Payday Reform and Policy Change: A Recent Conversation on Sonic Watermelons on BSR
PROVIDENCE, RI – Are Rhode Islanders paying fees for loans that are higher than what residents in other states are paying? The answer in some cases is yes – 260% versus 36%. Learn more about the type of loans that charge these rates, the impact of these loans on RI families, and what you can [...]
TOMORROW: 5th Annual Budget Rhode Map Conference
Register now for The Poverty Institute‘s 5th Annual Budget Rhode Map Conference ”From Poverty to Progress“ to hear from leading experts about the economic vitality of Rhode Island and its residents. Thursday, February 16, 2012 8:30 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast 9:00 am – 12:30 pm: Conference Rhodes on the Pawtuxet 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston, RI 02905 $35 per [...]
RI Voters’ Poll: Seeking Major Changes In Marijuana Policy
A new poll of 714 Rhode Island Voters indicates overwhelming support for medical marijuana, compassion centers, and decriminalization of less than one ounce of the plant. The medical marijuana law, gone unused by Rep. Bob Watson (if he were to qualify) garnered support of 72%, including a whopping 82% of Dems, 61% GOP, and 57% [...]
38 Studios, Kingdoms of Amalur, and Economic Development
Everyone is certain to remember the controversy surrounding the 38 Studios $75 million loan guarantee deal. I, for one, was concerned about the tepid clawback provisions in the deal that would let 38 Studios off with a $400,000 fine if it didn’t create 400 jobs in the state. In any case, Kingdoms of Amalur was released [...]
Wyatt’s Wall Streeters to RI: “Buy My Prison, PLEASE!”
Recent talk continues about the state buying a troubled asset, the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls. The thinking is that the state could purchase the outlandishly overvalued prison, refinance it, and operate a modest profit margin while saving the bondholders on Wall Street. Naturally, such a deal would take decades, if ever, to pay [...]
February 27: 2012 RI Compost Conference and Trade Show
Rhode Island is in for a long period of frugality. In this spirit we remember our Yankee roots of not wasting things. As Rhode Island looks to build new industries, compost may be a building block for something new. But while food scrap to be turned into compost is rather abundant in Rhode Island there [...]
Been there, done that
I suppose the aspect of conservative thought that most…puzzles? annoys? makes me laugh?…let’s say ‘puzzles’ me is the sense they seem to have that their ideas are somehow bold, and daring, and novel. In fact, conservative ideas–low taxes, no regulation, no government–have all been tried. In fact, these ideas describe how government operated throughout most [...]
Hard Talk About an Ugly Economy
After several months of more-or-less positive jobs numbers in RI, the last two months have been anything but. And the December numbers were, frankly, horrific. While it is certainly true that a wonk could parse [spin] the recent down-turn toward neutral, the same could be done with the previous up-cycle. As the wonk that could [...]
Providence Geeks with StudyEgg – Tonight!
Wednesday, January 18th, 2011, 5:30 – 8pm AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence, RI FREE (buy your own food and drink – it’s cheap) RSVP at Facebook Tonight, Providence based StudyEgg… With educational costs soaring and performance…ummm…not, e-learning is heating up to become what many believe will be a trillion (yes, with a T) dollar worldwide [...]
MyRI: A Journey to Expose Creative, Cool People in the Ocean State
As RIFuture.org was preparing to re-launch, I was approached to write for this politically oriented blog. Understandably, I was a bit hesitant. What I care about seems less to do with politics and more about creativity despite one’s own political environment. When mulling this decision over, I considered a column that was less about marking [...]
Save the Bay: “Grave Concerns” Over Polluting Waterfront Junkyard
EcoRI reported while we were gone that Save The Bay has delivered a letter to the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) about “persistent violations of the federal Clean Water Act by Rhode Island Recycled Metals.” “The scrap metals recycling industry is growing rapidly along the Providence waterfront — [...]
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