Monday, May 20, 2013
Eva-Marie Mancuso, the state’s new Board of Education chair, uses courtroom demeanor to try to convince angry teachers and nervous parents that change is necessary.
Eva-Marie Mancuso enjoys a lively debate but is clear about one thing: When it comes to educating Rhode Island’s children, the status quo is not an option. At a recent Q&A session in East Greenwich, the state’s new Board of Education chair, sparred with state Sen. James Sheehan (D-NK, Narr.) over teacher evaluations, cajoled teachers to work with the state, and tried to reassure at least one parent that using passage of a test as a graduation requirement is the right move. The forum, organized by the EG Democratic Town Committee, was held at EG’s Town Hall, the former Kent County Courthouse. The setting suited Mancuso, a personal injury lawyer. Although the new Board of Education for the first time combines all levels of public education …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Greenvale Vineyards will hold its 15th annual Restoration Celebration this Saturday from 1-4 p.m., featuring the official release of Portsmouth's Commemorative wine label celebrating Portsmouth's 375th birthday.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Portsmouth Town Council will issue a RFP for ferry services to Prudence and Hog Islands. The Prudence Island Ferry boards in Bristol.
The Portsmouth Town Council will seek requests for proposals to provide ferry services to Prudence Island, as well as Hog Island. The Prudence Island Ferry, the only means of public transportation for Portsmouth residents from Prudence Island to Bristol, will end its service on Dec. 1. The Portsmouth council voted Monday night for the town administrator to draft a RFP for ferry services to Prudence Island. The council is also looking into adding ferry services to Hog Island, too. Ferry services to Hog Island have not existed for more than a decade. What do you think about these plans? Tell us in the comment section below.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Portsmouth Town Council met Monday night at Town Hall.
The Portsmouth Town Council took up a number of issues on May 13, 2013. Featured here is an account of the meeting. 7 p.m. - Molly Magee and John Blaess are running late. Only five councilors are present. 7:03 - New LCD TV screens are present in the council chambers. Portsmouth High School students installed the screens. Portsmouth Town Hall also now has WiFi. 7:04 - The council presented a proclamation to the Middletown "Teacher of the Year" Sharon Bissonnette, a Portsmouth resident. 7:06 - Doug Smith and Gary Gump, members of the Portsmouth 375th Anniversary Committee, were also honored with a proclamation. Smith and Gump are heading to Portsmouth, England, the town's namesake. They will present a formal invitation from the town to…
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Monday, May 13, 2013
The Portsmouth Town Council will tackle a number of top issues Monday night, including the Prudence Island Ferry issue and possibly taxing a state-approved medical marijuana facility.
There's no shortage of big topics slated for discussion at this Monday's Portsmouth Town Council meeting. Prudence Island Ferry The Portsmouth Town Council will hear a proposal to draft a RFP and go out to bid for a new ferry service for Prudence Island. As of Dec. 1, the current Prudence Island Ferry service will end, leaving Prudence Island without access to the mainland. Taxing Medical Marijuana Center Portsmouth Town Councilor David Gleason will discuss a proposal to tax a medical marijuana center expected to open later this month. The Greenleaf Compassion Center, owned and operated by CEO Seth Bock, is expected to open in May as the state of Rhode Island's second medical marijuana center. The medical marijuana center will open …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Rep. Dennis Canario talks about recent gun legislation.
The following is an op-ed submitted by Rep. Dennis Canario. In the wake of the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the General Assembly leadership joined with Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and law enforcement officials to introduce a package of gun legislation, including several bills that seek to strengthen existing laws dealing with firearms violations. Since the introduction of those bills, the House Committee on Judiciary, on which I serve, has held a lengthy hearing. Over the course of about eight hours, many people testified on the various bills. There was clearly a great assortment of opinions, from strong support to strong opposition. I am writing to share with my constituents …
The Little Compton Town Council has invited Portsmouth officials to discuss the possibility of joining the town's lawsuit against the RITBA and other players in the Sakonnet River Bridge toll.
Little Compton officials are considering joining a lawsuit against the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority and several other defendants in response to proposed tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge. Portsmouth filed the lawsuit on April 23 in U.S. District Court that accuses RITBA and Michael Lewis, director of the DOT, of violating the Federal-Aid Highway Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Passed in 1969, the act requires government bodies to complete an environmental impact statement before launching projects such as constructing a new bridge. The Portsmouth complaint alleges that RIBTA, Lewis and the Federal Highway Administration did not fulfill this obligation when the initial impact statement on the construction of…
Letter carriers will take to the streets Saturday, May 11, in the nation's largest single-day food drive. Please help your local letter carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" by leaving a bag of healthy, non-perishable food items near your mailbox early on Saturday
State Treasurer Gina Raimondo said the pension changes put in place by the General Assembly have made the system more sustainable.
About 18 months after the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a sweeping set of state pension reforms, the retirement system for state employees is "much healthier" than it was before, Treasurer Gina Raimondo said during a recent interview. Raimondo, who spoke with Patch at Mt. Hope High School, oversees the state's $7.6-billion pension investments. She explained that the fund originally "had less than 50 percent of the funds it needed to cover the liabilities," whereas "today, the system is healthy and well-funded." In order to fix the system, Raimondo and Gov. Lincoln Chafee proposed a number of changes, including suspending Cost of Living Adjustments, of COLAs, for 19 years; raising the state retirement age to match a retiree's Social …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Results from a recent executive survey ranked Rhode Island 37th for business.
A CEO magazine ranks Rhode Island as one of the worst states in the nation for business. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Rhode Island 37th based on a survey of corporate leaders. Survey respondents rated the Ocean State poorly in the area of taxation and regulations. Massachusetts and Connecticut ranked even worse. Massachusetts was ranked 47th and Connecticut came in at 45th place. The worst three ranked states in the survey were California, New York and Illinois. Texas, Florida and North Carolina, on the other hand, were ranked as the three best states in which to do business. What do you think about Rhode Island’s business climate? Is this a good state in which to do business?
Alex G
2:41 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Having had a family member with debilitating cancer, I can say that medical marijuana was the only reason my father lived comfortably for a few more years. Other states do tax medical marijuana, so I'm sure our General Assembly will not pass on this new revenue stream. The money will come to Portsmouth eventually. I was disturbed that our town council publicly asked the Compassion center owner … more ›