Every Friday, GoLocalProv breaks down who is rising and who is falling in Rhode Island politics, business, and sports.
One change we announce this week is we have gone to "HOT" or "NOT" by committee -- and the opportunity for readers to make recommendations.
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."
John Della Volpe— He heads polling for the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School. One week he is hosting Mika and Joe of "Morning Joe" at Harvard, and the next, he is unleashing the first significant, independent public poll in Rhode Island since Darrell West left Brown University for Brookings ten years ago.
Della Volpe’s polling shows that RIer’s are not pleased with the economy and overwhelmingly opposed to public financing of the proposed PawSox stadium. Read the poll here.
T.F. Green Airport — Condé Nast's Traveler Magazine named T. F. Green Airport one of the top 10 airports in the United States through their Readers’ Choice Award Survey for 2017.
Condé Nast Traveler wrote, “Providence, R.I.'s airport gets kudos from fliers as a 'great little airport' that’s easy to reach and to navigate: Almost two-thirds of New England’s population lives within a 75-minute drive of the airfield. Long known for its budget flights—it’s a Southwest Airlines stronghold—last year it saw an exponential increase in international service, with Norwegian Air launching non-stops to six destinations in Ireland, the U.K., and Norway. New flights to the French Caribbean begin this fall.”
“We could not be more pleased with this recognition because it is based on feedback from travelers around the globe who have flown into and out of T.F. Green Airport. It is validation from users of the airport that we are heading in the right direction,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.
Kasim Yarn — RI’s Director of Veterans Affairs is doing a "Town Hall" tour of all 39 cities and towns in 2017. Imagine if all the public officials took the time and made the commitment to meet with all of Rhode Island. In addition, he is overseeing the upcoming opening of the new 208 bed veterans' home - the official opening coming next month on Veterans Day.
Yarn joined the U.S. Navy in 1991 at age 18 and reported for basic training less than 24 hours after graduating from high school. He first moved to Rhode Island in 1995, where he was assigned to Naval Station Newport.
URI Basketball — So close to making it to the final four in 2016, now the Rams enter the 2017-18 season pre-season ranked #1 in the Atlantic 10.
The Rams return a tremendously talented group of seasoned players and some super talented freshmen.
Guards E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell were named to the first and second preseason All-Atlantic 10 team respectively.
Matthews was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship after averaging 19.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game during Rhode Island's run to the title.
Amanda Clayton — The Johnston native is making it big - and the super-talented Rhode Islander is landing not just large, but star-making, roles. She is appearing in Tyler Perry’s series “If Loving You is Wrong.” Soon, a movie she produced will be let loose.
Smart, charming, and Rhody proud. Keep an eye on Clayton’s career.
Beer in RI —The beer industry in Rhode Island is growing and maturing, and at each turn still keeps its edge.
On Wednesday, four of the state's coolest brewers were at GoLocal and appeared on The Taste. The consistent message was that these entrepreneurs are successful.
The BIG NEWS was from Sean Larkin, Co-Founder & Co-Owner of Revival Brewing Company & Troop Eats Beats Drinks, was when he announced on GoLocal that he would be opening a new restaurant.
Care New England — The healthcare group is in business chaos. They have lost near $120 million in the past two years. Earlier this week, CNE announced they voted to close Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket.
More than 800 Rhode Islanders are scheduled to lose their jobs.
PawSox — New polling from Harvard's John Della Volpe shows that despite the full court press by the billionaire owners, every demographic of Rhode Islanders are adamantly opposed to the funding scheme.
Young, old, north or south -- everyone in Rhode Island is opposed to the state subsidy. As Della Volpe said, "Rhode Islanders are not opposed to supporting priorities [but] there is a significant consensus...63 percent of Democrats reject this question." Della Volpe went on to say that Rhode Islanders simply don't want to fund this project.
Maybe the billionaire owners will listen to one of the preeminent pollsters in the country.
Celtics — It was suppose to be the year that the Celtics challenged the likes of Cleveland and Golden State for the NBA Championship. But, in the primetime season opener, the Celts new free agent star Gordon Hayward went down with a horrific injury just 6 minutes into the game.
It looks like Hayward is out for the season and the Celts are just another team.
Sexual Harassment — Leading political consultant Kate Coyne-McCoy is blasting the announcement by Speaker Nick Mattiello's office that legislation to create a "study commission" on sexual harassment will be introduced next session.
The announcement was made in light of allegations -- of an unnamed perpetrator in leadership at the General Assembly -- by Representative Teresa Tanzi.
"I'm so pissed off," said Coyne-McCoy on Tuesday evening, following a series of Tweets. "Two legislators have come forward, and one legislator accusing another -- and we're supposed to let this go? What are we paying them for? They're going to establish a commission to study this? When's that ever worked?"
Is Coyne-McCoy the only one that thinks this situation is damaging, improper and needs to be seriously addressed.
