Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - November 1, 2019

HOT

The 22 Owners of "Round the Corner" Bar

The bar located at 12 Governor Street in the heart of the Fox Point section of Providence was listed for sale this week for $379,000.

It is known as ‘Round the Corner’ and it has a rich past -- and unusual ownership. 

The listing by Re/Max agent Brenda Rebello-Reyes describes it as a turnkey operation, and for Rebello-Reyes, the sale is much more personal. 

“There’s a little story behind this bar,” said Rebello-Reyes, when reached for more information about the sale. “There’s 22 of us now.”

Twenty-two owners that is.

Rebello-Reyes told GoLocal about being part of the collective group of owners, who are “all a little older now," and have now decided it is time to sell the neighborhood establishment.  The group opened in the early 1990s. 

Co-owner Bob Dillon said the following about the bar -- and experience

"From its inception, the 'Corner' has been a welcoming, enjoyable, and safe place for all that entered the front door. It was a cross-section of Americana at its finest," said Dillon. "A typical crowd would consist of people from all spectrums of life up and down the economic scale, customers who would identify as white, black, Cape Verdean, or somewhere in between."

"You were always welcome regardless of your gender or sexual preference. It was a unique establishment where you could disagree or advocate on politics, sports, etc. and the only harm was who would pick up the next round," he added. "It truly was the Cheers of Rhode Island."

HOT

Drone Delivery

In New York City 1.5. million packages are delivered each day — that is more than half a billion packages delivered annually.

In Providence, certain areas of the city are jammed with white unmarked Amazon vehicles, Brown UPS trucks, and FedEx vans. In Providence, the number of packages delivered may be more in the 20,000 a day range.

PHOTO: RouteLX

Now, the top retailers are moving forward and each with their own drone delivery strategy. The advantage of drone delivery is efficiency and lower cost — fewer trucks and fewer drivers.

All the big players have made announcements on their respective drone strategies — CVS, Uber, Amazon, UPS and maybe most ambitious is Walmart who has filed patents that show how a complex drone army could fill the sky.

HOT

Neighborhood Health Plan

Happy Birthday to the company that helped to revolutionize healthcare coverage in RI.

Rhode Island ranks high for overall healthcare coverage and especially for children.

HOT

NIH Grants to Brown

Brown University was awarded two five-year grants totaling $6.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to combat the opioid crisis.

Brown will use the grants to launch two projects confronting opioids in Rhode Island neighborhoods and specifically address fentanyl.

“Both projects are trying to bring innovative technologies to help solve the overdose crisis. That’s the long-term goal — to reduce the risk of overdose and to save lives,” said Brandon Marshall, an expert adviser to Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force, and principal investigator on both projects.

The first project will launch a partnership with the State of Rhode Island that will result in neighborhood-based intervention strategies across the state’s cities and towns.

The second project will enable researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of test strips used to detect fentanyl based on a 2018 pilot study led by Marshall.

HOT

A Reminder About Great Presidents

The Providence Committee on Foreign Relations has announced that Tweed Roosevelt, the great-grandson of former President Theodore Roosevelt, will be the guest speaker at the next meeting.

Roosevelt will discuss how TR’s foreign policy, which was developed as the U.S. became truly a world power, affected subsequent presidents’ foreign policies.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 6 at the Hope Club in Providence.

Drinks begin at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served around 6:45 p.m.

REGISTER HERE

HOT

Edessia Wins

Beautiful Day RI presented RI-based Edesia with the Annie Award for its work with refugees.

The Annie Award is presented annually to an organization, or individual, that demonstrates extraordinary service to refugees and other vulnerable populations.

Edesia was presented the award on Tuesday.

Edesia is a U.S. nonprofit with a mission to treat and prevent malnutrition in developing countries worldwide.

Founder Navyn Salem’s factory in Rhode Island produces a variety of peanut-based nutritional supplements that are sent to refugee camps and conflict zones around the world where child malnourishment is rampant. 

Since 2010, Edesia has reached over 9 million children in over 50 countries.

NOT

Yelling and Screaming

Marc Crisafulli is claiming that Governor Gina Raimondo's chief-of-staff Brett Smiley threatened him.

A little hard to believe Crisafulli who has worked for two major gaming companies and the biggest construction company in Boston has not given -- or gotten -- tough talk a few times over the years.

Hmmm.

NOT

State Police's Reputation

The former Chief Legal Counsel at the Rhode Island State Police is speaking out and blaming former Superintendent Steven O’Donnell for the decline of the agency’s morale.

In a series of social media posts, Lisa Holley squarely blamed O'Donnell for the decline at the agency.

“[You] can’t blame Colonel Assumpico solely for this mess. She inherited it. Morale tanked with O’Donnell,” wrote Holley on Facebook, in response to comments on the GoLocal article, "The “Proud” RI State Police Are Facing Significant Challenges — It Is Not the First Time."

Assumpico was O’Donnell’s successor and served roughly two years as head of the State Police, and worked to address a number of issues that emerged under O’Donnell’s reign, including a highly criticized 38 Studios investigation and the handling of the Jamie Donnelly-Taylor incident with a State Police detainee Lionel Monsanto.

Her tenure overlapped both the command of Brendan Doherty and O’Donnell.