Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - January 10, 2020

HOT

U.S. Senator Jack Reed

In the present narrative in Washington, there are few legislators in either chamber who call it as they see it -- and avoid petty personal attacks.

This week as America moved to the precipice of war, Reed let his views on foreign relations be known without partisan attacks -- or snarky Tweets.

HOT

Coach Bob Walsh

Former Rhode Island College men’s basketball coach Bob Walsh will be inducted into the Little East Conference Hall of Fame.

Walsh is currently the associate director of player development/scheduling and recruiting coordinator for the Providence College men’s basketball team.

Walsh at RIC

Walsh led Rhode Island College for nine seasons (2005-14), compiling a record of 204-63.

His .764 winning percentage is the highest in program history and he ranks second all-time in career victories. Walsh led RIC to Little East Conference Regular Season Championships five times (2013, ’11, 10, ’09, ’07) and to six Little East Conference Tournament Championships (2014, ’13, ’11, ’10, ’08, ’07).

HOT

Mistakes Happen -- And Apologies Are Important

Providence Teachers Union President Maribeth Calabro has issued an apology to Warwick Public Schools Superintendent Phil Thornton -- and the Pilgrim High School community -- after she had posted and commented on allegations from another Facebook user that alleged racist behavior by those associated with Pilgrim at a recent girls basketball game. 

The allegations sparked an investigation by Warwick schools. The claims of racism have been denied to date by both teams involved in the basketball game that took place this week — Warwick’s Pilgrim High School and Providence’s Mount Pleasant High School. 

Thornton did not respond to request for comment Thursday night. 

Calabro's Apology:

January 9th, 2020

Superintendent Thornton,

Yesterday morning, as you all know, I saw two posts on Facebook regarding the girls’ basketball game between Mt Pleasant High School and Pilgrim High School.  The first post was from Coach Pinto, asking about the appropriateness of “barking” at girls during a game.  He removed the post shortly thereafter.  I scrolled further in the feed and came across another post written by a female that discussed the same game and behaviors and language that were in the author's view “racist." They removed their post shortly after I posted on my page.

Both posts left me upset, angry and frustrated and I did what I had been taught never to do, which is put something in writing and send it, before sitting on it.  I didn’t sit on it, I didn’t think on it, I didn’t investigate or even ask questions. I reacted, without thought of truth, or consequence.  In my heart and in my head if my students, our students, had been wronged then I wanted it made right.  In my heart and in my head, this was not out of the realm of possibility and our girls needed someone to speak up.  But in my haste, I did not do my due diligence, I did not ask those that were actually present at the game, the fans on both sides, the coaches, the AD, the students, the athletes, the coaches.  I hit send and it was a terrible mistake. 

While I don’t personally like the idea of barking at female students during a sporting event or at anytime for that matter, I have been told by the Mt Pleasant AD that the Coach for Pilgrim and the AD for Pilgrim addressed that issue.  As for the post regarding the racial slurs, and commentary. I never should have re-posted or copied and pasted until I was 110% positive, with evidence to back it up, that it was a fact. 

That being said, to the girls’ basketball team, parents’ coaches, staff, AD, principal, fans and students and superintendent of Pilgrim High School, I apologize for re-posting something without having absolute evidence of its truth.  I apologize for not asking questions. I apologize for not doing my due diligence before I copied and pasted someone else’s words as I was not there and witnessed nothing.  In my post I asked that the incident be investigated, and it was by many parties.  They all concluded that there was no racial incident, no slurs and no unsportsmanlike conduct.  

I preach to students and my son that social media can be dangerous and can get you into trouble. Today the teacher became the student.  My sincerest apologies to the Pilgrim Community.

Respectfully,

Maribeth Calabro

HOT

Becca Brady and Tiffany Ting

The annual list of Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat is a list unlike any other “best of” out there.

And coming in at number 40 this year is Hometown Cafe & Poké Bar – a relatively new addition to the Providence dining scene from Brady and Ting.

"Sure, you’ll see your fancy-schmancy spots and white tablecloth restaurants, but it’s also chock full of hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path joints. From fine dining to shawarma food trucks — find them all in Yelp’s seventh annual Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.," writes Yelp of their rankings. 

Hometown Poké is located at the Billy Taylor House in Providence at 185 Camp Street.

Brady and Ting started with a food truck and then opened the restaurant in October of 2018.

HOT

Historic Recognition 

Rhode Island College (RIC) has received a federal historic designation.

The Rhode Island State Home and School for Dependent and Neglected Children located on RIC’s campus has been added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

“We are pleased that this unusual type of resource is now listed in the National Register. This property is a tangible reminder of the experience of thousands of Rhode Island children in state care. The designation represents the complexity of our shared history,” said  Paul Loether, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC).

HOT

Britain's Royal Family

Love them -- or not -- they are never dull.

The Royal Family should get all the credit for inventing the reality TV show and the soap opera genres.

The latest from the BBC:

The Duchess of Sussex has returned to Canada amid ongoing discussions over the future role for her and the Duke of Sussex in the Royal Family.

She and Prince Harry had been in Canada over Christmas with son Archie.

It comes as the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge asked staff to find a workable solution after the couple announced they will step back as senior royals.

The Royal Family was said to be "hurt" at the couple's statement.

Palace sources have told BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond that Prince Harry and Meghan did not consult any other royal about making their personal statement.

NOT

Elorza and Grafitti

The lower part of College Hill has been scarred by graffiti. The tagging has been relentless — historic buildings, multi-million dollar new apartment complexes — everything has been damaged.

Despite repeated calls to Providence City Hall, shop owners and property owners have told GoLocal that the city has failed to address the problems. Much of the graffiti is months old.

The area is home to upscale restaurants like Mills Tavern, the burger bar Harry's, historic office buildings and the new $40 million Edge at College Hill apartments.

In just a two-block area — Thomas Street to Park Row — GoLocal found more than 40 graffiti tags on nearly every building.

NOT

Brick and Mortar Retail

On Monday GoLocal reported, that the new year is only a few days old and many of the top retailers in America are moving forward with — collectively — thousands of new store closings.

The past decade saw retailers closing stores and others completely disappear.

The latest numbers show that more than 9,200 retail stores closed in 2019 -- a record number.

And, some stores over the decade disappeared.

Blockbuster saw 1,700 stores close.  Nearly 400 Borders bookstores closed. The largest closure by stores was Payless ShoeSource who shuttered 2,589 locations and went out-of-business.

Closures Stacking up in 2020

The retailers who have already announced hundreds of store closures in 2020 include Chico’s 250 stores, Gap (230 stores), and A.C. Moore (150).

Later in the week, Pier 1 announced it plans to close 450 stores. And Macy's announced more store closings. 

4 Dead in MA, 1 in RI, and More Than 50 Nationally

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that a fourth person has died of a vaping-associated lung injury.

According to the Department, the victim was a man in his 70s from Middlesex County who vaped tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

“Today’s news is a tragic reminder that we must remain vigilant about the dangers of vaping. There are resources available to help people quit and we encourage anyone to use these resources,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH.

CDC announced that the national death toll now exceeds 50.

In December, GoLocal was first to report that the CDC designated a recent death in the Rhode Island as vaping-related, making it RI's first.