Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - February 12, 2021

HOT

Michael Van Leesten Celebration

Just days after Michael Van Leesten passed in August of 2019, GoLocal in an editorial urged city leaders to name the Providence Pedestrian Bridge after "the bridge builder."

City leaders joined in the movement and did, in fact, give the bridge a name.

Now on Monday - the city celebrates the man.

READ ABOUT THE ONLINE EVENT BELOW:

Join Council Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris and Council President Sabina Matos for a virtual panel discussion on the life and legacy of Michael S. Van Leesten.
Panelists will include Ray Rickman, Jordan Van Leesten, Mary Harrison and Frank Santos.

Van Leesten was a lifelong civil rights advocate, with work spanning voter registration, workforce development, and education reform. This panel will discuss the many lessons we can learn from Mr. Van Leesten's expansive career.

This panel is a part of the Council's Black History Month online exhibit honoring Mr. Van Leesten. 

Join on Zoom by registering here: http://bit.ly/PVDBHM

Or, watch live on Facebook at 7:00 PM on Monday, February 15.
 

HOT

Governor Charlie Baker

The Baker-Polito Administration announced on Wednesday two new mass vaccination sites will open in Natick and Dartmouth.

On Thursday, 74,000 appointments were posted online for mass vaccination sites and pharmacies at locations statewide. Approximately 30,000 additional appointments will be posted over the course of the week at pharmacies—totaling over 100,000 new appointments this week for mass vaccination sites and pharmacies.

The administration also announced that individuals who accompany someone age 75 or older to get a vaccine at a mass vaccination site may also schedule and receive their own vaccination on the same day.

HOT

Tom Brady

He scored his 7th Super Bowl win.

He has reaffirmed that he is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. 

HOT

Businesses Leading in RI

Joanne Bilotta with the Rhode Island Business Group on Health appeared on GoLocal LIVE to urge employers to join the Crush COVID challenge — and explain why they should do so. 

“The importance right now as you know is the impact that the pandemic is having on our economy — and many of our businesses, large and small, especially small are being significantly impacted by this pandemic, many of the are struggling to stay open and survive, others have closed,” said Bilotta. 

The Crush COVID Employer Challenge is open to companies with locations in Rhode Island with two or more employees, including non-profit organizations, municipalities, and the State.  A Crush COVID Champion Award will be given out to one large employer (250 or more employees), one mid-size employer (100-249 employees), and one small employer (2-99 employees).  

Photo: Lilly M. CC 2.0

NOT

Brett Smiley's Growing Ethics Problems

Brett Smiley is under fire for a range of ethical lapses.

GoLocal investigations in 2017 unveiled a complex web of business interests that were intertwined with the high official public duties.

Now, growing questions about his fundraising for mayor of the city of Providence from contractors who do business with the state of RI -- contracts that Smiley as the RI Director of Administration oversees and even awarded -- some no bid.

Will he answer questions and clear the air?

NOT

Low Expectations - "Think Little"

"We're #83!"

Only URI would send out a press release that highlights that "URI School of Education ranks #83 for best public graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report."

According to URI, "The rise in ranking indicates a marked increase for the last three consecutive years as teacher education has come under critical review in the recent crisis environment."

Yikes. Maybe the school can hire a band when it makes the top 50. Memo to the file, there are only 50 states.

NOT

Robert Kennedy's Effort to Undermine Vaccinations

The New York Times reports:

Instagram took down the account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion and prominent anti-vaccine activist, on Wednesday over false information related to the coronavirus.

“We removed this account for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,” Facebook, which owns Instagram, said in a statement.

Mr. Kennedy, the son of the former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, worked for decades as an environmental lawyer but is now better known as an anti-vaccine crusader. A 2019 study found that two groups including his nonprofit, now called Children’s Health Defense, had funded more than half of Facebook advertisements spreading misinformation about vaccines.

PHOTO: Robert_Kennedy, Jr. PHOTO: Daniel Schwen CC 4.0

NOT

RI State Senate

The passage of the legislation to reverse the decision of the RI Board of Education to expand public 5,500 new seats in publicly funded charter schools was, quite simply, abhorrent.

The parents of these 5,500 children are literally begging to escape traditional public schools -- including the "education horror show," as the Wall Street Journal dubbed it, that is Providence. 

In hearings in the Senate those parents, many who have been on charter school waiting lists for years, pleaded for an educational opportnuity for their children -- after they waited hours to hear from elected and union officials while they should be forced to stay in the schools they outright rejected, for failing them.

Senators Ruggerio, Goodwin, Pearson and Cano should be embarrassed.