Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not? - December 29, 2017

HOT

Jorge Elorza and Stephanie Gonzalez 

Congratulations to the couple who are expecting their first child in June.

All will be good. The Capitol City will enjoy meeting the little one.  

A baby should make Providence a little kinder.

HOT

Steve Silas 

Former Brown University guard and son of former NBA great Paul Silas is now the interim Head Coach for the Charlotte Hornets.

For those that saw Silas play at Brown in the early 1990s, they knew him to be silky smooth. For those that knew him at Brown, they were impressed with the human being.

HOT

17 Who Made a Difference in 2017

The folks who made GoLocal's annual list are Rhode Islanders who impacted the White House, the State House, the courthouse -- and your house.

SEE THE LIST

They led, transformed, and were assigned to clean up financial and political catastrophes.

Each of the 17 impacted 2017 in many ways that were unforeseen.

The economy showed signs of life driven by incentives and innovation, but Rhode Island also faced a range of challenges.

The UHIP failure, which left thousands of the neediest without benefits along with the St. Joseph pension fund collapse are both dramatic and heartbreaking episodes that carry into the new year.

HOT

R.W. Alley

R.W. Alley, the award-winning illustrator of Paddington Bear and more, joins GoLocal weekly as a political cartoonist.

Alley debut will be Sunday, December 31, 2017

For the last twenty years, Alley has illustrated Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear books, in all their formats.

He has also created with his wife, author Zoë B. Alley, two large comic formatted retellings of classic fairy tales that garnered many awards including a Washington Post Best Book of the Year note.

In 2010, Alley received a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award for the illustrations in Pearl and Wagner One Funny Day by Kate McMullan.

HOT

James Harrison

The former Pittsburgh Steeler All-Pro linebacker got cut and just days later signs with the New England Patriots.

Football is a business and Harrison is motivated by the poor treatment of his former employer. If Harrison has anything "left in the tank" this could be the leadership and linebacking boost the Patriots need on defense.

NOT

Brutal Temperatures

The region’s weather is most certainly not hot. Brutally frigid weather takes its tolls on car batteries, pipes, and heating bills. 

But, the cruelest part of the nasty weather is the impact it has on the poor and the homeless.

NOT

Bishop Thomas Tobin

Bishop Thomas Tobin went on a PR tour Christmas week claiming that neither he nor the Diocese of Providence has legal, financial or moral responsibility for the pension collapse at St. Joseph pension fund.

Deja vu all over again?

Let's see if he is still making these claims a year from now.

NOT

Memorial Hospital

The RI Health Department pulled the plug on the Pawtucket Hospital on Thursday and gave the go-ahead to pull close the hospital’s emergency room January 1.

At the end of the day, it is another example of the butchered and ugly way Rhode Island manages the State's healthcare system.

NOT

Leaving Your Child in the Car for More than 15 Minutes

Democratic State Senator Leonidas Raptakis is reintroducing legislation that will make it an offense to leave a child under the age of seven unattended in a car for over 15 minutes.

Seems like you should not need a law on this one, it should be common sense.

“While child neglect and child endangerment are serious crimes. We have no law providing a penalty for children left unattended in cars. As it stands now, the law only authorizes law enforcement officials to provide a verbal warning. There is a serious danger of abduction and an even greater danger from excessive temperatures inside a car," said Raptakis.  

"Animals are protected from being left unattended in a car with extreme temperatures. In fact, the penalty is a $1,000 fine. It’s time we give our children the same protection.  This law would be especially important during the holiday season with plunging temperatures and holiday shopping.  It’s time we protect our children,” added Raptakis.