Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - October 20, 2023
Analysis
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - October 20, 2023
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 12-plus years, more than 6,000 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? - October 20, 2023
HOT
Need a Taste of Fall...Nostalgia?
GoLocal's storyteller, Dr. Ed Iannuccilli, wrote a lovely column this week about the wonderful memories of apples as a child.
He writes, "I love the clean, crisp, refreshing scent of an apple. I love the sweet smell of the tree’s blossoms. They remind me of the tree in our yard when I was a kid. Nowadays, they remind me of the beauty of fall."
"Apple picking season sends me back to the cherished apple tree in the rear yard of our three-decker. The apple, along with the grape arbor, cherry and pear trees, was lovingly tended by my grandfather. The tree has played a significant role in history, but it had a greater presence in mine those years ago. It started in the spring displaying its bright necklaces of white flowers, continued in summer with its rich full foliage, and then in autumn when the apples popped to maturity," he continues.
HOT
Yum and Nice
Farm Fresh Rhode Island is working with the local community to donate Thanksgiving Boxes full of locally grown produce to Rhode Island hunger relief agencies this season.
"These boxes will help make the holiday special for Rhode Island families in need, and is in line with Farm Fresh RI’s operating principle that everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food. Short of a turkey, the Thanksgiving Boxes feature everything a family of 8 needs for a Thanksgiving meal including fresh herbs, a wide variety of locally grown vegetables, and even a pumpkin pie," said Farm Fresh, a local non-profit.
As Farm Fresh’s Director of Giving, Nikki Ayres, explained, “Food has the power to transform. A hot meal—prepared with love—on a holiday surrounded by family is a gift that is hard to quantify. Support from the community to donate these boxes will not only mean the world to the families who receive them, but also to the small local farms we are purchasing the produce from.”
Farm Fresh RI has been offering their popular Local Thanksgiving Boxes for sale since 2020, selling out every year. This is the first year the organization has added an option for customers to donate a box when they place their order—which will double the amount of local food they purchase from small farms this year. Farm Fresh is also working directly with local businesses that want to sponsor higher quantities of boxes. Their goal is to donate a total of 250 boxes to hunger relief agencies, which will feed around 2,000 people this holiday season.
This year’s Thanksgiving Box will include:
- Pumpkin pie from Wright's Dairy Farm & Bakery in Smithfield, RI
- Brussels Sprouts from Ward's Berry Farm in Sharon, MA
- Carrots and Parsnips from Four Town Farm in Seekonk, MA
- Celery from Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, MA
- Local Cranberry Sauce made by Harvest Kitchen in Pawtucket, RI
- Delicata Squash, Onions, Sweet Potatoes, and White Potatoes from Schartner Farms in Exeter, RI
- Butternut Squash from a local farm (TBA)
- Fresh Herbs from Allen Farms in Westport, MA
- Leeks and Shallots from Zephyr Farm in Cranston, RI
- Whole Baby Bella Mushrooms from RI Mushroom Co. in West Kingston, RI
Boxes are $85 each, for purchase or to donate, and the order form closes on Monday, November 6, 2023. Anyone interested in donating boxes or purchasing them for their own holiday feast can learn more at farmfreshri.org/thanksgiving.
PHOTO: Kelsey Weinkauf, Unsplash
HOT
Maybe Justice Is Coming?
After a decade of failure, there appears to be some progress in the enforcement of environmental laws.
As GoLocal reported on Wednesday, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has written to abutters, informing them that the agency is conducting an investigation and that the Rhode Island Recycled Metals site was contaminated with hazardous materials - some probable carcinogens.
"The current Responsible Party of the subject Property (AARE, LLC) is providing notice to abutters of a plan to conduct an environmental Site Investigation at the above-mentioned property. The goal of the investigation is to determine if any current or historical activities at the property have resulted in releases of oil or hazardous materials to soil or groundwater.”
AARE, LLC is the related company to Rhode Island Recycled Metals.
The DEM notification also states that the site is a known source of hazardous materials, including PCBS -- known probable carcinogens.
HOT
Jobs...Jobs...Jobs
Rhode Island businesses added 1,400 jobs in September as the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.6 percent, according to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
Over the year, jobs were down 3,500 from September 2022 and the unemployment rate was down eight-tenths of a percentage point. Through September, Rhode Island has recovered 96,600 or 89.2 percent of the 108,300 jobs lost during the COVID-19 shutdown.
NOT
Mega Pharmacy Chains Are in Trouble
CVS has been closing stores, cutting staff, and paying off lawsuits tied to opioids.
Walgreens has many of the same issues.
Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy.
Bezos's Amazon and Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs are coming after them.
NOT
RICAS Scores Disappoint
The performance of Providence schools on the RICAS was a major disappointment.
The scores for both English Language Arts and Math only marginally improved over last year.
Providence schools, under state control for the past three years, saw ELA results show little improvement in the past year.
The number of students "not meeting expectations" or "partially meeting expectations" in 2021-2022 was 86.9% combined. In 2022-2023, the number was 84.9%.
The math RICAS score saw a similar minor improvement.
NOT
Road Rage
In Rhode Island and across the nation, incidents of road rage have led to fights, stabbings, the beating of an elderly woman, and multiple shootings and deaths.
In recent weeks in Rhode Island, there have been a number of violent episodes.
An incident on Saturday in downtown Providence between a driver and riders of motorbikes led to the car driver being stabbed.
Just weeks earlier, GoLocal obtained footage of the road rage incident in Warwick that led to the arrest of a Coventry man.
The incident occurred on East Avenue when Peter Grossi of Coventry attacked a 19-year-old stopped at a red light.
Gross was arrested and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct.
NOT
City Plan Commission Moves 75-Unit Wickenden Street Project Forward Despite Neighborhood Opposition
The Providence City Plan Commission (CPC) on Tuesday night granted conditional master plan approval for the controversial five-story mixed-use building proposed at 269 Wickenden Street. The City Councilor John Goncalves was missing in action.
It marks the latest in a battle between the developer — Fox Point Capital LLC — and advocates who say the city needs more housing, and neighbors who continue to oppose the project for its size, scale, and design.
“Once this building raises property values, everything else around it is going to fall,” said resident Roz Rustigian during public testimony Tuesday night. “I don’t want to be a Stepford Wife and live in every town USA.”
