Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - December 13, 2024

HOT

Cool Art

Michael Rose, GoLocal's art columnist has a great profile this week:

Mo Kelman is a Providence-based artist with a remarkable pedigree. Exhibiting regularly for over forty years, she has shared her work in more than 100 shows. Currently, Rhode Islanders can see Kelman’s recent sculptures in a solo exhibition at the Chazan Gallery at Wheeler School on the East Side of Providence.

Through December 17, she is sharing a collection of pieces that exemplify her keen intellect and elevated sense for composition and construction.

Originally from Ohio, Kelman earned her undergraduate degree at Monmouth College in Illinois and her MFA from UMass Dartmouth. From 1981 to 2017 she was a Professor in the Art Department at Community College of Rhode Island. A respected maker, she has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, among other awards.

Previous shows have seen her work highlighted locally at venues like Boston Sculptors Gallery and Fuller Craft Museum as well as farther afield in New York, California, Hawaii, Canada, London, Korea, and Japan.

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HOT

Bill Goes to College

Bill Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach of the New England Patriots, has been named the head coach of the University of North Carolina.

Belichick, the second-winningest coach in NFL history, agreed to a five-year deal pending approval by the University's Board of Trustees and Board of Governors. 

"This is an exciting day for Carolina football and our University,'' said chancellor Lee H. Roberts. "Carolina is committed to excellence and to creating an opportunity to succeed in everything we do, from the classroom to the field of competition. I know after speaking with Coach Belichick that he shares that commitment. His legacy speaks for itself, and we look forward to working together on the next chapter of Carolina football." 

UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said, "We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking. Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win -- today and in the future. At Carolina, we believe in providing championship opportunities and the best experience possible for our student-athletes, and Coach Belichick shares that commitment. We are excited to welcome him to Chapel Hill." 

PHOTO: UNC, Promotional

HOT

Vinny Paz

He is one of Rhode Island's most accomplished athletes.

He has also been hammered by personal issues, many self-inflicted.

Last week, it was announced he is being inducted into The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum.

PHOTO: CC:2.0 Jim Accodino

HOT

Top Names in Culinary Coming to Providence for Inaugural Food & Wine Festival in 2025

The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB) announced the inaugural Providence Culinary Collective scheduled to take place March 27-30, 2025, in locations throughout Providence.

The Providence Culinary Collective will feature signature tastings, demos, and specially curated paired dinners that honor the city’s culinary legacy and reflect its brand.

“GoProvidence has spent nearly two decades building Providence’s culinary brand, celebrating the chefs and creators that continue to shape the city’s vibrant food scene,” said Kristen Adamo, president and CEO of the PWCVB. “Since launching Restaurant Weeks in 2006, we have elevated the city’s national reputation, supported by the talent of Johnson & Wales University alumni and a thriving dining culture. This festival will deliver a one-of-a-kind culinary experience to locals and visitors, showcasing our area’s seasoned and emerging talent in one delicious and diverse celebration. Get ready for a whole new flavor of food festival!”

PHOTO: Emanuel Ekstrom

HOT

Your Rhode Island State Champions

They're not happy in Friartown or at the Ryan Center, but Brown Men's basketball is this year's state champs. 

Brown beat Bryant.

PC won't play Brown.

URI beat PC.

Brown beat URI.

The Bears are kings.

NOT

Come on URI, You Can Do Better

GoLocalProv filed a formal complaint with Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office on Saturday against the University of Rhode Island’s president’s office for ignoring an Access to Public Records Act (APRA) request.

The details of the violation are clear, and the University admits in an email to GoLocal that it ignored the request.

On November 15, 2024, GoLocal filed an APRA request to the president’s office at URI relating to emails and documents relating to a donation to the University.

By law, the University had ten days to respond to the request. GoLocal received no response and weeks later, the URI admitted it failed to respond.

“The University of Rhode Island has an entire legal department, and it confirmed they received the request for public documents, but then they just ignored the request,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and co-founder of GoLocal.

“This is an embarrassment to the University by the administration. It raises questions about what President Marc Parlange is trying to withhold,” said Fenton.

PHOTO: URI, PR Promotional

NOT

NOT for CVS

The Wall St. Journal reports:

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to break up pharmacy-benefit managers, the drug middlemen that have now faced yearslong scrutiny from Congress and the Federal Trade Commission.

A Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Josh Hawley (R., Mo.), would force the companies that own health insurers or pharmacy-benefit managers to divest their pharmacy businesses within three years.

This would cause CVS to be cut up into smaller companies. Maybe it's good for healthcare? It may not be good for Rhode Island. 

NOT

Unaffordability 

Prices of homes on the East Side of Providence continue to rocket upwards.

New data provided to GoLocal by the reality group Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International shows that through November of 2024, home prices in the 02906 zip code have jumped nearly 11% year-over-year.

Now, the median price is $905,000 — in 2023, it was $816,750.

If you own a home, you are building wealth.

If you don't, getting into the game is nearly impossible.

PHOTO: Residential Properties.