Carroll Andrew Morse

Bankruptcy Judge Rules that Central Falls’ School District is Separate from the City

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 24, 2012 |

Federal Bankruptcy Judge Frank J. Bailey has issued a preliminary ruling that the Central Falls School District is not part of the City of Central Falls. The Projo has the complete ruling available here. Specifically, Judge Bailey rejected a request from Central Falls receiver Robert Flanders to issue a declaration “that the School District is…

Governor Chafee’s Municipal Relief Package

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 23, 2012 |

Governor Lincoln Chafee’s municipal relief bills are now available at the Rhode Island General Assembly website. The Senate sponsors are Finance Chairman Daniel DaPonte and Senator David Bates of Barrington/Bristol. Here are some excerpts from the submitted text: S2823 (“RELATING TO EDUCATION — FOUNDATION LEVEL SCHOOL SUPPORT”):16-2-9.4. School district accounting compliance. — (e) The department…

The Issue is Not the NDAA, it’s the AUMF

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 22, 2012 |

A group of Rhode Island State Representatives (Dan Gordon, R-Portsmouth/Tiverton/Little Compton; Jack Savage R-East Providence; Raymond Hull, D-Providence; John Carnevale, D-Providence/Johnston and Donald Lally, D-Narragansett/North Kingstown/South Kingstown) has introduced a resolution into the RI House (H7916) condemning the section of the Federal Government’s 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) pertaining to the detention of persons…

Rhode Island: The Ultimate Microcosm of Walter Russell Mead’s America

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 21, 2012 |

Walter Russell Mead of the American Interest has a long (but very readable) essay on the future of the American social and political systems. He is discussing the nation as a whole, but anyone who follows the news in Rhode Island with any regularity will recognize that we are on the leading edge of nearly…

Sweeney Resigning as RI GOP Executive Director

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 21, 2012 |

Rhode Island Public Radio‘s Ian Donnis is reporting that Patrick Sweeney is resigning as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Republican Party, citing “growing family commitments and needs to focus on his legal career”, and that…[State Party Chairman Mark Zaccaria] says he hopes to have Sweeney’s successor ready to deliver a presentation during a March…

Romney Wins Illinois, as Chances for a High-Impact Primary in RI Dwindle

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 20, 2012 |

It looks like Mitt Romney is on his way to a victory in tonight’s Illinois primary, with something close to 50% of the vote (CNN results available here). All 4 remaining GOP contenders were on the ballot, and Ron Paul is hovering around 9%, so even if 100% of Rick Santorum’s plus Newt Gingrich’s votes…

Almonte First into the Democratic Gubernatorial Void?

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 20, 2012 |

The Projo‘s Randal Edgar reported last evening that former RI Auditor General Ernest Almonte is considering running for Governor of Rhode Island as a Democrat (h/t Ted Nesi via Twitter)…Former Auditor General Ernest A. Almonte said Monday that he is “seriously considering” a run for governor in 2014. Almonte, who stepped down in 2010 after…

Coming up in Committee: Twelve Sets of Bills Scheduled to be Heard by the RI General Assembly, March 20 – March 22

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 19, 2012 |

Local Impact: Central Falls, Glocester, Middletown/Newport, New Shoreham, Pawtucket 2, Portsmouth 2, Providence, Smithfield. 12. I’ve never been sure if the high-profile tension in Rhode Island between auto body shops and insurance companies is an “only in Rhode Island thing” or if it’s connected to some broader trend; whatever the answer, here is this year’s…

American Samoa Erases Santorum’s Delegate Lead from Last Night

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 14, 2012 |

Mitt Romney won Republican caucuses by large margins in Hawaii and in American Samoa last night. According to CNN, his victory in American Samoa by itself was enough to close Santorum’s delegate advantage from earlier in the evening, 9 delegates from American Samoa erasing a 9 delegate advantage Santorum had won in Alabama. (CNN is…

Santorum Wins Alabama and Mississippi, Romney Third, but Delegates Mostly Proportionally Split

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 13, 2012 |

According to CNN, it looks like we’re headed for Santorum-Gingrich-Romney finishing 1-2-3 in both Alabama and Misssissippi, where a total of 90 delegates are at stake. (American Samoa and Hawaii also have caucuses that close later tonight, where 29 more delegates will be awarded). Because of the proportional (Misssissippi) and almost-proportional (Alabama) delegate allocation rules…