Peter Farrelly

Rhode Island's Peter Farrelly was one of the big winners at Sunday night's Golden Globe awards. He is the writer and the director of the "Green Book" which won the award for best movie.

Farrelly is best known for producing Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal, Me, Myself and Irene, There's Something About Mary and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid along with his brother Bobby.

PHOTO: Peter (l) and Bobby (R)

HOT

T.F. Green

Sun Country Airlines will begin operating out of T.F. Green with two non-stop routes to Nashville and Minneapolis/St. Paul, the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) announced on Tuesday. 

“This is a great day for the airport and for Rhode Island travelers. Sun Country is an airline on the move and we appreciate that they have added T.F. Green to their growing list of destinations,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation. “Every time we add an airline or a route we are strengthening Rhode Island’s economy and providing a wider array of travel destinations for the business community.”

HOT

Bronwyn Dannenfelser

It is hard to imagine WaterFire without the leadership and energy of Bronwyn Dannenfelser.

This week the organization announced that she is leaving after making a tremendous mark during her fourteen years. WaterFire said in the announcement:

Bronwyn Dannenfelser, WaterFire Providence's director of resource development, recently advised us that she would be moving into a new chapter in her life - "one which will take me on many wonderful travels and have me relocating to other parts of the country."

HOT

Spencer Sullivan

RI’s Spencer Sullivan, who worked for now-Minority Whip Steve Scalise before starting his own consulting firm (Lean Campaign Strategies), recently made his latest move — to Vice President of RumbleUp, which describes itself as the most advanced peer-to-peer texting platform.

Sullivan spoke with GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle on GoLocal LIVE about what he sees as necessary for success in text messaging strategy.  RumbleUp was recently featured in the New York Times, in the article "Republicans Find a Facebook Workaround: Their Own Apps."

“A lot of people have already received these text messages,” said Sullivan of peer-to-peer texting’s role in recent elections. “Voters are looking for a more personalized [approach]. It’s tough to ignore a text message…how many times do you [ignore] a phone call, how man times do we get the emails we ignore? We all look at our phones hundreds of times a day…it’s hard to not consume that one text message.”

HOT

Vin Marzullo

Vincent "Vin" Marzullo has been named State President of AARP Rhode Island.

Marzullo succeeds Alan B. Neville of Cumberland, whose six-year term expired on December 31, 2018.

“We are delighted that Vin has stepped into this key volunteer leadership position,” AARP Rhode Island State Director Kathleen Connell said Wednesday. “His professional experience, his distinguished history as a community organizer and administrator, and his passion for our mission make him an outstanding choice.”

Marzullo retired as the Federal National Service Director for Rhode Island, working with communities to identify common ground and bring people together to address community challenges and create new opportunities.

HOT

Alex and Ani HQ

The new Alex and Ani headquarters coming to downtown Providence is a win for the city complete with no incentives and no tax breaks.

When was the last time a company moved its headquarters to the city without its hand out looking for multiple subsidies?

NOT

Kids Left in Cars at Casinos

Boston TV Station-25 reported that there is a growing trend of gamblers at area casinos of leaving their small children alone in cars as they go into the venue.  The station’s report looked at both Twin River in Lincoln and Plainville Casino.

According to data secured through Access to Public Records Act, the station was able to secure records of the abuse. The requests for public data did not include MGM in Springfield, MA or Twin River in Tiverton as both those facilities had begun operation in the fall of 2018.

In August, Boston 25 reported, "Lincoln Police arrested 26-year-old Halston Borglund after investigators said she left a 3-month-old outside Twin River."

Officers said the baby was left under a blanket for 90 minutes with the car running and the window down,” reports the station.

NOT

Nordstrom

Going, going, gone.

The upscale retailer has left the building (the Providence Place Mall, that is).

NOT

College Students and Poverty

A new report released from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that college students across the country are struggling to afford food and nutrition. 

The report finds, "Despite this federal support, many low-income college students struggle to meet their basic needs, including obtaining the food that they need, and may drop out of college as a result. SNAP can be an important source of support for low-income students, although it may not completely ameliorate food insecurity."

NOT

Jeff Bezos

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie are divorcing after 25 years of marriage, the two announced on Twitter. 

Bezos is the richest man in the world, currently worth about $137 billion, according to Bloomberg. Now, sexting messages are being released by a number of tabloid media companies. 

“We want to make people aware of a development in our lives. As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends. We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other. If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again,” said Bezos and his wife in a joint statement on Twitter.