Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - April 12, 2019

HOT

29-Year-Old Katie Bouman (VIDEO)

She is responsible for the first black hole image. She began working on the algorithm three years ago as a graduate student at MIT.

WATCH VIDEO

HOT

Justin Case

Providence-based photographer Justin Case got an up-close look at the pedestrian bridge spanning the Providence River -- at night.

As GoLocalProv.com has reported in March, as the numbers emerge on the cost of Providence’s pedestrian bridge, the project is now estimated to be $1,470 a square foot.

SEE ALL THE IMAGES HERE

HOT

T.F. Green 

More direct flights announced for T.F. Green. The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) announced Monday that Sun Country Airlines will fly direct to Las Vegas and New Orleans. 

In January, Sun Country was announced as T.F. Green’s newest airline offering non-stop service to Nashville and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The new routes  -- Las Vegas and New Orleans -- will begin in September with promotional rates as low as $89.00* each way. 

Ticket purchases are available now at www.suncountry.com.

“Sun Country is an airline on the move and we appreciate that they have included us in their expansion plans,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation. “Each new route strengthens Rhode Island’s economy and provides greater and more economical travel options for Rhode Island.”

HOT

Providence College Sports

The Wall Street Journal Monday published the annual report of the monetary value of college basketball teams. The report is conducted by Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus.

“Kentucky leads the country with a valuation of $334.2 million, according to an annual study by Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus. This is Kentucky’s third straight year atop the rankings, while its value shot up 35.5% over a year ago,” writes the Wall Street Journal. 

The Friars come in at the 56th most valuable team. PC’s value is $46 million — up an impressive 40 percent over 2018.

No word on the value of the PC Hockey team who made it to the Frozen Four for the second time in five years. PC Hockey won the National Championship in 2015.

NOT

CVS

CVS is facing complex challenges on multiple fronts.

The acquisition of insurance giant Aetna by Woonsocket-based CVS was approved by the U.S. Justice Department late in 2018, but now a D.C. Federal Court is taking up the matter.

CVS’ mega-deal with Aetna has not been embraced by Wall Street. CVS stock has fallen by more than a third — the 52-week high of CVS stock was $82 a share and it closed on Tuesday at $53 a share.

Federal Review

Last Friday U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C said ”he wants to hear in court from witnesses who object to the Justice Department’s decision last year to approve CVS Health Corp.’s nearly $70 billion acquisition of Aetna Inc.—a highly unusual move that threatens to shake up the already-consummated deal,” reported the Wall Street Journal.

Leon is reviewing a department settlement issued last fall that allowed the merger after the companies agreed to sell off assets relating to Medicare drug coverage.

NOT

Naked Fireman

A Lynnfield, Massachusetts fire captain walked into a Middletown, Rhode Island convenience store naked, according to report from Boston.com. Now, he’s facing a criminal charge.

John H. Walsh -- who was appointed to the Lynnfield fire department forty years ago in 1979 -- is now facing charges.

Boston.com is reporting, "John H. Walsh, 60, was arrested after a clerk at the 7-Eleven in Middletown called police around 3 p.m. last Wednesday and told the 911 dispatcher that a man came into the store without clothes on and then drove away in a black Mercedes-Benz, according to the police report obtained by Boston.com."

"Police caught up with the vehicle “moments later,” the report said. They found Walsh driving with a female front-seat passenger; both had clothes on. Police asked what happened, and the female passenger said that Walsh is her boyfriend and “that she ‘dared’ him to walk into the store naked because Walsh told her it was ‘legal’ in Rhode Island,” according to the report.

NOT

Women & Infants Hospital

The President and COO of Woman and Infants Hospital is stepping down after nearly nine months. This is just the latest disruption at the hospital. 

In July, Rick Majzun was named head of the Care New England hospital -- and now he is stepping down. (See more on Majzun BELOW). 

Partners HealthCare of Boston is now going through the review process of buying the Care New England hospitals.

The following email was sent to staff at Women and Infants on Monday by CNE President James Fanale, MD.

To All Staff at Women & Infants Hospital:

I am writing to inform you that Rick Majzun, president and COO of Women & Infants Hospital, is resigning his role here to pursue other professional opportunities. I would like to thank Rick for his efforts since arriving last fall and appreciate his support, energy, and enthusiasm for the important work taking place both at Women & Infants and across Care New England. His decision is effective immediately. We wish him well in his future endeavors.

NOT

Rhode Islanders' Tax Burden

Rhode Island has the 6th highest tax burden in the United States. 

With a new tax code taking effect this year, this year’s taxes will be quite different than last year’s -- and for Rhode Islanders, the burden comparatively may be a bit higher.

"One simple ratio known as the “tax burden” helps cut through the confusion. Unlike tax rates, which vary widely based on an individual’s circumstances, tax burden measures the proportion of total personal income that residents pay toward state and local taxes. And it isn’t uniform across the U.S., either," says WalletHub.

NOT

Boston Red Sox

YUK.

The Red Sox are 4-9 on the season. Hard to believe this team dominated baseball last season. There was some sign of life on Thursday night, but the early portion of the season has been bleak.