Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - April 18, 2025

HOT

Mothers by a Mother

Art columnist Michael Rose has a spectacular column on a wonderful Rhode Island artist:

For painter and professor Suzanne Schireson, the overlap of motherhood and creativity is central to her vibrant figurative art. A mom to two children, Schireson has spent a great deal of time researching historic artists who were committed both to their studios and to caretaking. A series of recent paintings inspired by this will be on view in a solo exhibition titled Bright Ground at Cade Tompkins Projects on the East Side of Providence from May 3 to August 31.

Summing up the idea behind her work, Schireson says, “My images are based on a mother or a caretaker, and I imagine a makeshift studio space for them through these invented portraits. These spaces are intended to be more psychological than physical. The paintings are not about escape; they are about a deep desire to reflect and refuel.”

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HOT

Cleaning Up

Save the Bay organized a coastal cleanup this past week, and representatives of several companies, organizations, and citizens joined together to remove garbage and waste.

Individuals from Amica, recycling company Sims, and other groups joined in the effort.

GoLocal's Richard McCaffrey was there to capture the good work by the volunteers.

The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is the world’s largest volunteer effort for our oceans.

"People all over the world remove trash from the shores and document what they find, and Save The Bay is proud to be the Rhode Island State Coordinator for the effort, organizing dozens of cleanups throughout the state. In 2023, volunteers in the Ocean State collected 22,480 pounds of trash from Rhode Island shorelines," said Save the Bay.

HOT

Block's Got It Right

Outspoken Rhode Island businessman Ken Block is letting loose on Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi.

Block, who has previously run for governor both as a Moderate and as a Republican, is blistering Shekarchi for failing to support the efforts to create an independent inspector general’s office designed to identify wasteful spending.

In September 2024, TIME magazine named Block one of America's Democracy Defenders.

“Speaker Shekarchi's bizarre response to efforts to bring an Inspector General to Rhode Island continues his pattern of thwarting efforts to further good government in the state,” said Block.

“Shekarchi is so opposed to an independent review of our government's operations that he embraced President Trump's firing of 17 Inspectors General. The most constitutionally powerful politician in Rhode Island (elected by just 5,684 Rhode Island voters in 2024) would prefer to exercise his power without independent oversight,” added Block.

Shekarchi Responds

“I have always kept an open mind on the inspector general issue and will review the testimony provided at this week’s committee hearing.  However, I am yet to be convinced there is a need to create an office that would provide many duplicative services when we have the offices of the Attorney General, the Auditor General, the Office of Internal Audit and the U.S. Attorney already addressing corruption and waste in government,” said Shekarchi.

HOT

Kevin Stacom Talks to Estonia

Only Kevin Stacom talks to multiple sources in Europe to get the beat on the Friars' newest recruit:

In the midst of the intense, now annual portal, NIL, madcap player acquisition process, the Providence College basketball program announced the signing of Stefan Vaaks, a 19-year-old, 6’6”, 190 lb guard/wing from Estonia.         

In the current state of affairs in Big Time College basketball, this intense competition for talent calls upon whatever resources, ingenuity, and creativity you can muster to achieve that goal. 

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HOT

Conservation and Access

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), the Town of Westerly, and Save The Bay on Thursday announced the conservation of 7.31 acres of coastal land on Winnapaug Pond in Westerly. This project was made possible by a $2.635 million grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NOAA award enabled DEM to buy a conservation easement from the Town of Westerly for the Sorensen property, a six-acre undeveloped salt marsh, formerly the Water Wizz property in Winnapaug Pond. This protects valuable habitat, enhances coastal access, and helps buffer nearby communities from climate change and sea level rise in a highly developed area.  

NOT

Wrong Direction

Leonard Lardaro, an economist at the University of Rhode Island, warns that the Rhode Island economy is experiencing significant stress.

Lardaro, in his monthly report released on Monday morning, which scores the strength of the Rhode Island economy 1-100, said, “The February value, 42, is in the contraction range following two months of neutral values. While the deciding factor leading to a 42 was a first annual decline in retail sales, I need to see if that change develops into a well-defined trend.”

“Even if this is not the case, I have stated that I believe Rhode Island is currently in a ‘growth recession,’ where the rate of growth is not sufficient to keep the unemployment rate from rising. Worse yet, our state's employment rate (percentage of the population that is employed - either in or out-of-state) has fallen for nine consecutive months,” he warns.

NOT

Wrong Direction, PART II

Rhode Island's unemployment rate jumped to 4.8%.

Last year, the rate was 4.1% in March.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2% in March, up one-tenth of a percentage point from February. The U.S. rate was 3.9% in March 2024.

NOT

Too Frequent

Too many locally owned restaurants are closing. The latest was a good one.

One of downtown Providence’s few breakfast spots - and diners - is closing.

Nico Bella’s on Dorrance Street, located just a block from City Hall, made the announcement last week.

Featuring such staples as eggs Benedict and chicken and waffles, all-day breakfast was the centerpiece of the business. 

“I built the restaurant old-school, selling food and paying for equipment," owner Daniel Crenca told GoLocal. "I was in really good shape before the pandemic, but I just couldn’t get out from under it,” 

Crenca noted that the restaurant is just the latest closure downtown. which in recent years has included Yoleni’s, Kin, and more. 

Nico Bella’s had been open for ten years.

It will now be shutting its doors at the end of April.