HOT

Staycations

As the winter blahs and isolation are hitting due to the coronavirus, one of the best ways to break the monotony is a staycation in Providence or Newport at a cool hotel.

What is better than a romantic weekend or simply a night binging on Netflix and takeout?

HOT

Emily and the Queen

Two of the best shows to stream right now are Emily in Paris and The Queen's Gambit.

Both are on Netflix and both feature young, smart, ambitious women. 

With enough reality -- they are great escapes. 

HOT

America on the Rebound?

The U.S. economy grew at a 33.1% annualized pace in the third quarter, the United States Commerce Department announced on Thursday. 

The economy, however, remains 3.5% smaller than it was at the end of 2019.

HOT

Brown's Testing Program

One place has it right.

Brown University Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey appeared on GoLocal LIVE, where he talked about the school’s robust testing program — and what they have seen so far this fall. 

“Testing’s been an important part of our overall strategy, [along with] the public health campaign we’ve had on campus, and the de-densified population — we’ve changed to a three-term model rather than our two academic semesters, which has allowed us to spread students out over the fall, spring, and summer,” said Carey. “All of those things, in particular the behavior of our community to follow public health guidance and to really take it seriously, has contributed so far to what has been quite successful.”

Watch the interview here. 

HOT

Big Winner

Graphene Composites Limited (GC), a Rhode Island-based startup, was named a $75,000 cash prize winner of the 2020 MassChallenge Rhode Island accelerator competition.

“Having the opportunity to be part of such a prestigious global accelerator program has been an incredible experience for us as a startup. Access to highly skilled and innovative business leaders, resources, partnerships, and communities within the last four months, has opened up significant opportunities to grow and scale GC USA – we are very thankful to MassChallenge,” said, Sandy Chen, CEO & Co-Founder, GC. 

Over the course of the accelerator, startups from around the world leveraged expert mentorships, tailored curriculum, corporate partnerships, and industry resources to launch and grow their companies – all at zero cost and zero equity taken. In June, MassChallenge Rhode Island welcomed 30 startups from three countries and four states to participate in its first-ever virtual accelerator and the winning startups were identified through a round of live, in-person pitches to top executives, industry and innovation leaders from the MassChallenge community. 

Graphene Composites says it is "an innovative nanomaterials engineering company based in Rhode Island, driven by an ethos to create life-changing products. At GC we combine graphene and other nanomaterials to make life changing products from composites that are amongst the strongest, lightest, most resilient to our unique virucidal and germicidal ink."

The company claims, "As leaders in our field, we have the ability to combine science, connected applications and commercialization rapidly and efficiently. Our technology can be applied in a range of different production areas with registered patents for our overarching technologies and patents pending for all our products." 

Most recently, GC have developed a patent-pending graphene/silver nanoparticle ink formulation designed to kill Coronavirus and most other viruses, including Influenza-A and nearly all bacteria, including MRSA and C. difficile. This formulation can be applied to fabrics, including N95 masks and other PPE. Currently, GC forming strategic alliances with manufacturing partners like G-form, a leading sports gear manufacturer to make coronavirus-killing PPE and athletic products in the US pre-treated with our ink formulation. 

HOT

Mookie

Let's see -- Mookie Betts won his second World Series in two years.

He is 28 years old.

He is most definitely hot. 

HOT

Maybe Too Hot

Rhode Island’s single-family home sales were up 9.1%year-over-year and the median price of those sales hit $334,900, 13.5% higher than that of the third quarter of 2019, according to the RI Realtors. 

On average, homes remained on the market for just 52 days, down from 58 days in the prior year.

The price spike has hit the wealthiest and poorest commiunities.

Central Falls saw the biggest increase in closing activity – up 150% – followed by Block Island, which had a 120% gain.

Block Island lead the list of median prices at $1,262,500, followed by Little Compton and Newport. Every town in Newport County, and 22 other municipalities throughout the state, saw double-digit price gains compared to July through September of 2019.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stronger sellers’ market going into the end of the year. For those thinking of listing their property for sale, there’s definitely no need to wait for spring. The market hasn’t slowed down," said Shannon Buss, President of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors.

NOT

Suspended Doctor -- Arrested for Masturbating in Front of Children -- Hired by State

While everyone deserves a second chance, maybe everyone does not deserve a high paying state job and the opportunity to interact with vulnerable patients.

The newly appointed Chief of Medical Services at the Rhode Island state hospital system was previously arrested for repeatedly exposing himself and masturbating in front of children.

Now, the State of Rhode Island has put Dr. Andrew Stone in charge of the most vulnerable population in the state’s care. These patients are served at two locations Eleanor Slater in Cranston and the Zambarano facility in Burrillville.

In 2006, the Rhode Island Department of Health suspended Stone's license for five years and the then-Director of Health David Gifford wrote in his order “Director of Health has determined that the continued practice of Andrew C. Stone, M.D. would constitute an immediate danger to the public.”

According to the RI Department of Health’s order issued, “The Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, received complaints that alleged that Andrew C. Stone, M.D. exposed himself and touched himself inappropriately in front of young boys in the Seekonk, Massachusetts YMCA. The Board conducted a review of the evidence provided by the Seekonk, MA and Barrington, RI police departments. The Board has determined that this is not the first incident of this nature and has referred the matter to the Director of Health for further consideration.”

According to the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH), "It is the state’s only Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) with 284 beds and operated through the State of Rhode Island’s Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals (BHDDH). The hospital provides long-term acute and post-acute hospital level of care to patients with complex medical and psychiatric needs."

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

NOT

Bad Data

The Rhode Island Department of Health desperately needs to correct its data reporting.

Presently, the reported data is misleading as asymptomatic and asymptomatic testing and results are lumped together. That needs to be corrected. In addition, college and university reporting which is all asymptomatic testing needs to be separated out and reported separately as Massachusetts does.

And, city and town data needs to be updated daily. It has not been updated in 20 days. Businesses and municipal leaders need updated reliable data to make decisions.

NOT

Another RI Small Business Closes

One of the oldest small businesses on Thayer Street in Providence is closing. On Tuesday, the store said that it will be closing in December, after having been a mainstay on the commercial strip by Brown University for more than forty years.

“To all our loyal customers and friends: Thayer Street Army-Navy will be closing our doors by December 15th. Going out of business sale starts Wednesday October 28th. Everything 50 percent off. Come early for best selection. Cash only. All sales final,” the store posted.

Latest on Thayer

Earlier in the pandemic, another independent store on the street, Pie in the Sky, announced its closure.

GoLocal reported the jewelry and gift shop in May announced it was closing for good.

NOT

Dunkin' Being Sold to Private Equity

This isn't good for the price of your coffee.

Dunkin’ Brands, the parent company of the Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins chains, is expected to sell itself to a private equity-backed company, Inspire Brands, according to a report.

“The deal being discussed, which could be announced as soon as Monday, would take Dunkin’ Brands private at a price of $106.50 a share, said two people with knowledge of the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential,” reports the New York Times.

Inspire Brands writes about itself, “Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 11,000 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, SONIC Drive-In, Rusty Taco, and Jimmy John’s restaurants worldwide. The company was founded in 2018 and operates Support Centers in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, and Champaign. We are creating a family of brands with maverick qualities, each with their own distinct positioning, guest experience, and product offering.”

The price of Dunkin’ be would a 20% premium over the company’s closing price on Friday, and implies a company valuation of about $8.8 billion. Dunkin’s share price has more than doubled since March, as investors took heed of its success in building up its app and drive-through services.