Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - April 8, 2022

HOT

Cooley for the Win

Last Sunday, Providence College Men's Basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley was named the 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year.

“Ed’s undeniable coaching acumen has been evident throughout his team’s historic 2021-22 season, and we’re thrilled to recognize him as the 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “On the court, Oscar and Walker displayed tremendous determination and leadership, resulting in dominant seasons for each and making them worthy representatives of the Naismith Player Awards.”

Cooley, named the Big East Coach of the Year, is the first Friar coach to earn the prestigious honor. He led his team to a historic season, ending the year 27-6 to tie for the second-highest single season win total in program history. Providence also earned its highest tournament seed ever at No. 4 and eventually advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. This marked the sixth time overall and the first time since 1997 the Friars have managed such a feat. Cooley now ranks second all-time in wins at Providence. He edged out Mark Adams (Texas Tech), Greg Gard (Wisconsin) and Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) for the honor.

HOT

Preserving Warwick

On Friday, Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi announces a $775,000 federal grant awarded to the City of Warwick.

The funding will be used to evaluate and restore the historic Conimicut Shoals Lighthouse. That work includes replacing railings, repairing the existing jetty, weatherproofing the structure and a complete repainting of the exterior shell.

The money will also go towards building an interpretive educational kiosk in nearby Conimicut Point Park.

PHOTO: Kenneth C. Zirkel CC 3.0

HOT

401Gives

401Gives set new highs on April 1, 2022 -- the day topped $3 million in giving, which is 30 percent more than last year and included more than 12,000 donors making more than 19,000 gifts to 500+ nonprofits.

This initiative began in 2020 and has become the biggest day of fundraising for nonprofits in Rhode Island.

"The giving has been so generous – and there’s so much to celebrate – that United Way is keeping 401Gives open all weekend for anyone who still wants to get in on the fun," said United Way of Rhode Island. 

HOT

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is Confirmed to Serve on the U.S. Supreme Court

The United States Senate on Thursday confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. When sworn in she will be the first Black woman to serve as a member of the Court in American history.

Jackson was confirmed on a 53-47 vote, with three Republicans joining all 50 Democrats in backing her nomination.

According to the New York Times, “The vote was a rejection of Republican attempts to paint her as a liberal extremist who has coddled criminals. Dismissing those portrayals as distorted and offensive, Judge Jackson’s backers saw the confirmation as an uplifting occasion, one where a representative of a group often pushed into the background instead moved to the forefront.”

HOT

Good for Newport (Not So Good for Providence)

A Providence restaurant has moved "south" -- where it is slated to open soon. 

The Dorrance, which had been located blocks from City Hall in Providence and was closed intermittently during the coronavirus pandemic — is opening its new location in Newport this spring. 

It is going where Griswold’s Tavern used to be on Bellevue Avenue, next to the Elks Lodge.

On Monday, the Rhode Island Hospitality Association (RIHA) touted the impending arrival of “The Dorrance on Bellevue” in Newport. 

“We are so excited for our dear friends from The Dorrance on Bellevue! These fine folks are re-opening soon at their new location on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, and we are here for their crudi, gnudi & charcuterie (excellent cocktails & live music also included)," said RIHA. 

“Best wishes and welcome back," they added. 

According to RIHA, The Dorrance on Bellevue is slated to open sometime in May.

HOT

Two Central Falls Police Officers Recognized

Zachary A. Cunha will present the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing to two Central Falls Police Department officers – one of the nation’s highest awards in policing.

Detective-Sergeant Jeffrey Araujo and Major Christopher Reed will be honored for their work which solved a decades-old murder case, bringing justice to the victim’s children and family. 

The award’s year-long selection process was rigorous, and included over three hundred officers from all over the nation.

HOT

Gotta Love This Kid

Blackstone Valley Prep High School announced last Friday that senior Joshua Rodriguez has been accepted to five Ivy League universities. 

Rodiguez was accepted at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, and Yale universities as a member of the class of 2026. 

