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Beloved Burgers Are Back

Stanley’s Famous Hamburgers has announced its return.

The iconic Central Falls institution will be serving burgers and more when it reopens on June 14 following a months-long closure due to a burst pipe and renovations. 

The business, which had opened in 1932 was started by Stanley F. Kryla who had a dream: “to make an honest, affordable hamburger. In the face of the Great Depression, he opened his restaurant with a commitment to sell a simple American product -- home-cooked, full of flavor & affordable.”

Food and Wine Magazine took notice in 2021, writing of their favorite Rhode Island burger, “The trick here is a method common in other parts of the country, less so in New England—onions are pressed into the meat while on the grill, allowing the two to cook together, adding a burst of extra flavor.”

Stanley’s had kept its loyal customer base up to speed with its restaurant renovations following a burst pipe in January, initially predicting an earlier spring start date.

Now, the reopening reality has officially come true. 

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Gina Raimondo - Secretary of Treasury?

There is growing noise in Washington, D.C. that U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s days are numbered -- and former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, who is sitting U.S. Commerce Secretary, is the leading candidate to replace her.

Yellen, a Brown University graduate, has been highly criticized for mismanaging the Biden administration’s response to inflation.

This week, Yellen said she was wrong last year when she said she anticipated inflation would be "a small risk," "manageable" and "not a problem."

In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday, she admitted she had misjudged the threat of inflation.

"There have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy that have boosted energy and food prices," Yellen told Blitzer. "And supply bottlenecks that affected our economy badly that I didn't, at the time, fully understand."

Presently, inflation is at a 40-year high and at 8.3%.

On Friday, MarketWatch reported that Treasury is a department that is likely to receive a new leader either before or directly after the mid-terms.

The period “after a midterm shellacking” would be a “natural culling point” at the White House, said Ben Koltun, director of research at Beacon Policy Advisors, on Friday.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain is expected to leave after the mid-term elections, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen looks likely to depart after the midterms as well, according to Koltun.

“We view Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo as a leading contender to replace Yellen,” the analyst wrote.

“She is seen as one of the stars of the White House Cabinet and is looking to notch a major win with Congress passing China competitiveness legislation by the summer.”

Two weeks ago, Politico reported that Raimondo, not Yellen, made critical calls to Wall Street CEOs on behalf of the White House.

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What a Run

One of Rhode Island’s great restaurants is now being offered for sale — Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen Italian Restaurant.

It has been the location of some of the most meaningful meals in the state’s history — from romantic propositions for a hand in marriage to politicians cutting deals to major meetings of the leaders of the New England crime family.

READ MORE

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Queen and Paddington

One of the sweetest elements of the Diamond Jubliee was the video released by the Royal family.

SEE HERE

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Read to Succeed

Read to Succeed and Cox Communications delivered 3,600 free books this week to students at Bishop McVinney Catholic Elementary School, Community Preparatory School, Highlander Charter School, San Miguel School of Providence, and Sophia Academy to launch the largest summer reading program since its founding in 2018. 

Over the summer, 600 Providence students at these schools will take part in Read to Succeed, a unique literacy program that uses a $1,000 college scholarship incentive to promote recreational reading. The program helps to prevent the well-understood “summer learning loss” while building their financial pathway to college.

“Cox Communications has been our most important volunteer corporate partner, supporting Read to Succeed as we continue to expand. Welcoming more students into the program each year results in more books that need to get into their hands before the summer. Cox Communications ensures that we can grow and deliver on our mission,” stated David Guertin, Executive Director of Read to Succeed. 

“Year after year, we remain impressed by the commitment of Read to Succeed to put books into the hands of students,” said Ross Nelson, region manager and senior vice president. “Their commitment to helping children stay connected to the wonders of learning over the summer months has undoubtedly made a prolonged impact on students, while also inspiring a love of reading. We are honored to be their long-standing partner.” 

Starting at the home of Barbara Papitto, Co-Founder of Read to Succeed with her late husband Ralph Papitto, Cox Communications volunteers loaded 600 book bags filled with six books each onto their trucks for their journey across Providence. Over the course of four hours, books were delivered to each school in order to be distributed before the last day of school.

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Talent, Talent, Talent

Michael Rose's review of the “Expressions in Black” Exhibit unveils more of the tremendous creative talent across RI.

Juried exhibitions provide a great opportunity to explore local art through the eyes of expert curators. In a partnership between the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) and the Warwick Center for the Arts (WCFA), an exciting exhibition celebrating Black artists is on view now through June 18 in the heart of the state. The show, titled Expressions in Black Art, offers wonderful breadth and highlights the richly varied talents of Black artists working in the region.

Assembled by juror Monique Rolle-Johnson, an inventive artist who also has work on view, the show features artworks in a range of media, from drawings, paintings, and photography, to textiles and assemblage. Artists who are both well-known in the community and those who are newer to the art scene are shown alongside one another. This makeup offers an enlivening opportunity to consider different modes of expression in use among contemporary Black artists.

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Refusal To Let Legislators Vote on a Ban on Assault Rifles

Despite the national horrors and the overwhelming public support for substantial reform on gun safety legislation, Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio are refusing to allow legislators to vote on a ban on assault rifles.

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Manipulation of Democracy

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and the City Council played politics with potentially the biggest and one of the riskiest moves in the City of Providence's history.

They scheduled a special election on a summer night to minimize turnout and allow the unions the opportunity to push turnout for approving a half-billion-dollar bond bailout for the woefully underfunded city pension fund.

Just 4% of Providence's registered voters showed up to vote.

Democracy in (in)action. 

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Gas Prices

Rhode Island’s average gas price on Thursday hit $5.00 per gallon for the first time ever, according to AAA Northeast. 

Rhode Island joins Massachusetts, which reached the mark a few days ago, and is now $5.02. 

Connecticut averages $4.95 and the national average for self-serve unleaded is $4.97.

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce -- and former RI Governor -- Gina Raimondo said that there is not much more the White House can do to tackle record-high gas prices for Americans.

Raimondo, appearing on CNN, cast blame on the increasing gas prices on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Unfortunately, that is the brutal reality," Raimondo said in response to CNN's Kate Bolduan saying there's not much action left that President Joe Biden can take.