Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/load.php on line 651
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/theme.php on line 2241
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387 jack reed – RI Future Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Tara D’Ambra and her 11-year-old daughter Olivia know exactly why Lucy’s Hearth, a women’s shelter in Middletown, needed a new home.
“I lost my job and just wasn’t able to sustain my apartment,” she explained. It was 2007, and she found refuge at Lucy’s Hearth. While the staff was excellent, D’Ambra said, “the building was so gloomy and scary.”
Not so with Lucy’s Hearth’s new facility on Valley Road, which was unveiled to great fanfare on Thursday. Tara and Olivia D’Ambra were featured guests.
The newly renovated 9,300 square foot building has 14 bedrooms, each with a private bathroom and two, two-bedroom suites for families. There’s a brand new kitchen, a computer lab and two laundry rooms. It has 60 percent more capacity than the old space.
“This building will change the way we design services for moms and kids,” said Jennifer Barrera, the director of Lucy’s Hearth. The old facility, said Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, “just wasn’t designed for kids.”
The new facility is. There are play rooms for young children, as well as a teen lounge. The rooms are colorful, and adorned with quotations such as “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where you stand as in what direction you are moving” and “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” There are two different playgrounds on the 2.2 acre campus.
“I’m so happy for all the families who get to move into this top notch facility,” said D’Ambra, “happy not because they are homeless but happy because I know they will get the help they need here to transition back into housing, back to thir life, back to their community.”
Lucy’s Hearth has been around since 1984 as a night-to-night shelter for women and children. It “delivers holistic wrap-around services for resident mothers and their children including case management, daily nutritional meals, mental health treatment, referral and advocacy, early intervention for children 0-3 years of age, life skill training, financial literacy education, on-site GED education and more,” according to a press release.
This year alone, Lucy’s Hearth has provided services to 74 women and 79 children. It has served more than 25,000 meals in 2016 and provided close to 5,000 transitional bed nights.
Barbara Fields, the executive director of Rhode Island Housing, said, “this new building enables Lucy’s Hearth to expand its support services for families who may not know where else to turn.” She also used the event to campaign for question 7 on the ballot, which would direct $50 million to create affordable housing and repair blighted neighborhoods. Senator Jack Reed, long a supporter of Lucy’s Hearth, also attended the opening.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
RI Democratic Party Chair Joe McNamara kicks off the Hillary Clinton Rally. (Photos by John McDaid)
A full roster of elected officials and almost 200 people packed the Rhode Island Democratic headquarters in Warwick Saturday morning to kick off a statewide effort to support presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The storefront office was standing room only as the governor and our congressional delegation energized attendees with their perspectives on the race and the importance of a Clinton win.
The rally, which began at 10:30, lasted about half an hour, after which many of the attendees pulled out cell phones and laptops and began to make calls for Clinton. Governor Gina Raimondo started off the event by talking about the critical nature of November’s choice.
“There’s more at stake in this election than any I can remember in my lifetime, because the consequences of Trump presidency are so terrible that it’s hard to even fathom,” said Raimondo.
Gov. Gina Raimondo
She went on to talk about what she says when asked by voters why she supports Hillary, stressing Clinton’s values and experience. “Hillary’s values are what I believe are the right ones: making college affordable, investing in K-12 education and universal preschool, raising the minimum wage, investing in infrastructure and building an economy from the middle out, not from the top down. And she’s the most experienced person ever to run for the US Presidency.”
Sen. Jack Reed
Sen Jack Reed picked up on the theme of experience. “She is the best prepared individual to lead this country that I have seen in my lifetime. On the other side, we have an individual that lacks the emotional, experiential abilities to be President. That is obvious for all to see.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse drew on American and Rhode Island history to make his case for Clinton. “People say that we have a divided country. Well, we do. But in our history, we had a country so divided that we were fighting a civil war. And in that civil war, we could not have been more divided. What did the President then do? He called us to the ‘better angels of our nature.’ Donald Trump stirs the darkest demons of our nature.”
Whitehouse continued, “Bigotry is deplorable. Period. And that’s a Rhode Island lesson that goes back to when George Washington, when he was campaigning for President, wrote to a Rhode Island synagogue guaranteeing that it would always be the policy of the United States to give ‘to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.’” Said Whitehouse, “Tell that to Donald Trump.”
Rep. Jim Langevin
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-2) echoed Whitehouse, saying that Trump draws on some of his followers’ worst impulses. “I hope that when we go to the polls in November that we speak loud and clear as a nation that we reject that kind of politics.”
“This election,” said Rep. David Cicciline (D-1), “is a referendum on the founding principles of this country. We’re a country that was founded on the ideas that everyone should be treated with dignity, free from discrimination, that everyone should have an opportunity to get ahead, have access to quality education, make decisions about their own healthcare, and in so many ways, this is a referendum on those ideas.” He added a pointed personal observation: “Jim and I know first-hand serving in the House what the country would look like if Donald Trump and the Republican Party have their way.”
Democratic Party Chair Joe McNamara (RI D-19) closed the rally by asking the room to finish a few sentences by reading off cards that were handed out to attendees at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. McNamara led the group in a series of powerful and emotional call-and-response prompts. “We know that we are stronger together,” said McNamara. “Under a Clinton administration, all families will…” The whole room shouted, “Rise Together.”
“And we know that bigotry will never prevail,” said McNamara, “because…” “Love trumps hate.”
“And with a President Clinton, we know that we will have…” “A future to believe in.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
As the attendees broke to make calls, a reporter for RI Future asked Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse specifically about the importance a Clinton win for efforts to combat climate change and protect Rhode Island’s shoreline.
Whitehouse cited two reasons that make a Democratic win essential. “First of all,” said Whitehouse, “Trump has gone down the sort of lunatic path of pretending that climate change is a hoax, and that all the scientists and every American scientific society, all the scientists at NASA and NOAA, the scientists at every American national lab, are all wrong or are in on some evil conspiracy. Which is almost creepy as a point of view, it’s so wrong.”
“And then, second, he’ll be representing a party that basically has become the political wing of the fossil fuel industry. So, for both of those reasons, it makes it far less likely that anything will get done if he’s the President. Now, Nature does not forgive, and sooner or later, it will become clear to everybody that we’ve made a terrible, terrible mistake. We just don’t want that realization to come too late.”
An RI Future reporter caught up with Rep. Cicilline to ask about the reticence of some to throw their support behind Clinton, and what he would say to local progressives who are still on the fence.
