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.
Hope and Main founder Lisa Raiola joined GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle on LIVE to talk about the Warren-based food incubator celebrating its five-year mark this fall — and what she envisions as growth opportunities moving forward.
“I was intending to start my own food business — but this has been a pleasant surprise and a great journey for over 200 small food businesses in Rhode Island who have benefitted from the project,” said Raiola. “I think people who had food ideas that might have never thought of starting their own business, because we can make it very accessible and affordable, came to Hope and Main — I think it inspired a lot of new food businesses.”
Raiola featured some of the products that have come out of Hope and Main — including ones that have one awards on the national level.
“I feel like we’re always learning,” said Raiola. “One of the big trends I see is actually coming from the state with supply and wanting to buy locally whenever they can — state institutions, the universities, the hospitals — and I think that means instead of putting things into [smaller] containers, you would package them for institutional use, which is not a place where many of our businesses are now -- but could be.”
Rhode Island is the second-most energy-efficient state in the country, according to a new study.
“According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average U.S. family spends at least $2,000 per year on utilities, with heating and cooling of spaces alone accounting for more than half the bill. In 2018, the average consumer spent another $2,109 on motor fuel and oil, up $141 from last year,” writes WalletHub.
“The Department of Energy estimates that adopting energy-efficient measures in the home could reduce a family’s utility costs by as much as 25 percent. It pays to conserve, especially during a time of increasingly warmer temperatures. As for transportation, the agency found that a more fuel-efficient vehicle could save the average driver about $638 per year.”
RI’s Rankings:
5th Best – Home Energy Efficiency
11th Best – Vehicle-Fuel Efficiency
2nd Best – Transportation Efficiency
Just hours after Wednesday night's storm and power outage, House Minority Leader Blake Filippi questioned National Grid for their lack of preparedness in Washington County and is calling on the Public Utilities Commission to take action.
“Once again, many of our residents and businesses are going to be impacted by power outages, possibly for days. The CHARIHO School District, and the Westerly School District, and even classes at URI, have been canceled. Many businesses are closed. Our elderly and infirmed are without power. It is time for National Grid to restore power to our residents today - and take action so that it is a dependable resource in the future,” said Filippi.
According to Filippi, the communities of Westerly, Charlestown and South Kingstown have been significantly impacted by power outages due to the storms this week, with some sections projected to be without power for days.
You don't have to look beyond the insider business deal comprised of two lobbyists, a former legislator, and Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello's Deputy Chief-of-Staff in an arrangement for a hemp company.
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo is currently the most unpopular governor in the country, according to the latest Morning Consult survey.
With an approval rating of 36% and a disapproval rating of 56%, Raimondo tops the list of “most unpopular” governors, ahead of Matt Bevin of Kentucky, and Kate Brown of Oregon.
See Morning Consults Latest Rankings of Most — and Least — Popular Governors HERE
“The most popular and unpopular governors are respectively determined by total approval and total disapproval, with net approval (approval minus disapproval) serving as the tiebreaker,” says Morning Consult of their quarterly rankings.
FT reports, "China’s economy expanded at its slowest pace in about 30 years at 6 percent in the third quarter of 2019 compared with a year earlier, delivering another blow to global growth."
China's trade war with the U.S. is adversely impacting manufacturing on the world’s second-largest economy from July to September.
Providence is one of the slowest growing cities in the U.S.
According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Providence is ranked 437th out of 515 ranked cities when it comes to the fastest-growing.
A separate study by CityLab reported, "...there is lots of talk these days about urban revitalization, the comeback of cities, and urban gentrification. But all of this is likely very uneven across U.S. cities, shaped by the same winner-take-all pattern that we see for metro areas. Some cities have bounced back and are experiencing growth in population and jobs, and in key dimensions of talent like college graduates and the creative class. But others continue to struggle and lose ground, whether to other cities or their own suburbs."
“Experts might not agree on the “best” or the “right” recipe for rapid economic growth, but some cities know the key ingredients for long-term prosperity better than others. Patterns emerge within those cities, allowing us to identify what factors contribute to a lasting cycle of growth,” writes WalletHub.