frank Prosnitz on WBLQ radio, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Legislative Outlook: Rep. Michelle McGaw
With the start of Rhode Island’s legislative beginning on Tuesday, January 2, we reached out, as we have these past few years, to the area’s legislative delegation with a brief survey looking at their initiatives in the past session and what they hope to accomplish in the 2024 session. We also asked about their perceptions […]
Posted inCity & Government
Legislative Outlook – Rep. Terri-Denise Cortvriend
With the start of Rhode Island’s legislative session just a few days away, we reached out, as we have these past few years, to the area’s legislative delegation with a brief survey looking at their initiatives in the past session, and what they hope to accomplish in the 2024 session. We also asked about their […]
Posted inCity & Government
Legislative Outlook: Representative Lauren Carson
With the start of Rhode Island’s legislative session just a few days away, we reached out, as we have these past few years, to the area’s legislative delegation with a brief survey looking at their initiatives in the past session, and what they hope to accomplish in the 2024 session. We also asked about their […]
Posted inCity & Government
Legislative Outlook: Rep. Alex Finkelman
With the start of Rhode Island’s legislative session just a few days away, we reached out, as we have these past few years, to the area’s legislative delegation with a brief survey looking at their initiatives in the past session and what they hope to accomplish in the 2024 session. We also asked about their […]
Posted inBusiness
Newport Performing Arts Center – waiting for the “fat lady” to sing
More than two decades ago, with the dream of re-opening the historic Newport Opera House, a group of individuals began a sometimes-troubled journey to raise the funds needed to bring the more than 150-year-old building back to life as a significant performing arts center. Some renovations have been done, with much more ahead, and a […]
Posted inColumns
Just My Opinion: It’s time the state addresses doctor shortage
It’s no secret that Rhode Island is suffering from a primary care physician shortage, leaving many in the state finding their primary care now left to physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners. While it’s a problem nationwide, a WalletHub report earlier this year, which was quoted extensively, ranks Rhode Island 50th in healthcare. When a longtime […]
Posted inCity & Government
Chariho considers renovating or replacing three elementary schools
Voters in the Chariho Regional School District will likely be asked to consider a significant bond issue as soon as this Spring, to renovate or replace three of its four elementary schools. The fourth would be closed. School Superintendent Gina Picard said the schools were “for a very different time,” and each has considerable infrastructure […]
Posted inNews
Immigrants fuel a New England workforce that is aging
While some politicians in Washington rail against immigration, particularly undocumented immigrants, the reality is that the country, including New England, is becoming more dependent on immigrants to fill job vacancies. More than 17 percent of workers in New England and across the country are foreign born, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Goldman […]