RI Progress Report: Teachers v. Tuition, Ciccone, RIP Peter Lord

Rightfully, Sen. Frank Ciccone is emerging as the biggest loser in the incident in which his senate colleague Dominick Ruggerio was arrested for allegedly driving drunk and refusing a breathalyzer. Ciccone is accused of attempting to coerce Barrington police officers to let Ruggerio off by threatening legislative retribution. We’re not sure exactly which is more dangerous to society: inebriated elected officials operating motor vehicles or inebriated elected officials using their positions to gain personal favor. Neither should be taken lightly.

Rest in peace, Peter Lord, the hugely-respected Projo environmental reporter who died yesterday of a brain tumor, and thank you so much for your years of explaining our natural world to us.

Thank you Gov. Chafee, for declining to give URI professors 3 percent raises at the same time that tuition is going up 9.5 percent. (I’m sure to hear from an ex-prof or two for this line, but oh well…)

As Providence is asking retirees to take a cut in benefits, the city failed to apply for $1.6 million in federal reimbursement from the Affordable Care Act to help offset these kinds of costs. Remarkably, the Capital City said it asked two health care providers to complete the application for it! I guess the old saying is true: if you want something done right, do it yourself. If you don’t, hire a health care provider.

More bad news for Barry Hinckley’s campaign for Senate. His spokesman John Loughlin has resigned after an erroneous attack on Sheldon Whitehouse’s Buffett Rule bill.  No word yet on whether Loughlin will be replaced by Hudson Hinckley, the previous campaign insider to give the candidate some bad press…

Congrats to Allan Tear, founder of Betaspring, who was asked by President Obama to join him at the White House today when he signs a bill into law that will help small businesses like his raise ore investment money.

Sen. Jack Reed will be at the soon-to-be-operational Wickford Junction train depot this morning, which is slated to start service later this month. The developers of the project have been waiting some 30 years for rail service in North Kingstown.

Turns out ALEC, the secretive business-backed group that quietly pushes for local legislation often bad for democracy and citizens, was behind the law that allowed Trayvon Martin’s killer to walk away without being charged.

Please, local media, give us less updates on lottery winners …. after all, lotteries are little more than a “cheap tax on the poor.”

Congrats to President Obama, who now seems guaranteed to get to run against Mitt Romney for re-election. “I’ve yet to meet a single person in the Republican establishment that thinks Mitt Romney is going to win the general election this year,” GOP cheerleader Joe Scarborough said yesterday.