HOT

Family Service's Gift-Giving Effort - MORE HELP NEEDED

Family Service of RI has hit the panic button. It says it has received close to a thousand requests for holiday gifts for needy kids this year, double what we have received in prior years.  

“We do not have enough presents for these kids. We have contacted many of our nonprofit partners, as we collaborate with them -- and they with us -- to meet holiday needs. and found that many are facing the same struggle,” said the organization.

AS OF THURSDAY EVENING, THERE WERE STILL ABOUT 160 CHILDREN THAT NEEDED HELP

DONATE HERE

"Rents Exploding Whopping Grocery Bills"

"For 20 years, we have run 'adopt-a-family' and supported children in foster care at the holiday — very low-income families, and usually, we get asked to help 350-425 families at the holiday. This year, it has exploded to more than 1,000,” said CEO Margaret Holland McDuff.

“Some of these people who are working were hoping to pick up extra hours and didn’t get them,” said McDuff.

“Others have never asked for help before,” said McDuff. "With food, housing, and gas bills rising, the families that FSRI serves just don’t have a budget for anything more than bare necessities – like paying their rent or that whopping grocery bill.”

PHOTO: Nathan Mullett, Unsplash

HOT

HBO Announces Continuation of The Gilded Age for a 3rd Season

HBO will continue The Gilded Age series, and this is a boon for Rhode Island’s film and television industry.

The cable series has been a significant boost to Newport tourism and attendance at the mansions.

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is the creator of The Gilded Age.

The show just finished broadcasting its second season. In the first two seasons, Newport was the backdrop to the period piece. 

“We’re so proud of what Julian Fellowes and The Gilded Age family have achieved,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of  HBO Programming and head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “From the costumes to the production design and performances, the show has captivated so many week after week. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we are thrilled to continue this grand tale for a third season.”

HOT

Cox Helps Local Boys and Girls Clubs Who Are Facing Unprecedented Challenges During RIDOT Washington Bridge Failure

The recent failure of the Washington Bridge has brought significant challenges to many locally, including organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs in both Providence and East Providence. Traffic delays have meant unplanned overtime for the staff, longer hours for the kids, additional meals, and other expenses the Clubs didn’t have the dollars for at the end of the year.

Recognizing the challenges faced by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence and East Providence, Cox is donating $10,000 to help offset costs.

“Our staff has done a great job answering the call, working overtime to make sure we take care of our Club Kids while their families are negotiating the traffic challenges,” said Nicole Dufresne, Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence executive director. “We are grateful Cox’s responsive support to address increased costs to ensure our families get the support they need.”

HOT

40 Under 40 -- National Recognition 

Rhode Island Airport Corporation’s Chief Legal Counsel and Chief of Staff, Brittany Morgan, has been named by Airport Business Magazine’s “40 under 40” as one of the airport industry's "up and coming young professionals working to make a positive impact in our nation’s aviation system."

“This recognition is a tremendous honor for both Brittany and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, President and CEO of RIAC. “Brittany is highly intelligent and loves aviation and the airport field. She leads by example and demonstrates a tremendous work ethic. She joined as an attorney, but in the last five years, she has achieved a command of all diverse topics in the airport field. She is an inspiration to young professionals who may otherwise be intimidated by the complexity of our business.”

"The airports that I support through my work at RIAC are my home airports. I am a lifelong Rhode Islander so there is an incredible sense of pride in growing and improving our airports,” said Morgan.

HOT

Froma Harrop's Take Down of Hypocrisy

Harrop's column Libertines at Moms for Liberty

Forgive us for not displaying shock that a Moms for Liberty co-founder and her husband apparently engaged in group sex. Or that sex partner No. 3 had accused Bridget Ziegler's husband, Christian, of raping her. Or that Christian Ziegler headed the Florida Republican Party. Or that Bridget was also a member of the Sarasota County School Board and Gov. Ron DeSantis put her on an oversight board to harass Disney.

You could set your clock by it.

The bigger surprise is always how groups like Moms for Liberty get away so long with attacking teachers. Sure, some educators have gone overboard on woke pedantry, but they remain pillars of civilization. School districts are hard-pressed to keep the good ones. 

