Rhode Island's Future News Feed

Tom Sgouros for Treasurer Campaign Kickoff

Brian Hull — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:30:51 +0100

Please join us for the Tom Sgouros for Treasurer kick-off event!

Thursday, March 18, 2010, 6-9pm

Hi-Hat
3 Davol Square
Providence, RI

Featuring a performance by the What Cheer? Brigade.

Suggested Contribution: $100
Students, Low-income: $25

Why should you care about the treasurer's race? The treasurer's office is an underused asset to ...

HR 4789 and The Public Option: The Way Forward

Brian Hull — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:04:04 +0100

I wish we had 218 Alan Grayson's in the House and 50, ummm, I mean 60 Alan Grayson's in the Senate. Maybe then we'd see the change we voted for. I want my public option (along with my MTV).

From the Huffington Post:

Health care reform -- here's where we are. The House of Representatives is about to vote on a Senate bill without a public option. It looks like the reconciliation amendment will not have a public option. The House bill had a public option, but once the Hous...

In the absence of strong unions, Conservatives can rewrite history.

Pat Crowley — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:30:00 +0100

You may not know this, few folks do, but the state of Texas helps set the direction for textbook sales throughout the entire country. They do this because they are one of the largest statewide markets for textbooks, therefore what they want in their books gets put in books around the country...the thinking being why print two versions...one for Texas and one for everywhere else?

So folks should be pretty disturbed about the latest developments in the Texas school ...

The Mythology of Public Schools

Paul Bovenzi — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:40:20 +0100

One of the most frustrating aspects of public policy debate in this country is the tendency to boil every argument and issue down to an absolute, black and white, simplistic version of itself. It seems as if we have, for the most part, lost the ability to have an honest, thoughtful debate about a topic. The recent debates about Education “Reform” are a prime example. Our public figures treat teaching and learning as if they were simple human behaviors that can be measu...

Ethics complaint filed against Governor Don Carcieri

Brian Hull — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:29:10 +0100

Update: The ProJo blog picked up the story as well. The most important implication is highlighted below.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island blogger Brian Hull said Friday he has filed an ethics complaint against Governor Carcieri.

Hull said that Carcieri violated state law by failing to release a report on tax expenditures that he said was legally bound to be released no later than Jan. 12.

The Tax Expenditure Report details the various tax breaks and corpo...

Cicilline on Newsmakers - Operation Deception

Brian Hull — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:29:29 +0100

If the video doesn't embed, go here.
Watch video

Patrick Kennedy's political comeback...

Brian Hull — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:04:27 +0100

Update: Gene Valicenti talks with political analyst Wendy Schiller about Rep. Patrick Kennedy. In the interview, Wendy alludes to Kennedy moving to MA and running for the Senate seat previously occupied by his father, although there's another Kennedy who may also want to do that.

...
Watch video

Fundraiser for Rep. Amy Rice - March 17

Brian Hull — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:10:39 +0100

Please join Amy Rice for a fundraising reception on Wednesday, March 17, from 6-8pm, at Local 121 Speakeasy, 121 Washington Street, Providence, RI. Contribute what you can to help Amy get re-elected as a State Representative this year. If you're unable to attend, you can make a contribution online.

Whitehouse Working on the "Big Hou$e"

Bruce Reilly — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:31:05 +0100

The Senate Judiciary Committee recently kicked another field goal for criminal justice reform, this time booted by our own man Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. The Criminal Justice Reinvestment Act, passed in Senate Judiciary, will fund justice reinvestment studies, providing states with the data needed to propose specific and effective reforms. Other Senate sponsors are Pat Leahy (VT) and John Cornyn (R-TX). A compa...

Caravan to Shaw's Strike

Eric Rehder — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:06:21 +0100

Uncertainty, fear, longer hours, speed ups these are the words that describe work these days. The employers offensive against working standards has intensified in the recession. The examples have been particularly sharp in education with the firing of the entire Central Falls High School. This is clearly a message to all other teachers and workers that you should be prepared for more work, less pay, or you'll be on the curb. How to defend against this offensive is a major question. The strike...

