My Christmas wish and New Year’s dream for school regionalization between Newport and Middletown are to establish a Regional School District containing a unified high school located in a central geographic area with a career technical center attached or adjacent. Suggestions as to how this can become a reality: FIRST: STOP current plans aimed at […]
Opinion
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Opinion – Barbara VonVillas: Truth – Courage – Action
To the Editor: Truth – Courage – Action I confess to a longstanding frustration that began in 2014 after the failure of the first attempt at school regionalization which began in 2011. After 51 years of dedication to the education of students at all levels – with a high concentration on promoting personal and individual […]
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Editorial Roundup: New England
Rutland Herald. July 7, 2022. Editorial: Vt.’s ocean cleanup Who knew Vermont could be so good at cleaning up the Atlantic Ocean? It’s true. You only have to look as far as a recent edition of the Ellsworth American, a weekly newspaper serving Downeast Maine, for the details. The article details how a Burlington-based company, […]
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Opinion: Celebrating our Earth, today and every day
Thinking about the climate crisis that our community, country, and Earth faces can be overwhelming. Can one person make an impact? Is it ‘worth it’ to compost, recycle, and reduce consumption? The answer is, yes of course, it is worth it; however, if you are still feeling at a loss, there is so much more […]
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Opinion: Mitch McConnell and The Supreme Court
Make no mistake. If the Supreme Court has become a starkly political entity, Mitch McConnell is to blame for that. In February of 2016 Justice Scalia passed away, tragically suddenly. Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee, would have replaced Justice Scalia, and been a fine Supreme Court justice. Mitch McConnell preferred to hamper the Court’s full […]
Posted inCity & Government
Opinion: After COVID-19, our frontline health care workers deserve extra appreciation and support
Since COVID-19 became a household word, every aspect of our lives as Rhode Islanders has changed. We lost loved ones and friends, our businesses have suffered, we skipped family gatherings, and we’ve missed milestones like graduations and weddings. Through it all, one thing has not changed – the dedication and hard work of our frontline […]
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Opinion – Sen. Euer: Sustainable future demands offshore wind, not ocean oil drilling
April 20 marked 12 years since the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. The disaster released over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico making it the largest marine oil spill in history. Its legacy includes more than $500 million in losses to the recreation industry, $1 billion of losses to the seafood […]
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Opinion – Sen. DiPalma, Rep. Casimiro: To ensure quality of care, rate reviews are needed across human services
Imagine worrying about an elderly parent who is receiving far less care than their condition requires. Imagine worrying about a child or family member with an addiction problem because the support services they rely upon to survive are unavailable. And imagine the anxiety and fear of parents with children who have disabilities and who are […]
Posted inCity & Government
Opinion: It’s time to end the hazard of lead pipes
For many decades, the serious dangers associated with lead have been clear. Even small amounts of lead exposure can cause a range of significant health problems for people at any age. For children 6 and younger, the potential consequences – learning disabilities and developmental delays that will affect them for the rest of their lives […]
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Comic – Claytoonz: Keep on truckin’
When it comes to lies and spreading hate and division, goon TV keeps on truckin’. If you’ve been watching Fox and the other channels your crazy uncle loves, you would have thought the brutal authoritarian regime bringing crackdowns upon its oppressed minority wasn’t China, but Canada. Right-wing TV is upset that the Canadian “Freedom” Truckers […]
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Opinion – R.I. League of Charter Schools: Statement on School Mask Mandate, COVID-19 Measures
As in all schools, protecting the health and safety of students, their families, teachers and staff has been our number one goal throughout the pandemic at every Rhode Island charter school. It is in this spirit of safety and health that the charter community adds our voice to the public discussion of masking, and other […]
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Opinion: Rhode Island Department of Education must stop diminishing arts education in our schools
The Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA) calls on the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the Council of Elementary and Secondary Education (The Council) to prioritize arts education in its revision to new state graduation requirements. The Council is scheduled to discuss the secondary school regulations at their meeting on Tuesday, February 8th. “The research is clear. […]
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Comic – Claytoonz: Big Head Rudy
