Tiverton

A Town Story Being Missed at the State Level

By Justin Katz | November 11, 2010 |

In all of its coverage of the election, thus far, including an “Election Digest” published last Thursday, the Providence Journal — like every other major news outlet in the state — has neglected to report on the fact that my local taxpayer group, Tiverton Citizens for Change, has taken a commanding role on the Town…

Tiverton Helps Itself, but Not Rhode Island

By Justin Katz | November 2, 2010 |

With 100% of the precincts reported, Tiverton put nearly every candidate endorsed by Tiverton Citizens for Change on the Town Council. That should make for a very interesting dynamic. More interesting, although less encouraging, is that the group left the School Committee and the Budget Committee (but for one endorsement) to the opposition. At the…

Red Flags in the Wind

By Justin Katz | October 18, 2010 |

On first hearing that Tiverton might be the site of a new on-land wind farm, I was more or less ambivalent, but with the feeling that the project would provide more benefit than detriment. But details on the structure of the initiative raise concerns more fundamental than Rhode Island’s habitual not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) attitude: Nine communities…

Rhode Island Still Knee Caps Its Students

By Justin Katz | October 6, 2010 |

So, test scores for the science NECAPs are out, and the main topics of conversation have been: That Portsmouth leads the pack, with 51.7% proficiency in grade 11, after having rearranged its science curriculum dramatically. That demographic gaps in scores have increased. That scores overall have nudged up. Of course, by nudging, I mean about…

The Downward Spiral of Detoxifying Land

By Justin Katz | August 21, 2010 |

The folks down on Bay St., Tiverton, where toxic soil from long-ago industrial use of the land had contaminated back yards and led to health problems for residents, just can’t to win: … the contractor, Envirologic, has stopped work and filed for bankruptcy, leaving many of the homeowners with craters in their yards or replacement…

Injustice Seen Across the Political Board

By Justin Katz | August 16, 2010 |

By way of an update on the local situation, here’s a press release from Tiverton Citizens for Change (TCC) President David Nelson: Citing the important free speech issues involved in the case, the ACLU of Rhode Island today announced it has agreed to represent Tiverton resident David Nelson, the president of a local tax reform…

Standing Up to That Old Time Political Bullying

By Monique Chartier | August 2, 2010 |

Justin’s post announcing Arruda and Durfee’s despicable lawsuit against Dave Nelson here. The following press release from the defendant was in my in-box this morning. Note well the second paragraph describing a demand that Dave rat out his fellow concerned citizens, apparently for the crime of behaving like … concerned citizens. A principle of democracy…

The Government They Prefer

By Justin Katz | July 23, 2010 |

It’s always notably plausible that there’s a larger truth in the mix when I agree with Bob Kerr, but while his column lamenting the possibly fatal restrictions that the Tiverton Town Council has placed on an annual charity event, this year, counts in that regard, I’d suggest that he should think on the larger lessons…

That Old Time Political Bullying

By Justin Katz | July 13, 2010 |

Government reform is, ought to be, and may have to be a coherent movement from the municipality to the federal government. Here in Rhode Island, it’s easy to see how a broad set of principles and tactics applied across government tiers have corrupted (and expanded) government and hobbled our society, and mutual support and encouragement…

A Local Budget Correction

By Justin Katz | June 14, 2010 |

I’ve referred, on Anchor Rising, to an erroneous conclusion of mine related to state aid and Tiverton’s school budget, so I should point to my correction, here, as well. In essence, when I stated that Tiverton was receiving more than predicted in state and federal aid, I didn’t realize that the state’s methods include “restricted”…