Help send a progressive champion to Congress
I’m going to be co-hosting a very special event this Sunday for a wonderful progressive candidate for Congress, Massachusetts State Representative Carl Sciortino. He’ll be running for Ed Markey’s seat in Congress — once Markey is elected to the Senate later this month. There’s more on Carl’s tenure as a progressive champion in the State [...]
Hope Island is for the birds
This is the most isolated beach in the Ocean State: It’s more than a mile and a half from anything, in any direction, and there are no roads – or even footpaths – you can take to get there. It’s on the back side of this protected cove on a tiny uninhabited island in the [...]
Opening Day at the Providence Flea
“We’re calling it an upscale flea market because it’s inspired by the Brooklyn Flea and some of the open air markets in Europe,” said an enthusiastic Maria Tocco, who organized the Providence Flea running every Sunday through the summer, 10am-4pm, rain or shine on the Providence River Greenway, South Water Street in Providence. This isn’t [...]
Board of Ed begins to debate Gist contract tonight
Former CVS CEO Tom Ryan envisioned the arena that bears his name at URI hosting high profile sporting events. Tonight at 5:30 the Ryan Center plays host to a high profile political event as the new state Board of Education begins the process of debating Deborah Gist’s future employment in Rhode Island. The Board may [...]
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 [...]
Taveras bikes to work
Thanks Mayor Taveras for celebrating Bike to Work Day showing us how easy it is to bike to work! Did you bike to work today? If so, tweet us your pictures to @RIFuture or share them with us on Facebook.
Olneyville SHINES! Neighborhood Cleanup
Tomorrow, May 18th, from 10am-1pm, you can be part of the solution when you volunteer to help cleanup Olneyville in collaboration with the Olneyville Housing Corporation. Registration begins at 9:30am, Tools, bags and gloves will be provided. We’re meeting at Joslin Park on Florence St and afterwards there’s going to be a FREE BBQ for [...]
Warwick Progressive Democrats Meet & Greet
The Warwick Progressive Democrats will be holding and promoting a series of non-partisan neighborhood meetings this summer, to increase Warwick residents’ access to local politics through speaking directly with their city councilors, state reps, state senators, school committee members, and other officeholders. In preparation for these neighborhood meetings, we are proud to host a meet [...]
Young Dems host Northeast Regional Conference
The Young Democrats of Rhode Island and I are proud to announce we are the host chapter for the Young Democrats of America’s Northeast Regional Conference, this Saturday at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Our theme this year; Forward, is in honor of President Obama’s campaign slogan and the march our country must take! The [...]
Ban the Box activists march to State House today
Surely there are some convicted criminals who may not be ready to rejoin the work-a-day world. But just as surely there are many who are. The Ban the Box bill would make it harder for potential employers to confuse the two by doing away with generic questions about criminal records on job applications. Watch this [...]
Jessica Ahlquist featured in PBS show on Constitution
At 9pm on Thursday evening, May 16th, the second episode of Constitution USA with Peter Sagal will premiere on channel 36, Rhode Island’s PBS affiliate. This episode prominently features the Cranston West Prayer Banner case and interviews both Jessica Ahlquist (my niece), the high school student who successfully had the banner removed, and David Bradley, [...]
PVD Councilwoman Carmen Castillo: the movie
“In a day and age when most politicians are lawyers or businessmen, Councilwoman Carmen Castillo made history when she became the first hotel housekeeper to hold public office,” writes independent filmmaker Margo Guerney, who is making a documentary about the groundbreaking Providence city councilor. Castillo, who was elected in 2012, has worked as a room [...]
DePetro, Carcieri, Healey at Odeum: Two thumbs down
Yesterday I thought it would be hard to put together a group of people who have been worse for Rhode Island than John DePetro, Don Carcieri and Bernie Healey. But Anthony Gemma proved me wildly off base by showing up as well. If you missed my live-tweeting of conservative Catholic night at the Odeum Theater [...]
DePetro, Carcieri, Healey in East Greenwich tonight
I saw my ideological nemesis and neighbor John DePetro on Main Street here in East Greenwich the other day. “What’s going on, John?” I said to him. To which he replied, “I have nothing to say to you.” Then he added as he walked away, “I’ll see you in court.” I’m assuming he means for [...]
Help NLC revitalize Rhode Island this Thursday
Help revitalize Rhode Island by going to the New Leaders Council New Leaders Night: Revitalizing Rhode Island. It’s this Thursday at the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council headquarters, 175 Main St., Pawtucket, from 6 to 9 p.m. This year’s event – billed as “an award ceremony and performance showcase, highlighting the cultural diversity and progressive leadership [...]
The NRA, Bilbo Baggins, URI and Teny Oded Gross
Just like it did in Congress, it looks like the NRA will beat back stricter gun laws at the Rhode Island State House as well, reports Sam Bell of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats. “Rhode Islanders favor an assault weapons ban by a margin of 64% to 27%, but we aren’t hearing from them,” Rep. [...]
Rhode Island celebrates International Workers’ Day
Happy May Day, Rhode Island! Most of the globe calls it International Workers Day , though it’s a largely ignored holiday here in the States. To celebrate locally, meet at Central High School in Providence at 3:30 for a march to the State House expected to arrive at roughly 5; more info here. And here’s a [...]
The origins of May Day
Today is May Day, the workers’ holiday. At least in most nations. But not the United States. The story of May Day goes back to Chicago in 1866. On March 4, 1886, during a protest march against police brutality in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, a bomb went off in the middle of a group of policemen, [...]
Friday: party with state’s top progressive Democrats
Sheldon Whitehouse, Angel Taveras, Rhoda Perry, Josh Miller, Maria Cimini, Edith Ajello, Paula Hodges and … Rudy Cheeks, together under one roof? It’s an all-star lineup of local progressive Democrats, and for good reason … it’s the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats Movers and Shakers fundraiser this Friday at Waterplace Restaurant from 7 to 9 pm. [...]
Local humanists adopt road in Cranston
Humanists and atheists took a lot of heat during the Cranston School Committee meetings to discuss the prayer banner at Cranston High School West and after the subsequent ruling that declared the prayer banner illegal and mandated its removal. Add to that the controversy over the cross in Woonsocket, the cross on the median strip [...]
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