Justin Katz
John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss a surprising political announcement and contrasting speeches.
Anybody else getting the feeling that there’s some deliberate initiative going on under the skin of public education that we only see here and there when it bursts out into a blemish? Here’s one such pimple, from Timothy Duffy, who is the head of the state association for school committees: Most teachers are white. Most…
Because Democrat Governor Dan McKee has been so broadly disappointing from a moderate-to-conservative perspective, this is encouraging news: For the first time in the state’s history, a Rhode Island governor has officially recognized the last week of January as “Rhode Island School Choice Week.” Gov. Daniel McKee recently signed a proclamation recognizing School Choice Week…
Here’s a line worth teasing out from Ted Nesi’s latest roundup column: NEARI union leader Bob Walsh said he is considering a run, adding, “I am also weighing what is best for the Democratic Party to keep this seat in Democratic hands.” Yes, the answer is obvious, but it’s worth pausing to ask: Why is…
It doesn’t make much sense to me. We’ve got a small state that isn’t terrible for traffic, despite being densely populated. You’d think local authorities could keep the roads in order. But there it is: According to WalletHub, the Ocean State is the second-worst state for drivers in the country, after Hawaii. Cost of Ownership &…
Looking for something to do at The Vets in Providence one of these weeks? Tickets are widely available for the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s performance of Scheherezade on Saturday, February 12. Angelique Kidjo the next evening? Pick your section. The next weekend, the multiple shows of Trolls Live! have plenty of seats available. If you’re in the…
Not mentioned in the stories about Governor Dan McKee’s delay of the new nursing home staffing mandates is that they are arguably the most-extreme minimum standards in the world. Imposing new mandates in the middle of a nurse-staffing crisis is simply insane. Holding off these mandates would be considered an obvious thing to do in…
You know, it’s difficult not to laugh at the computer screen when reading something like this in January 2022: Massachusetts has a new way of how they are reporting COVID-19 hospitalizations to differentiate between what they are calling “primary” and “incidental” cases. The state is now reporting the difference between patients who were admitted for the…
Rhode Islanders won’t be surprised that former State Police Colonel and gubernatorial candidate Brendan Doherty is considering a run for Congress now that incumbent Representative James Langevin has announced the opening. Here’s the interesting wrinkle, though: This time around, Doherty is considering entering the Democratic primary for the 2nd District, which covers western Rhode Island.…
Brad Polumbo writes: Few causes are as central to the progressive movement as student debt “cancellation” (which really means taxpayers absorb the burden of $1.7-plus trillion in student debt). But yet another study just confirmed that there’s actually nothing “progressive” about student debt cancellation at all. A new analysis from the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution finds…