Jack Reed fights for derivatives reform

Brian Hull — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:39:08 +0100

Jack Reed deserves some serious props. He has been one of the strongest champions for the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and has been tough on derivatives reform as well. He well aware that the country's largest banks want to keep the derivatives market as opaque as possible because they would be able to charge big fat commissions. Trading the derivatives on an Exchange wou...

RI Real Estate data 3/12/2010

k thomas — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:22:59 +0100

Rhode Island Real Estate Data

Property Flips

Sales by Zip

Foreclosures

Protecting the Environment Means More Than Curbing CO2 Emissions

Frank Carini — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:09:05 +0100

We're still squabbling about stolen e-mails that may or may not alter the global warming debate, but it's indisputable that we have been poisoning the land we live on, the water we drink and the air we breath for more than a century.

Last year's toothless Copenhagen Cli...

Carcieri breaks the law again, ignores deadline for 2010 Tax Expenditures Report

Brian Hull — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:52:06 +0100

Update: On Friday, March 12, I went to the Ethics Commission to file a complaint against Governor Don Carcieri for willful violation of state law, Title 44-48.1 - Tax Expenditure Reporting. You can see the video here.

Original Post: We already know that the Governor was breaking the law when he refused to release the third quarter motor vehicle excise tax payment to cities and towns past the February 1 deadline. We all owe Scott Guthrie a huge thank you for discovering this ...

Sen. Harry Reid's letter to Mitch McConnell 11 March 2010

rasputinkhlyst — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:05:03 +0100

I think this letter sums it up very well. This letter is copied from:
The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog

March 11, 2010
The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Republican Leader

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Leader McConnell:

Eleven months ago, I wrote you to share my expectations for the coming health reform debate. At the time, I expressed Democrats’ intention to work in good faith with Republicans, and my desire that – while we would disagr...

The Mysterious Criteria of Endorsements

Alan Mendelsohn — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:34:31 +0100

Endorsements have been rolling out as election season approaches. However, the campaign is still in an early stage. Many candidates still don't have complete websites and few have substantive policy positions on their websites. The only information you can find about candidates from their websites is the biography they provide. I am generally skeptical of endorsements that are made during such early stages of campaigns, for reasons that I will enumerate. Myrth York recently endorsed Angel Tav...

David Cicilline live chat - March 16

Brian Hull — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:13:48 +0100

From the ProJo:

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline will chat live with readers Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m.

The two-term mayor, who is running to represent Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District in Washington, recently unveiled a plan to rebuild the Providence Police Department after a Rhode Island State Police drug investigation result...

Moderate Party secures RI Young Dems board member as field organizer

Brian Hull — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:56:26 +0100

In the Moderate Party’s push to gain legitimacy in a state dominated by Democrats, they recently hired a RI Young Democrats (RIYD) board member. William Pierce, a unsuccessful 2008 Democratic contender against Republican Joe Trillo for District 24 (see below), joined the Moderate Party of RI as a full-time staffer earlier this week. This came as a huge surprise...

New report highlights a vision for solar power in the U.S.

Brian Hull — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:24:55 +0100

There's a new report out from Environment America talking about the need for increased use of solar power in the country's energy supply.

From Laundromats and baseball stadiums, to homes and cars, solar energy is already enhancing energy security and reducing pollution in America. A new Environment Rhode Island report outlines a vision for using the sun to meet10 percent of...

New Report Shows Children, Survivors Re-Victimized During Child Custody and Visitation

Wilhite — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:02:44 +0100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 11, 2010
CONTACT: Chris Wilhite, (401) 467-9940 (office); (401) 829-2564 (cell)

New Report Shows Children, Survivors Re-Victimized During Child Custody and Visitation
Twelve Recommendations to End Domestic Abuse in Rhode Island's Child Custody and Visitation System

[Providence, RI] The long-await...