John McDaid
Hundreds protest Sakonnet River Bridge toll
“This bridge should not have a toll on it, it’s that simple,” John Vitkevich stood near the toll gantry on the bike path leading to the Sakonnet River Bridge, as more than 250 local residents assembled for the 5pm protest Sunday night, some waving flags, many carrying signs, and all receiving encouraging honks from the [...]
Arsonists target Sakonnet River Bridge toll system
At about 1am Saturday, equipment connected with the Sakonnet River Bridge was “intentionally damaged by fire,” according to an official statement sent to media by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. In the release, RITBA Chair David Darlington said that the fire was quickly extinguished, and that there was no damage to the bridge [...]
Northeast Young Dems convene in Providence
The future of the Democratic Party was front and center at the RI Convention Center on Saturday as the Young Democrats of America (YDA) came to town to hold their New England regional conference. Nearly 50 attendees from New York to Maine met for day of talks, panels, and business (including the election of their [...]
Thousands Rally For Action On Keystone, Climate Change
WASHINGTON, DC – Organizers estimated that 50,000 people took to the streets of Washington DC today as a broad coalition of progressive groups came together to press the Obama administration to kill the KeystoneXL pipeline and make good on promises of action on climate change. By 11am, buses were pulling up to the Mall near [...]
Sunday DC Climate Rally To Feature Sen. Whitehouse
Organizers of Sunday’s “Forward on Climate Rally” in Washington, DC, offered a preview of the event and stressed the critical importance of action by the Obama administration to block the Keystone XL pipeline, the rally’s central focus. “This will be the largest climate rally ever in this country,” said Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org. He [...]
NOM’s RI Senate Push Poll
This afternoon, at least one residence in Portsmouth received a robo poll that identified itself as being from Chris Plante and the National Organization for Marriage. With the recent vote in the RI House, the message began, the focus has “shifted to the Senate, where it’s on a knife’s edge.” Then came the poll: “Do [...]
Obama Delivers Compelling Case for Re-Election
CHARLOTTE, NC — President Barack Obama, in a crisp, straight-forward speech at the Democratic National Convention last night, laid out the the central choice embodied in his re-election campaign. “Over the next few years,” said the president, “big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; [...]
RI Democratic Leaders Praise Clinton Speech
CHARLOTTE, NC – Rhode Island’s two Democratic Senators were effusive in their praise for the barnburner of a speech that former President Bill Clinton delivered last night nominating Barack Obama. At the delegation’s breakfast meeting this morning, there were a lot of smiles (and more than a few extra cups of coffee, given that Speaker [...]
RI Delegation Welcomes a First-Night Speaker
CHARLOTTE, NC — The Rhode Island delegation was buzzing this morning over last night’s speeches and events at the Democratic National Convention, and they had a surprise visitor when Gov. Lincoln Chafee stopped by their breakfast. “We may have our differences back home,” Chafee told the delegates, “But here, we’re all united to support the [...]
Recovery Caucus Pushes for Mental Health Parity
CHARLOTTE, NC – Former RI Representative Patrick Kennedy was a guest speaker at this afternoon’s Recovery Caucus meeting at the Democratic National Convention and he brought his message of full mental health parity to a standing-room-only session. The panel was chaired by RI delegate Tom Coderre, who works for Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed. It [...]
RI Delegation Meets National Advocates for Breakfast
CHARLOTTE, NC — Each morning at the Democratic National Convention, delegations gather for breakfast to plan the day and hear from a couple of speakers. On Tuesday, the Rhode Island delegation was visited by the VP of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) David Rolf and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Douglas [...]
Rhode Island Delegates Prepare for Opening Day
CHARLOTTE, NC – With official proceedings beginning tomorrow at the Democratic National Convention, members of the Rhode Island delegation met at a reception this evening where Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse urged them to have take advantage of the next three days. “There will be a lot of good material to bring back to Rhode Island and [...]
DNCC Lays Out Convention Themes in Opening Presser
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Democratic National Convention kicked off this morning with a press conference previewing the week and repeatedly stressing two key messages: that the convention is the most open and accessible in history, and that a key Obama campaign theme will be “rebuilding America from the middle class out.” The 50-minute presser featured [...]
Hundreds March on “Wall Street South” at DNC
CHARLOTTE, NC – On the eve of the Democratic National Convention, over 800 participants joined in the “Coalition to March on Wall Street South” and took their message to the streets of the city, parading past the Charlotte Convention Center about 2:30 this afternoon. Charlotte is a major financial center, with Bank of America and [...]
Bill Would Give Locals Veto on Landfill Capping
Today’s GoLocalProv has a story about the nearly one hundred abandoned landfill sites in Rhode Island, and if Portsmouth’s Sen. Chris Ottiano (R-11) has his way, capping them could get a lot harder. On Feb 13, 2012, Sen. Ottiano appeared before the Portsmouth Town Council and promised to introduce (with Sen. DaPonte of East Providence) [...]
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