Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - Feb. 12

HOT

Joe Paolino

The former Providence Mayor delivered a tremendous eulogy for the late, iconic Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr., earlier this Monday. It was a nice tribute to a mayor who did so much to put Providence on the map over the course of 3 decades.

HOT

Dan Reilly

The Republican state representative who represents portions of Portsmouth and Middletown was particularly impressive on the House floor during the debate over truck tolls on Wednesday. Reilly proposed placing a legislative cap on the number of toll gantries at 14, which would have given the legislature more oversight over the department of transportation (and thus more accountability). The measure was voted down by Democrats, but the process highlighted Reilly as an articulate, thoughtful legislator with a bright future. 
 

HOT

James Langevin

The Congressman, who co-founded and co-chairs the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, will likely see his national profile rise after President Barack Obama released his cybersecurity plan earlier this week. The plan, which Langevin will help spearhead through Congress, affirms the importance of the issue, which Langevin has championed for a decade.
 

HOT

Los Andes

The popular Chalkstone Avenue eatery was named as one of the top 100 places to eat in the United States by Yelp, the popular website used for ranking restaurants. Los Andes came in at number 54--not bad for a country as big as the USA. This ranking should only increase the restaurant's already high level of popularity. 
 

Photo courtesy of Los Andes Facebook Page

HOT

Robert Lancia

The Republican State Representative from Cranston will host the first Black History Month Rhode Island Youth Reading Club event at the statehouse on February 15th along with community leaders Kobi Dennis, Sean Holley, and Allen Williams. Rhode Island youngsters and their families are encouraged to come to the statehouse at 5:30 on that day for the book readings, which will help teach youngsters the importance of Black History in the USA. Free books will be available for the children who attend.
 

HOT

Providence Residents

According to Travel & Leisure Magazine, our capital city has the nation's fifth most attractive people in the country. The rankings are decided by voting from the magazine's readers. Providence residents actually dropped from where they were ranked last year, which was second. But all things considered, fifth in the nation still means we're a pretty good looking group.
 

NOT

Jorge Elorza

The Mayor, in his state of the city address, attempted to portray the capital as "resurgent."  While there are certainly good things happening in Providence, Elorza made it seem like he's not worried about the serious financial liabilities that hang over the city like an albatross. To make matters worse, the administration was unable to provide a list of the 30 projects that he said were ready to begin in the city, when asked for it by GoLocal. Was the state of the city rooted in reality at all?
 

NOT

John "Jay" Edwards

Once the state legislature's greatest opponent of tolls, the House Majority Whip spent the last two weeks pressuring legislators to vote for the RhodeWorks tolling plan. Some might say it's ironic that there are no gantries planned for the East Bay, where Edwards is a representative. I guess the House Minority Whip only opposes tolls when they're planned for his district.
 

NOT

Gina Raimondo

If you thought the only unfair taxation proposal coming from Governor Gina Raimondo this year was the truck toll plan, think again. The Governor has also proposed a medical marijuana tax of $150 per plant for patients and $350 per plant for caregivers. It's hard to think of a more heartless proposal than a new tax on something that sick people rely on for pain relief. If the tax is enacted, many of the patients will no longer by able to afford the to purchase the medical marijuana. If the state wants to generate tax money through marijuana, than it should legalize it for recreational use and levy taxes on it. 
 

NOT

Rhode Island Hospital

The Hospital is reviewing its internal practices after it balked at providing the full name of one of its employees, a nursing assistant referred to as "Danny", who was accused of sexual assault, to Providence Police. There is no reason why any organization should delay giving the police the information they need to make sure justice is served on behalf of victims. 
 

NOT

Tobacco Control

The American Lung Association has released its "State of Tobacco Control" report for the state of Rhode Island. And while the state scores well in the area of tobacco taxes and smoke free air, the state scored poorly in the area of tobacco prevention and control program funding as well as access to cessation services. The state needs to do more to make sure that people don't begin smoking and when they do, they get help quitting. 
 

NOT

Boston Bruins

The Bruins were embarrassed on their home ice on Tuesday, losing by a whopping 9-2 margin to the Los Angeles Kings. To add insult to injury, that's the team the Bruins traded star left wing Milan Lucic to in the last off season. In any event, the Bruins need to string together a bunch of wins if they want to get off of the playoff bubble.