In response to questions posed by Middletown Town Councilors and members of the public, a Briefing Book titled “East Main Road Road Diet” has been released in advance of a Public Hearing called by the Middletown Town Council for tomorrow, Monday, April 15th, 2024, 6:30 pm at Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, […]
Opinion
Posted inColumns
Just My Opinion: Perhaps inflation is really linked to corporate greed
GDP, CPI, WPI, corporate profits, tax avoidance, consumer confidence … goes on and on, as we all try to understand the state of an economy that some politicians say is soaring and others say is in the tank. Which is it? Don’t expect me to tell you. I’m no economist. Although economists like the University […]
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Gerry Goldstein: Politics to smile about, until it isn’t
Now that the political season is moving along in earnest, it’s time to examine the Monster Raving Loony Party. And I don’t mean the party of MAGA loons who obsess over Jewish space lasers and idolize the Proud Boys. The Loony Party actually exists, in our mother country across the pond – where for 40 […]
Posted inCity & Government
Op-Ed: Standing up for transparency
In recent months, Rhode Islanders have seen how critical it is to have ready and reliable access to public information. We’ve also been reminded of how frustrating and challenging it can be to get records that rightfully belong to the public. In our experience as committee chairpersons fulfilling the Legislature’s oversight role we have experienced […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-Ed: Ranked choice voting preserves democracy
When Rhode Island voters went to the polls earlier this week to participate in the presidential primary, they saw ballots with multiple options but only one choice. Of the seven candidates who gathered enough signatures to earn a spot on the presidential primary ballot, only two candidates remain viable — Joe Biden and Donald Trump. […]
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Just My Opinion: Renovating a historic theater – more than two decades later
As I sat in the newly renovated New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway some years ago, I could not help but marvel at how this renovation recaptured a golden era, and its importance to the economic revival of New York City’s Broadway district. It was, perhaps, the showpiece of the district’s revitalization, a Disney project to […]
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Action for Rhode Island’s forests
I am proud to chair the forest management commission and bring some of our rural issues to the Capitol Hill. In addition to advocating for comprehensive forest management policies, I am also championing significant investments through the Green Bond fund to further enhance environmental conservation efforts across Rhode Island. This includes allocating $16 million for […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: A debate quip we can only dream of
Despite all that’s going on in our turbulent world, much of the current presidential campaign is based on age, but this isn’t the first time that’s happened. In fact, the 1984 debates produced a zinger on the age issue that’s still considered one of the best campaign bon mots. That came amid concerns about the capacity […]
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Gerry Goldstein: When salesmanship founders
TV commercials during the Super Bowl earlier this month continued to attract nearly as much attention as the game itself, and one of the most popular of the entries had an unintentional local flavor. The ad, featuring heavily-accented Arnold Schwarzenegger, was built around the actor’s inability (like many a Rhode Islander) to pronounce that final […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s Crazy About Health Care and Pet Supplies
Pet food? Health care and pet food? No, dear reader, Dr Fine hasn’t gone crazy. There really is a link. In the Wall Street Journal of February 10, the distinguished long-time Wall Street Journal columnist Holman Jenkins, who was arguing for desperately needed military aid to Ukraine, claimed that by spending an extra $35 billion, Russia was trying […]
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Letter: Grassroots efforts can lead to change
Grassroots efforts can lead to change. They can educate the public on important Town issues and ensure that those who are supposed to represent us hear our voices and desires. The Portsmouth Town Council has recently heard three key issues. Although the decisions reached by them could not satisfy both sides, it was apparent that […]
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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 inNews
Opinion – Tracy Clements Anthony: My Turn – We’ve gone ‘round on this long enough
We’re a local, family market. By Aquidneck Island and for Aquidneck Island. We’ve been there for your everyday routine, some of the most memorable events in your lives, and overall just a subtle fixture of the families of this corner of the state for decades. Many of you know that my family started Clements’ Marketplace […]
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Letter – Newport Performing Arts Center: Work with us to get to opening night
To the Editor, In response to the article of February 4th written by Frank Prosnitz in “Whats Up Newp” about the Newport Performing Arts Center (NPAC), we felt some clarification would provide the community proper insight as to the full status of the project. Specifically, it should be pointed out that although there is an […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about health insurance and private equity
A woman in Buffalo, NY, a nurse who works per diem with a primary care doctor, loses her insurance. She’s on medication for a chronic disease, and the medication runs out. So, she calls her doctor to schedule an appointment. But her doctor won’t see her. You don’t have insurance, she is told. Okay, she […]
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Avoiding Romance Scams: They steal your heart…to get your money
All crimes that seek to steal money or sensitive information through deception are loathsome. But perhaps the most pernicious involves crimes of the heart. Online romance fraud is rampant and growing according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and it isn’t just dating sites where these criminals lurk. These are some key things to look […]
Posted inCity & Government
Grow Smart opposes RIPTA plan for a Providence transit hub
By Grow Smart staff At its Tuesday, January 30th Special Meeting, the RIPTA Board approved the awarding of a Preliminary Services Agreement for the P3 joint development of a new transit hub in Providence. Grow Smart RI Statement Grow Smart RI has been a leading champion for development of a modern, full service, indoor transit hub […]
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Letter: Time is running out on affordable internet
The clock is ticking for 81,000 Rhode Island households on the Affordable Connectivity Program. ACP is the most ambitious home internet subsidy in this country’s history. Since 2022, eligible households have been receiving $30 monthly internet service, but the federal subsidy for broadband ends April 2024, when the federal dollars run out. The feds have […]
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Thom Cahir: NFL Conference Championship Preview
After a mostly entertaining Divisional Round of games in the NFL last weekend, three games decided by one possession and a single rout, resulted in an almost odds-defying matchup of top seeds (Baltimore and San Francisco) versus three seeds (Detroit and Kansas City.) For local fans, who may profess to have no interest if the […]
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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 inArts & Culture
Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2024
“The time is always right to do what is right.” I entered kindergarten in the Fall of 1968 at what was then the newly rechristened Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, a school that continues to educate a diverse population in the Mount Hope neighborhood in Providence. King was assassinated the previous Spring, and […]
Posted inCity & Government
Letter: Immediate responses prevented further tragedy at St. Mary’s Home for Children
After reading the Child Advocate’s report on abuse and unsafe conditions at St. Mary’s Home for Children, our hearts sank. These at-risk children, perhaps one of the most vulnerable populations in the state, have already endured through so much in their lives and for them to face further trauma and abuse at an institution that […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s Crazy in Health Care Times Two
A friend in her sixties called to ask if she should take the new RSV vaccine, which is being heavily promoted to people over sixty. That it is being so heavily promoted is driving me a little crazy. Here’s the skinny: RSV — respiratory syncytial virus — is a virus that has been around a […]
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Moral complexity, empathy, and difficult conversations in the wake of the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Well before the attack on October 7, 2023, there were many, including many liberal Jews, who felt the Palestinian people suffered disproportionately at the hands of the Israeli government. In 2022, it led educator/playwright/actor Sandra Laub to craft her one-woman show, Picking Up Stones: An American Jew Wakes to a Nightmare. In the wake of […]
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Letter: Troop 1 Portsmouth is a great Boy Scout troop
Aquidneck Island has a long history of Scouting. In fact, Troop 1 Portsmouth has been around since 1930. Troop 1 is still a very active troop, with meetings every Tuesday and a camping trip once per month. We have about 20 scouts; most live in Portsmouth but some come as far away as Tiverton, Middletown, […]