Rep. David Cicilline
“Anyone who examines these two candidates carefully, who shares progressive values, frankly, the values of our Party, will see it’s very clear that there is only one candidate who both has a record of getting things done in this area, and also a set of policies that will really advance our country and move forward on many important progressive priorities. Ultimately, elections are about choices, and while I know there was a lot of enthusiasm for Sen. Sanders — and I’m a huge fan of his, he raised some incredibly important issues in the campaign — I think he would be the first to say that the campaign was not about him as a person, it was about a set of issues and a commitment to move forward on those issues.”
Cicilline continued that a Trump win, “Would set back our movement and our country significantly, and this is going to be a close election. We can’t take anything for granted. We need to work hard to vindicate the progressive values we care about by electing Sec. Clinton.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
A new report released by Toxics Action Center, Frontier Group, Environment America and more than a dozen community groups across New England finds that burning gas for electricity is as bad for the climate as coal, or worse.
Ben Weilerstein, eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island organizer with the Toxics Action Center, held a press conference outside the RI State House with Kathy Martley of BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion). Martley has been fighting the expansion of fracked gas infrastructure in Burrillville for years, and was the woman responsible for getting Governor Gina Raimondo to visit the town to discuss Invenergy‘s planned $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant.
“For years, communities on the frontlines of proposed pipelines, power plants, compressor stations, and LNG terminals have been told by the fossil fuel lobby and politicians that gas is a low-carbon bridge to a clean energy future,” said Weilerstein. “Today, it’s clearer than ever that this is not the case. New fracked gas infrastructure proposed across the region threatens our climate future, our health, and our neighborhoods. It’s time to double down on clean local renewable energy sources right here in New England.
“Methane can leak during every stage of natural gas production – during drilling, processing, and even from the pipeline,” said Elizabeth Ridlington of Frontier Group in a statement. Ridlington wrote the report, saying, “Our review of the evidence suggests that these leaks may have an annual global warming impact equivalent of up to 250 coal-fired power plants, enough to nearly or completely offset any other climate benefits of natural gas.”
Released simultaneously in seven New England cities and towns today, the report emphasizes that methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, trapping 86 to 105 times as much heat as CO2 over a 20-year period. Making these findings even more concerning, the report authors found flaws in studies that reported very low rates of methane leakage, finding evidence instead of high rates of methane leaks from gas infrastructure.
Kathy Martley noted that reports like this have been coming out for years, and that it’s time for the Governor Gina Raimondo and Rhode Island Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed to read these reports and act. “For health and environmental reasons we need to stop LNG now,” said Martley.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Even typically soft-spoken Senator Jack Reed is speaking out against Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump’s world view starts with Donald Trump, ends with Donald Trump and there is nothing in between,” Reed said. “He is combustible, impulsive, narcissistic and he could be a threat to our national security.”
Rhode Island’s senior senator, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke during a conference call Thursday as part of the #AdmitHesUnfit campaign to convince America – and, specifically, Republicans – that Trump would be a dangerous and destructive president of the United States. The effort is being led by Third Way and the Truman National Security Project.
Specifically, Reed said Trump’s statements about abandoning NATO allies, praising Vladimir Putin and torturing terrorism suspects would seriously damage the United State’s position in global politics.
“When it comes to foreign policy he is ill-informed, inexperienced and completely unprepared in every dimension,” Reed said.
He also called Trump “unwise and dangerous” for xenophobic and misguided rhetoric of Muslim faith. If you look at his domestic policies there is serious questions about his judgment, about his priorities, You can make an equal charge about his capabilities and his ability to handle pressing domestic issues.”
Reed said, “Real leaders they bring people together, they just don’t try to divide,” Reed said. “They stand up to bigotry, they don’t fan the flames. They protect religious liberties, they don’t scapegoat religious minorities. Donald Trump is unfit to lead our nation.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
At a meeting to plan a Rhode Island response to the killing of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, the moderator, a black man, made the point that many in his community feel these deaths – of people they don’t know who live far away – as personally and intensely as they feel the death of a cousin or a friend.
“White people,” he said, “don’t understand that.”
This is true. None of us truly understands the day to day prejudice experienced by people of color in our country absent actually experiencing it. This solidarity of experience escapes most, if not all white people in this country. The bond created across time and distance by systemic oppression is intense, and personal.
I can feel some of this. When Trayvon Martin was murdered, he was about my son’s age. They both wore hoodies and both liked Mountain Dew and Skittles. I felt Trayvon Martin’s death acutely, but my reaction was blunted by my privilege. I didn’t then and don’t now fear for my son’s life the way parents of black children do. My son is white. I have the luxury of keeping my parental fear levels at the lowest setting.
Steven Paré
“A part of us died last night,” said Providence Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Paré at a press conference Friday afternoon, “when five colleagues in Dallas, were shot and killed.”
Paré can acutely feel the deaths of police officers far away. He sees the police officers killed in Dallas as colleagues, and can certainly imagine the nightmare of losing five officers in Providence.
But the analogy ends there.
When police officers were murdered in Dallas, Governor Gina Raimondo called a press conference of police and community leaders well within 24 hours. Two United States senators offered words of calm and condolence. Flags were ordered to fly at half mast by government order.
No press conferences were planned for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. It took the death of police officers to do that. That alone signals our priorities as a culture.
Police can call for back up. They can get the National Guard and the full power of the United States military flown in if necessary. Police can attach bombs to robots and kill by remote control if necessary.
The unlimited force and power of the United States can be brought to bear against those who kill police officers, but when it comes to the extra-judicial murders of people of color by police…
… there is no back-up.
Janelle organized a small protest in Kennedy Plaza Friday morning.Thirty feet from the protest PVD Police were arresting a black man.
This woman berated the protesters. “All lives matter,” she said, “not just black lives.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was at Governor Gina Raimondo’s press conference.Reverends Eugene Dyszlewski and Donald AndersonMoira Walsh and sonGovernor Raimondo reiterated her call for the passage of justice reform and gun control legislation.Jim Vincent, Kobi Dennis, Jack ReedSteven O’DonnellKobi Dennis
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Opposition to Invenergy‘s proposed $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant, planned for Burrillville, dominated the 90th annual Ancients & Horribles Parade in neighboring Glocester on the 4th of July. First and second prize for best in show went to floats opposing the power plant.
The prize for “Most Politically Incorrect” float went to a truck emblazoned with a “Trump” campaign sign that displayed a series of posters of State House leadership that cited a series of political scandals and unpopular decisions. This was followed by two trucks full of Trump supporters, with one man waving a large Confederate Flag in support of the putative Republican presidential nominee. The presence of racist Confederate Flags in the parade was disturbing. I counted at least four.
Governor Gina Raimondo, perhaps sensing that her presence would not be appreciated, did not march in the parade. Her presence was felt, however, in every float that expressed dissatisfaction with her close association with corporations like Invenergy and Goldman-Sachs. Tracey Potvin Keegan rode a bike dressed as the governor, with bags of Goldman-Sachs money hanging like saddlebags and a $700 price tag on her head.
