Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? - April 21, 2017
Russell J. Moore, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? - April 21, 2017
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? - April 21, 2017
HOT
Kathrine Switzer
It was a great moment at the Boston Marathon this Monday when Switzer, who was the first woman to compete in the race back in 1967--5 years before it was allowed. She was then impeded by a race official who attempted to stop her. This year, she completed the race yet again, at the age of 70. Swtizer is a symbol of feminism and how far women have come in 50 years. It was nice to see she hasn’t lost much of (if any) her strength in five decades.
HOT
Lincoln Chafee
The former Governor, US Senator, and Warwick Mayor has officially come out opposed to the Invenergy Power Plant proposal in Burrillville, largely due to the fact that it will contribute to climate change, according to a report from RI-NPR’s Ian Donnis. Chafee’s stances on public policy issues may very well signal a desire to seek public office again, which will, at very least, make things very interesting here in Little Rhody.
HOT
Pierre Cardin
The legendary fashion designer will visit the Newport this summer and host a fashion show at the Rosecliff Mansion. This should be an awesome event for the fashion oriented, and might provide some good tips for those who are fashion-challenged.
HOT
Eric Creamer
The Rhode Island Executive Director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving made some astute points on GoLocal live earlier this week, pointing out that advances in technology, such as ride sharing apps and companies like Lyft and Uber reduce drunk driving, not to mention ignition interlock systems and called Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS). Nobody should drink and drive.
HOT
Team Air Strike
The Aquidneck Island Robot Club, finished ranked 8th out of 196 New England teams and has qualified to compete at the FRC World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri. Air Strike is comprised of 24 students from 10 high schools across Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. Best of luck to team Air Strike in the world championship next week.
HOT
Tucker Carlson
The bowtie wearing conservative darling has been tapped to replace Bill O’Reilly, the ousted cable news ratings leader on Fox News Network, who was dogged by sexual harassment claims. Best of luck to Carlson, who clearly has some big shoes to fill. The move was a bit surprising, since the network could have turned to Jesse Watters, who frequently appeared on the show, and undoubtedly would have provided some humor to the show thanks to his razor sharp wit.
NOT
Gina Raimondo
We’ve got a serious problem here in Rhode Island. Over the last 26 months, 10 babies have died in our state. Meanwhile, the Raimondo administration has failed to fill more than 110 positions at the Department of Children, Youth and Families, despite them being funded. Protecting our most innocent and most vulnerable should be a top priority and Governor Gina Raimondo needs to realize that. DCYF needs to get it act together, and quickly.
NOT
Kim Keck
In 2007, Blue Cross promised the City of Providence that it would centralize its operations at its building in Waterplace Park after receiving a generous tax stabilization agreement from the city. This week, Blue Cross notified the city that it would be moving 125 of its employees out of the Providence building over to East Providence. That means there will be only 600 Blue Cross employees in the building, which is designed to house 1,100 workers. Blue Cross, under Keck’s leadership, doesn’t seem to be holding up its end of the bargain with the city.
NOT
Sheldon Whitehouse
The senator, who fashions himself as an environmental champion, refuses to take a position on the Invenergy Power Plant proposal for Burrillville, saying he believes his advocacy is better suited for the US Senate, as opposed to statewide issues. This is perhaps the most blatant example of fence sitting in the state’s history. Whitehouse doesn’t get to tell us he’s an environmental champion while refusing to oppose the Burrillville proposal.
NOT
Vandalism
There’s been a revolting act of vandalism on the World War One Memorial in Providence. A miscreant, or a group of them, spray painted a derogatory, vulgar phrase on the monument. It’s unconscionable that someone would not only vandalise public property, but also disrespect the sacrifices of the veterans who gave their lives to make America the greatest country in world history. Whomever did this heinous act should be ashamed.
NOT
Cardi Corporation
The construction company agreed to pay a $500,000 to the federal government in order to settle its claim that the company improperly installed a crash railing on the I-195 I-Way bridge as well as its approach. Cardi is an experienced construction firm, and should have known better.
NOT
RIPTA
The Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority (RIPTA) has a serious problem with transparency. The quasi-public authority, which is technically a government agency that is funded in large part by tax dollars, has refused to provide information about accidents involving RIPTA vehicles despite requests by GoLocal and, now, lawyers for the family of the deceased 9-year-old girl, Ani Emdjian, struck and killed by a RIPTA bus. That’s not good policy and the public deserves better.
NOT
Boston Celtics
Despite having a tremendous regular season and securing the number 1 seed in the NBA playoffs, the Celtics are down 2 games to none as they prepare for this evening’s game. The team’s lack of rebounding and less than stellar defense have been exposed in the first two games, so here’s hoping they can right the ship tonight and get back into the series.
