Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - December 6, 2024
Analysis
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - December 6, 2024
We have expanded the list, and we are going to a GoLocal team approach while encouraging readers to suggest nominees for who is "HOT" and who is "NOT."
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Over the past 14-plus years, more than 7,000 have been tagged as HOT or NOT.
Email GoLocal by midday on Thursday about anyone you think should be tapped as "HOT" or "NOT." Email us HERE.
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - December 6, 2024
HOT
RIVALRY
At noon on Saturday, the Friars tip off against the Rams at the Ryan Center.
Annually, it is the best game of the year.
HOT
Dynamic Duo
Michael Rose, GoLocal's art columnist, has a great review of a wonderful new show:
Student artists form an important part of the local artistic community, and Rhode Island College is host to many of the most talented young makers in the state.
On view now through January 18 at the Chazan Family Gallery at RIC, a current exhibition highlights the skills of two rising talents: printmaker Alia Del Borgo and sculptor Natalia Miller. These students have amassed striking bodies of work and the combination of the two makes for a lively exhibition that is not to be missed.
Del Borgo and Miller’s exhibition, titled Physics and Physiques, features dueling methods that overlap in perspective and explore similar themes with in-depth considerations of gender, labor, and the upending of preconceived notions found in art history. Del Borgo brings drawings and prints that leverage a variety of processes like monotype and intaglio.
Miller is showing sculptures that blend industrial methods of making to create fine art installations. Steel, wood, and neon are combined to create works that form a vibrant and large-scale counterpoint to Del Borgo’s intimate and finely detailed prints.
HOT
Growing Again
Sally Lapides is one of the best entrepreneurs in Rhode Island.
On Thursday, she announced that as of January 1, 2025, Mansions & Manors will join Residential Properties Limited. For Residential Properties, this is a major boon to its Aquidneck Island and South County market penetration.
RPL and Mansions & Manors are both female-founded and run brokerages, with leadership committed to a level of personalized service that only a local, independent brokerage can provide. Since opening in 1981, Residential Properties Ltd. has grown to become the state’s largest and most successful independent real estate brokerage. Headquartered in Jamestown, Mansions & Manors has been a leading boutique firm for three decades.
“Gloria and I have taken similar career paths and share an outlook in life and in real estate that has shaped our brands for decades,” said RPL President and CEO Lapides. “Gloria built, and has sustained, a female-run company that has stayed true to its values, putting client interests first, establishing long-lasting relationships based on trust, and maintaining a belief in strong communities. With the addition of Mansions & Manors® to our 250 agents, RPL is methodically expanding its presence throughout Jamestown, Newport, and neighboring areas of Rhode Island while providing the same level of service which established the reputations of both brokerages from the start.”
HOT
Winner, Winner
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB) has been named a Platinum Choice Winner by Smart Meetings, a leading meetings industry publisher. The 2024 Platinum Choice Awards were nominated and voted on by meeting professionals and honor the top-ranked hotels, venues and destinations in the hospitality industry.
“We are incredibly grateful to be recognized once again by our clients,” said Kristen Adamo, PWCVB president and CEO. “Being named a Platinum Choice Award Winner reinforces our commitment to delivering excellent service, and I could not be more proud of our team.
"As true destination ambassadors, we approach leisure and meetings tourism holistically, and that unique strategy has led us to the place we are today," she added. "We’re grateful to be recognized nationally, and look forward to continuing our impactful work for visitors and residents alike.”
NOT
Another One Bites the Dust
The latest media company to shutter in Rhode Island is the Smithfield Times, a community magazine in Northern Rhode Island.
The print industry has been hit hard. In November, Gannett announced the closure of the Providence Journal's printing facility, the layoff of 136 employees, and the sale of the property, now listed at $9 million. Previously, Providence Monthly and East Side Monthly were merged into one publication; the Phoenix closed, and the Newport Mercury shuttered in 2018; it had been published since 1758.
The Smithfield Times was previously owned by Laurence Sasso Jr. and Ron Scopelliti and then by politician John Tassoni. At one time, it had a circulation of 9,500.
Brittni Henderson, the editor of the Smithfield Times publication, took to social media to announce the closure.
Good morning, Smithfield Times community,
I am using my personal Facebook page to make this announcement because I was removed from The Smithfield Times Facebook and Instagram pages early this morning.
The owner of The Smithfield Times abruptly closed the magazine today. The December issue is the final of this era.
While this is not the ideal outcome for the talented writers, salespeople, photographers, and designers of this magazine, we are hopeful that there is a way for us to move forward on our own,” she wrote.
Thomas J. Lopatosky, Jr. is listed as the publication's owner and operator.
“We continued producing content for this magazine despite the many downfalls that took place behind the scenes. The staff of this magazine are truly something special. We kept pushing so that we could provide this magical piece of local journalism to our town,” she wrote.
“We were left with nothing. It’s time to start over. If you or someone you know might interested in helping us get a new magazine off the ground, please let me know,” added Henderson.
NOT
Two RI Companies - CVS and UNFI - Announce More Than 900 Layoffs Combined
In the past few days, two of Rhode Island's largest publicly traded companies have announced hundreds of layoffs.
UNFI has announced 121 layoffs — the company is a major natural food supplier. It is headquartered in Providence.
In addition, CVS announced another 796 layoffs on November 25. This is the second major layoff in less than two months. On October 7, CVS had announced 632 layoffs.
The layoffs were filed in accordance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which "ensures advance notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs."
November Cuts
In November, the Rhode Island Department of Labor was notified of three layoffs of more than 100.
- Gannett, the parent company of the Providence Journal, announced the closing of the printing facility in early 2025, which triggered the notification of 132 layoffs.
- In November, CVS has an additional 796.
- And UNFI has added more November cuts, with 121 jobs slashed.
Combined, the three companies cut 1,049 jobs.
NOT
NEW STUDY — Bad News
In Providence metro specifically, 50% of renter households spend at least 30% of their income on rent, and 26% spend more than half.
NOT
PC Students Chanted “F the Mormons” at Game - Athletic Director Issues Apology to BYU
Providence College students' name-calling and chants caused another embarrassment for school officials.
At the PC Men's Basketball game against BYU on Tuesday night, students repeatedly chanted “F the Mormons.”
Steven Napolillo, the athletic director at Providence College, took to X Tuesday night to apologize.
I want to apologize to @BYUMBB, their coaches & institution for unacceptable chants by our student body tonight. Once it was brought to my attention, I went to the student body & had them stop. That does not represent who Providence College is & what we stand for. We are sorry.
This is not the first episode to create an uproar.
