Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - March 11, 2022

HOT

Frank Lloyd Wright's RI Life

GoLocal architecture critic Will Morgan unveiled the Rhode Island legacy of America's most influential architect Frank Lloyd Wright this week.

Morgan writes:

Despite an industry of Wright scholarship and an army of worshippers, few people know that this cultural giant once lived in Rhode Island.

Wright did not wear his fame modestly, often calling himself the greatest architect who ever lived. As he wrote in his autobiography, “I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility, and I chose the former.”

Yet Wright’s autobiography, which he re-wrote at least twice, was notoriously misleading; facts for Wright were malleable (he pushed the year of his birth forward by a couple of years, for example). But we do know that he spent two years, one in Central Falls, the other in Pawtucket in the early 1870s, when he was around five.

READ MORE HERE

HOT

Going West -- Direct

Breeze Airways has announced the expansion of its service at Rhode Island International Airport, adding five new direct flights.

Breeze Airways, founded by David Neeleman —one of the world’s most accomplished airline executives has zeroed in on RI's airport as a key part of his growth strategy.

The new flights include the first-ever direct flight from Providence to Los Angeles as well as direct flights to Richmond, VA; Jacksonville FL; Savannah, GA; and Columbus, OH.

The direct flights to Los Angeles start as low as $99. 

In total, Breeze now offers direct flights from Providence to:

 Charleston, SC - Charleston International Airport (CHS)
 Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
 Columbus, OH - John Glenn International Airport (CMH)
 Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
 New Orleans, LA - Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY)
 Louisville, KY - Louisville International Airport (SDF)
 Norfolk, VA - Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
 Pittsburgh, PA - Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
 Richmond, VA - Richmond International Airport (RIC)
 Savannah, GA - Savannah / Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)

HOT

Poland

Poland has reportedly accepted more than 1 million Ukrainians with open arms.

It is a demonstration of decency and generosity.

PHOTO: Ukraine Polish Border EU CC 2.0

HOT

Too Hot

Ed Cooley is the Big East Coach of the Year.

He has been named one of the ten finalists for national coach of the year.

No one in college basketball right now is hotter.

HOT

Stillman and Friends Present “Women of Note” at RIC for Women’s History Month

Judith Lynn Stillman’s “Women Trailblazers in Music” will be screened along with a multidisciplinary concert including 10 performers, on Wednesday, March 16 at Rhode Island College.

Stillman’s film, “Women Trailblazers in Music,” shares the poignant life stories of extraordinary female composers across 12 centuries and highlights their revolutionary but often overlooked compositions.

The Women of Note concert with Stillman and friends includes live music, dance and the spoken word. Bessie Award winner Shani Collins, currently a visiting artist at the University of Ghana, will perform her newly-choreographed dance to music by Melanie Bonis, a marginalized women composer from the late Romantic period.

Another premiere performance features Valerie Tutson, director of Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS), in a composition by Stillman for spoken word interlaced with music.

“Tutson and Collins are inspiring – I’m honored to be working with these remarkably talented artists,” said Stillman.

Also performing with Stillman are Charles Dimmick, the concertmaster of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Steven Laven, principal cellist of Pro Arte Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic principal trumpeter Joseph Foley and principal clarinetist Ian Greitzer,  and Rhode Island College music faculty members Mary Ellen Kregler, Lori Phillips and Michael De Quattro. 

"My colleagues and I are committed to spotlighting underrepresented women composers in our quest to redress the historic gender imbalance," said Stillman. 

Event Details and How to Register for Free Tickets

HOT

Even More Direct Flights

What's hot? Even more flights.

Frontier Airlines announced this week will launch two new, non-stop service destinations between Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU) and Denver (DEN). The new seasonal service is scheduled to begin on April 28, 2022.

The addition of these two new routes brings Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport’s total number of non-stop routes to 34, twice the number of non-stop routes available in 2016, representing 100% growth since that time. Service to Raleigh-Durham will be four times a week, while service to Denver will occur three times a week. Frequency and times are subject to change, with updated schedules available at FlyFrontier.com

Frontier now offers a total of eight non-stop routes from PVD. In addition to Denver and Raleigh-Durham, Frontier’s PVD routes also include Atlanta, Cancun, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa. 

NOT

The Drip

The naming rights for the "Dunkin' Donuts Center" are coming up for renewal.

We have an idea, how about doing it in trade with a roofing company?

Then, maybe, just then, the basketball court won't be a danger to players, and games won't be delayed or canceled.

The recent episode wasn't a one-off of inept building management. 

NOT

Bryant Won Battle -- But Lost War

Bryant University's men's basketball team blew out Wagner to win the Northeast Conference Tournament and gained an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Bryant won 70-43, but the victory was overshadowed by a brawl in the stands late in the game.

Fights started breaking out around the 4:37 mark of the second half between Bryant and Wagner fans.

The behavior of Bryant's coach, star player and fans put a stain on the University and made it the top national sports story for all the wrong reasons.

NOT

Inflation

The numbers are now at a 40-year-high.

At 7.9%, inflation is gobbling up Americans' wages.

NOT

Send Him to Russia

U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) told supporters this past weekend he thought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a "thug."

"Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug," Cawthorn said in a video obtained by WRAL. "Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies."