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Zach Cunha

Too often, Rhode Island is a parochial place of the powerful. Few will take on the powerful. 

Give Cunha credit for going after Washington Trust -- an influential bank with a well-connected board -- for its 1950s style policy of lending -- or redlining.

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New Sports Columnist on the GoLocal Team

GoLocal welcomes Jim Malachowski to the GoLocal team as a sports columnist.

Malachowski is the former Chairman/Managing Partner at RDW Group. He previously served as the chair of the Public Utilities Commission.

"Jim is a super-talented writer and thinker. We are excited to have him join the cadre of contributors at GoLocal," said Josh Fenton, CEO and co-founder. "We think he will be unbiased; after all, he has degrees from URI and PC."

Here is his initial report

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The Revival of Downtown East Providence, One Cafe at a Time

Will Morgan's column on the secret to one city's organic comeback virtually went viral and is a must-read.

Let’s talk about the inevitability of East Providence. Young entrepreneurs with a bookstore and a restaurant on Ives Street, refer to their home across the Seekonk River as Brooklyn. While not quite the hipster vibe of such sentiment, East Providence has a lot of assets that, when sensitively developed, will contribute to a promising future.

East Providence has some strong advantages, beginning with its topography. Running for several miles along the shore of Narragansett Bay, some of which is being envisioned as a working harbor, there is also development along the Seekonk. Completion of the new Red Bridge will make passage between the two Providences easier. From Rumford to Riverside, there are a series of viable neighborhoods composed of single-family houses, many with water and skyline views.

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The Department of Justice

Claims that the U.S. Department of Justice is biased blew up...with the indictment of DEMOCRATIC U.S. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

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Chafee's Public Service 

Zechariah Chafee is leaving the United States Attorney’s office in Providence after 33 years.

Chafee worked on nearly every type of federal case during his tenure.

He is the oldest child of the late Governor and U.S. Senator John Chafee and his wife Virginia.

"Very Best of the Profession"

U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zach Cunha told GoLocal about Chafee’s retirement, “Over the thirty-three years that he has served as a federal prosecutor, Zechariah Chafee has exemplified the very best of the profession: balancing rigor with humility, and zeal with profound decency."

“[Chafee's] retirement from this Office is truly the end of an era, but we are grateful not just for his service, but for the good fortune of calling him our friend and colleague for these many years,” added Cunha.

Marine Service

Chafee also served as a member of the United States Marine Corps.

He served, among his other duties, as a commander of a rifle platoon in Okinawa and later a 120-man Rifle Company at Camp Pendleton, CA.

He was named after his grand-uncle, Zechariah Chafee Jr. who was a noted Harvard Law School Professor and civil rights advocate, described as "possibly the most important First Amendment scholar of the first half of the twentieth century" by Richard Primus.

PHOTO: US Attorney

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Beautiful

Art columnist Michael Rose has a wonderful look at a Providence gallery that is mounting a special exhibition to explore themes of Hispanic Heritage in works created by local artists. At Public Shop and Gallery in the capital city, a tight-knit collection of pieces in an array of disciplines is both exploration and celebration.

The exhibition features works ranging from photographs and mixed media pieces to prints, drawings, textile-based works, sculpture, and more. On view in Public’s space at 27 Sims Avenue, adjacent to The Steel Yard, the exhibition features an enticing body of works. Pieces by ten artists with local connections are on view including contributions by Nacho Amor, Vienna Mercedes Gambol, Izzy Rodriguez, Gabriela Cantú, Johanna Benitez, Haydee Naula, Michelle Perez, Jessica Reyes, S.A. Chavarría, and Christian Sánchez.

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U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and His Gold Bars

If you have not read the unsealed indictment of the New Jersey U.S. Senator, it is a must.

READ HERE AT THE BOTTOM

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Oh, the Oniks

Video released Monday by GoLocal shows the Barrington couple in the middle of the Newport wedding melee, dropping the name of former U.S. Congressman, David Cicilline, in an effort to intimidate the police.

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Rhode Island Courts Clerks for Upcoming Year Are Nearly All-White

The Rhode Island Judiciary recently announced its clerks for both the Rhode Island Supreme Court and trial courts, and just three of the 24 are minorities, according to sources with direct knowledge.

The court has not disputed this assertion.

Statistically, just 12.5% of the clerks are men and women of color in a state where 30% are minorities.

A spokesperson for the court refused to answer if this was the lowest percentage of minorities in the clerk's class — and claimed that the court is trying to recruit minorities.

“Both the trial law clerks and the Supreme Court chamber law clerks go through a multi-step application and selection process. The Judiciary cannot and does not collect demographic data at the application stage, as that practice would be illegal,” said Alexandra E. Kriss, Assistant State Court Administrator.

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Redlining Like the Bad Old Days

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced on Wednesday that Washington Trust Company — the oldest community bank in the nation, has agreed to pay $9 million to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Rhode Island.

Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing credit services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race, color, or national origin of residents in those communities, according to the Department of Justice.

“Everyone who pursues the American dream has the right to expect to be treated equally and with dignity, regardless of their race, their background, or zip code. When communities are denied access to fair lending, families are denied the opportunity to build stability and financial success,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “I am pleased that, as a result of the hard work of attorneys in my office and the Department’s Civil Rights Division, Washington Trust has agreed to take targeted and extensive measures to make meaningful lending services available for all Rhode Islanders, regardless of race or background.”

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