38 Studios Debacle: RI’s Own Green Monster
Curt Schilling was a magnificent baseball player for a number of years. He was instrumental in removing the Curse of the Bambino for the Red Sox, and who can ever forget the ‘Bloody Sock’? Great stuff indeed. While it is evident that Mr. Schilling displayed significant talent on the diamond, his recent exploration into the [...]
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Ciccone Bill Would Repeal Marriage Equality Order
As we first reported last week, Sen. Frank Ciccone is pushing a bill that would weaken Gov. Chafee’s executive affirmation that Rhode Island recognizes same sex marriages performed in other states. The Democrat from Providence submitted on Thursday “a joint resolution of the House and Senate on Thursday rejecting the order’s assertion,” according to the [...]
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Taveras Bikes to City Hall, Creates Velo Comission
As part of Bike to Work Week, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras pedaled from his home in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood to City Hall this morning. More importantly, he announced that he’s creating a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission for the Capital City. “Cities that make a commitment to walkable and bikeable living are healthier cities, [...]
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Tea Party Pledge: ‘Forget the Needy, Help the Greedy
A fellow named Frank Sloan sent me this pretty funny video this morning that takes a lyrical and humorous look at anti-tax pledges and the theory of austerity. Check it out:
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Stokes, Schilling Take Hits but Carcieri Is to Blame
While Keith Stokes might be the one to have lost his job and Curt Schilling might lose his business, the person most responsible for the 38 Studios financial fiasco is former Governor Don Carcieri. The CEO governor billed himself as having the business background necessary to boost the economy and create new jobs. But as [...]
Forget About Schilling, Stokes; Let’s Rethink EDC
As we think about the potential debacle that 38 Studios represents, it’s worth putting a quarter into the time machine and revisiting some great moments in EDC history. This is from a 2009 column I wrote about EDC (link – scroll down to “EDC: What’s the point?”). A report had just come out scolding EDC’s [...]
Stokes Resigns Over 38 Studios Deal
Keith Stokes, the executive director of the state Economic Development Corporation, resigned yesterday during the emergency meeting concerning the 38 Studios guaranteed loan debacle. In a post this morning, RI Future predicted this would happen. Here’s the statement from Governor Chafee: Yesterday, Keith Stokes offered his resignation as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic [...]
Stokes Pushed Too Hard for 38 Studios Deal
Expect Keith Stokes to lose his job as executive director of the state Economic Development Corporation over the debacle with 38 Studios. In fact, he ought to offer his resignation, if he hasn’t already. He pushed for the hugely risky deal and even begged at least one lawmaker not to propose legislation that would have [...]
It’s a Showdown in CD1
Elections didn’t used to be this way in Rhode Island. If you ran for federal office and won, you were pretty much guaranteed an unassailable position from which to plot your next step in life; be that a higher federal office, a cabinet position, retirement, or death. In fact, for roughly three out of four [...]
Gemma Said He Wouldn’t Vote For Cicilline
Anthony Gemma says he running against Congressman David Cicilline to help keep the CD1 seat in the hands of the Democrats. But he also said that he wouldn’t vote for Cicilline in the general election if the incumbent beats him in the primary. “I said in good consciousness I cannot support David Cicilline,” Gemma told [...]
Environmental Justice on the Polluting Waterfront
Question: What do junkyards, hazardous waste processors, hospitals, and Environmental Justice areas have in common? Answer: They’re all located adjacent one another in Providence. Projo reports that the DEM has ordered waterfront junkyards, Sims Metal Management and Rhode Island Recycled Metals, to cease operations for “[failing] to obtain the necessary approval for their scrap metal [...]
Hard to Tell Who Knew of 38 Studios Deal
Rhode Island is hyperfocused on Curt Schilling. But unlike eight years ago when he heroically hurled us to a World Series victory, this time we have to rely on his business – not athletic – acumen. His video game company, 38 Studios, was given a taxpayer guaranteed $75 million loan to move from Massachusetts to [...]
‘Two Handfuls’ of Senators Block Marriage Equality
Forget about a marriage equality bill making it out of the Senate this session, such legislation hasn’t even been heard in committee this year. It was introduced on February 16, but still hasn’t received its customary hearing. “I think you know what my position is on this,” said Sen. Michael McCafffrey, a Warwick Democrat, when [...]
Help RI Future Succeed: Donate Now!
To date, my new business plan for RI Future has consisted mostly of me wearing sweaters on cold nights and eating a lot of peanut butter and bread for meals. But this state’s only source of progressive news and information now needs a new computer. Since our readership is growing just as rapidly as the [...]
ACLU Questions Legality of Barrington Tuition Idea
The Barrington School Committee finally has a legal opinion on its idea to allow a small number of out-of-town students to to pay tuition to attend its high-performing public schools. It’s from the RI ACLU. “The Barrington School Department has no obligation to establish a special program to accept students from out-of-town, but once it [...]
38 Studios and the ‘Job Creator’ Logic
Word started buzzing around the State House just prior to Gov. Chafee making his historic executive order recognizing same sex marriages from other states – but the rumors weren’t about marriage equality, they were about 38 Studios. By the end of the day, Bill Rappleye of Channel 10 broke what very well could become the [...]
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