Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - August 19, 2022

HOT

How a Rhode Island Family Started a Puzzle Company From Scratch

It’s not always easy starting your own business — especially when you’re learning the trade from the ground up.

That’s exactly what Barrington residents Jerauld and Sara Adams did, however, when they started their company “Hope Puzzles” during the pandemic. 

The Adams, who had sold their historic Central Falls mill complex in February 2020, were trying to figure out what their next chapter should be — and like most families, found themselves spending most of their time at home during the pandemic along with their four children. 

“We were doing a lot of puzzles,” Jerauld Adams told GoLocal in an interview. “And then it just sort of clicked.” 

Adams said the idea was to make “high-end” puzzles of durable, lasting quality — and with a Rhode Island focus. 

Except for one thing.

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HOT

Pat Rogers

Hinckley Allen announced Tuesday that Patrick A. Rogers, a business lawyer and former chair of the firm’s corporate department, will succeed David J. Rubin as Managing Partner effective September 1, 2022.

Rogers was elected by the unanimous vote of the firm’s equity partners. Rubin has held the leadership role since 2014 and completes his final term this summer; he will continue his legal practice as a real estate partner at the firm. 

“It’s an honor to work at Hinckley Allen and I’m excited to serve as Managing Partner,” Rogers said. “We have an incredible group of lawyers and staff – and most of all – loyal and satisfied clients who put their trust in us to handle their most important legal matters. David Rubin has done a great job as our Managing Partner for nearly a decade.  The firm has enjoyed a period of strong performance in all our markets and four major practice areas: Construction, Litigation, Real Estate, and Corporate.  I look forward to building on that record of success and positioning Hinckley Allen for continued growth.”

HOT

NYT Crossword Puzzle Author

This week, Pawtucket resident Sue Fracker was tapped by the publication to provide her own puzzle for likely upward of a million readers. 

Fracker was the 55th puzzle “constructor” to debut in 2022, according to the Times. 

“This crossword puzzle has all the elements of an excellent one: a clever use of circles, a fun revealer, neat fill and some standout clues,” said the Times of running the crossword made by Fracker. “It also has all the elements of a crossword puzzle, period.”

GoLocal spoke with Fracker about the honor — and the celebrations. 

“I started building my own crosswords a couple of years ago during COVID,” said Fracker, who said she's been doing crosswords for over 30 years. “I thought it was a bit crazy to shoot for the New York Times…but I did.”

Fracker said she submitted “maybe 11 or 12” crosswords to the publication in the past, and that her persistence finally paid off this summer. 

“My first ‘rejection’ was one of the best I’ve ever gotten,” said Fracker, laughing, adding that the feedback from the Times staff helped her with improving her crossword-construction game. 

It was in June, however, that Fracker learned she finally made the “cut” — and would be published this week. 

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HOT

Back to Its Roots -- and Looking to the Future

Home Loan Investment Bank is back where it started — in Providence. 

This week, Home Loan opened a brand “new” location at 187 Wickenden Street, but Fox Point was the original location of the financial lender that was started more than 50 years ago by John Murphy.

Murphy -- who served on the Providence City Council -- opened Home Loan to provide customers with competitive home loans, knowledgeable advice, and financial guidance. 

It has expanded throughout the years and now offers retail banking, mortgages, auto, commercial and home improvement loans, and now has over 100 employees. 

And the business has stayed in the family — John Murphy’s son Brian Murphy, now Chairman and CEO, cut the ribbon on Wednesday to officially open the Wickenden location. 

“My parents grew up in Fox Point, so it’s great to come back,” said Brian Murphy, who added that went to Brown University — and lived on neighboring Transit Street. “We’ve had a lot of our original investors and original depositors come from the Fox Point neighborhood, so it’s nice to reengage with them.”

Murphy discussed what customers can find at Home Loan Investment Bank. 

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HOT

Land Preservation

The Nature Conservancy (TNC), in partnership with the Richmond Rural Preservation Land Trust, announced on Thursday the permanent conservation of 52 acres of undeveloped oak, maple and pine forest along the Beaver River in Richmond, Rhode Island. The parcel has been added to TNC’s Beaver River Preserve. 

With more than 500 feet of river frontage, the property was identified as a high priority for conservation in the Beaver River Watershed Assessment, a report funded by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and presented to Richmond officials in April 2021. The goal of this assessment was to identify important natural resources and habitats within the watershed and prioritize the projects that would best restore, protect and enhance the Beaver River. 

“This is such a key piece for the Beaver River, which is one of Rhode Island’s healthiest coldwater streams,” said Scott Comings, Associate State Director of TNC’s Rhode Island chapter. “The land trust’s support enabled us to act quickly when the opportunity arose and get the land into conservation.”

