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Top 10 in the World

Condé Nast Traveller has named Rhode Island International Airport (PVD) as a Top Ten Airport in the World.

The Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. More than 520,000 Condé Nast Traveller readers submitted responses rating their travel experiences across the globe.

With this award, Rhode Island International has received 12 major awards from top national and international media awards since 2017.

“We are thankful for this recognition as we continue our efforts to be recognized as the best airport in the nation as well as the world,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC). “This honor recognizes the hard work of all of those committed to excellence at our airport. In the coming years, we expect that our new restaurants, retail shops, and terminal renovations will help further boost our rankings as we strive to provide the best passenger experience possible.”

Top 10 Best Airports in the World, According to Condé Nast Traveller:

10. Rhode Island TF Green International (PVD), USA. Score 82.64
9. Tokyo Haneda (HND), Japan. Score 83.02
8. Indianapolis International (IND), USA. Score 83.34
7. Hong Kong International (HKG). Score 83.41
6. Zürich (ZRH), Switzerland. Score 83.79
5. Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV), USA. Score 84.05
4. Hamad International (DOH), Qatar. Score 86.78
3. Incheon International (ICN), South Korea. Score 87.15
2. Istanbul (IST), Turkey. Score 87.62
1. Singapore Changi (SIN). Score 90.12
 

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Architect Jack Ryan

Will Morgan, GoLocal's architecture critic, has a great column looking at the new Knead Donuts shop on Smith Street:

If someone told you that the crowded junction at Smith and River Streets in Elmhurst was the site of one of the town’s newest architectural achievements, you might be perplexed. Searching for a sugar rush and a cup of coffee, you might not even notice the earthy gray-green, single-story commercial block.

A modest sign identifies it as the latest Knead Doughnuts store –the fifth of the gourmet bakery’s shops (the first opened downtown in 2016). Doughy treats are the chief attraction here, but the structure itself hits a sweet spot.

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Before Public Investment, Time for an Independent Analysis of the Superman Building

John Palmieri, one of the top planners in America, this week wrote a smart MINDSETTER™ column in GoLocal about how Rhode Island should progress before investing more public dollars.

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Bert Crenca, Artist Extraordinaire

Michael Rose, GoLocal's art columnist, writes:

Few cultural leaders have had as distinct an impact on the Rhode Island art scene as Umberto Crenca. A painter and musician, Crenca was one of the individuals integral to making Providence an art-focused city in the 1990s. As the founder and longtime creative force behind AS220, he established and nurtured a dynamic and unjuried art space where generations of artists and performers of all ages have shared their passions.

A new exhibition opening at WaterFire Arts Center on October 12 aims to share Crenca’s own work. His vast series of local cityscapes, dubbed “Divine Providence,” will be on view, celebrating a painter who knows and loves the city in a profound way.

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Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau Wins Industry’s Top Award - Voted ‘Best CVB in the Northeast’ 

The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB)  announced that it has been named “Best Convention and Visitors Bureau in the Northeast” as part of the 2023 Stella Awards. The award comes after a vote and review by customers and peers.

“We are incredibly grateful to have been chosen,” said Kristen Adamo, PWCVB president and CEO. “This is truly a team award and reflects the drive, vision and commitment to excellence that every member of our team possesses. Post-pandemic, the PWCVB has realigned its mission to include a greater focus on bettering our communities. From our downtown marketing initiative to our small business advocacy work, we are as much a civic organization as we are a tourism one. I am proud of the work our small team has done especially over the past three years, and grateful that our reimagined model is being recognized nationally.”

The 7th Annual Stella Awards, conducted by Northstar Meetings Group, are the meetings industry’s highest honor.

NOT

Post Slashing Staff

The Washington Post announced plans Tuesday to offer voluntary buyouts to its staff in an effort to reduce headcount by 240.

The Washington Post is owned by one of the wealthiest men in the world, Jeff Bezos. He is worth $155 billion, according to Bloomberg.

“In an email to staff, interim CEO Patty Stonesifer wrote that The Post’s subscription, traffic and advertising projections over the past two years had been ‘overly optimistic’ and that the company is looking for ways ‘to return our business to a healthier place in the coming year,’” wrote the Post.

According to The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi, Stonesifer told staff that since 2021, audiences are down 28%, subscriptions are down 15% (to around 2.5 million), print revenue is down 10%, and digital advertising is down 30%.

“The Post currently employs about 2,500 people across the entire company. A staff meeting is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the buyouts, which will be offered to employees in specific jobs and departments,” according to the Post.

“The urgent need to invest in our top growth priorities brought us to the difficult conclusion that we need to adjust our cost structure now,” Stonesifer wrote.

And these cuts may not be the end.

Stonesifer said in an article in the Post that the buyouts are being offered in hopes of “averting more difficult actions such as layoffs — a situation we are united in trying to avoid.”

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Hate in Rhode Island

A suspect was taken into custody on Wednesday after reportedly calling in a bomb threat to a Providence temple.

According to police, a man left a voice mail Tuesday at Temple Beth-El on the East Side of Providence. 

The message was a bomb threat.

GoLocal has learned that Providence Police arrested the suspect — a Pawtucket resident. 

He is now in custody and facing multiple charges. 

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One of RI’s James Beard Award Nominees Relocating Shop to Cambridge

One of Providence’s most award-winning restaurateurs is relocating one of her hot spots to Cambridge.

According to a press release, Milena Pagán will be opening Rebelle Bagels in Kendall Square in Cambridge.

She is the MIT grad who flipped the Rhode Island food scene on its head.

The shop is currently on Doyle Avenue on the East Side of Providence, and it will move to Cambridge sometime this winter, though a specific date has not been given as of yet, according to Boston media.

In addition to Rebelle, Pagán--who was a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Northeast this year--is also co-owner of Little Sister, located on the corner of Hope Street and Rochambeau Avenue on the East Side of Providence.

She writes in her bio, “My career path took me to Providence, RI in 2013 to work a corporate job that taught me a lot but ultimately wasn’t a fit for me. I opened Rebelle Artisan Bagels in 2017 on the East Side of Providence with my modest savings and some help in the form of a Kickstarter campaign. With Little Sister’s opening in 2020, I’m now proud to be a two-time small business owner right in the neighborhood where I live.”

PHOTO: Vicky Ng, Unsplash

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Newport Island Harbor Resort Hotel on Goat Island Files for 136 Layoffs With RIDLT

One of Newport’s premier hotels — Newport Island Harbor Resort — has filed with the Rhode Island Department of Labor of Training (RIDLT) that it is laying off 136 employees. 

The property today is owned by the publicly traded Pebblebrook Hotel Trust. The stock has fallen 22% this year from its 52-week high.

The property is scheduled to undergo rehab starting in November and is scheduled to be completed in April.

The hotel is located on Newport’s Goat Island.

According to the property's filing with RIDLT, the 136 being laid off are all non-union positions. The layoffs are scheduled to take effect on November 22. 

In June of 2022, GoLocal reported that Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina on Goat Island was sold to Bethesda, Maryland’s Pebblebrook Hotel Trust.

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Hamas Perversion

Slaughtering and beheading babies and toddlers are just some of the documented crimes committed by Hamas in its attack on Israel last Saturday.