Providence

A water drop and ripples

Fining the contractor for Providence’s Small Business Saturday street closure seems like a cover-up.

By Justin Katz | November 30, 2021 |

This is just a little too neat and tidy a resolution to the story of government incompetence in Providence mentioned in this space yesterday: The construction company responsible for the closure of a Providence street lined with small businesses during one of the busiest shopping days of the year has been fined for working without…

A water drop and ripples

Here’s the detail that shows how badly Providence government is managed.

By Justin Katz | November 29, 2021 |

Businesses on Hope Street in Providence were all prepared for one of their biggest days for sales: small business Saturday.  Oops: Providence Water crews closed a portion of the street early Saturday morning and part of the afternoon for utility work. The construction has been happening for some time, but business owners, like Asher Schofield…

A Providence neighborhood through a Statehouse window

Don’t trust politicians who don’t ask “why” about housing before they proclaim a solution.

By Justin Katz | November 24, 2021 |

Right from the beginning, an op-ed in the Boston Globe by RI Political Co-Op progressive candidate Lenny Cioe gives off warning signals: In many neighborhoods near colleges like Providence College, Johnson and Wales, and Brown University, predatory real estate companies are jacking up rents and forcing out families in favor of high-paying students. And that’s…

Valrie Ranglin-Brown tweets about the Johns Hopkins report

Weird how every insight other than the testimony of vested interests in the system turns out to be suspicious to the vested interests.

By Justin Katz | November 16, 2021 |

Putting aside the insinuation of bad faith on the part of people with whom she disagrees, Providence English teacher Valrie Ranglin-Brown — sister of Rhode Island Representative Marcia Ranglin-Vassell (D, Providence) — makes a point well worth considering: The John Hopkins Report on Providence Schools is truly not reflective of our schools. Its goal was…

A man with his head in a washing machine

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Government Hides Its Dirty Laundry

By Justin Katz | November 15, 2021 |

John and Justin talk about times in which government should just air politicians’ thinking and mistakes.

Map of Providence from City Hall to PC

Something is strange about the latest Providence College attack news.

By Justin Katz | November 13, 2021 |

Unfortunately, the unusual thing about the latest off-campus attack of a Providence College student is not the attack itself.  Here’s what happened, as reported by Sarah Doiron and Matt Paddock for WPRI: The Minnesota native’s father, Anthony, who asked that his daughter not be identified out of concern for her safety, said she was walking…

Parker Gavigan

The revolving door between Rhode Island media and government continues.

By Justin Katz | November 10, 2021 |

My very few personal interactions with Parker Gavin over the years have confirmed that he’s a great guy, and it hardly needs my affirmation that he’s been a great reporter for WJAR.  That said, I continue to believe it’s harmful to our system of government when journalists see work for government and politicians as one…

Hooded youths vandalize a car in Providence

Providence vandalism was a planned “riot” according to student on campus.

By Justin Katz | November 9, 2021 |

A student at Providence College tells Anchor Rising that vandalism depicted in a widely dispersed TikTok video was planned beforehand. According to the source, students who live in the area of Pembroke Avenue, a short walk from the campus, heard about the plans among non-students, calling it a “riot.”  Some students remained in their dorms in…

Cash, cuffs, and the American flag

Maybe it should be a crime to impose regulations that drive businesses to try to bribe officials.

By Justin Katz | November 5, 2021 |

Arresting a private business manager for attempted bribery of a public official raises an interesting crime to contemplate. Offering money for enhanced service is not a crime.  I’ve never heard of somebody being arrested for trying to slip a m’aitre d’ cash to find somebody without reservations a table in a busy restaurant.  And if…

RI Senate Oversight hearing on Providence Schools

Mark the General Assembly down with the teachers union as unserious about Providence students.

By Justin Katz | November 4, 2021 |

These two paragraphs from Steph Machado’s WPRI report on a Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight Committee’s hearing concerning the state takeover of Providence schools convey the most-important information, with the rest describing superficial political performance: Zack Scott, the deputy superintendent of operations, told the Senate committee Wednesday only nine departing teachers had responded to…