Marching in the parade were Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed and Representative James Langevin. Whitehouse did not escape criticism for his early support of Invenergy’s power plant. A woman marching with the power plant protesters held a sign with a quote from Whitehouse that said, “If I look back 20 years from now and I can’t say I did everything possible, I’ll never be able to live with myself.”
After first supporting the power plant, Whitehouse later back tracked, saying that weighing in on the issue would be inappropriate. Many in Burrillville and the surrounding areas feel betrayed by Whitehouse’s position, feeling that his reputation as the Senate’s strongest environmentalist is mere political posturing.
Almost as unpopular as the governor are the gypsy moths, who have infested the area and strip entire trees bare of foliage. One group of marchers came dressed as a gypsy moth caterpillar, with the words, “It’s raining poop” on it’s tail end.
The parade featured an appearance by Tony Lepore, the Dancing Cop. Lepore sported his new uniform, emblazoned with a special “Dancing Cop” patch, instead of his former Providence Police Officer uniform. Lepore’s career has been in free fall since he interjected himself into the incident late last year when a Dunkin Donuts employee wrote “Black Lives Matter” on a police officer’s cup. As a consequence of his words and actions Lepore lost his annual gig directing traffic downtown and lost out on a replacement gig directing traffic in East Providence.
Governor Raimondo is due to meet with Burrillville residents on July 18.
Whaitehouse, Langevin and ReedFirst “No New Power Plant” sign in the parade
Tony Lepore
The first anti-Invenergy float came from BASE and the Fang Collective
BASE and the Fang Collective won second place.
Most politically Incorrect
This was by far the most disturbing thing in the paradeFirst place for best in show…
Burrillville State Rep Cale Keable“Governor Gina Raimondo”
Nice play on Trump’s campaign sloganThe specter of death haunts America?Another Confederate Flag.Here are close-ups of the “Most Politically Incorrect” float
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Congress is coming under increasing pressure to stop supplying cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, but Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed doesn’t seem to be feeling it. He said the weapons, which are made by Rhode Island-based Textron and banned by 119 nations but not the US and Saudi Arabia, “should still be provided under strict conditions,” he told RI Future.
“I think we should still be selling those weapon systems that comply with the law,” said Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
Providence-based Textron is the last North American producer of cluster bombs, and the only source of cluster bombs for the US military. They’ve become a hot button issue as evidence mounts that Saudi Arabia has used cluster bombs it procured from the US in civilian-populated areas of Yemen.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have each independently found evidence that Textron’s cluster bombs have malfunctioned more than 1 percent of the time in Yemen and have been used in civilian-populated areas. Both allegations would be violations of US law concerning cluster bombs.
“That is something we have to look at very closely because the threshold is 1 percent or less,” Reed said. “That’s the way they are designed, that’s the way they’re tested and that’s the way they are maintained. We have strict protocols in design and the systems need to perform to very high standards and that as a result those and only those systems are sold.”
He added, “I think you do look at all the data that is being submitted. I think we are looking at it, and we are testing it.”
Reed said the US military still has cluster bombs in its arsenal, as well. “We have them in our own inventory so we’re very conscience of trying to make sure they are tested properly,” he said.
He seemed confident in their efficacy. “The systems we provide, technically, are designed so that if a cluster does not detonate it will be deactivated. They are the only ones authorized to be sold.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
“Amos has a new house,” said Ned Handy, right before the ceremonial ribbon was cut on Amos House’s new community center on Pine Street in Providence.
The grand opening of the new 29,000 square foot operations center for Amos House – Rhode Island’s largest social service agency and soup kitchen – was a gala affair for South Providence. Pine Street was temporarily closed to accommodate the large crowd. Senator Jack Reed, a slew of state legislators, Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements and many other local dignitaries were on hand. There were several congratulatory speeches and then tours of the new facility, complete with refreshments and lunch. State Senator Harold Metts donned a dashiki, a traditional West African shirt, for the occasion.
Senator Jack Reed, who was a pro bono lawyer for Amos House as a young man, said “Amos House provides an extraordinary service to the community. It represents, really, the best of Rhode Island. And now they have the facilities to help them do it much better.”
The new $6 million facility was paid for, in part, by a $1 million gift from Rhode Island Housing and a federal money secured by Senator Reed. Employees of Amos House, half of whom are former clients, contributed $45,000 of their own money.
“When we embarked on this project seven, eight years ago, many people said we would not do it,” said Eileen Hayes, the popular CEO of Amos House. “We could not possibly raise $5 million for a community center on the south side of Providence. But guess what, we did it!”
The facility has a large dining hall and a kitchen on the first floor. On the second floor there are classrooms, group meeting spaces and a state-of-the-art computer lab. Staff offices are on the third floor.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
The Dark Lady/Alley Cat are holding a vigil tonight (Monday8pm). Folks will gather at 17 Snow St. Providence and as of this writing march to the State House.
“Please join us for a candellight vigil Monday in honor of those lost, injured, families, friends, and community. We will meet between 8:00-8:30pm and walk to the State House. More details will follow please share and feel free to post here. xoxo, The Dark Lady & Alleycat and Stable Family”
The service is being co-planned by RI Pride, the Religious Coalition for a Violence-Free Rhode Island and others.
Governor Raimondo is scheduled to be at the vigil on Tuesday.
Members of the LGBTQ community, and allies from throughout the state will gather to mourn the dead, remember the wounded in body and spirit, and proclaim our strength, our hope, and our love.
Please join your brothers and sisters, in this important moment.
We are Pulse; we are Orlando; we are Rhode Island.
RI Pride statement on Rhode Island PrideFest and Night Parade Safety Concerns
“In the wake of the tragic killings in Orlando, Rhode Island Pride has reviewed its Safety Plan for this weekend’s PrideFest and Parade. Prior to this past weekend’s tragedy, Rhode Island Pride had already recognized that growing attendance numbers required significant improvements and took steps to supplement our all-volunteer Safety Team with a trained, private security firm, and worked more closely with the Providence Police Department to ensure their police detail were better positioned throughout the event. Our First Aid Station is provided by the RI Disaster Medical Assistance Team and they are fully prepared and trained for any incidents. We are confident that we already had coverage in place that to make our attendees feel safe and secure.”Today, Rhode Island Pride representatives met with Providence Police, Rhode Island State Police, the Providence Emergency Management Association, other public safety officials, and our local business owners, to review our safety plan and coordinate our efforts and communication. There will be a significantly increased law enforcement presence at this year’s PrideFest and Parade with the RI State Police supplementing the Providence Police, and we have every reason to believe this will be a safe and enjoyable 40th anniversary celebration.”For those attending PrideFest and the Parade, we ask that if you see something suspicious, say something immediately to a law enforcement officer or a RI Pride volunteer. Be aware of your surroundings, limit the size of your bags and do not leave them unattended. Most importantly, remember that this is a celebration of our community and the progress that we have made in the past 40 years – we will not let hate and fear send us back to the closet. Be proud!”
