Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - April 12, 2024

HOT

Can Bennett Fix It?

Top Rhode Island business leader Jim Bennett will be named president of the troubled Commerce RI.

Bennett, who has led a number of private sector firms, served as the head of economic development for the City of Providence. and chaired the Rhode Island Convention Center, is being tapped by Governor Dan McKee in an effort to stabilize the agency.

In February, GoLocal unveiled that many of the top executives at Commerce have resigned at an alarming rate in the past two years.

In just the past 24 months, multiple top-tier executives have resigned, and in some top positions, the job has been turned over numerous times.

The turnover correlates with the last two years of McKee’s governorship. And, much of the exodus has occurred since Liz Tanner took over as Secretary of Commerce beginning in June of 2022.

President’s Position - Bennett Will Be Fourth President at Commerce in Two Years

The President’s position at Commerce had been held by Jesse Saglio for seven years; he resigned in February of 2022.

Hilary Fagan took over as President, and then she resigned in December of 2022. Since then, Bill Ash served as “acting” president.

This spring, Ash announced his departure and left Commerce in early March.

HOT

AS220 Super Exhibits

Michael Rose, GoLocal's arts writer, has a great take on what is going on at AS220.

Right now is the very best time to explore the art of the print in Rhode Island.

At AS220, four concurrent exhibitions all focus on printmaking in various forms. The shows are awe-inspiring and creatively energizing.

Spread throughout discrete venues dotted across several blocks, AS220’s Galleries offered varied installations of dynamic prints. On view in the organization’s Aborn Gallery at 95 Empire Street, Crossroads is a group show curated by local printmaker Lois Harada.

Next door in the AS220 Main Gallery at 115 Empire Street, PVDPrintmakers has organized an exhibition titled Swap/Exchange/Trade, focused on the popular practice of print trades and swaps.

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HOT

ROI

The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB) reported the direct spending of more than $23 million from March and April through events booked by the PWCVB and its subsidiary, the Rhode Island Sports Commission.

Comparatively, the direct spend of events over the same months in 2023 was $17 million, and in 2022, $13 million. 

“Tourism dollars are not generated solely by busy leisure travel weekends or high-profile collegiate tournaments in the city -  on any given weekday, there is more than likely a conference in town that could bring in millions for our economy,” said Tom Riel, senior vice president of the PWCVB. “They are the bread and butter of our business, and the latest March and April numbers give just a snapshot of the financial impact of these bookings. Our meeting spaces - everything from the Rhode Island Convention Center and Crowne Plaza to the hotel ballrooms and conference rooms - are economic engines.”

HOT

Pizza Week Is Coming

Seriously, nothing is hotter than Pizza Week.

We're not sure why it is not a state holiday week!

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HOT

GoLocal Recruits Friar Great

Providence College men’s basketball great Kevin Stacom is joining GoLocalProv as a sports analyst.

Stacom is one of the most accomplished Friars in history. An All-American at Providence, Stacom was a second-round NBA draft pick, played six years in the NBA, and won an NBA championship as a member of the Boston Celtics.

After his playing career, Stacom coached at the college level and served as an NBA scout for nearly 30 years for the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks.

“Kevin is one of the most experienced professionals at understanding the intricacies of college and professional basketball. He has a wealth of experience, and it is a great addition to add him to our growing team covering sports,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and Co-Founder of GoLocal.

“I am excited to join GoLocal. It is a company that has transformed media in Rhode Island. GoLocal has always broken the biggest stories in sports, and understands the business, the contracts, and how sports really works,” said Stacom.

Stacom joins sports columnists Bob McMahon and Jim Malachowski.

“The addition of Stacom continues GoLocal’s effort to provide Rhode Islanders with the best journalism and the smartest analysts,” added Fenton.

PHOTO: PC Hall of Fame

HOT

It Was a Blow Out

According to Nielsen data, the finals for the NCAA Women’s Division I finals outdrew the men’s final, and it was not close. The women’s audience was a record 18.9 million — almost four times what the women’s audience was two years earlier.

And, the men’s final on Monday night between UConn and Purdue was watched by 14.8 million. The women’s numbers are more impressive as the women played on a Sunday afternoon and the men played in primetime.

