Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - June 30, 2023

HOT

Puppy Yum

Summer in Rhode Island is officially here. 

One such advantage of living in -- and visiting -- the Ocean State is al fresco dining, and there is a local restaurant that is welcoming four-legged friends with its new menu. 

Vanda, an Italian “cucina de casa” in Warwick, has dropped its new “Paws on the Patio” menu to benefit Animal Rescue Rhode Island. 

Rice, veggies, salmon, beef, and even pumpkin for sensitive tummies are all being offered for folks who want to bring members of their fur family to benefit a good cause. 

And there is, of course, dessert.

READ MORE. 

PHOTO: Unsplash/Bill Stephan

HOT

Median Price of a Single-Family Home in RI Has Jumped to $445,000

Robert Rutley of Mott & Chace Sotheby's International said in an interview on GoLocal LIVE Wednesday that the median price of a single-family home has risen to $445,000 in the past 30 days. This is a record for Rhode Island.

It is a remarkable jump in price, and a daunting number for home buyers, especially new home buyers.

Homebuyers are also now facing interest rates ranging between 6.75% and 7.25%. 

In May, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors reported the median price at $427,500.

“The last 30 days [data] tells me that the average price for a single-family home in Rhode Island is about $445 000; that's the median price,” said Rutley.

He added that the East Side of Providence in the last 30 days "was about $795,000.”

He also said that on the East Side, there are no longer those “lower priced” $300,000 to $500,000 homes — those are gone.

Watch the interview HERE. 

HOT

Connecting

For the first time, a multimedia experience is launching on GoLocal’s "Big Screen" in front of the Turks Head building in downtown Providence, online, and via social media.

The initial “Multimedia Intersection” features nine of the top Rhode Island female artists and will be displayed on the big screen facing the street -- and then links, via a QR code, to articles and feature stories.

The media links will allow pedestrians in Providence to view the artists and their work at the Turks Head, and then connect to the articles and learn more about each of the artists online.

The video will also be launched via social media — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others.

The goal is to highlight some of Rhode Island’s creative stars and their work.

“We moved to the iconic Turks Head, in part, to create connectivity between our journalism and the community — to present Rhode Islanders in new and dynamic ways. This is the next step,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and co-founder of GoLocal.

HOT

Froma Harrop's Question

This week columnist Froma Harrop asks, "Can a Lady Ever Use the F-Word?"

A great column by a great columnist.

MUST F**KING READ HERE

HOT

New GOP Chair

Give Joe Powers credit; he has got the most powerful Democrats quaking.

He has filed complaints with the RI Ethics Commission on Speaker Joe Shekarchi and this week against Governor Dan McKee.

He is raising questions about local issues. 

NOT

Senator Josh Miller

Watch the videos - not much more needs to be said.

NOT

Sin City: Cranston Used to Be a Bedroom Community

Cranston is on a roll of creepy, weird (not good weird), and criminal behavior.

Drones peeping in on young women, drugs, and allegations of sexual abuse of children. 

That is just the past couple of weeks.

Read all about Sin City HERE.

NOT

Pawtucket Minor League Stadium  - Contractors Packing Up

The number of workers on-site at the minor league Pawtucket soccer stadium has been dwindling for weeks.

GoLocal on Friday saw no construction going on at the so-called Tidewater project.

Mike Raia, a spokesman for the stadium project, told GoLocal on Wednesday, "In analyzing the work completed at the site to this stage and the amount of private funding already allocated to construction, this is an appropriate time to demobilize certain components of the construction while others continue."

At the construction site on Friday, several workers were loading construction masonry units (CMUs) onto flatbed trailers for removal from the project.

Across the entire site, there were fewer than ten workers in the work area — they were collecting electrical cables and equipment.

Now, remaining on the site are construction trailers and some flatbeds of material, including some steel, but the site project site is now a functional ghost site.

NOT

Awful, Awful

If 5% of the allegation are true, this is an horrifying case.

A West Warwick woman who was a long-time minimum wage worker at Newport Creamery and who had multiple disabilities claims that when a new manager came aboard, he created an abusive work environment. — she says the new manager regularly screamed at her and abused other workers with disabilities.

She has filed a seven-count suit against the company and the manager in Providence District Federal Court.

The woman, Kelli A. Corriea, said that for years her original store manager and her co-workers knew she suffered from traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) and was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.

She said they treated her fairly when she needed to ask work-related questions. 

Then, a new manager — Joseph Branco, took over at the Coventry location where Corriea worked and that is when everything changed, according to the lawsuit.

Newport Creamery did not respond to requests for comment.

READ MORE

NOT

More Cuts, More Cuts

One of WPRO’s top radio hosts in the Providence-metro market has been let go by management at the Cumulus-owned radio station.

Kim Zandy, the Kim in the “Giovanni and Kim” tandem has been let go.

Zandy announced her layoff on social media.

She writes:

This is going to be a tough one…. Sadly, today was my last day on PRO-FM. They’ve decided to go in a different direction with my position.

First…I’m ok. I’m sad, but not mad. I keep thinking about how many wonderful things have come into my life since moving here 24 years ago. My kids, my friends, a successful career that I loved, with so many coworkers who are among the best you’ll ever hear in radio, and so on and so on, blah blah blah (insert Kim Zandy nonsense noise here).

For those of you who have been listeners of the show….I can’t tell you how grateful I have ALWAYS been for you. You guys have been fun, encouraging, generous, and so much more. Thank you for all of it!  I hope you’ll forgive me if you ever chose me for a game and I lost it for you!  If you know me, you’ll know that hurt me more than you!  Ha ha! No, really…

Obviously, I haven’t quite figured out what comes next. Probably turning off my 7 alarms.

My kids response….after questions and a mommy talk that these things happen and we figure them out….was this:

Julian:  you know, I HAVE been thinking about getting a summer job. (Dead serious)

Arianah: we can charge people to swim in our pool and I’ll be the lifeguard! (Also dead serious, but she really just wants to boss people around.)

How did I get so lucky to be their mom?!?

If we see each other in person this summer, don’t feel weird about saying hello!  I’m really ok and won’t collapse into sobs, getting snot all over your shirt. I promise!

Love,

Kim