Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - April 29, 2022

HOT

Classical High School #1

Purple...Purple

U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday issued its annual list of best public high schools in the country — as well as broken down by state. 

In Rhode Island, Providence’s Classical High School earned top honors in the rankings. In addition, it cracked the U.S. top 100 list, coming in at #91. 

Two of Rhode Island’s top ten schools are public charter schools.  

Overall, Rhode Island high schools were ranked 8th in the country; Massachusetts and Connecticut were first and second, respectively. 

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HOT

Hollywood Hits Thayer Street Again - See Which Emmy-Nominated Actress Was in Providence Last Weekend

Another weekend, another star sighting on Thayer Street in Providence. 

After GoLocalProv broke the story that Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones dined at Andrea’s on Easter weekend, another accomplished Hollywood actress ate at the restaurant on Saturday. 

Marin Hinkle — who had gone to Brown — was back in town and grabbed a meal at the popular Greek restaurant. 

Among many television and movie roles, she is best known for playing Judy Brooks on the ABC television drama Once and Again, Judith Harper-Melnick on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, and Rose Weissman on the comedy-drama series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime Video. 

For her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Hinkle was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2019 and 2020.

Hinkle has also appeared in the thrillers, starring in Quarantine and The Haunting of Molly Hartley.

She has made guest appearances on shows such as Spin City, Law & Order: SVU, Without a Trace, ER, House, and twice as characters on Law & Order.

HOT

Brilliance

Michael Rose's column about noted sculpture John Udvardy is a joy:

Visiting an artist’s studio is a special experience. The place where a creator makes their art is often a space where they work solitarily. In a series of nondescript commercial buildings on a quiet side street in Warren, Rhode Island, sculptor and retired RISD professor John Udvardy takes part in largely unseen labors that result in finely orchestrated found-object sculptures. A recent visit with Udvardy was a revealing trip through the artist’s oeuvre and into his personal history.

Born in humble circumstances in Ohio, Udvardy did not come from a family of artists or collectors. Asked about the roots of his artistic inclinations, he reminisces about collecting glass bottles as a boy and says he coveted them for their shapes. This love of form remains with the artist today and is present in everything he creates. Throughout his studio, carefully selected objects are omnipresent. Found in yard sales and on street corners, these products of salvage are his medium.

Read the rest of the profile HERE

HOT

"Fierce Advocate"

The Rhode Island Mental Health Association has presented Rep. Teresa A. Tanzi with its 2022 Legislator of the Year award.

Calling her a “fierce advocate for the mental health community,” the association praised her years of work in supporting mental health initiatives as a member of the House of Representatives and in the community.

In the General Assembly, Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett) has supported suicide prevention efforts and has helped to introduce and sponsor the Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act each year since 2018 until its final passage in 2021.

Tanzi also helped to introduce the Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) legislation — often known as “red flag laws” — to empower families and law enforcement to prevent gun tragedies by temporarily restricting access to guns for individuals at an elevated risk of harming themselves or others. She is a former chairwoman of the House Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Services.

HOT

RI International Airport -- Doubles Number of Direct Flights

PVD’s total number of non-stop routes has grown to 34, twice the number of non-stop routes available in 2016, representing 100% growth since that time.

HOT

Last Piece of the Puzzle?

Moderna is seeking emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or its COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months through 5 years of age, according to reports. 

"We believe mRNA-1273 will be able to safely protect these children against SARS-CoV-2, which is so important in our continued fight against COVID-19, and will be especially welcomed by parents and caregivers," Stéphane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, said in a statement.

NOT

John “People Say” Igliozzi

When GoLocal asked Council President John Igliozzi about Providence property owners being concerned about the jump in property valuations and the impact on their taxes, he responded, “I've heard from constituents who are elated about their new property values on one hand, but others who are concerned about how that value will directly impact their taxes.”

When GoLocal asked if he could identify those that are “elated” about the increase in their assessments, Igliozzi said, “These conversations with neighbors have been in passing. There wasn’t a formal submission.”