I was scrolling down my Facebook news feed yesterday and saw a Daily Beast article about Rudy Giuliani being on The Masked Singer. I thought it was weird there was an Onion headline at the Daily Beast, so I clicked the link…and it didn’t work. So, I figured there must be some sort of problem […]
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Comic – Claytoonz: Cruzin’ into a flytrap
As I prepare to write this blog, I did a news search on Google for “Ted Cruz,” and there’s a brand new Cruz controversy since he made his stupid racist statement about Biden nominating a black woman to the Supreme Court. Take a day off, Ted. Last year during a winter freeze that froze Texas, […]
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Comic – Claytoonz: Republican Tip Lines
Virginia’s new Republican sweater vest governor (sic), Glenn Youngkin, has set up a “tip line” for parents to snitch on public school teachers who are promoting “divisive practices” or enforcing mask mandates. This tip line follows the governor’s (sic) very first executive order banning any history being taught that makes white people feel bad. The […]
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Opinion: Despite historic challenges, Rhode Island has historic opportunities
The challenges of the pandemic have required an all hands-on-deck approach, and I am proud that my colleagues in the General Assembly rose to the occasion last year, again and again. Through the emergencies of 2021, there was an emergence of solidarity and collaboration in the House. Simply put, we got a lot of great […]
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Opinion: End Rhode Island’s abortion bans
Right now, there are tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders who are denied access to abortion through their health coverage. We’re calling on Governor McKee to end these abortion coverage bans in this year’s budget. The ability to make decisions about when or if we have children is under attack across the country. Some states […]
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Opinion: Tide shift at CRMC?
It’s encouraging to see the candidates for governor paying attention to the work of the Coastal Resources Management Council Study Commission and voicing concern about the CRMC. The future of the CRMC should be an issue discussed in the 2022 gubernatorial race. In June, the House of Representatives passed legislation creating a CRMC Study Commission, which has […]
Posted inCity & Government, Opinion
Opinion: 2022 Legislative Session an opportunity for transformational change
As the Rhode Island Senate convenes this month, I plan for us to embark upon a transformational session for our state. The federal relief funds distributed to Rhode Island offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reinvest in our state and its people. Universal Pre-K The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing learning gaps. Our children – […]
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Opinion: Let’s pay community service providers
It’s time to pay community service providers a wage that is worthy of the work they do in our state. Just as the governor and the state provided financial help to the restaurant industry to keep these small businesses from closing in every community, the private providers of community-based services are small businesses, too. These […]
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Just My Opinion: The dilemma – healthcare professionals and vaccinations
Spending time at the gym on Sunday morning, the television in front of the rowing machine I was on was tuned to Fox news. The interview was of a nurse, fired because she wouldn’t get vaccinated. She was staunch in her belief that whether she’s vaccinated or not, it is not the business of her […]
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Letter: Newport Public School projects are moving quickly
The 2021-2022 Newport Public School Year is off to a great start! It is exciting to have everybody back in person full time. Both School Building Projects have been busy this summer moving forward at a steady pace. The Pell expansion project is a full year ahead of schedule and groundbreaking took place August 12th with many […]
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Opinion: Waves of dazzling yellow daffodils this April heralded a return to much-needed, brighter days for all
Waves of dazzling yellow daffodils this April heralded a return to much needed, brighter days for all. We’d like to express our gratitude to those who celebrated with Daffodil Days programs, including the Audrain Automotive Museum and their Driving Miss Daffodil car rally, the Newport City Recreation Department for their “Great Daffodil Hunt, The Preservation Society of […]
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Opinion: Citizens of Newport deserve nothing less than transparency from our city government
To the residents of the City of Newport: It has been a pleasure and a privilege for me to serve as a volunteer on the Historic District Commission (HDC) these past 7 years, 5 of which I served as Chairwoman and the last 2 as Vice-Chair. I have had the honor of volunteering with the […]
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Op-Ed: A letter to MLK Community Center volunteers
We say it time and time again: volunteers are the heart of the MLK Community Center. Just how essential you are became strikingly apparent last March, when we had to suspend our volunteer program due to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic. Probably the most telling thing about our incredible team of volunteers? During a time of […]