Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - June 4, 2021

HOT

Attorney General Peter Neronha

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced on Tuesday that his office issued a decision, pursuant to its authority under Rhode Island’s Hospital Conversions Act, to conditionally approve a transaction that would allow a change in ownership of two local hospitals Roger Williams and Our Lady of Fatima Hospitals.

As part of the deal between Neronha’s office and Prospect Medical Holdings (Prospect/PMH)— the ownership group will put $80 million in escrow to support the hospitals over the next five years.

Initially, Neronha had demanded $150 million and Prospect said the demand was unreasonable and threatened to close the two hospitals.

HOT

IGT/Twin River Get Big Win

After more than two years of negotiations and legislative review, the 20-year extension of the state’s lottery contract has received legislative approval. On Tuesday, the House version of the bill was approved by the Senate and is expected to be transferred to Governor Dan McKee for signature. McKee has previously stated he supports the legislation.

In a joint statement from Elizabeth Suever, Vice President of Government Relations for Bally’s Corporation and Jay Gendron, Chief Operating Officer, Lottery, for IGT, said, “We are grateful for the support of House and Senate members who have passed a $250 million economic development piece of legislation that best positions Rhode Island’s gaming industry, the state’s third-largest source of revenue, for the future. We also are extremely appreciative of the active involvement and engagement of Leadership in both the House and Senate who made the legislation even stronger for the taxpayers of Rhode Island."

The amended legislation has been named the Marc A. Crisafulli Economic Development Act to honor the executive vice president of Bally’s, who is battling cancer.

HOT

RISD Museum Reopens

The RISD Museum will reopen to the general public on June 13, 2021, after having been closed since March 13, 2020.

The museum has announced exhibits running until the end of the year.

The museum will be open Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm and Thursdays and Fridays from 12 pm to 7 pm through the summer. There will be free admission on Thursday and Friday evenings from 5 pm to 7 pm and all day on Sundays.

HOT

Big Star Coming

Recording artist Raiche will perform at the upcoming Juneteenth Festival 2021 in Providence.

Her upcoming performance is a reality thanks to Providence's Juan Wilson, Jr., who annually is one of the organizers of #YesPVD — the annual youth summit for students and young adults in their teens and early 20s.

This year’s 3rd JUNETEENTH Festival celebration will be on Saturday, June 19 from noon to 8 PM at the Roger Williams Park Temple of Music.

This will be Raiche’s first live New England appearance since pre-pandemic.

HOT

Stoneacre Summer Picnics

So fun and so creative. Newport’s Stoneacre Hospitality Group is launching the "picnic-perfect" Newport summer.

The group is inviting Newport residents and visitors "to picnic like they’ve never picnicked before." Offering an array of elevated picnic menus and an ever-expanding list of outdoor venues, Stoneacre Picnics are completely customizable to fit any occasion. 

Stoneacre Picnics offers a series of outdoor dining experiences. 

READ MORE.

NOT

Stealing Okay?

Actress and politician Cynthia Nixon made waves this week when she Tweeted she would rather have people steal from CVS stores than see them prosecuted. 

Nixon, best known for her role on the HBO series Sex and the City and then for her failed 2018 gubernatorial bid in New York, Tweeted the comments about the stores owned by the Woonsocket, Rhode Island headquartered corporation this week. 

“The CVS on my corner has started locking up basic items like clothing detergent,” Nixon Tweeted. “As so many families can’t make ends meet right now, I can’t imagine thinking that the way to solve the problem of people stealing basic necessities out of desperation is to prosecute them."

“Worth noting that several candidates for Manhattan DA (and for NYC Mayor) say shoplifting should not be prosecuted because that’s ‘criminalizing poverty,’” Tweeted Errol Louis, the host of Inside City Hall, in response. 

“I grew up poor, and we never took anything that we hadn't paid for. It's insulting that you think the less fortunate have no ability to discern right from wrong. Also, allowing widespread theft will result in higher prices, punishing the poor and honest,” wrote Twitter user “LynnM.”

“You live in a neighborhood of $3 million-dollar apartments and townhouses. No one at your CVS is ‘desperate’ to steal ‘basic necessities,” wrote user “A New Radical Centrism.”  “This isn't just moral grandstanding on your part, it's really incompetent moral grandstanding.”

NOT

Porch Pirate

Providence Police have made an arrest in a recent “porch pirate” case in the city.

As GoLocal first reported on Tuesday, a  resident on the East Side of Providence was looking for help identifying someone they said stole packages — as well as their doormat — off their porch.

The video was captured - and shared - through the Ring camera app. 

Police confirm to GoLocal that Seth Konoff has been booked and charged with one count of larceny. 

In addition, the police seized the doormat. 

According to his LinkedIn page, Konoff, 40, works in real estate.

NOT

Providence Hack

The City of Providence’s online government and constituent services have been down for over 48 hours. 

Sources tell GoLocal city officials are looking into the possibility of a hack. 

According to City Councilman Michael Correia, Council members -- along with law enforcement — have been unable to access their city email accounts for over 48 hours. 

Moreover, constituents have been unable to access city tax-paying portals. 

City Services Down

“I was informed by constituents they weren’t able to pay taxes [online], I was also told from others they weren’t able to pay DMV fees,” Correia told GoLocal. “I inquired with the council office, who said they’d inquire about the issue, and there have been a bunch of emails about the server being down.”

NOT

South Kingstown School Committee Threatened Lawsuit

The threats by the South Kingstown School Committee to sue a parent because they filed too many, in their mind, requests for public records is government at its worst.

The parent's motivation may not be pure, but the School Committee's response is abusive. 

Public documents should be online and available.

NOT

Housing Costs

The cost of housing in Rhode Island is becoming ever more expensive and outpacing wage growth and inflation. While data indicates Rhode Island's economy is floundering, research shows the employment situation not only the worst in New England, and the state's recovery is the worst in the country.

Both rents and the cost of purchasing a home are soaring upward.

While housing prices have skyrocketed across the country, Rhode Island is seeing costs rise at a record pace.

For April, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors reported an all-time high in Rhode Island’s monthly median sales price of single-family homes. April’s median price was $349,000, an 18.1 percent gain over April of 2020. 

Not only are the costs of homes increasing, but they are also selling at a record pace.

Homes across the country sold even faster in the 50 largest U.S. metros at 34 days on average, down from 50 in April 2020. 

In Providence, it is just 28 days on the market.

Some new apartment buildings are being developed but supply lags demand by tens of thousands of units PHOTO: Will Morgan

Cost of Rentals Increasing

Not only is the cost of purchasing a home increasing, but the cost of renting is increasing at an unmatched rate. While in some cities the cost of renting dropped over the past year, Providence saw increases in many key factors.

Data released this week shows that rents in Providence increased 3.8% month-over-month, compared to 2.3% nationally according to Apartment List.

According to another real estate research group, Zumper, the cost of a rental of a one-bedroom apartment rose 6.4% over the past year. Zumper finds that the cost of a rental of a two-bedroom dropped by 4%.

And while rental costs in Providence were overall increasing, the cost of renting in Boston fell by 11% for a one-bedroom and 10% for a two-bedroom.

Providence now is the 17th most expensive city for rental costs in the United States with the median cost of a one-bedroom at $1,400 and $1,660 for a two-bedroom according to Zumper.