NOT

Economic Dangers

The U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter of 2022, marking a contraction — for the first time since the pandemic recession hit two years ago — of a 1.4 percent annual rate.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis released its latest "advance estimate" data on Thursday morning. 

“Steady spending suggested that the economy could keep expanding this year even though the Federal Reserve plans to raise rates aggressively to fight the inflation surge,” reported NBC. “The first quarter’s growth was hampered mainly by a slower restocking of goods in stores and warehouses and by a sharp drop in exports.”

“Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 1.4 percent in the first quarter of 2022, according to the ‘advance’ estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis,” reported BEA. “In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 6.9 percent.”

And for 2021 as a whole, the economy grew 5.7 percent, the highest calendar-year expansion since 1984.

“The GDP estimate released today is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency,” BEA continued. “The ‘second' estimate for the first quarter, based on more complete data, will be released on May 26, 2022.

NOT

Violence at Providence Middle Schools

Providence police are investigating a fight at a Providence middle school that sent one student to the hospital with injuries. 

Shortly after 8 AM on Tuesday, police responded to Esek Hopkins Middle School — located on Charles Street — for a report of an assault. 

According to police, the school was placed on lockdown following the fight; the school had already detained several students. 

The school principal told police that the victim was at the school nurse with a missing front tooth and complaining of pain.

The victim was transported to Hasbro Children’s Hospital for treatment. 

Three juveniles were arrested by Providence police.

Detectives are currently investigating.

Latest in City

The incident marks the latest in violence and crime at Providence middle schools. 

In March, another Providence middle school was placed on lockdown after construction workers’ tools were reportedly stolen. 

In January, a fire was reportedly set by juvenile females at another Providence middle school. 

NOT

Much to do About 11%

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter has been the focus of the media and politicians for the past few days.

For the vast majority of Americans, however, Twitter is Alaska — a place they have heard about, but never visited.

Politicians spun the importance of the purchase. "This deal is dangerous for our democracy. Billionaires like Elon Musk play by a different set of rules than everyone else, accumulating power for their own gain. We need a wealth tax and strong rules to hold Big Tech accountable," Tweeted U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

And, Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) congratulated Musk and tweeted that she was “looking forward to a free-speech oriented Twitter.”

But the reality is that Twitter may not be worth all the hype.

Twitter is tied with WhatsApp for the 7th most used social media platform, according to Pew Research.

READ MORE HERE

NOT

Conflicts? Are Watchdogs Watching?

The Save Right Whales Coalition, a group of scientists, conservationists, and community leaders, has discovered that many of the leading conservation organizations in New England and down the East Coast where offshore wind projects are being developed accept donations from major corporations in the wind industry.  In some cases, the non-profits accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a Zoom press conference on Tuesday with about twenty reporters, Save the Right Whales member Lisa Linowes said that the group had been fighting to protect the migration routes of both the right whale and migrating birds.

The group says it is comprised of volunteers and explicitly stated it had no relationship with any industry group. It was formed in November and has not yet filed a 990 tax filing and says it has not done any fundraising.

Wind Industry Donations top $4.3 Million and May Be Much Higher

Save Right Whales tracked more than $4.3 million in donations to environmental organizations.

As an example, Save the Right Whales said in its report, "The New England Aquarium received a donation pledge of $250,000 in 2018 from Bay State Wind. In 2019, Vineyard Wind donated an undisclosed amount to the Aquarium. In 2020, Equinor also donated an undisclosed amount. The Aquarium has supported offshore wind since at least 2021."

Another example cited is, "In August 2020, the National Audubon Society received a $200,000 grant from the New England Forest and Rivers Fund, a granting organization that takes money from the Avangrid Foundation, which is part of Avangrid Renewables. The National Audubon Society has supported offshore wind since at least 2010."
 
And Save the Right Whales cited, "The World Wildlife Fund received a sponsorship grant of undisclosed value from Ørsted in 2019. The World Wildlife Fund has supported offshore wind since at least 2021."

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