The Rhode Island State Council of Churches issued the following statement:
“Our nation is reeling in the wake of yet another horrific mass shooting, this time our nation’s deadliest. In response to this heinous event that ended at least fifty lives, left many more wounded, and broke hearts worldwide, we, the religious leaders of Rhode Island, call on our communities to pray for healing and wholeness amidst our brokenness. Empowered by our relationship to the Divine, we endeavor to stand up and speak out against all acts of violence.”As people of faith, we voice our loving support for the people of Orlando, the LGBTQ community and our Muslim neighbors. The terror that ensued has affected us all and we will not rest until we assure that such terror will not happen again.”We are inherently concerned about the increasing violence in our society and we commit to bringing it to an end. Working in solidarity we will move our nation from darkness to light. Together we will bring our communities from despair to hope. We will not give in to fear!”In the face of such hatred and anger, we are called to elevate love. We are called to pursue justice, and we are called to bring about an enduring peace for all people in all places, regardless of faith tradition, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”
RI celebrates Pride this weekend. Pride will be reviewing security for the event with city and state officials today.
There is also an effort underway to remember the victims of the Pulse shooting by wearing black armbands at Pride this weekend. The following note has been making the rounds on Facebook.
“In response to the hate crime at Pulse Orlando, Rhode Island community members have entered a group in the Pride Parade this Saturday, to remember the victims of hate crimes and celebrate Queer and Trans resilience.
You will recognize us at the staging area by our signs. All are welcome to join. All are also encouraged to make signs.
“This is an apolitical contingent, so please let your signage reflect the theme of remembrance and resilience.
Please note that the night of the attack was Latinx night, and largely attended by People of Color, who are not only disproportionately victims of this attack but of anti-Queer/Trans hate crimes in general. So let your signage reflect themes of intersectionality in addition to remembrance and resilience.
“There will be black arm bands available for everyone, including those who are already committed to other groups but wish to observe in that way.”
Representative James Langevin issued the following statement:
“We awoke today to another headline about senseless violence, and yet we are astonished and heartbroken once again with news of the worst mass shooting in United States history. We can never understand or explain the hate that drives someone to commit an atrocity such as this. What we need right now is to reach out to those affected and show our support, because while we mourn as a nation, we cannot allow hate to invade our own hearts or minds. America is better than that.
“This is a tragedy beyond comprehension, and I join the chorus of prayers for both the families of the victims and also the injured who continue to suffer. I pray that no more lives are lost in the wake of this attack.
“My heart breaks for Orlando, and for the LGBT community nationwide. We recognize Pride Month in June, and last night’s shooting was an attack on the very values for which Pride Month stands. The victims were gathered in what should have been a safe space for them to be true to themselves and celebrate our shared belief that all people should be treated equally, and no one should be subjected to violence or discrimination.
“The details of the case continue to unfold, but I have every confidence that local law enforcement, in conjunction with the FBI, will fully investigate what is believed to be an act of terrorism. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I will monitor the investigation closely and in the coming weeks and months I hope my colleagues will come together and take action to ensure we no longer have to wake to headlines of violence. For now, we pray for Orlando, but prayers alone are not enough.”
“The tragedy in Orlando, Florida is just the latest reminder that access to deadly weapons of war like the AR-15 has irreversible consequences. The families and friends of the 103 victims will be forever affected and forever wondering why. Our lax gun laws turned hatred into horrific violence in Orlando last night.
“Once again, our Senators and Congressmen send out their tweets, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrendous act in ______________________(fill in the blank).
“The RI Coalition Against Gun Violence is demanding that instead of offering “thoughts and prayers” to the 103 victims of the recent Florida shooting, the general assembly starts voting bills out of committee to make all Rhode Islanders safer.
“Many States including Massachusetts and Connecticut have laws to prevent domestic violence abusers from access to guns. Many States including Massachusetts and Connecticut have banned High capacity magazines. Almost every State including Massachusetts and Connecticut do not allow concealed carry of firearms on K-12 School property.
“Yet, for 3 years in a row, these bills are being “held for further study” here in Rhode Island. You can study your way through law school in three years.
“How much more study do we need to pass common sense legislation to keep guns away from domestic violence abusers (HB 7283, SB2730)? Do we need to wait any longer to ban high capacity magazines over 10 rounds (HB 7199/SB 2835)? Do we need to wait for a tragedy at our K-12 School grounds before we pass HB 7243/ SB 2761)?
“We are urging the Governor, the Speaker and the Senate President to do everything necessary to have these bills voted out of committee. It is time for the Judiciary Committees to stop hiding behind a pretext of study. In a recent poll, the vast majority of Rhode Islanders said they want a vote. It is time to respect not only their wishes but their health and safety as well. We want a vote.
“The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence is an organization that was created by concerned citizens of Rhode Island. The organization came to be in 2013 after the Rhode Island General Assembly failed to pass common sense gun legislation. We recognize gun violence as a public health issue. Using common sense means and methods, we seek to reduce injuries and deaths from gun violence.”
Representative David Cicilline‘s statement on the Pulse Tragedy:
“Like all Rhode Islanders, I am keeping the people of Orlando, the victims, their families and loved ones in my thoughts and prayers today.”
“It’s outrageous that LGBT Americans continue to be the targets of such horrific hatred and violence in 2016. Don’t let anyone tell you that we have full equality in this country. LGBT people are not political wedge issues – we are human beings and we are entitled to full equality under the law. I hope that, in the aftermath of this horrific shooting, our country will move towards greater love and acceptance of all Americans.”
“Lastly, it is absolutely infuriating to read reports that this shooter used an assault weapon to murder 50 innocent people and wound 53 more. It just should not be this easy for someone to walk into a gun store and walk out armed with a weapon of war that is designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible.”
“As we saw in Charleston last year, lone wolf terrorists are a threat to all of us. We simply cannot continue to live in a country where it’s easier to buy an AR-15 than it is to buy cold medicine.
“Access to these weapons is a threat to our public safety, and it’s time for Republicans in Congress to come to the table and restore some sanity to our nation’s gun laws.”
Full video and statement from President Barrack Obama on the tragedy here.
