5 Big Stories in Rhode Island This Week - November 25, 2023

#5

One of RI’s Top Environmentalists Is Suing to Block Offshore Wind Project

Trudy Coxe, the former head of Save the Bay and once the top environmental official in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, dropped a bombshell on Wednesday afternoon.

In her role as the head of the Newport Preservation Society (NPS), Coxe announced that her organization has filed a massive federal lawsuit to block the construction the offshore wind project off the coast of Rhode Island.

NPS manages the public-facing mansions in Newport, such as The Breakers and Rosecliff, to name a few.

The Preservation Society filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

According to NPS, "The appeals detail how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) failed to comply with the heightened levels of review required under the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. BOEM improperly approved wind farms that will damage historic resources within the City of Newport, which is heavily dependent on heritage tourism. Federal law makes clear that the 'viewsheds' of historic resources are as important as bricks and mortar. These appeals seek to preserve historic and pristine views from industrial-scale development."

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Former Newport Marriott Employee Says Hotel Responsible for Rape by Supervisor in Federal Lawsuit

A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Rhode Island by a former employee at the Newport Marriott — who alleges she was harassed and raped by a supervisor, and that the hotel corporation failed in its “duty to provide a safe workplace for its workers.” 

The lawsuit filed by “Jane Doe” names Marriott International, Host Marriott Corporation, and Marriott Hotel Services LLC as defendants on the counts of “negligent hiring, training, and supervision” by employing who she alleges was a known sexual harasser, as well as “Rhode Island Civil Rights Act Retaliation” — for firing her after she had reported the alleged rape.

According to attorney Chip Muller, who is representing Doe, his client also filed a criminal report with police — and her assailant was charged with first-degree sexual assault by the State of Rhode Island.

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#3

Another Woman Files Suit Against Paul Mihailides, and The Preserve’s Construction Unit

Paul Mihailides, the CEO of The Preserve Sporting Club, has been hit with another lawsuit by a woman alleging a hostile work environment tied to sexual harassment, discrimination based on sex quid pro quo sexual harassment, discrimination based on sex — disparate treatment, and other claims.

The five-count complaint was filed in Rhode Island Superior Court.

Besides Mihailides, also named in the suit is the company that does much of the construction at The Preserve and, according to Rhode Island business records, is controlled by Mihailides -- M.T.M. Development Corporation.

The woman filing the latest suit, Heidi Grant, worked for M.T.M.

This is the second lawsuit filed by a woman against Mihailides in the past five months.  READ MORE

#2

Legendary PC Friar Ernie DiGregorio Releases New Book, “Star With a Broken Heart”

Ernie DiGregorio — Ernie D. — is one of those legendary athletes who transformed a college, a state, and even the game he played.

Imagine the NIL money Ernie D. would make if he were a Friar today.

His half-court behind-the-back passes have tens of thousands of views on YouTube. They are 50 years old — today they would be viral on TikTok within seconds.

Ernie D. was a basketball wizard and a showman.

He was that undersized high school star from North Providence who went from playing in sleepy Rhode Island high school gyms to being the rookie of the year in the NBA.

Along the way, he and another Rhode Island basketball phenom, Marvin Barnes, led Providence College to the Final Four.

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#1

EXCLUSIVE: Pawtucket to Borrow $48.450 Million to Fund Soccer Stadium, Say Preliminary Bond Docs

The City of Pawtucket is poised to borrow $48,450,000 to fund a minor league soccer stadium. Under the financing scheme, Pawtucket will not own the stadium -- it will be owned by a group led by California-based businessman Brett Johnson.

In March of this year, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien announced that the city was delaying the issuance of $27 million in bonds due to the uncertainty of the financial markets.

“Given the market challenges of the last year, including a global pandemic, rising interest rates, tighter market conditions, and a looming banking crisis, the State financing and private debt components of the capital stack have not made fiscal sense to close to the date,” a spokesperson for Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien said in a statement in March.

Today, interest rates are even higher than in March; a second war has broken out.

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