Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - January 13, 2023

HOT

Watchdogs 

Councilors unanimously elected James Lombardi III as Providence City Treasurer for a four-year term and Gina Costa for a four-year term as the city’s Internal Auditor. 

These two have been critical in serving as internal watchdogs for the city.

Lombardi is an attorney and certified public accountant, and was most recently the city’s treasurer for the past 12 years. During his tenure, he has also served as a senior advisor and chief of staff to the city council. 

Costa has 22 years of service to Providence, most recently serving as internal auditor. She also served 10 years in the administrative branch focusing on public safety finance, and 12 years in the internal auditor’s office. Costa was born and raised in the city and is an alum of Classical High School.

HOT

Yum Weeks in Providence

It is one of the best times of the year - Providence Restaurant Weeks.

The culinary odyssey is already underway, but don't worry -- the deals and specials for lunch and dinner go through January 21. 

GoLocal has selected seven can't miss dining experiences. From old-school Italian family dining on "The Hill" to one of Providence's newer stars.

"There are more than 50 great restaurants participating, and we selected seven experiences that are always great," said GoLocalProv news editor Kate Nagle.

HOT

Top 20

The Providence College Friars are currently #19 in the country, according to the latest rankings released on Monday. 

After upsetting #4 UConn last week and then topping St. John’s on Saturday, PC moved to 6-0 for the lead in the Big East. 

With the latest win, the Friars improved to 14-3 on the season.

Providence has now won nine consecutive games, marking its largest win streak since 1989. 

PC now faces Creighton on Saturday January 14. 

HOT

Innovate, Innovate, Innovate

Rory’s Market + Kitchen announced Monday is has launched both a brand new website and online ordering for its Providence location.

In September 2022, Rory’s opened in downtown Providence at 113 Washington Street. This was the independent, organic grocery store’s third location and the first outside of Massachusetts.

The market was initially announced in 2021, but was delayed due to the pandemic

“We have loved having a grocery store downtown (for the first time ever). For the past few months, we have practically danced through the aisles of delicious snacks and colorful produce (often while sipping a fresh smoothie from Rory’s in-store cafe),” said Rory’s in the announcement.

HOT

Cooool

GoLocal's architectural critic Will Morgan has a review of one of the new cannabis retailers.

Form and function combine.

Now that cannabis sales are legal in Rhode Island, a “newly licensed compassion center” speaks for the marijuana industry. If the Mother Earth Wellness store in Pawtucket is any indication, Mary Jane has gone mainstream, even upscale. It is remarkable how a well-designed image–a new logo, a handsome building, or thoughtful interior layout–can change our perception of a previously illegal product and the once unwholesome reputation of its merchants.

READ MORE

NOT

Shekarchi Chest Pounds

Housing Czar Josh Saal has been a bust since he arrived in Rhode Island.

Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi had little to say publically about Saal -- until he was out. 

Then he issued a statement blasting Saal.

“I am disappointed by the lack of progress that was made under Secretary Saal’s leadership and the inadequate reports he recently submitted to the legislature. The General Assembly committed unprecedented resources to address affordable housing and homelessness in the last two budgets, and there has been very little funding spent so far," said Shekarchi. 

No House Oversight?

NOT

Biden's Docs

Imagining the Bidens at home:

"Jill, have you seen that Top Secret file on the withdrawal from Afghanistan? I think I left it on the counter," said President Biden.

"I might have put it in the garage," said the First Lady.

This is just embarrassing.

NOT

Salty Brine Must Be Rolling Over

This week a talk radio brawl broke out between two hosts at the same station -- with charges and countercharges of favoritism for public officials. 

The war of words was over the recent scrutiny of Judge Frank Caprio’s “Caught in Providence” courtroom show, and speculation about how much money the Caprio family was making off the taped and broadcast municipal proceedings. 

While WPRO's Dan Yorke called into question the arrangement that reportedly brought in what he said was “millions” for the Caprio family, WPRO's Gene Valicenti came to the Caprios’ defense when he had them on his show.

The two talk show hosts work out of the Salty Brine Broadcast Center in East Providence.

Read more here. 

NOT

Rich People Problems

New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft and former New England Patriot Tom Brady are back in the headlines together — for all the wrong reasons. 

According to Bloomberg on Tuesday, they are “among those sharing in the pain of FTX Group’s sudden implosion.”

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was arrested in the Bahamas in December after U.S. prosecutors filed criminal charges.

Bloomberg writes:

"Brady, formerly a prominent FTX booster, owns more than 1.1 million common shares of FTX Trading, bankruptcy court documents show. His ex-wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, has more than 680,000 shares in the same entity."

Now-Tampa Bay Buccaneer Brady and Bündchen divorced in 2022. 

Bloomberg goes on to report: 

"Meanwhile, KPC Venture Capital LLC, an entity linked to the Kraft Group, holds more than 110,000 Series B preferred shares in FTX Trading, the entity that owns its main crypto exchange, according to the court papers. The firm also owns 479,000 Class A common shares and 43,545 Series A preferred shares in West Realm Shires, the unit that owns the company’s US-based exchange.

The value of the investments couldn’t immediately be learned, but are assumed to be practically worthless. Stockholders of bankrupt companies rarely recover any of their money because US law requires creditors be repaid in order of priority, and stockholders are last in line, below those with direct claims on a company’s assets, customers and suppliers."