Senator Jack Reed writes, “This was a horrific attack. Our condolences go out to the victims and their families, and our thanks to the brave first responders and fellow citizens who did everything they could to help. While investigators are still gathering all the facts, the shooter was clearly a hate-filled individual. His bigotry has no place in our society. We are a resilient nation and we stand in solidarity with the LGBT community. Right now there are more questions than answers, but law enforcement will get to the bottom of this and every federal resource will be made available to ensure they do.”
Speaker Nicholas Mattiello wrote his first ever tweet about the tragedy, but some took issue with the Speaker, asking him to pass some common sense gun bills out of committee and bring them to the floor for a vote.
GPSJenn wrote, “@RISpeaker thoughts & prayers? That’s all you got? U r a lawmaker. Make some laws. Shooter was a wife beater. Pass H7575 to make #RI safer.”
His A+ rating from the NRA was noted as well.
Governor Gina Raimondo has ordered that all flags be lowered to half-mast “until sunset on June 16, 2016 in honor of the victims of the shooting in Orlando.” This is in accordance with President Barrack Obama‘s national proclamation.
Her full statement:
“In accordance with a Presidential Proclamation, Governor Gina M. Raimondo has ordered U.S. and Rhode Island flags to be flown at half-staff at all state facilities and buildings. The flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on June 16, 2016 in honor of the victims of the shooting in Orlando.
“‘We woke up this morning to horrific news – a senseless, cowardly mass shooting in Orlando. It’s an act of terror. It’s an act of hatred. And it has no place in our communities. Like so many, I feel incredible sadness and outrage,’ Raimondo said.
“‘Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones, but we must do more than pray. It is time to take greater action to keep America safe,’ Raimondo continued. ‘I also want our LGBT brothers and sisters in Rhode Island to know that our hearts are with you – we will redouble our efforts to keep you safe and free from fear, and commit to building a more peaceful, more tolerant society.’
“There are no specific threats in Rhode Island at this time, but the Governor remains in close touch with Colonel O’Donnell of the State Police, and security efforts will be increased around Pride festivities.
“Raimondo also asks Rhode Islanders to lower their flags as a mark of respect.”
RI Pride‘s statement on the tragedy in Orlando can be read here.
S.A.F.E.T.Y. tips in a Rhode Island Parent Magazine article written by Family Service of RI’s Dr. Susan Erstling. Read the article by clicking here.
To see a range of tips on related subjects, visit the National Child Traumatic Stress Network page in response to terrorist acts by clicking here. See a tips page from Family Service of RI by clicking here.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
For the second time Mayor Jorge Elorza has opened the City of Providence to a fantastic festival combing international and local artists and performers. Elorza envisions PVDFest as one day becoming as important to the city as SXSW is to Austin, TX. Todays press conference to kick off the event was attended by Senator Jack Reed and Close Act Theater, amulti-disciplinary street theater company from the Netherlands making its East Coast debut with Saurus.
Last years’ arts festival was great. I expect big things this year.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
In 2009 a change in government forced Greece to admit the truth about its troubled economy: Greece had joined the European Union under false pretenses. It’s economic condition was artificially made to look better than it was due to help from the American investment house Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs had helped Greece to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, and in the process netted itself a “premium fee” of $300 million. “The deal also made up 12 percent of Goldman’s $6.35 billion in trading and investment revenue for 2001,” writes Garry Levine for Al Jazeera.
In 2005 Goldman Sachs intervened in a Greek economic crisis a second time, restructuring the original bad deal by increasing debt, stretching out payments, and increasing Goldman’s cut to “something like $500 million.”
Gina Raimondo
Now in 2009 the new government in Greece was facing yet another crisis, and a team from Goldman Sachs, lead by Gary Cohn, now Chief Operation Officer for Goldman Sachs, flew in to offer yet another restructuring.
“Cohn offered to finance the country’s health care system debt, pushing it far into the future,” writes Levine, “After all, argued Goldman’s team, it had worked before.”
Levine goes on to write, “The Wall Street house not only earned large transaction fees and rights to future Greek revenue, it also hedged its investments, essentially placing a bet on the economy of Greece to fail. Looking at the deals in the rearview mirror, analysts said Goldman’s exposure on Greece was, for all intents and purposes, zero.”
Greece turned down Cohn’s offer, and was forced to accept decades of grueling austerity to work its way out from under mountains of debt. A Greek generation or two will be lost, even as political fascism predictably rises in response to economic privation. Preventable political disaster looms, because Goldman Sachs wanted more money.
Now, in an East Side bike shop with Governor Gina Raimondo, Senator Jack Reed, Mayors Elorza, Diossa, Grebien, Badelli-Hunt and more press than I’ve seen gathered in weeks, Gary Cohn was offering the state $10 million in small business training and funding, and everyone seemed to think this was a great idea.
I couldn’t have been the only person who thought there was irony in Cohn’s statement that, “We at Goldman Sachs… like to be accountable for what we do.”
Goldman Sachs is giving away free money, perhaps to salve their consciences or to buy some positive press after nearly destroying the world economy, or perhaps to inspire a new generation of rich suckers to fleece in the next market bubble. It doesn’t really matter why they are doing it.
When Rhode Island takes the money, they should know that the money comes, in part, at the expense of the Greek people, who suffer because a vampire-like Wall St. bank has consigned the country to half a century of brutal, soul-destroying austerity.
As Levine says so eloquently in his Al Jazeera piece, “The consequences are born by ordinary Greek people that now find themselves in the the economic equivalent of debtors’ prison.”
We should understand the moral consequences of accepting money stained with the blood, sweat and tears of a nation’s future.
Matt Bodziony, President of NBX BikesReed and Cohn
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
One of the Wall Street’s infamous “too big to fail” investment banks, whose reckless investments and profiteering would have destroyed the American economy but for a public sector bailout, is coming to Rhode Island tomorrow to offer business advice.
Goldman Sachs will be welcomed by Governor Gina Raimondo, Senator Jack Reed and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza (11am at NBX Bicycle in Providence) where they will announce the big banks’ 10,000 Small Businesses program is coming to Rhode Island – the first time it has been used “in an entire state,” according to Providence Business News.
The 10,000 Small Businesses program offers business training and loans to small businesses.
“This is a great program with real results across the country,” said Raimondo spokeswoman Marie Aberger. “It is a huge opportunity to bring a significant investment to Rhode Island’s small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them create jobs. To date, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses has reached 30 sites across the U.S. and UK, helping entrepreneurs break down barriers to growth.”
A year after getting caught, Goldman launched its 10,000 Small Businesses program, which some surmised is a public relations attempt to whitewash the investment banks’ poor public perception. “In late 2009, just as Goldman Sachs was being widely slammed for showering billions in bonuses on its employees after receiving a massive federal bailout during the financial crisis, the investment bank announced — coincidentally or not — that it was committing $500 million over five years to help small businesses in distressed urban and rural communities across America,” according to Fortune in 2011.
