Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not?

Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not?

HOT

Matt Taibbi: Less than one-year after Taibbi’s highly critical Rolling Stone article about then State Treasurer (now Governor-elect) Gina Raimondo’s controversial hedge fund investments, the state, under Raimondo’s direction, has cut ties with two of the three controversial funds mentioned in the article—first Third Point LLC., and most recently Mason Capital. Journalism matters.

Peter Nightingale: The URI Physics professor and climate activist stood up for what he believes in and was arrested for hosting a sit-in at Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s office while protesting the Spectra Natural Gas Pipeline that is slated to run through Burriville. Nightingale correctly points out that Whitehouse can’t have his cake and eat it too, and that if he’s really an environmental champion, arguing that the pipeline should be supported because it will lower energy costs isn’t going to cut the mustard. (This was first reported at rifuture.org.)

The Superman Building: Is the iconic downtown skyscraper finally about to emerge from its two year slumber? Golocal reported this week that Citizens Bank is considering the building for its corporate headquarters. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

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15th Healthiest State: America’s Health Ratings finds that Rhode Island scores highly in a key category—we’re the 15th healthiest state in the country thanks to high numbers of primary care doctors, high immunization, and a slew of great hospitals. And the state is poised to rise even higher in the rankings if we can only cut down on binge drinking and drug usage.

Luis Aponte: After some post election uncertainty, Aponte once again appears poised to become the Providence City Council’s next President after city councilman Terrence Hassett dropped out of contention for the position and backed Aponte instead. Aponte's recent comments signal that he'll treat the city council as a co-equal branch of government to the mayor's office, and that's a good thing as dissent is often a healthy aspect of politics.

Boston Celtics: Don’t look know, but after their 109-92 win on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics have won their last 5 of 8 games and their young players are showing some serious upside. Now Celtics nation will turn their attention to one major question, should they trade star point guard Rajon Rondo?

Christmas: Christmas is next Thursday, so here’s hoping that everyone remembers that the real meaning of the season is much more fulfilling than bland consumerism. Let’s all have a safe and merry holiday season.

NOT

Ralph Mollis: A Superior Court Judge ruled on Thursday that the Secretary of State manipulated the state judiciary for political reasons during the heated Democratic Primary Election for Lieutenant Governor earlier this year when he took Providence lawyer and Gordon Fox confidante Michael Corso to court for failing to register as a lobbyist on the 38 studio’s issue, according to wpri.com. Mollis is one of the finer gentleman you’ll meet in politics, but it’s safe to say this wasn’t one of this best weeks.

Dean Esserman: The stories about the size of the former Providence Police Chief’s ego continue to make the news. Last week, golocalprov.com broke the news that Esserman, currently the chief of the New Haven police department, who is rumored to be a candidate for the job in Providence once again, threatened to shut down the Army-Yale football game because an usher asked to see his ticket, which he refused to show in a classic “do you know who I am moment”.

Sony: Sony Pictures displayed serious cowardice this week with its decision to decline to move forward with screenings of its new movie The Interview, a comedy about two reporters enlisted by the CIA to assassinate the leader of North Korea. Sony backed down in the face of threats by terrorists and set a dangerous precedent going forward.

3rd Worst for Black Americans: According to 630 WPRO.com, a new study by Delaware publication 247wallst.com found that Rhode Island ranks the 3rd worst economic state in the nation for African Americans. But is this really surprising given that the state habitually ranks near the bottom of the barrel in every other economic category? ‘

Granoff Blackstone Boulevard Development: The Providence City Planning Commission voted a 2-2 tie on a motion to move the massive subdivision forward on Tuesday night, and the project, which would subdivide the historic 3.6 acre property into 12 lots, hangs in the balance. Comments from the project’s lawyer indicate that the fight is long from over.

East Side Crime: Golocalprov.com reported recently that the East Side of Providence, long thought to be the safest part of the city, has seen an “uptick” in crime as of late. “Hey, even the Mona Lisa is falling apart.”—Chuck Palahniuk

 Russell Moore, a lifelong Rhode Islander, politics junkie, and sports fanatic, has worked on both sides of the desk of Rhode Island media, both newspapers and on political campaigns. Follow him on twitter @russmoore713.