Pawtucket

A bored RI governor waits for the work day to end

Politics This Week: When “Public Service” Is the Day Job

By Justin Katz | October 7, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz wonder where the will for public service has gone.

A slick man charms the listener with a demon behind him

Politics This Week: Ulterior Motives from the RI Left

By Justin Katz | November 27, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz point out the hidden motives of RI politicians and activists and their works.

Man hiding money behind his back with his fingers crossed.

Politics This Week: Tales from the Everything’s Personal State

By Justin Katz | April 25, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss how personal relations, feelings, and drama pervade Rhode Island government in every aspect.

An escalator

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Gunning for Power and Your Children

By Justin Katz | June 6, 2022 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz go over the news of the week in Rhode Island politics.

Scene from Fun Home musical

Did a Pawtucket parent finally find education insiders’ sense of shame?

By Justin Katz | January 18, 2022 |

These days, it’s surprising to see an article, by Abigail Judson in the Valley Breeze, that doesn’t make Pawtucket father Brendon Hall out to be a suspicious villain for objecting to inappropriate material in his daughter’s freshman classroom.  The graphic novel at the center of the controversy (now a Broadway musical!) is Fun Home, which features…

Pawtucket William Blackstone statue

The controversy over a William Blackstone statue on private property is a sign of a civilization that cannot last.

By Justin Katz | August 26, 2021 |

Whether there should there be a statue depicting Reverend Blackstone in Pawtucket is a question for the people making the investment of time and money and, to a lesser extent, the people in the area.  What should concern us all, however, is the way in which these public debates are being conducted. Let’s take a…

Receiver: Merge Central Falls/Pawtucket

By Marc Comtois | December 16, 2010 |

Former Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer, appointed as receiver for troubled Central Falls, has come out with his recommendation (PDF): merge Central Falls with Pawtucket (via 7to7). “The problems are so severe that they cannot be solved solely through efficiencies and additional revenue at the city level,” he wrote. ” … state action is required if…

Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One: School Department Overspends Budget

By Monique Chartier | February 25, 2010 |

… by millions more than the millions some people initially suspected. The Valley Breeze has obtained a copy of the preliminary version of the school performance audit which says school administrators have been overspending taxpayer dollars by at least $10.4 million per year. The performance audit (apparently and inexplicably long delayed) was conducted as a…

Pawtucket and East Providence Have a New Rep. With Old Ideas

By Carroll Andrew Morse | December 30, 2009 |

The last paragraph of Alisha A. Pina‘s story in today’s Projo on Democrat Mary Messier’s victory in Tuesday’s District 62 special election (former Rep. Elizabeth Dennigan’s old seat, mostly Pawtucket with a little bit of East Providence) provides a perfect example of how the state Democratic Party’s intellectual bankruptcy on fiscal issues continues to propel…

Pawtucket Teachers: a Good News/Bad News Situation

By Monique Chartier | September 13, 2009 |

The bad news is that they are among the lowest paid in the state, accordingly to the president of the Pawtucket Teachers Alliance, Charleen Christy. The good news, however, is on a multitude of fronts. First, as they teach in Rhode Island, Pawtucket teachers are still in the top twenty percent pay bracket nationwide. Next,…