Every Friday, GoLocalProv takes a look at who is rising and who is falling in Rhode Island politics, business, culture, and sports.
Now, we are expanding the list, the political perspectives, and we are going to a GoLocal team approach while encouraging readers to suggest nominees for who is "HOT" and who is "NOT."
Email GoLocal by midday on Thursday about anyone you think should be tapped as "HOT" or "NOT." Email us HERE.
Double good news - expansion and Annual Barrell Reserve Dinner.
Nick Garrison, President of Foolproof Brewing, joined GoLocal LIVE on Tuesday and announced the company's expansion to Philadelphia. The now six-year-old Rhode Island brewing company is continuing its expansion down the eastern seaboard.
Presently, the company has deep distribution and had previously extended the brand's reach to New Jersey and Delaware.
Garrison said that the opportunity to enter the Philadelphia market is important to the company.
Annual Barrel Reserve Night
This Saturday, Foolproof celebrates with its fifth annual Barrel Reserve Night on December 8th, from 7:00-10:00 PM.
The event features rare and barrel-aged beer offerings, a selection of local food artisans, an exclusive Barrel Reserve Night glass, and more. This once-a-year event is not to be missed and Garrison says there will be sampling that is not available at any other time during the year.
Wanna get something done in Washington D.C.? How about something at the State House? Well, Don Sweitzer is the guy.
Now, Sweitzer will be retiring at the end of December after 20 years of leadership in International Game Technology (IGT) government affairs and business development.
"I am grateful to Marco Sala and the entire IGT family, our customers, and business partners for the extraordinary opportunities and meaningful relationships we have built together throughout the last 20 years," said Sweitzer. "I can honestly say I have enjoyed coming to work every single day during my time here, and I love the people in this company. It's now a good time in the business to retire on a positive note, with a spectacular future ahead for IGT."
Prior to his role as Chairman of IGT Global Solutions Corporation -- formerly GTech -- Sweitzer was Senior Vice President of Global Business Development and Public Affairs. Before joining the Company in 1998, Sweitzer served in prominent senior roles in federal and state politics.
He was political director of the Democratic National Committee during the first term of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and was an advisor to elected representatives, including Senators Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts and Howard M. Metzenbaum, D-Ohio. He also worked for Paul Manafort in the 1990s.
We won’t be seeing her around RI. The race for the Vice Presidential slot has begun.
The Democratic Governors voted on Saturday to elect Rhode Island Raimondo to serve as the new Chair of the Association for 2019. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will serve as Vice Chair and Chair-Elect for 2020. The vote came at the DGA’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.
Raimondo has served as DGA Vice Chair since December 2017, alongside outgoing Chair Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington.
“I am proud to step up and lead the Democratic Governors Association, and I join my fellow governors in thanking outgoing Chair Governor Jay Inslee for his tremendous leadership over this past year,” said Raimondo.
For the TV newswoman, her effort to help children, veterans and other members of the community is a journey dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals to find a healthier and more satisfied life.
It started nearly a decade ago when Alison Bologna opened Shri Studio, an urban outreach yoga studio, in downtown Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 2009. During the past nine years while she held down anchoring news jobs in Boston and Providence -- she is the morning anchor on WJAR-10's morning broadcast -- she taught yoga and with her partner spent time baking snacks in their loft.
Not just any snacks.
Now, fast forward nine years later and her efforts are transforming lives and promoting healthy eating.
Her snacks Shri Bark are now a morning healthy staple in many Rhode Island schools — more than 13,000 are eaten by Rhode Island school children monthly.
The bars are made in Rhode Island and some of the business success is due to the help of RI Commerce says Bologna.
“Our snacks are served as part of the reduced / free breakfast programs and in lunches too,” she says. Commerce RI helped connect her to other partners that allowed the expansion of the program.
But, the once yoga studio is turning into a global effort — training, feeding and inspiring. The programs promoting mindfulness is now being taken to other states like Massachusetts and Connecticut and as far away as India.
It may be the ultimate irony that the former organizer for Direct Action for Rights and Equality organizer holds the key to one of the biggest private developments in Providence history -- the $300 million Fane Tower.
Harris may very well decide is the game-changer project makes it to the next step -- a project that is slated to create approximately 1,400 jobs.
It looks to be a showdown at Providence City over the Fane project will take place next week when the Providence City Council move forward in an effort to garner a two-thirds majority to override Mayor Jorge Elorza's veto.
It would seem to be a good idea for a stagnant Providence to be the home to a $300 million private investment and 1,400 or more construction jobs.
On Monday, GoLocal reported that the head of the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) faculty union called for CCRI President Meghan Hughes -- and others in administration leadership -- to "step aside," after 82% of voting CCRI Faculty Association (CCRIFA) members voiced "no confidence" in Hughes.
On Tuesday, Hughes shot back that she was "disappointed" in union leadership, when she said, "I remain invested in the work the administration and faculty has accomplished together; work that is successfully driving substantially improved student outcomes.
While I am disappointed that the leadership of the CCRI faculty union chose to advance this vote, I am committed to advancing the progress CCRI has accomplished over the last nearly three years."
The continued infighting between the administration and the faculty needs to be resolved -- and soon -- especially as the college wrestles with Governor Raimondo's "RI Promise" free college tuition program, with the higher-ups touting success -- but documents unveiled by GoLocal in October showed, claims CCRI and Raimondo relating to the success of the free-tuition RI Promise program are not supported by school documents.
On Thursday, GoLocal reported that Cook & Brown Public House in Providence is closing -- marking the latest in a number of restaurants being shuttered in the last several months.
With restaurants closing in Rhode Island lately -- is it just the natural business trend or is there an emerging pattern? Are there a few too many restaurants in the state for the one million residents, plus tourists -- or is the natural lifecycle of some restaurants?
Following Cook and Brown's announcement Thursday they are closing, GoLocal took a look at other recent departures from the culinary scene.
Whichever it is, Rhode Island has been hit with a flurry of restaurant closures. Some closures have been chains closing numerous locations, like Papa Gino's which closed nearly 100 locations in New England, or locally-owned restaurants like Remington House in Warwick which closed after 18-years of operation.
A month after being elected to House District 68, Laufton Ascencao is out.
After admitting in a statement on Facebook that he lied to colleagues about sending a mailer out "I showed them a copy of the mailer that I had drafted, a mock invoice that was dated for November 10th, and a photo of a check I wrote. In reality, at no point was any expense accrued, any order placed, or any check mailed" -- he at first apologized, and then stepped down, after former supporters withdrew their support.
The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence issued the statement prior to his decision.
"[Our] advocacy model is built on the trust and transparency that is necessary when working with a broad and diverse coalition. Many of our members gave up precious time with their families to knock on doors for Laufton because we trusted him. His actions are at minimum a betrayal of that trust, and we no longer believe that he can effectively advocate for the many causes he has championed, including the need to reduce gun violence in Rhode Island. We believe it would be in both Ascencao’s best interests, and in the best interests of his constituents for him to step down from his position as State Representative in District 68 at this time."
This week GoLocal broke the story that the Cranston School Committee has hired a controversial national collection agency to track down parents and guardians who owe the city’s School Department for unpaid school lunches.
Certainly, families that are required to pay for their lunch should, but hiring a heavy-handed national firm with a questionable track record seems misguided.
The company hired was recently fined by a federal agency for its activities.
“In an effort to reduce our unpaid balance, the District has retained the services of a collection agency. The company is Transworld Systems and they will begin their collection efforts effective January 2, 2019,” according to the Cranston School Department.
