Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - October 8, 2021

HOT

Sam Zurier

In a crowded field in the Democratic primary in Senate District 3, former City Councilman Sam Zurier won.

When the final numbers are in the five Democrats will have spent somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000. Hmm.

And the majority was shelled out by the candidate who finished 4th -- Hilary Levey Friedman.

HOT

Brilliant Grit

Michael Rose has the review of the brilliant work of Mark Freedman:

"Mark Freedman was born in New York City and relocated to upstate New York when he was five. He took courses at a community college before being drafted into the army and later, through the GI Bill, he was able to study in the night school at SUNY’s campus in Buffalo. After a move to Rhode Island, he pursued additional studio art courses at Rhode Island College using a spousal fee waiver. Through these experiences and with the help of several mentors, he honed a style that remains uniquely recognizable. His interest in cities and other post-industrial environments comes through in all of his work and brings viewers along in reconsidering what subjects are worthy of being captured in paint.

Providence Picture Frame is one of the state’s most storied art businesses. Founded in the 1800s and housed for a time in The Arcade, it was located, until recently, in a meandering space within a repurposed mill on Branch Avenue. In the parlance of Rhode Islanders, it was adjacent to where Benny’s used to be. Just prior to the pandemic, Providence Picture Frame moved to a bright and glassy new space at 1350 Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence, and its rotating exhibitions space known as Dryden Gallery came along too. On view through October 23, 2021, Dryden Gallery at Providence Picture Frame offers a collection of paintings of Freedman that show off urban scenes with remarkable texture, depth, and grit.

Where some artists focus on the grand verticality of urban spaces, Freedman’s imagery is often horizontal and takes as its subject the overpass, the avenue, or the airport runway. He is interested not in the iconic architecture of cities but in unassuming streetscapes and also in the transportation networks that knit metropolitan areas together. Planes, trains, and automobiles populate his paintings, often giving them a sense of speed and excitement that parallels their real-life counterparts. The resulting body of work, developed over a long career as a professional artist, is one that celebrates that aesthetic complexity of densely built places."

READ MORE HERE

HOT

Vegan Restuarant Week

Vegan Restaurant Week (VRW) in Rhode Island is set to start on Friday, October 29, running two full weekends through Sunday, November 7. 

Created in 2019 by Chris Belanger from Like No Udder, VRW is a showcase of vegan dining options for all types of restaurants. 

There are currently over 33 participating restaurants throughout the state.

“Our goal is to expand awareness - both for restaurateurs and diners… showing the public what is available right here in Rhode Island while also showing restaurants that there is growing demand for innovative, compassionate and healthier fare that goes beyond hummus and pasta primavera,” said Belanger. 

Participating restaurants will offer a variety of vegan specials - from discounts, combos, pre-fixes or special menus and menu items.  Restaurants are located throughout the state and range from pop-ups, cafes and fine dining to family restaurant chains.  

According to Belanger, cultures and cuisines represented include Jamaican, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, soul food, health food and vegan versions of American comfort food. 
 

HOT

URI Football

The Rams are 4-0 for the first time in 20 years.

Saturday they play #8 Delaware.

This is the biggest game for Rhody in decades. By the way, they have had only two winning seasons on the past 20 years.

HOT

Dean Starkman

The former Projo, WSJ, and LA Times reporter and GoLocalProv freelancer is part of the team that produced the Pandora Papers which unveiled how the ultra-rich are shielding their wealth from taxation.

Read  Papers Here.

NOT

Bannister Owners

The nursing home workers are on the verge of a strike.

According to the union workers who take care of our most needy are paid $12.70 per hour.

Meanwhile Allie's Donuts is hiring for $18 an hour. 

NOT

Nellie Gorbea

Sent out an email from her campaign blasting the "I know a guy" mentality in state government.

When asked who she was referring to -- the response was crickets.

Does she blame...everyone...but herself?

If you're going to take shots, back it up.

NOT

So Rhode Island - McCoy Already Trashed

Memories of the Pawtucket Red Sox playing at McCoy Stadium might seem like just yesterday, but photos obtained by GoLocalProv.com show the facility now in various degrees of neglect and disrepair.

The Boston Red Sox AAA affiliate played its first full season this year in Massachusetts after moving to Worcester, and now the fate — and the upkeep — of McCoy are uncertain.

The Pawtucket park, once the gem of the league, is now looking like a ghost stadium complete with the abandoned statue of the beloved late-owner Ben Mondor. He died in 2010. His widow sold the team in 2015 to a group of ultra-wealthy businessmen.

The City of Pawtucket in January sued the then-Pawtucket/Worcester Red Sox franchise, claiming the organization failed to “perform required maintenance, repair and other obligations in connection with the team’s lease and use of City-owned McCoy Stadium” which officially ended on January 31.

NOT

So Creepy

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday shared a message he sent to employees, following a devastating week for the social media company.

In the wake of reports that Instagram (owned by Facebook) harms young users -- which Zuckerberg refutes -- he addressed the damning whistleblower report that the company chose profits over public safety, and of course, the approximately six-hour platform outage on Monday that cost Facebook billions. 

Zuckerberg on Tuesday took to his platform to write that he "wanted to share" the following note he wrote to everyone at the company.

READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE

NOT

Stupid at Best

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island announced Tuesday that it reached an agreement to resolve civil claims against two Block Island residents whose actions touched off a needless and expensive maritime search and rescue operation off the coast of Block Island.

According to the office, the men -- Perry C. Phillips, 31, and Benjamin C. Foster, 33 -- set off nautical flares for social media purposes, resulting in a "multi-hour" search by the Coast Guard.

Now, they have to pay a civil penalty. 

About Incident
 
As detailed in a civil complaint filed Tuesday in Federal Court in Providence, the two men, intending to celebrate a friend’s wedding in the Breezy Point area of Block Island, borrowed a nautical flare gun and flares, and set out in a small skiff on the evening of on June 6, 2020.  

According to the U.S. Attorney, when they reached the vicinity of the wedding reception, Phillips and Foster discharged three of the flares, recording their actions on video for posting on social media.  At least one of the two knew at the time that the flares were a maritime distress signal, and both understood that it was improper to use them as they did. 

The pair then returned to shore, unaware that their actions prompted observers to report the flares to the New Shoreham harbormaster, who in turn alerted the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Interpreting the flares as a nautical distress signal, the Coast Guard, alongside local authorities, launched a multi-hour search operation off the waters and shoreline in the area where the flares were sighted. The search involved a surface vessel and two Coast Guard helicopters, including one based in Point Judith and another at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod.

Under federal law, falsely communicating a distress signal and causing the Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help is needed is illegal and carries civil and/or criminal penalties. Under this agreement, the Defendants have admitted to the conduct alleged by the Government and will pay a statutory civil penalty of $10,000 to resolve this matter.