“While I’ve always wanted to learn and perform well academically, my grades were never the only thing important to me. For me, friendships and connection to a larger community have always been a driving force,” Rodriguez said. 

“Academic prestige was not my only motivation to cast a wide net by applying to several colleges and universities," he added. "I am looking for an intellectually curious and supportive community that will help me discover what I am truly meant to do.”

Read more here. 

HOT

Jump-Starting Business Travel to RI

This week state officials announced the relaunch of Recommend Rhode Island, a campaign that asks fellow Rhode Islanders to refer events of any size among their personal and professional networks to the state.

The relaunch comes on a day that the meetings and conventions industry celebrates Global Meetings Industry Day, a day to showcase the proven value that business meetings, conferences, and conventions bring to businesses and the economy.

“We know most of our residents belong to some sort of group and they’re ready to meet in person once again,” said Providence-Warwick CVB CEO Kristen Adamo. “We expect today’s Recommend RI relaunch to build on the campaign’s pre-pandemic momentum of working with 10-20 residents annually to attract business that generated upwards of $7 million.”

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to catastrophic losses of more than $78 million in direct spending due to canceled business booked by the PWCVB. While it continues to make strides toward recovery, Providence’s largely event-based tourism economy isn’t expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024.

“Face-to-face meetings and convention business can bring millions of dollars into our local economy,” said Evan Smith of Discover Newport. “Recommend RI adds more to that equation by encouraging Rhode Islanders to actively recruit groups that are significant to them. The best tourism ambassadors are the people who live here – and this is the perfect opportunity for them to brag about a place they love to the groups they care about.”

NOT

Another Coventry Fire District Financial Meltdown

Rhode Island State Representative George Nardone is advocating that the financially beleaguered Coventry Fire District put forth a plan to request COVID-relief funding for its $3 million budget hole -- and that legislation should be amended to correct "detrimental language."

Nardone, a Republican, has represented District 28 (Coventry) since 2019. 

“In 2019, the General Assembly passed H5662, which eliminated an important firefighter contract negotiating tool for municipalities.  At that time, myself, along with legions of others, expressed strong concern that this legislation would significantly increase fire protection costs.  The Central Coventry Fire District had emerged from bankruptcy, was on strong footing and following a self-sustaining plan before H5662 was put into law," said Nardone.

This isn't the first time the Fire District has been in financial trouble. As GoLocal reported in 2013 before its bankruptcy filing:

"When the Central Coventry Fire District revealed last fall that it had a $1.6 million budget deficit and would seek receivership, many residents in the small Rhode Island area who had never even attended a fire district meeting wondered how such a big problem could have gone unnoticed for so long.

The problem was so bad that firefighters in the district went weeks without pay and, if the current projections hold true, the district’s taxpayers will soon be asked to foot a tax increase of up to 60 percent to make up the now $2 million hole."

NOT

RI Missing Target to Reduce Greenhouse Gases

Rhode Island has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 10% mandated by the Act on Climate -- but data released on Friday by the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) shows that the state is in fact increasing GHG — not reducing.

GHG in Rhode Island grew by 8.18% between 2017 and 2018, according to an analysis of the state’s 2018 GHG inventory conducted by DEM air quality specialists. The increase has driven the state’s emissions by 1.8% over the 1990 baseline year, well short of the 10% emissions reduction.

“There is no question that the data we are releasing today is a call to action for Rhode Island to do better, to fight climate change,” said RIDEM Acting Director Terry Gray. “The governor’s budget proposes more than $150 million in investments to do just that, following through on the urgency conveyed in the Act on Climate passed one year ago. The Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) will be continuing important conversations with Rhode Islanders across the state on how to craft effective and equitable solutions to lower our emissions and the agencies in the EC4 will be implementing actions to make those reductions happen.” 

Read more here. 

NOT

Another Weekend of Violence in Providence 

It was another weekend of violence in Providence. Two women and two men were shot.

Both men, shot in separate incidents, are reportedly in critical condition.

Mayor Jorge Elorza made no public statements on the shootings.