HOT

Ken McKay

The top staffer to former Governor Donald Carcieri, who also worked as a staffer to Florida Governor Rick Scott, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, and also on Chris Christie’s Presidential campaign is reportedly on the short list to fill the open federal judge vacancy here in Rhode Island. McKay’s talents and professionalism are undeniable and he would make an excellent federal judge. Here’s hoping President Trump agrees. 

HOT

Jasiel Correia

The Fall River Mayor has unveiled a cool new logo as well as a slogan that makes sense and is simple at  the same time: “Make it here.” Contrasted with Rhode Island’s flawed tourism campaign from last year, Fall River’s new initiative is a smashing success. Fall River seems to under strong leadership. 

HOT

Luis Aponte

The Providence City Council President was wise, in the moments after the Mayor’s State of the City address, was wise to point out that the city needs to address its $900 million unfunded liability. If the city continues to refuse to address this issue, Providence will not be able to make crucial investments in infrastructures like roads and schools, since the pension fund will swallow up funding for everything else.

HOT

Max Wistow

Sure, the high profile attorney has recouped close to $50 million that Rhode Islanders lost in that ill-fated, disastrous 38 Studios fiasco. But what’s really making Wistow smile from ear to ear is the fact that he’s been able to earn just over $11 million for his firm while doing so. Good work, Wistow. 

HOT

Steven Forleo

The CCRI Professor makes a very rational and reasonable argument this week in a GoLocal Guest MINDSETTER™ piece about the need for some sensitivity in our culture today. Sure, count me as one who believes political correctness has run amok in our society, but that doesn’t mean that Forleo’s point, that a multi-cultural society demands a certain level of sensitivity is also accurate. Good for him for pointing it out. 

HOT

David Segal

The former state representative and candidate for US Congress (he was bested by David Cicilline) who now serves as the Executive Director of Demand Progress, an organization that fights for transparency, net neutrality, and against torture and domestic spying on US citizens, deserves credit for keeping it real. Segal helped lead the protest against Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s vote to confirm CIA Director Michael Pompeo. It’s easy to be partisan in our society, so kudos to Segal who has demonstrated that he’ll fight for his principles even if it means taking on Democrats. 

HOT

New England Patriots

Who can argue with this team’s dominance over the last 16 years? When the Patriots take the field in Houston to compete in this year’s Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons, they’ll be favored to win their 5th championship over that time period.

Win or lose, the Patriots are the gold standard of the National Football League. 

NOT

Jorge Elorza

The Mayor of Providence has declared that our capital city is a sanctuary city. Unlike Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who moved to protect his city’s federal funding late last week by stating that his county isn’t a sanctuary city, Elorza has potentially endangered the city from receiving tens of millions in federal dollars to its coffers. I don’t understand why Elorza think the has the authority to defy federal laws that he doesn’t like.

NOT

Sheldon Whitehouse

The Democrat Junior Senator came under some serious heat from the very people who should be his staunch allies--progressive Democrats, on Sunday evening for voting for CIA Director Michael Pompeo, who hasn’t said that he’s opposed to using torture techniques to gather intelligence. Whitehouse’s vote to confirm the CIA Director is a puzzling one, and (to put it charitably) he’s had difficulty explaining it. 

NOT

AAA

And you thought it was hard to register a car in Rhode Island already? Imagine how much more crowded the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles building in Cranston will be now that AAA has closed one Providence office, and stopped offering DMV services at the other. More inconvenience for Rhode Islanders is definitely not hot. 

NOT

Donald Trump

As GoLocal MINDSETTER™ Brian Jencunas so aptly points out, the President’s executive order to ban citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia from entering the United States is confusing, illogical, and inherently unfair. The ban excludes countries like Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, which have produced more terrorists than the nations included in the ban. This executive order needs to be reconsidered as it will seemingly do little to prevent terrorism and likely make it harder to get cooperation from folks in those nations who are willing to help us fight it. 

NOT

CCRI Buyouts

GoLocalProv reported this week that the Community College of Rhode Island is seeking permission from the Postsecondary Education Council to create a buyout program that would supposedly not result in fewer positions but would allow the college to gain flexibility in hiring. Apparently, the college wants to save money by eliminating positions of more experienced workers with new employees. That doesn’t sound like a way to improve the quality of education at the school. 

NOT

American Airlines

Apparently, nothing succeeds like...failure? Rhode Island NPR’s Ian Donnis reports that former Gina Raimondo Chief of Staff Stephen Neuman, who not only oversaw the Governor’s rocky first year in office, but also spearheaded legislation that impacted internet fantasy sports website DraftKings as his wife prepared to begin working for the company, and later moved on to a senior position on Hillary Clinton’s disastrous Michigan campaign (which effectively handed the Presidency to Donald Trump) has landed a job with American Airlines as their Government Affairs Manager. What is this airline thinking? Neuman shouldn’t be allowed to manage a Dairy Queen.