Give Goldman credit for knowing which which way the economic headwinds are blowing in the American economy. A spokeswoman told the Fortune reporter, “…we are obviously focused on economic growth. And small businesses are one of the smartest investments to drive growth in communities in the U.S.”
Rhode Island businesses should take any free money or advice Goldman Sachs is offering. But I would advise them to read the fine print extremely carefully. And to remember the immortal words of Mark Twain, who once said, “I learned something from everyone I’ve ever met, most of the time it’s what not to do.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Rhode Island-based Textron is one of four private-companies on earth, and the last North American producer, to manufacture what is quickly becoming one of the world’s most controversial weapons of war: cluster bombs.
“The cluster munition industry is gone because many nations have banned the weapon,” said Mark Hiznay, a senior arms researcher for Human Rights Watch.
“Most foreign producers are state-owned industries,” he said, such as China and Russia. In addition to Textron he knows of only three other privately-held companies in the world that still make cluster bombs, two are in South Korea and one is in Singapore.
The United States, on the other hand, has not signed the 2008 Convention on Cluster Bombs treaty. In 2003, the US military used Textron-made cluster bombs against Iraqi tanks as it advanced on Kirkuk.
Both of Rhode Island’s senators say they see the need to curtail the use of cluster bombs.
“Senator Reed has supported efforts to limit the sale and transfer of cluster munitions and to ensure the use of more precise technologies to protect civilians,” said his spokesman Chip Unruh.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is a co-signer of the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act. “Cluster bombs can take a terrible and lasting toll on civilians, which is why I’ve cosponsored legislation to restrict their use,” he told RI Future. “I hope the Senate will take action on this bill to help protect innocent civilians from these dangerous weapons of war.”
The House-version of this bill is sponsored by Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, who represents the Worcester area. Congressmen David Cicilline and Jim Langevin could not be reached for comment.
The Textron-made bomb – the CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon – is at the center of a new Human Rights Watch report that indicates the weapon malfunctions more than 1 percent of the time, a violation of US export law, and accuses the Saudi Arabian-led forces in Yemen of using the weapon dangerously close to civilian populations which has resulted in several documented injuries.
“It’s puzzling to us that Textron is marketing this as a reliable weapon,” Hiznay said. “We’re not sure if it’s Textron’s problem or the Saudis’ problem, but we’ve had the US Air Force use them in Iraq and produce duds and now we have Saudi forces using them and producing duds in Yemen.”
US export law requires cluster bombs sold to foreign countries to malfunction less than 1 percent of the time, a success rate Human Rights Watch says the Textron-made bomb has not achieved. A 2008 Department of Defense Directive, the current prevailing US policy on the use of cluster bombs, requires the US military to only use cluster bombs with similar success rates.
“Most of the SFW’s have been sold to the US Air Force,” said Textron spokesman David Sylvestre in an email. “Comparatively few have been sold to US allies.” He declined further comment about the sale of weapons saying, “Much of the data about what we sell to a particular military customer may be considered protected or classified info by the US government or the customer.”
According to a 2011 Department of Defense news release, Textron was contacted to sell 404 cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia for $355 million. In 2012, Textron was contracted to sell 325 cluster bombs to South Korea for $325 million. The US last put aside funds to buy cluster bombs from Textron in 2007, said Hiznay, but didn’t make the buy after the weapons malfunctioned more than 1 percent of the time.
“We believe that SFW is truly the best area attack weapon in the world,” said Ellen Lord, senior vice president and general manager of Textron Defense Systems. “Through a process of rigorous research, testing and analysis, we have created a weapon that is reliable, safe and meets current clean battlefield standards.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Governor Gina Raimondo and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse found themselves confronted by activists from Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE) and Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) at a press conference to announce a new federal program to fund “major infrastructure projects like the 6-10 Connector in Providence.”
As US Representative David Cicilline finished up his short statement about the transportation funding, four activists, including Nick Katkevich of FANG and Kathy Martley of BASE entered the press conference area, under the 6-10 Connector behind Wes’ Rib House in Olneyville.
The four protesters held large signs and stayed quiet throughout Gina Raimondo’s short presentation. After the press conference ended, Kathy Martley tried to get the attention of the governor with a question about the new methane gas energy plant planned for Burrillville, but the Governor and Senator Whitehouse seemed intent on only answering the questions of the media present, and avoided engaging with the protesters.
In the video, Katkevich said to Whitehouse, “You’re not a climate champion, you’re supporting a fossil fuel power plant,” before asking, “You go to Nebraska, to fight the Keystone, but you can’t go to Burrillville?”
Whitehouse, “didn’t say a word” to the protesters, according to Martley by phone after the event was over. She was told by a Whitehouse aid that she and BASE had “given us enough information” on the pipeline expansion and new power plant. Martley complained to me that when she had previously approached Whitehouse, he had promised to meet with her, but that meeting never materialized. Today, Whitehouse simply ignored her and drove away.
Governor Raimondo, said Martley, “didn’t want to talk to us… she said ‘we’ll meet with you’ and I said, ‘we’ve tried to call your office and you’re still not making a date with us. Are you going to make a date with us when the power plant is already built?'”
This is the second time that Martley and BASE have attended a Raimondo press conference to ask about the methane infrastructure expansion projects in Burrillville. Back in September she crashed the governor’s press conference for the opening of the Linear Park. Today’s action comes on the heels of a large weekend rally and march against Spectra in Burrillville in which eight people were arrested.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
The Rhode Island Antiwar Committee protested Senator Jack Reed at Brown University Sunday afternoon. The senator was speaking as part of the Watson Institute‘s Distinguished Lecture Series on “The Challenges of a Turbulent World.”
According to the Antiwar Committee, “Senator Reed has championed the continued presence of a large military force in Afghanistan and essentially supports and promotes the endless ‘war on terror.’ Also, Reed’s position as ranking member of the Armed Services Committee would allow him, if he so chose, to guarantee a legitimate investigation of the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz and call for an independent one.”
The protesters initially set up outside the John Carter Brown Library on the Brown campus, but were soon ushered off campus to nearby George St. by Brown University police and Providence police. Senator Reed never encountered the protesters, though they did hand out flyers to many entering the library to hear the senator speak. At 4pm, when the program inside the library was to start, one of the members of the Antiwar Committee, Cathy Orloff, entered the building to hear Reed speak, but was was turned away because the venue had reached capacity.