But the money went to the men.

“But that won’t be reflected in the money each side earned for TV rights: $6.5 million for the women’s tournament and $873 million for the men’s. The wide discrepancy raises the question of whether college athletics officials have failed to capitalize on a surge in popularity in the women’s game. A new deal that goes into effect next season will allocate some $65 million a year for the women’s game, a substantial jump but still a fraction of the men’s haul,” reported the Wall Street Journal.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark’s influence cannot be underestimated. It was the biggest TV audience to watch an NCAA basketball game since the men’s NCAA final in 2019. Then, the finals between the University of Virginia and Texas Tech drew 19.6 million viewers.

NOT

NEW: Brown Gets a “D” From Anti-Defamation League for Anti-Semitism on Campus

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released its first Campus Antisemitism Report Card on Thursday, assessing “incidents, Jewish life on campus and university policies and administrative actions related to combatting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students.”

The ADL gave Brown University in Providence a grade of “D.” 

GoLocal first reported last December that students at Brown who are active in the Jewish community had their apartment broken into and, according to Providence Police, were targeted with an anti-Semitic note.

Brown University officials sent an internal email notice to faculty and staff identifying the incident not as an act of “anti-Semitism” — but, Brown called the incident “bias-related.”

Previously, Brown had referred to anti-Semitic” incidents as acts of “anti-Semitism.”

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PHOTO: Brown

NOT

America’s Teachers Believe Public Education is Getting Worse

MINDSETTER™ Rob Horowitz has a smart piece on the state of public education, and it is not in a good place:

America’s public school teachers are significantly less satisfied with their jobs than the rest of the workforce, according to a national survey unveiled last week by Pew Research Center.

Only 1-in-3 (33%) teachers say they are extremely or very satisfied with their jobs. This compares to a little more than half (51%) of the rest of the workforce.  In fact, 52% of teachers “say they would not advise a young person starting out today to become a teacher,” reported Pew.

More than 3-out-of 4 (77%) teachers say that their job is “frequently stressful.” More than 2-in-3 (68%) say it is “frequently overwhelming.” And 7-in-10 (70%) say their school is understaffed, according to Pew.   

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Teachers also believe they are underpaid. “Only 15% are extremely or very satisfied with their pay, while 51% are not too or not at all satisfied,” documents Pew.

It is the case that nearly 6-in-10 (56%) teachers still find their job to be fulfilling.  But the fraught overall perception of the job, unless improved, is not a recipe for retaining good teachers or recruiting promising new ones to the profession.

Even more troubling, 82% of teachers “say the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the past five years,” Pew finds.  A contributing factor to this perception is undoubtedly the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic.  “About eight in ten teachers (among those who have been teaching for at least a year) say the lasting impact of the pandemic on students’ behavior, academic performance, and emotional well-being has been very or somewhat negative,” according to Pew.

Additionally, most teachers don’t see the situation improving any time soon.  Only 1-in-5 (20%) teachers “say public K-12 education will be a lot or somewhat better five years from now,” while more than half (53%) “say it will be worse,” reports Pew.

Teachers are split on the current academic performance of their students. About half of teachers (48%) say the academic performance of most students at their school is fair or poor while the other half (50%) say it’s good or excellent.  Given that it is in the first 12 years of schooling that children learn the basics that will be foundational for whatever they do next, these are concerning results.

In a competitive global economy where we already lag behind many other developed nations in school performance, these findings should serve as a wake-up call. We must prepare our children for a world where jobs will require more, not fewer, skills — and the ability to be a life-long learner will be vital to economic success. 

Our public school teachers are essential to this task.  They are sounding an alarm we should all heed.

NOT

Thanks, Alviti 

Here is the traffic camera photo at 6:09 PM on Thursday, April 11, on I-195 Westbound.

#RIDOTWashingtonBridgeFailure

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Shocking, NOT

So the only one prosecuted in the Sabina Matos faked signatures scandal was the lowest, part-time, untrained campaign worker, and everyone else was cleared.

And, it took 6 months. 

Justice is REALLY both slow and blind. 

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