Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - July 26, 2024

HOT

A Beloved Dog Went Missing for 3 Weeks in RI. A Military Vet With a Drone Helped Find Him.

For 23 days, “Bruschi” was missing in Coventry. 

Friends and family all tried to help find the beloved family dog, and thanks to enlisting the help of a drone expert — there was a happy ending. 

Military veteran Sam Aromin with Hawkeye Aerial Systems was called in to assist with his thermo drone equipment, and multiple sightings later, Bruschi was pulled from thick swamp land near Casey Lane. 

Aromin documented the rescue, and spoke with GoLocal about his growing business in southern New England helping find missing animals. 

“Working directly with the drone, it’s been about 85 [rescues] so far,” said Aromin. “The sky’s really the limit with drones.” 

SEE VIDEO HERE

HOT

Rhode Islander Ernie Schenck's Take on Ad Man Jack Connors' Passing

Schenck is one of the top creatives in New England and his take on the death of Jack Connors is a lesson.

The Rhode Islander posted:

I did two tours of duty at Hill Holliday in Boston. They were important chapters in my career. John Hancock. Liberty Mutual.

But one campaign in particular was probably the riskiest thing I’ve ever been involved with. It was a series that Jamie Mambro and I did for Survivors Network - Those Abused By Priests.

I say risky because Jack Connors was a deeply faithful Catholic and a close friend of the Boston clergy. We knew that if Jack found out about our little unsanctioned project, things would not go well for us. But there was no stopping us.

When the work came out, it was all over the media. The clergy was apoplectic. And so was Jack when the call came through to pull the campaign. Game over. It was only a matter of time before we’d be going down the elevator one last time.

But that never happened. Not that we didn’t get read the riot act. Did we ever. But something unexpected happened that morning.

Jack stood up for us. He hated that we’d gone behind his back but he knew that truth was truth and there could be no denying it.

I’ll miss him.
 

HOT

Kudos to Curtis

Long-time GoLocal MINDSETTER™ Mark Curtis this past weekend received a major honor. 

Curtis said, "[This] may be the pinnacle of my 48-year broadcasting career! I was inducted into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts & Science Ohio Valley Emmy Chapter. I thank my family and all the people I’ve worked with over the years!! I am humbled to be so honored and thank my dear friend and co-worker Pat Simon for helping me make this happen! WOW! I’m just so humbled!"

HOT

“Barrier-Free” North Kingstown Town Beach - And Advocates Who Helped Make It Happen

This week, the town announced that ADA sand and water accessibility measures are now in place at the beach, located at 10 Beach Street. 

Mobi-chair floating beach chairs are available — and an access mat has been installed. 

Autumn Rain Johnson, Miss Wheelchair Rhode Island 2023, took to social media to applaud the measures taken by the town. 

“I can finally share the amazing news,” she wrote on Monday. “Last year as Ms. Wheelchair Rhode Island 2023, I began working with North Kingstown Recreation, to make their beach 100% accessible! Well, now it's official! They have two Mobi beach wheelchairs available during 9 am- 5 pm, as well as, a Mobi beach mat."

“Thank you to the North Kingstown Park & Rec, for listening to my recommendations & making this happen ASAP, for the disabled & elderly community,” she added. “Who's ready to have a beach day with me?

Beach parking permits are available for a fee and can be picked up in person at the Recreation Department at 60 Boston Neck Road or at the Town Clerk’s office at 100 Fairway Drive during regular weekday office hours. 

PHOTO: North Kingstown

HOT

Meowzers 

It was a feline-filled week at GoLocal.

First, GoLocal reported on Yoga with Kittens, which was co-hosted by Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue and The Woods Yoga in Lincoln.

The event sold out, and 100% of proceeds went directly to Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue to help rescue and rehome kittens in need.

In total, more than $3,000 was raised for Scruffy Paws.

Second, Max and Kaylin Mugica-Drumm, who recently wed last September, have already launched a website — and social media presence — for “Cafe Gato” on Facebook and Instagram, and are encouraging people to “join them on their journey to become Providence’s first ever cat cafe.” 

GoLocal reached out to the duo to find out more. 

“The idea of bringing a cat café to Providence came to life in October of last year when [we] were on our way to a wedding in Michigan and came across Happy Cat Café in Grand Rapids, Michigan,” said the couple. 

Max, who is originally from Cuba and moved to the United States eight years ago, and Kaylin, a born and raised Rhode Islander, both adopted their dog Kirby during the pandemic and said they “fell in love with shelter animals and the mission of adopting.”

“Animals have always been a part of our lives, where Max at one point had about six animals, made up of cats and dogs, in his house in Cuba. On top of this, we both love a good cup of coffee. Cuba is known for its amazing coffee where Max basically grew up drinking it since he was a toddler,” said the couple. “After the amazing and stress-relieving experience at Happy Cat Cafe enjoying coffee in the presence of cats, we both had the same question; why is there nothing like this in Providence yet?”

And with that, the idea of Cafe Gato was born.

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NOT

More 25-35-year-olds are living at home with their parents at any time in U.S. history since the Depression.

And Providence has one of the highest levels in America.

In the Providence metro, 20% of 25-35-year-olds lived with their parents, which is the #8 highest rate among the nation's 50 largest metros.

The share of young adults living at home in Providence has been on the rise, which is in line with the national trend. In 2000, just 13% of 25-35 year olds lived with their parents.

This data was released by Apartmentlist.com on Thursday.

"As housing affordability worsens, more young adults are living with their parents. The share of 25-35 year-olds living at home rose to 17% in 2022, the most recent Census data available. This figure has been trending up for decades and has now reached its highest level since the 1940s," said Apartmentlist.

Living with parents is more common among those without college degrees, but has been on the rise even for those with degrees.

In 2022, 15% of young adults in Providence metro with a BA degree or higher lived with their parents, up from 11% in 2000. For those without degrees, the share living at home jumped from 14% in 2000 to 23% in 2022.

This news comes just a week after GoLocal reported that the median price of a single-family home in Rhode Island leapt to a record $490,000.

PHOTO: Hannah Tu, Unsplash

NOT

Buyers Beware

The process is a nightmare for a family trying to investigate the quality of nursing homes in Rhode Island.

Popular rankings can be incomplete at best and misleading at worst.

U.S. News and World Report ranks nursing homes across the country. According to U.S. News, Cedar Crest Nursing Centre in Cranston is one of six top facilities in Rhode Island. 

“There are 75 nursing homes in Rhode Island. Of these, 6 received an overall rating of 5 out of 5,” reported U.S. News about Cedar Crest which has recently been rebranded “The Cedars.”

But while U.S. News gives The Cedars a perfect ranking, the analysis does not include federal information about deficiencies — some very serious and life-threatening — nor does the ranking take into account or report how "The Cedars" has been fined by federal regulators.

Federal data shows that The Cedars has had numerous violations — 26, including three deemed “serious,” and The Cedars has been fined more than $103,000.

Serious deficiencies are those that cause immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety.  The data is derived from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and reported by ProPublica.

The administration of The Cedars refused to respond to questions.

GoLocal emailed and called The Cedars’ top administrator, Richard Catallozzi — but he refused to respond to questions.

In Rhode Island, 16 nursing homes have been fined more than $100,000 by federal regulators in just the past four years. 

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NOT

Governor McKee

Three public polls have been released in recent weeks - UNH, Salve, and Morning Consult.

The three polls used different criteria, but all three reported similar findings: that overwhelmingly, Rhode Islanders do not approve of Dan McKee's performance as Governor.