The text of the flyer is reproduced below:
QUESTIONS FOR SENATOR JACK REED FROM:
RHODE ISLAND ANTIWAR COMMITTEE
LOCATION: 94 GEORGE STREET, PROVIDENCE, RI SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015
1) Since the United States finally admitted that it ordered and carried out a bombing which killed 22 people in a hospital in Afghanistan on October 3; such a bombing being widely considered a war crime and described as such by Doctors Without Borders (MSF); why aren’t you vigorously urging support for MSF’s call for an independent investigation by the International Fact-Finding Commission of the Geneva Conventions?
2) Do you support an expedited conclusion of the American investigation, now that more than one month has elapsed since the attack? Do you consider this act a war crime? Do you support a military court-martial of the person or persons who ordered it and participated in it? Would you support monetary compensation by the U.S. to the families of those patients and staff killed?
3) Although one of President Obama’s campaign promises was to end the long U.S. war in Afghanistan, and although he announced his decision last year to draw down forces there; you now have spoken in support of his about-face and preference for the U.S. continuing to fight that country (which has not attacked the U.S). Do you think this decision is one that most Americans support and will make our country safer and more respected around the world?
4) At the end of October, Obama reversed his campaign pledge and many subsequent statements and said he plans to put “boots on the ground” in Iraq and Syria. However, on October 29 the Iraqi government stated that it does not need U.S. ground forces, nor has it asked Washington for help in operations against the Islamic State. “This is an Iraqi affair, and the government did not ask the Dept. of Defense to be involved in direct operations,” Iraqi government spokesman Sa’ad al-Hadithi told NBC News. Al-Hadithi also warned the United States against sending ground troops to Iraq without first clearing it with Baghdad, in accordance with international law. In view of this statement, and a similar quote on November 1 of a Syrian parliament member that the U.S. sending troops into Syria would be an act of aggression because it does not have the government’s agreement. (Providence Journal 11/1/2015, p. B-1) do you now support sending ground troops into these two countries?
QUESTIONS FOR THOSE READING THIS FLYER Do you think citizens should actively monitor their country’s actions and speak up when conscience dictates? Would you like to spend some time working with other Rhode Islanders in this effort?
If so, please email ri-antiwar-activist@googlegroups.com
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless (RICH) is on track to satisfy their goal, outlined in Zero: 2016, of eliminating veteran homelessness by the end of the year. Since January, RICH has housed 163 homeless veterans and today they cut the ribbon on a new building, Veterans for Tomorrow, located at 1115 Douglas Ave in Providence.
Governor Gina Raimondo, as well as Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony, as were many other politicians. Well over 150 people turned out for the event, to the surprise of many of the speakers.
The best speaker at the ceremony was Larry Crudup, a homeless veteran who served ten years in the Army and ten additional years in the Army Reserves. who finally has a safe and private home to sleep in. “When I first saw the room,” says Crudup, “I fell in love with it.”
The rooms are spacious and come with a small living, dining area, a separate bedroom and a separate bathroom. Also, the facility comes with a community area and a classroom. “It’s better than being by yourself,” said Crudup.
Several of the political speakers made the point that no one who served our country in the military should have to suffer from homelessness. It is hoped that Rhode Island can be the first state to eliminate veteran homelessness this year.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
About a dozen members of RIAC (Rhode Island Antiwar Coalition) protested outside Rhode Island Hospital in Providence Friday evening against the Kunduz hospital bombing that claimed the lives of patients and medical staff, including members of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
RIAC notes that President Barack Obama has the singular honor of being the first Nobel Peace laureate to bomb another Nobel Peace laureate. The protest is being held on the same day as the announcement of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, and is aligned with other protests on the hospital bombing nationwide organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence.
According to their press release, “RIAC calls for an end to bombing in Afghanistan and notes that the bombing of the hospital is probably a war crime. Obama, who was elected president in 2008 as the beneficiary of calls to stop these needless war deaths, bears command responsibility as commander-in-chief for the procedures in place that allowed this to happen even though he wasn’t personally the one who called for the airstrike.
“This protest is not directed against Rhode Island Hospital. The point is that bombing a functioning hospital, destroying it and killing patients and doctors, is obviously the wrong thing to do. Military strikes in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia should be ended immediately.”
RIAC further notes that, “After the hospital bombing, Rhode Island’s Senator Jack Reed tentatively suggested changing the war plans so that more troops would continue fighting in Afghanistan.”
Passersby were generally favorable to RIACs message, honking horns in solidarity or making comments from their cars.
[Parts of this report is from a RIAC press release.]
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Food on the Move is a new program that brings fresh produce into underserved communities and doubles the value of SNAP benefits for fresh produce. Right now this is the only mobile produce program in the country.
The federal government is watching with “keen interest,” says Amy Nunn. She and Gemma Gorham are program directors of this new way to bring good food to poor people.
Senator Jack Reed, who secured the initial $100,000 investment in the program, said it is based on very sophisticated academic research showing that bringing fresh produce into communities increases healthy eating.
Reed too hopes Food on the Move, “will be a model for programs across the country.”
And Rhode Island is the perfect testing ground. “Fifteen percent of Rhode islanders experience food insecurity,” said Nunn. “The highest rate in New England.”
Nicole Alexander-Scott
“How long someone lives should not depend on the zip code they come from” said Nicole Alexander-Scott, executive director of Rhode Island Department of Health. She said 85 percent of those making under $50,000 a year do not eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This program is one way “we are going to [impact] social and environmental determinants of health.”
Towards the end of the presentation Dr. Nunn pointed out that many people only get a small amount of money in their SNAP benefits, and that Food on the Move might not reach them until the second or third week of the month. She hopes that many people will be able to hold onto some of their SNAP money until they can reach a Food on the Move location and double the impact of the benefits.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
The United States Senate passed the Every Child Achieves Act Thursday, which eliminated many of the provisions set forth in former President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind law. While No Child Left Behind was criticized for pressuring educators to teach to a test, the Every Child Achieves Act encourages communities to improve schools by finding strategies that work for each student.
Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse helped to craft portions of the law as a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Photo courtesy of http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72151.html
“As I listened to Rhode Islanders on this issue, I heard the same things over and over again: we need to protect federal funding for local districts, give more control to teachers and local officials to design education plans, and get rid of high-stakes testing that has harmed students and teachers by placing too much emphasis on test scores,” Whitehouse said in a press release.
Under the new law, yearly testing will remain for grades three through eight, and once during high school. But, funding and improvement strategies are no longer tied just to the outcomes of these tests. Now, a number of factors will be considered, such as graduation rates, the enrollment rates for Advanced Placement classes, incidents of bullying and violence, and teachers’ working conditions.
Whitehouse penned a number of provisions in the law concerning a range of topics, such as middle school success, after school programs, support for students suffering from addiction, grants for an American History and Civics program, and support for unique, high-ability leaners.
