Friday, December 30, 2016

Historical Church Burns in Thompson Conn.

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


THOMPSON, CT (WFSB) -
A fire destroyed one of the oldest churches in the quiet corner.

Crews from multiple companies battled a heavy, second alarm fire at the Thompson Congregational Church on Thompson Road.The fire severely damaged the Thompson Congregational Church, which was founded in 1730.
The fire sparked at about 10 p.m. on Thursday. According to Thompson Hill firefighters, the fire began in the back corner of the building and extended into the sanctuary. At least a portion of an upper floor ceiling collapsed during the fire.
"I'll honestly be surprised, if they have Christmas Eve service there in 2017," eyewitness Charlie Obert, of Thompson, said.
Authorities said no one was inside the building at the time of the fire. No firefighters reported any injuries.
The fire was under control by 1 a.m. It took three hours to get control of the fire, largely because of a lack of water.
"We didn't have any hydrants, so we called in numerous departments," Thompson Hill Fire Lt. Paul Feige said.
The State Fire Marshal and patrols said the the fire started in the basement area of the church. It was the result of an electrical issue and is accidental, according to authorities.
Route 193 was closed during the fire investigation. The road reopened at 3:10 a.m.

Source: WFSB news

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Main Street Pascoag New Construction Right on Schedule

Posted by Wayne G. Barber  Photos by Wayne G. Barber
Used Snow Packer for Sale, 4 Horse Power
74 Main Street, Pascoag, RI  Former Opera House Lot Up-Date

77 Main Street Former Hurst Furniture Corner Lot Also
Drilling and Blasting Ledge that was previously built over.












Saturday, December 24, 2016

Breaking News !

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Statement from John DePetro December 24, 2016

To all my WPRO radio listeners : At this time, I have decided to conclude my entertaining weekday 9:a.m. -12pm (noon)
radio show on WPRO.  Thank you to all my listeners for making 2016 my best year ever in radio, with my coverage of the Trump campaign, my many exclusives, plus my national work on The Savage nation and CNN. I am very grateful for the many loyal listeners who have been entertained by my program on WPRO over the past 10 years. While at WPRO, I was very proud to win " Best Talk Show" by the Associated Press in 2008 and 2014. I was honored to be voted " Best Talk Show" by the readers of Rhode Island Monthly for 2014.  It was also life changing to be part of raising money for Hasbro Children's Hospital, the Gabrielle heart fund, Jason Foreman scholarship fund and many others. I am eternally grateful to my Executive Producer Kool Keith, anchor Bill Haberman, engineers Dave Farrah, Duffy Egan, all my clients, sponsors and the people at WPRO. Merry Christmas and Happy New year.  Thank you.

John DePetro 

Thursday, December 22, 2016

TROUT STOCKING WRAPS UP NEXT WEEK FOR THE WINTER SEASON

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced today it will complete its winter season trout stocking next week. Some 1,200 rainbow and brook trout will be released into Olney Pond, Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln; Upper Mellville Pond, Portsmouth; Carbuncle Pond, Coventry; Breakheart Pond, Arcadia Management Area in Exeter; and the Roundtop Ponds in Burrillville.  
 
Winter is a popular time of year for shore-side and ice fishing in Rhode Island. As part of a larger network of recreational opportunities in the state, fishing plays an important role in connecting people with nature, promoting health, attracting tourism, and supporting a treasured tradition for Rhode Island families. According to the Wayne G.Barber, host of the "Outdoor Scene', there are approximately 175,000 recreational anglers (age 16+) in Rhode Island. And recreational fishing contributes more than $130 million to the economy each year.
 
Anglers are reminded that:
 
§  A current Rhode Island fishing license is required, and a Trout Conservation Stamp is required to keep or possess a trout. The daily creel and possession limit for trout is two from December 1, 2016 through February 28, 2017.
 
§  State law requires boaters always have personal flotation devices for each person and that they do not drink and operate a boat. Boaters should also be sure their craft is seaworthy before going out on the state's waterways.
 
§  The use of external felt soled or any natural or synthetic porous material capable of absorbing water in any freshwaters in Rhode Island is strictly prohibited. This includes any waters shared with adjacent states in which Rhode Island fishing regulations apply.

Check with your local Bait and Tackle shops for early lock-ups and what size of bait is correct for your targeted species, pinheads, smalls, medium or heavy's on the farm grown Golden Shiners, Mummies will last longer on the hook and large White Suckers will give a better chance of landing that Trophy Northern Pike in our Tri-State region. We had 37 e-mails on Sunday's broadcast on the toothy fish.
 
§  Ice on the ponds must have a uniform thickness of at least six inches before it is considered safe. DEM does not monitor ice conditions in local communities; residents should contact their local recreation departments regarding ice conditions in individual communities.
 
§  DEM monitors the thickness of the ice at Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln, Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick, and Meshanticut State Park in Cranston on a daily basis, from Monday through Friday, weather permitting, during the winter months. For the latest information on ice conditions at these three locations, call DEM's 24-hour Ice Information telephone line, 667-6222.
 
For more information on recreational fishing in Rhode Island or to purchase a fishing license, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) or Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM for more information on recreational opportunities in Rhode Island as well as other timely updates.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

16 Towns and Rhode Cities Unite to try to Stop the Power Plant

Posted by Wayne G. Barber
Sixteen Rhode Island Communities and neighbor Thompson Conn.have now passed a resolution opposing the siting of a new Invenergy power plant in the Town of Burrillville; another two municipalities have reviewed the resolution and are recommending passage. 
 
The Cities and Towns are joining Burrillville's efforts to stop the new power plant which is currently proposed and under consideration by the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board. The EFSB is the deciding body on the approval of the plant, and can force Burrillville to host the facility.
 
