Monique Chartier

Cart-Before-Horse School Budgeting

By Monique Chartier | August 26, 2009 |

During tonight’s Citizen Good and Welfare (public comment portion – cities and towns around Rhode Island, take note: in Woonsocket, this item is close to the top of the agenda) of the School Committee meeting, a citizen asked a question about a payment received by the city from the state, how it was applied to…

And the Crowd Gasps: Menard Pulls Nomination Papers

By Monique Chartier | August 26, 2009 |

Contradicting her own repeated affirmations, including one as recently as ten days ago to the Woonsocket Call, incumbent Mayor Susan Menard took out nomination papers Monday, signaling an apparent intent to seek reelection. Russ Olivo at the Woonsocket Call correctly points out that the declaration period that ended Tuesday [yesterday] is merely a preliminary placeholder…

RI Radio Town Hall Meeting: Senators Reed & Whitehouse on WPRO with DePetro

By Monique Chartier | August 25, 2009 |

Senators Reed and Whitehouse will appear together on the WPRO Morning News with John DePetro tomorrow morning, 7:30 – 8:30. Yes, they will be taking calls and questions: (401) 438-9776 (800) 321-9776

Stimulus Jobs: Finagling the Definition of “Retained”

By Monique Chartier | August 21, 2009 |

In a scene presumably also unfolding in other municipalities, the Woonsocket Education Department has applied for $2.4m of federal stimulus dollars so as to retain forty positions in the school system; more specifically, to prevent the closing of the [correction provided by MikeinRI] Davies technical school Woonsocket Area Career and Technical Center. The goal of…

Re-Re-arranging Massachusetts’ Succession Law

By Monique Chartier | August 20, 2009 |

The senior senator from Massachusetts has written a letter urging the Mass state legislature to change the method by which a US senate seat would be filled in the event of a vacancy. Change it … back to the way it was the first time he urged them to change it five years ago. John…

Gut Feeling Confirmed: ACORN Disavows Langevin Event E-Mail

By Monique Chartier | August 19, 2009 |

Following up on Justin’s unease, I conveyed the e-mail in question to the Rhode Island office of ACORN. They responded quickly with the following statement. An e-mail from Rhode Island Young Republicans that supposedly included an e-mail message from ACORN to our members is entirely a hoax and a fabrication. We have seen this pattern…

White House Shuts Down Snitch Line

By Monique Chartier | August 17, 2009 |

So we can no longer drop dimes? After the White House took heat for asking people to report “fishy” information about health care reform, the e-mail address set up for that purpose became inactive Monday. It’s unclear whether the White House pulled the plug on the controversial account, flag@whitehouse.gov, or whether there is a bug…

Contrasting Portraits

By Monique Chartier | August 14, 2009 |

… painted by Michael Morse over at Rescuing Providence. When one of them, a twenty something shirtless tattooed tough guy refused to get out of the way I had to give him a “little” nudge. The time to show you are a man is not when your aunt is dying in front of you. If…

Rhode Island Board of Regents Approves Teacher Evaluation Plan

By Monique Chartier | August 11, 2009 |

Is it too early to say: pinch me? The Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education approved a proposed set of standards that would, for the first time, require that all educators –– new and tenured teachers, principals, assistant principals and support staff –– be evaluated annually and that the evaluations meet a rigorous…

Hillary Diplomatically Educates a Congolese Student

By Monique Chartier | August 10, 2009 |

… or possibly an erroneous translator. Thanks to the BBC News/Americas for the heads up that sent me to this YouTube flash of insecurity on the part of our Secretary of State.