Whitehouse also helped to author language in the bill that requires states to properly assess the needs of students when they enter a juvenile justice facility. States must make sure that students have access to education opportunities while in these facilities, and that the credits they earned while in that setting will transfer to a regular school when they return.
“Overall, these policies are intended to ensure that troubled children who enter the juvenile justice system are given an opportunity to reform their behavior and get ahead, rather than being marginalized and falling further behind in their education,” the press release said.
Another large provision that Whitehouse wrote is designed to give schools a fast-track process for schools to obtain relief from regulations that can act at barriers to school-level innovations. These schools will be able to do a number of things, including extend the school day for struggling students, own their budgeting and accounting, and manage human resources. For a school to participate in this fast-track program, they must demonstrate support from administrators, parents, and at least two thirds of the teaching staff. These schools will also be allowed to form advisory boards to get the opinions of the business community, higher education, and community groups, and use those opinions to influence school planning. These “innovation schools” will remain part of their district, but also be used as locations for experimentation, and serve as a model for other schools in the district.
Whitehouse also partnered with Senator Jack Reed (D- RI) on a third provision, which authorizes funding to provide grants to educational agencies to give students better access to modern library materials, as well as arts-related education and outreach programs.
“Our core goal is to provide all of our kids with the best possible education, and I’m confident that the changes made by this bill will result in real improvements in our schools,” Whitehouse said.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Representative David Cicilline hosted U.S. Secretary of LaborTom Perez in Pawtucket Friday afternoon as part of “a roundtable discussion on paid leave.” Also on hand were Senator Jack Reed, Congressman Jim Langevin, State Senator Gayle Goldin, RI Department of Labor and Training Director Scott Jensen, Rhode Island AFL-CIO President George Nee and District 1199 SEIU Executive Vice President Patrick Quinn.
Before the discussion, held at Gold International Machinery and LNA Laser Technology, Company President Dan Gold gave a guided tour of his businesses and answered questions about the state of the local economy and his opinion about the future of his businesses. Gold was generally optimistic.
Secretary Perez was visiting Rhode Island as part of a “Lead on Leave” tour, in which “Perez and other Obama administration officials are currently traveling the country to meet with employers, workers, government officials, and other stakeholders to highlight the importance of paid leave.”
Noting the “regrettable gridlock” preventing smart policy from being implemented in Washington, Secretary Perez said that President Barrack Obama now defines success by, “how much work we can do with our state and local partners.” In this spirit, Rhode Island, along with California, Massachusetts and Washington State, is pioneering paid leave law. It is hoped that our experience will pave the way for a national system.
Representative David Cicilline
The United States, said Cicilline, is “one of only three countries today that does not offer paid maternity leave.” The other two are Oman, a totalitarian state, and Papua New Guinea, which has the highest levels of violence against women in the world.
Opponents say that a paid leave program will hold back business and slow economic growth, but Cicilline maintained that “nothing could be further from the truth.”
“Paid leave is good for business and employees,” said Cicilline, “Supporting programs like paid leave promotes [employee] retention, recruitment of employees and improves productivity.”
In California, 87 percent of businesses had no increased costs due to the implementation of paid leave and 9 percent of businesses, “reported that the paid leave program generated savings.” Women who receive paid leave are 39 percent less likely to receive public assistance and 40 percent less likely to be on food stamps, so paid leave can save taxpayer dollars as well.
According to figures presented by Director Jensen, about 4800 people have used the Rhode Island paid leave system in its first year after passage. 3600 used the system to care for children and 1200 to take care of family. $8.35 million was paid out, notes Jenson, so it’s a “popular program.”
State Senator Gayle Goldin was instrumental in getting Rhode Island’s version of paid leave through the General Assembly. Goldin noted that the room in Gold International Machinery where the roundtable was being held in was the same room where the Rhode Island coalition advocating for paid leave held their first press conference. She joked that the signing into law of a national paid leave act should take place in the same room.
Goldin also spoke of the many people who have told her their stories of being able to utilize paid leave under Rhode Island’s law, people who would have faced impossible financial, emotional or health related hardships had this law not been passed. Here are three such stories, from the press conference:
Company President Dan Gold spoke from the point of view of a successful business owner. “To me, there’s business, but there’s also community, and quality of life. I believe that the business community is critical for creating a quality of life for all workers.”
So often we in Rhode Island talk about how we are behind the curve in terms of business and social justice. On this issue, Rhode Island is a leader, paving the way for the rest of the country to follow.
Senator Gayle Goldin
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Tara D’Ambra and her 11-year-old daughter Olivia know exactly why Lucy’s Hearth, a women’s shelter in Middletown, needed a new home.
The new facility is. There are play rooms for young children, as well as a teen lounge. The rooms are colorful, and adorned with quotations such as “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where you stand as in what direction you are moving” and “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” There are two different playgrounds on the 2.2 acre campus.
“For years, communities on the frontlines of proposed pipelines, power plants, compressor stations, and LNG terminals have been told by the fossil fuel lobby and politicians that gas is a low-carbon bridge to a clean energy future,” said Weilerstein. “Today, it’s clearer than ever that this is not the case. New fracked gas infrastructure proposed across the region threatens our climate future, our health, and our neighborhoods. It’s time to double down on clean local renewable energy sources right here in New England.
Opposition to Invenergy‘s proposed $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant, planned for Burrillville, dominated the 90th annual Ancients & Horribles Parade in neighboring Glocester on the 4th of July. First and second prize for best in show went to floats opposing the power plant.
The 
The
Governor Gina Raimondo and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse found themselves confronted by activists from Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion (BASE) and Fighting Against Natural Gas (FANG) at a press conference to announce a new federal program to fund “major infrastructure projects like the 6-10 Connector in Providence.”
The Rhode Island Antiwar Committee protested Senator Jack Reed at Brown University Sunday afternoon. The senator was speaking as part of the Watson Institute‘s Distinguished Lecture Series on “
The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless (RICH) is on track to satisfy their goal, outlined in 
About a dozen members of RIAC (Rhode Island Antiwar Coalition) protested outside Rhode Island Hospital in Providence Friday evening against the Kunduz hospital bombing that claimed the lives of patients and medical staff, including members of 
“This protest is not directed against Rhode Island Hospital. The point is that bombing a functioning hospital, destroying it and killing patients and doctors, is obviously the wrong thing to do. Military strikes in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia should be ended immediately.”
Food on the Move is a new program that brings fresh produce into underserved communities and doubles the value of SNAP benefits for fresh produce. Right now this is the only mobile produce program in the country.
Senator Jack Reed, who secured the initial $100,000 investment in the program, said it is based on 
