Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - January 16, 2026
Analysis
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - January 16, 2026
We have expanded the list, and we are going to a GoLocal team approach while encouraging readers to suggest nominees for who is "HOT" and who is "NOT."
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Over the past 15-plus years, more than 7,900 have been tagged as HOT or NOT.
Email GoLocal by midday on Thursday about anyone you think should be tapped as "HOT" or "NOT." Email us HERE
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - January 16, 2026
HOT
Local Ownership Success
In a time of consolidation and corporate roll-ups, Sally Lapides and her team continue to shine as a locally-owned Rhode Island company.
The team announced Residential Properties was #1 in Rhode Island for units sold, closing on 1,466.5 total units for the year, with an average sales price of $784,583, up 35.7% from 2024.
In 2025, RPL also surpassed key sales milestones including exceeding $1,151,000,000 in total sales volume, an almost 13% increase from 2024.
PHOTO: Stephanie Ewens for RPL
HOT
A PVD Musician and Model Pursuing His Dreams
Providence native Antonio Levada Sanders, Jr. is making a name for himself in the modeling world, having walked Paris Fashion Week and appeared on the pages of Elle Magazine.
And while he continues to expand his portfolio, which includes modeling for TB12 (Tom Brady’s company) and Boston Celtic Jaylen Brown’s line “7uice,” Sanders says that music has always been his true love - and plans to return to his roots this year and release new songs.
After putting out his single and video for "Coping" in 2023 and working to expand his modeling career (all on top of a day job), Sanders, Jr. said it was taking time off to refocus that has put him on a clearer path.
“My number one goal this year, fashion-wise, is to get signed internationally,” said Sanders.
HOT
One Big Rhode Island Turnaround
A GoLocal editorial heaps praise on the fiscal improvement at the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.
Rhode Island’s best story continues to get better and better.
While the incompetence of state government continues — the failed Washington Bridge, the cost to taxpayers of building a minor league soccer stadium, and a failing healthcare system — there is a quasi-public agency that is a success.
The new numbers released by the management of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation are positive and outline a framework for revamping Rhode Island.
While we know the turnaround at the airport to be a PR bonanza — rated the best airport in the country and the fastest growing — an equally big story is that the business side of the management team is unmatched.
It was just over a decade ago that the airport was underutilized and financially underwhelming.
HOT
4th Hottest Real Estate Market in U.S.
Zillow ranks Providence as the 4th hottest real estate market in America.
“Zillow predicts Hartford, Buffalo, New York City, Providence and San Jose will be the hottest housing markets of 2026. In these metros, Zillow expects few price cuts, fast-moving listings and strong price growth,” said the company.
Hartford has the fewest homes available compared to pre-pandemic of any major market; inventory is still down 63%. That is a hallmark of strong buyer competition. More than 66% of homes sold above list price in Hartford in 2025, leading all major metros.
As GoLocal reported earlier on Friday, statewide numbers in Rhode Island show a slight dip in the median price of a single-family home.
A strong home price forecast and demand that far outpaces supply are common threads among what should be the most competitive markets for buyers in 2026.
NOT
"Creepy"
Rhode Islanders got an initial look at Helena Foulkes when she ran for governor in 2022. Few, but a select few, knew her before she ran.
The multi-millionaire, former President of CVS and the board chair of her family’s non-profit — the Dodd Center — jumped from the business world to politics.
The Dodd Center received major funding from the Sackler family — owners of Purdue Pharma — the company that launched and fueled the opioid crisis.
But since Foulkes lost to Dan McKee in the Democratic primary four years ago, we have learned more about her, and more about her biggest political supporters and friends.
These close associates we take a look at are far more than just one or two-time political donors — in many cases, these powerful individuals are her inner circle.
Most recently, it became public that Foulkes' close friend and mentor — former Harvard President and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury — Larry Summers, had a close and “creepy” relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Emails disclosed by Congress unveiled the deep friendship between Summers and Epstein that continued long after Epstein’s conviction and right up until his second arrest.
Foulkes recently spoke glowingly about her relationship with Summers and solicited $6,000 from him.
But in the world of "creepy," Summers is one of many close to Foulkes - those who have profited from the tobacco industry, dubbed antisemitic, or rode the opioid crisis to great wealth.
NOT
17 Schools, 39 Players
A 70-page indictment accuses bettors of wagering millions of dollars and funneling hundreds of thousands in bribes to 39 players on 17 teams to manipulate the outcome of parts or the entirety of games, asserts the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.
The indictment does not name any Rhode Island college basketball teams or players, but does name a team in the Big East and one in the Atlantic-10.
Those schools are DePaul University in the Big East and St. Louis, La Salle, and Fordham Universities in the A-10.
The alleged leaders of the scheme are Jalen Smith, Marves Fairley, Shane Hennen, Roderick Winkler, and Alberto Laureano, according to the DOJ.
NOT
Disturbing Similarities
Too often this week, it was hard to tell the difference between the images shared from Tehran and Minneapolis.
Just saying.
NOT
MIA
It's a new year, filled with new challenges. The General Assembly is back in session. Rhode Island's economy is flat at best, and according to the University of Rhode Island economist Leonard Lardaro, the state is in a recession. Rhode Island is also in daily legal conflict with the Trump administration.
Add that the state is trying to recover from a mass shooting at Brown University, which killed two students and wounded nine others.
For Governor Dan McKee, it is a critical time.
He has announced he is running for reelection—the Democratic primary is just nine months away.
McKee's poll numbers have plummeted to record lows.
A poll released by the University of New Hampshire in November of 2025 found that in the race for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Rhode Island, 29% of likely Democratic primary voters (N=359) say they would currently vote for former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, 13% would vote for Speaker of the RI House of Representatives Joe Shekarchi, 11% would vote for incumbent Governor Dan McKee, 6% would write in someone else, and 42% are undecided.
Is the 74-year-old McKee criss-crossing the state to reassure Rhode Islanders, listening to residents' ideas, and sharing his vision for the state in his second term?
GoLocal offers a recap of the McKees' public schedule for the first ten days of the month.
He attended just 3 events.
