Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - September 26, 2025

HOT

RI Success Story

Newport Chowder Company, the family-owned business behind Muriel Barclay de Tolly’s award-winning seafood chowder, announced a new distribution partnership with US Foods, one of the largest foodservice distributors in the country.

The homegrown Rhode Island company, which sells chowder and lobster rolls from its location on Thames Street in Newport, is now expanding its chowder brand nationwide.

What started in 2022 at the Hope & Main food incubator in Warren, Rhode Island, with small-batch production has rapidly grown. Just three years later, Newport Chowder Company now partners with Blount Fine Foods as its co-packer, and this latest milestone with US Foods makes its signature seafood chowder available nationwide to restaurants, hotels, convention centers, universities, and other foodservice providers.

“Seafood chowder has long been a missing category in foodservice, even though it’s a dish people love from coast to coast,” said Katie Potter, Founder & CEO of Newport Chowder Company. “Our mother Muriel’s legendary recipe, born right here in Newport, can now scale across the country while staying true to its roots. We’re proud to bring a taste of Newport to tables nationwide.”

The product — a boil-in-bag format designed for convenience and consistency — is now available through US Foods.

HOT

#2 

In a surprise to most veteran Hockey East fans, the Hockey East coaches yesterday in their annual preseason poll picked the Providence College Friars to finish 2nd in the upcoming 2025-26 season.  Here’s the poll:

2025 Hockey East Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Boston University – 105 (7)
2. Providence – 91 (3)
3. UConn – 90
4. Maine – 87 (1)
5. Boston College – 85
6. UMass – 64
T7. UMass Lowell – 53
T7. Northeastern – 53
9. Merrimack – 33
10. New Hampshire – 31
11. Vermont – 23

*First place votes in ()

HOT

Jimmy Kimmel Returns

Free speech is good.

Using federal agencies to carry out revenge is bad.

HOT

Fly Me to Mexico

Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) has announced new weekly nonstop flights to Cancun on Breeze Airways - during the winter months.

Breeze Airways is "testing the international market from PVD" starting in February, and the route will conclude in mid-April 2026. 

“We’re pleased to partner with Breeze Airways to bring this new international route to PVD,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, on Thursday. 

“The addition of Cancun to the list of destinations from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport is a testament to the continued growth of our airport and its ability to offer more options for travelers. We are hopeful this is the beginning of successful international service for Breeze from PVD," he added. 

HOT

Ken Block's Take on Trump's H-1B Visa Program

Block posted to social media:

I agree with Trump's huge fee on H-1B visas. He has just implemented a $100,000 fee for all new H-1B visas. Many tech employers were abusing the H-1B program, using these visas to bring in inexpensive foreign tech workers. Many of these visa holders were held captive by their employers - it is difficult to change jobs with these visas. US-based tech workers were financially harmed by this situation.

With a $100,000 fee, tech employers will now only be hiring H-1B visa holders who bring unique and high-value skills. Young US-based tech workers will most definitely benefit from this change. US employers love highly skilled US-based tech workers. The only way to increase the number of them is to nurture young US-based tech workers, rather than allowing them to be displaced by cheap, temporary foreign workers.

NOT

Inside Deal

A GoLocal Editorial takes on General Treasurer James Diossa's selection of his political consultant to run RI's pension system:

This week, Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa announced the appointment of his political consultant to serve as the executive director of the Employees’ Retirement System of Rhode Island.

Diossa’s office has refused to provide the names and qualifications of any other finalists. 

FACTS

The individual getting the job to oversee a $12 billion pension fund is Andrew Roos. Roos has no formal training or education in financial management.

None.

For nearly his entire professional career, he has been a political consultant or staffer. One of the politicians he worked for was then-Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo during the implementation of pension reform.

He has two degrees in philosophy.

Roos got the position overseeing the pension fund after serving as Diossa’s political consultant.

These are all facts.

Diossa's office refuses to disclose Roos' salary, claiming that it has not been finalized.

MORE FACTS

The professional resume Roos submitted to be hired as the executive director overseeing the pension fund includes the following experiences: 

- “Twice made it to seeded rounds of “Bookstore Basketball” (world’s largest full-court basketball tournament).” 

- He highlighted the eight political campaigns he worked on.

- For his experience at Google, he wrote, “Grew team from 3 FTEs in 2015 to 12 in Q4 of 2016.”  EDITOR’S NOTE: Google has more than 187,000 employees.

- And, in his most recent experience, working for an Iowa political consulting firm, “Part of a leadership team at GPS Impact across multiple cycles that helped develop and refine our company's perspective on media buying, technology, and the broader media landscape, helping make GPS Impact a national leader on integrated media buying.”

CLEARLY

According to Roos’ documented experiences, he is qualified to run a mid-level state election as a consultant in a small state.

Based on his batting average as a political advisor, his results have been mixed, at best.

It is clear, based on Roos’ resume, that he has few qualifications to be the executive director of a $12 billion pension fund.

It is an inside Rhode Island political move at its worst, and the ramifications could be profound. 

WHY QUALIFICATIONS MATTER

So why do qualifications matter? 

See the Washington Bridge's condition —  and read the investigation into how Peter Alviti was appointed Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

Those who are members of the Rhode Island pension system should be horrified.

Rhode Island taxpayers should be depressed.

NOT

Deal of the Century?

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley has negotiated a deal to buy a Providence office building owned by former Providence Mayor and downtown developer Joe Paolino for $18.5 million.

According to the most recent valuation conducted by the City of Providence’s assessor’s office, the building — 444 Westminster Street — is worth $7 million. In 2024, the city only valued the building at $5,133,000.

The purchase price is 164% higher than the assessed value.

Paolino owns the building through a corporate entity — 444 Westminster Partners LLC. He bought the building from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island in 2008. Today, it is leased to the city of Providence, and it houses multiple city departments.

For years, Paolino has been a major political backer of Smiley. Members of Paolino's company, Paolino Properties, have donated $12,600 to Smiley's campaign.

To make the transaction even more expensive, Smiley is pushing to borrow $25 million using the Providence Public Building Authority’s bonding authority — the borrowing structure circumvents voter approval.

All this while the city is in the midst of a fiscal crisis, and the city saw one of its largest tax increases in history.

READ MORE

NOT

Dangerous Misinformation

Robert Kennedy is dangerous.

The press conference by Kennedy and President Donald Trump was full of incorrect and dangerous information. 

Rhode Island Director of Health Jerry Larkin said in response to the press conference: 

“The assertion that autism is caused by the use of acetaminophen, or Tylenol, during pregnancy is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence. Autism is complex, and there has been no evidence of a single cause in the decades it has been researched. Tylenol is a safe and trusted medication option for pregnant women, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and other trusted medical organizations.

There are few safe medication options for the treatment of fever and pain during pregnancy. Untreated fever and pain during pregnancy can be harmful to pregnant women and to fetuses. If someone is pregnant and has questions about pain management, they should talk to a healthcare professional.”