Moms for Liberty was really a front for Donald Trump, so it all fits in. Members posing in photos with Proud Boys was something of a giveaway. The true mission of this "parental rights group" was to scoop up cheap votes from parents genuinely concerned about their children's moral upbringing. 

The Zieglers must have gotten a chuckle toying with the chumps as they frolicked in orgiastic style. For the record, Christian says he didn't rape the woman, though that denial doesn't seem to have gone far. The unnamed third wheel said she was willing to have sex with both Zieglers but not Christian alone. Christian apparently didn't like being thus restricted, and so, the woman said, he came uninvited to her apartment and sexually assaulted her.

Florida's Republican Party has stripped Ziegler of his chairmanship, with the vice chairman telling him, "You cannot morally lead the Republican Party forward."

Which could fool the rest of us. If sexual propriety of the old-school variety were really the heartfelt concern that morality-minded conservatives say it is, then they would not be voting for a twice-divorced libertine who arranged sex with a porn star while his third wife was pregnant.

READ MORE

HOT

Devin Carter

The Friars took down #6 Marquette this week. It was their second first quad win of the season. 

Make no mistake about it, this Friars team is fueled by the defensive energy of junior guard Devin Carter.

Oh, and by the way, he is leading PC in scoring too.

NOT

Tone Deaf

Last Friday afternoon GoLocal published, "EXCLUSIVE: While Drivers Were Stuck in Chaos, Gov Attends Fundraiser for RIDOT Chief-of-Staff:"

While tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders were stuck in traffic for upwards of three to four hours, Governor Dan McKee was attending a political fundraiser for Rhode Island Department of Transportation Chief of Staff John Igliozzi on Tuesday night.

Igliozzi, a former Providence City Councilman, is the top staffer to director Peter Alviti. According to state records, Igliozzi makes $175,926.92 at RIDOT.

McKee has repeatedly stated that he and RIDOT officials have been working around the clock to solve the RIDOT Bridge failure.

The fundraiser was held at "The Social" at 1449 Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence. Igliozzi is expected to run for Rhode Island Attorney General in 2026.

READ HERE: GOP SLAMS MCKEE FOR ATTENDING FUNDRAISER 

The ticket price: $250 to $1,000 per person.

But while McKee, RIDOT officials, and other politicos were sipping cocktails and downing appetizers, schools in East Providence were being closed, holiday parties were being canceled throughout Rhode Island, and Rhode Islanders' lives were thrown into upheaval. 

According to restaurant owners, cancellations continue to spiral and business is off 20% to 30% during the critical holiday season.

Presently, Igliozzi had a cash balance in his campaign account of $71,063.93 as of the last October 31, 2023 report.

McKee's office said in response to questions about his attending the fundraiser, “The Governor is on duty no matter where he is. He did briefly attend that event and then returned to the State House.”

NOT

Two Standards for Plagiarism:

1) Regular People -- college students, journalists, etc.

2) Ivy League college Presidents

It is a very simple formula.

NOT

Giuliani Files for "Bankruptcy Protection"

Formerly "America's Mayor," Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy days after being ordered to pay $148 million in damages to two former election workers.

Perhaps no one has fallen further before our eyes in their lifetime. 

NOT

Growing Pattern - McKee Admin Refuses to Answer Many Questions About No-Bid Ferry Contracts - RIDOT Bridge Failure

For nearly a week, GoLocal has been seeking information from Governor Dan McKee’s office regarding no-bid contracts for ferry companies to provide transportation on the East Bay after the RIDOT's Washington Bridge failure.

GoLocal has learned that at least two Rhode Island business groups had reached out to the McKee administration to provide ferry service and were never contacted. Neither wanted to speak on the record for fear of retribution.

Just two weeks before Christmas, Rhode Island was thrust into chaos due to the failure of RIDOT to maintain the bridge properly. Businesses and schools were forced to close, and the commute for much of the state has turned into an odyssey.

The McKee administration claims it does not need to follow purchasing laws in this situation, and it is refusing to release a copy of the scope of work, the request for proposals, or the contracts.

READ MORE

NOT

URI Men's Basketball

On Thursday night, the Rams dropped their 5th in a row.

Things are not going in the right direction in Kingston.

URI fans have been suffering through some lean times the last few years.

Never before has there been a bigger gap between the Rams and the Friars.