Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - March 19, 2021

HOT

New England Patriots

They just signed a mega string of free agents:

DL Montravius Adams 

C Ted Karras

TE Hunter Henry

DL Henry Anderson

WR Kendrick Bourne

WR Nelson Agholor 

LB Matt Judon

DB Jalen Mills

DT Davon Godchaux

HOT

Rick Pitino

Coaching legend Rick Pitino is back in the NCAA tournament. The 68-year-old coach is taking Iona to the Big Dance.

URI is not going. Pitino talked to URI representatives in 2018, but the Rams turned him away and hired David Cox instead.

READ MORE HERE

HOT

J.R. Pagliarini

This week was Pagliarini's last as President of the ALS RI Chapter after 18 years. 

"I wish to publicly salute and applaud the many terrific people I’ve had the pleasure of working with - staff, board members, volunteers - while remembering the many, many friends lost along the way," he said.

"John Godin who lost his mom to ALS a few years ago will be succeeding me. John is a fine man who will do a superb job. I sincerely hope that I was able to help raise awareness of ALS throughout our community while expanding and improving the quality of programs and services offered to ALS patients and families in Rhode Island," he added.

NOT

RI Department of Health

The level of frustration by the fumbling and bumbling by the Rhode Island Department of Health continues.

One of the comments on Governor Dan McKee's Facebook page during his weekly coronavirus briefing was by Virginia DelNero, who wrote, "I work in a grocery store and I'm 61 can't get an appointment. Do I have to quit my job and stay home to book an appointment? Essential workers need to get vaccinated now!"

Three months after the vaccination program started the health Department has no protocol to help the most at risk.

Now the state says it's "opening up" the vaccine program to Rhode Islanders age 16 plus by mid-April? We get that the state was embarrassed by neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut being ahead, but if you can't book appointments now, how can anyone have confidence in this pledge?

NOT

RI State Police

Prior to GoLocal unveiling contamination at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation 6/10 Construction site, a State Police officer had begun an investigation and taken samples but the investigation was shut down by Colonel James Manni.

GoLocal has now secured a copy of this internal State Police memo.

Initially, the State Police began the state’s investigation but it was almost immediately shifted to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management — that agency has only one investigator.

On Saturday, September 5, 2020, Lt. Michael Casey wrote in a detailed memo to Captain Matthew C. Moynihan, a member of the State Police's command staff, regarding contamination.

The memo stated that a retired state trooper had contacted Casey to alert him to the issue. But nearly as soon as the investigation began, it was over. On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, GoLocal broke the story of the contamination, EXCLUSIVE: Union Official Says RIDOT Allows Contractor to Illegally Dump Contaminates at 6/10 Site.

Later that Tuesday morning a meeting was held by Governor Gina Raimondo's office hosted by staffer Nicole Verdi -- that meeting included top staff from RIDEM, RIDOT, and the State Police. 

Later, GoLocal unveiled a federal investigation. GoLocal has learned that law enforcement has conducted interviews relating to the ongoing investigation in the past few weeks.

READ THE REST OF CASEY'S MEMO HERE

NOT

Hate

White supremacist propaganda distribution surged across the United States in 2020, with a total of 5,125 cases of racist, antisemitic, and other hateful messages reported by ADL (Anti-Defamation League).

2020 marked the highest level of incidents reported since ADL began tracking such data – an average of about 14 incidents per day, and nearly double the 2,724 cases reported in 2019. Rhode Island saw a dramatic increase in the number of incidents.

ADL’s Center on Extremism (COE) tracked the distribution of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ fliers, stickers, posters and banners by various members of far-right and white supremacist groups. The annual report found that at least 30 known white supremacist groups were behind hate propaganda efforts, affecting 49 states in 2020.  

Nearly every state in New England experienced a significant rise in white supremacist propaganda.

Massachusetts recorded 276 incidents of white supremacist propaganda in 2020, compared to 147 in 2019 and 35 in 2018,

Vermont - 150 incidents in 2020, compared to 81 in 2019, 14 in 2018), 

Rhode Island - 52 incidents in 2020, compared to 10 in 2019, and 4 in 2018),

New Hampshire - 48 incidents in 2020, compared to 29 in 2019 and 3 in 2018),

Maine - 13 incidents in 2020, compared to 14 in 2019 and 13 in 2018).  

In Rhode Island, there were 13 antisemitic incidents and 14 cases of white supremacist propaganda.

“Across the country and in the New England region, we’ve seen vile racist and antisemitic propaganda appear, targeting minority groups and directing the unsuspecting public to these groups’ websites,'" said Robert Trestan, ADL New England Regional Director.

NOT

Two Female Customers Dined and Dashed, Says Rhode Island Restaurant

The Treehouse Tavern in Warwick has accused two female customers of eating -- and not paying. Photo: Treehouse Tavern FB

A Rhode Island restaurant is accusing two customers of "dining and dashing."

The Treehouse Tavern in Warwick took to social media on Sunday to call out who they said were two females who ate, drank, and left -- without paying the bill this week.

As businesses struggle during the pandemic, the restaurant wrote about the difficulties of the current climate.

And in a case of "flipping the tables," the restaurant gave the women "one-star" reviews as customers. 

The TreeHouse Tavern posted the following on Sunday

"Positively! Everyday is a pleasure.

Reality is that this year, each day, is unique, long and challenging. Some are five stars, some are not. Everyone is short-staffed, employees out, busy, or not busy enough, with Covid required extra efforts, long 12-hour workdays, but when the end of the day comes and everyone was pleased, well worth the effort.

Thursday evening we distant seated all our dining rooms and the warm evening enticed guests to our garden for dinner.  Our problem this night was we had one bartender and one server, myself and my amazing 82-year-old Mom and a busboy!  

Everything went well, much smoother and better than forecasted at 4:30 pm.  It’s wonderful when guests understand our dilemma. They are compassionate when given the honest truth. Almost all our guests are heading home at 9:15, feeling appreciated and pleased.

The last table lingers for an hour and a half talking, talking, talking....then with take-home container and check in hand, credit card too, these two women dash out, in just seven seconds, out the door!  

The parking lot is empty and so ends the challenging day on a real downer."

NOT

The Most Tests

One thing we know is Governor Gina Raimondo and Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott's effort to make Rhode Island number 1 in testing was successful -- the state has done the most tests per capita -- but the strategy was a bust.

Rhode Island is #3 in cases per capita and #3 for deaths per capita.