HOT

New Electric

RIPTA has received the first of 14 New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE NG™ 40-foot battery-electric buses, with the remainder of the Authority’s order to be delivered in the upcoming months. This fleet of New Flyer Xcelsior electric buses will replace the current fleet of diesel buses that operate on the R-Line, RIPTA’s most frequent and highest-ridership route, connecting Providence and Pawtucket.

The deployment creates RIPTA’s first fully electric route which will lower emissions on this key corridor, where many low-income and diverse communities have been affected by air pollution. The bright green buses, equipped with 320 kWH batteries, also mark RIPTA’s commitment to cleaner and more sustainable public transportation.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a 40-foot electric bus can save up to 135 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) annually, which is what a traditional 40-foot clean diesel bus would emit per year.

The fleet will be electrified by high-powered charging infrastructure – the State’s first Electric Bus In-Line Charging Station – located on Broad Street at the Providence/Cranston city line. The station, featuring four overhead pantograph chargers, allows for frequent recharging en route without human interaction. To charge, the bus pulls into the charging station and the overhead pantograph lowers from the station to the bus bars installed on the roof of the bus to charge. After charging for an estimated 5 to 9 minutes, the vehicle can return to service.
 

NOT

Block Island, Thanks Mainly to Ballards, Is Becoming a Joke

It used to be Block Island was known for being one of America's great unspoiled Islands. 

Now, the island is living up to its new reputation of becoming a drunken, ugly place. 

It has always had its high levels of inebriation -- just ask Joe Rogan -- but now it is losing its charm.

NOT

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is refusing to release documents from federal agencies relating to the contaminated soil dumped in the Olneyville section of Providence — one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

On June 2, GoLocal filed an Access to Public Records Act (APRA) request seeking “any communications from the U.S. Department of Labor, Federal Highway Administration or US Department of Justice to the RI Department of Transportation to any employee including but not limited to Peter Alviti between Jan 1, 2022 and today. “

The agency, and, specifically its director, Peter Alviti, repeatedly denied there was contamination and now is refusing to turn over 59 emails.

RIDOT and Alviti had repeatedly ignored complaints about the contaminated soil and has repeatedly tried to block and delay the release of public information.

In July, RIDOT charged GoLocal nearly $900 for the records request and is withholding 59 emails citing exemptions in the APRA statute that allows the agency to withhold the documents -- but does not require the agency to withhold them. 

"RIDOT ignored complaints about the dumping in 2020, then Director Alviti took to the radio to deny that the material was contaminated, and when that was proven false, then he claimed that the material was not a serious health threat and now he is refusing to release important public documents that will help to resolve this public health and environmental issue," said Josh Fenton, CEO and co-founder of GoLocalProv.

NOT

Foulkes' Role in America's Opioid Crisis

“As soon as we saw what was going on we took action, and I am particularly proud of the work that I led pulling together every drug store across the country -- we worked on legislation to reduce the number of pills as soon as we saw it,” said Helena Foulkes, former President of CVS in an interview with GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle on July 28.

But for nearly a decade prior to CVS’s action under Foulkes leadership, opioid sales exploded and according to a federal court jury in Ohio, CVS and two other major pharmacy chains helped to fuel the opioid epidemic.

On Wednesday, a federal court judge in Ohio lowered the boom and hit CVS, Walmart and Walgreens with a judgment of more than $650 million. The litigation covered just two counties. There are lawsuits pending across the country against the pharmacy giants.

Almost all of the action now being litigated took place under Foulkes’ watch at CVS. Today, Foulkes is a Democratic candidate for governor of Rhode Island and has spent millions of ads trumpeting her successes at CVS.

But, Foulkes' claims of missing the signs seem in conflict with her resume. 

Foulkes had a storied career at CVS. She joined the company after stints with Goldman Sachs and Tiffany and rocketed up the corporate ladder. After she developed the ExtraCare card, she was a star in a company that was transitioning from a retail-focused company into a healthcare corporation.

Foulkes’ ExtraCare card provided tremendous data to CVS. Off of Foulkes' strategy, the company knew when you bought shampoo and had a good idea how much in ExtraBucks rewards the company needed to award to make the next sale. The strategy helped to drive CVS to be the largest pharmacy chain in the country and one of the top largest companies by sales in the United States.

Data helped fuel the growth.

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NOT

Pawtucket Soccer Stadium Deal

Shortly after the deal was first announced in December of 2019, a GoLocal report raised concerns about the development team.

The deal has gotten worse, more confusing, and less transparent since then. 

This is not likely to end well.