The Burrillville Town Council has voted to oppose the plant and, along with a dedicated group of citizens, has been asking other communities to join in that opposition.
 
"We are encouraged that our fellow municipalities are joining us in opposing this facility. The cumulative impact of over 15 communities standing together in opposition sends a powerful message- one that we hope cannot be ignored," said Town Council President John Pacheco. "The Town of Burrillville is united in its opposition, and we are very fortunate to have an engaged and determined group of residents who have given time and energy to take our plea for help to other communities."

Snow Falls In The Sahara For First Time In Over 37 Years

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


The Sahara Desert is the last place you’d expect to find snow. It is, after all, one of the driest and hottest regions of the world with an average temperature of 30C. But in a surreal turn of events to mark the end of an already surreal year, the small desert town of Ain Sefra in Algeria woke up yesterday to find that the red sand dunes had unexpectedly turned white.

The bizarre phenomenon was caught on camera by amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata. “Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the dessert,” he said. “It is such a rare occurrence. It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos. The snow stayed for about a day and has now melted away.” This is only the second time in living memory that snow has fallen on the Sahara. The first time was in February 1979, also in Algeria.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Route 44 and Route 100 Chepachet Update

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

This is at the only Traffic Light in Glocester, RI


Roundabout approved (FYI)UPDATE -- this was already approved earlier - updates were given and timelines were announced.
Light and Texaco station will be removed it will be a mostly 7 month project taking place at night after 10:00pm .. but at least lamps will be set back.

Project will start around May,2017 roundabout should be finished by Nov. 2017 Candle Light Shopping and 100% completed by April 2018.

Monday, December 12, 2016

‘If you build a fence, someone needs to watch a fence’ Eyes on the border

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


  When U.S. Border Patrol agents caught up to Paulo Jorge Abelha, he was about 20 yards south of the border.
It was Aug. 19. A short time earlier, Abelha had taken a taxi from the Montreal airport to the small Quebec border town of Noyan.
He got out of the cab a little south of town and began walking across the sparse agrarian landscape toward the United States, according to the cabdriver, who called Canadian police.
Much of this area is farmland, belonging either to research or dairy farms. Many houses along the shore of Lake Champlain are summer homes. Weathered concrete blockades and overgrown road signs demarcate the border.
Abelha was near some farm equipment when U.S. agents found him, alerted by Canadian police. It turned out, according to court papers, that Abelha had been deported from the U.S. to Portugal just three days earlier.
Welcome to the border.
While the country’s focus is trained on the security of the southern border with Mexico, the northern border — the longest between two countries in the world — lies watched by just a few thousand eyes.
 Many who are engaged in illicit actions are caught. Abelha was arrested and held in prison for months. In early December, a federal judge in Burlington sentenced him to time served and ordered him to be returned to Portugal.
But others are not.
Authorities acknowledge that despite round-the-clock patrols and an advanced network of surveillance technology, they can’t be certain how much criminal activity occurs along the border.
“We don’t know what we don’t know,” one official from the Swanton sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said recently.
Roger Rainville has lived and farmed at Border View Farm, on Line Road, for three and a half decades. Formerly a dairy farmer, Rainville now runs a research farm with more than 4,000 test plots where he grows everything from milkweed to hops and hemp.
The sleepy country road shoots straight across the flat pastoral landscape north of Alburgh. One side of the road is the USA, the other side is Canada. But Rainville thinks of the families who live to his north no differently from those who live to his south.
“They’re our neighbors,” Rainville said. “They’re not another country to us.”
Between patrols and electronic technology used by border agents, he gets a pretty high level of security, he said. Otherwise, there are not many instances when the border is obvious to him. He learned of a recent apprehension near his farm only when he read about it in the news.
Only twice in the years Rainville and his family have lived on the border has he been concerned about safety, he said. One time, a mass of American and Canadian authorities descended on the area to apprehend someone suspected of transborder drug activity near his farm. The other time was on Sept. 11, 2001.
But, in general, the particular locale of Rainville’s farm rarely crosses his mind.
“There’s only a border because it shows it on the map as far as we’re concerned,” Rainville said.
Alburgh’s Canadian border falls within the jurisdiction of the Border Patrol’s Swanton sector, which is responsible for everything between St. Lawrence County in New York and the border between New Hampshire and Maine.
Some 300 people, including agents and administrators, are charged with 24-hour supervision of the 295-mile stretch, according to the Border Patrol.
The majority of the sector’s territory is on land, ranging from mountainous and densely wooded to flat and pastoral. About 92 miles of the border is on water, largely the St. Lawrence River, as well as a small part of Lake Champlain.
Driving through northern Vermont, it’s not always clear where the United States ends and Canada begins. It’s not uncommon to suddenly pop up on the Canadian side of monuments demarcating the border when driving along a Vermont country road — though roads that connect through to Canadian infrastructure are either blocked or guarded with a port of entry.
On one Alburgh route, now bisected by a blockade, an abandoned house straddles the border. On a nearby lakeside road, a downed tree, about 2 feet in diameter, marks the line. (Border Patrol agents on a recent tour were not sure who was responsible for felling and positioning the log.)
Just a few decades ago, drivers could cross the international boundary on back roads without going through a border checkpoint.
A handful of faded Canadian signs still stand, left from a time before cross-border roads were blocked, relics directing people in French and English to report to the nearest customs office. In some cases, undergrowth has reached the level of the signs.
Concern about cross-border traffic is nothing new. In one high-profile case in 1988, three Lebanese men made national headlines when they crossed from Quebec to Vermont carrying a black bag that contained a bomb.
In more recent years, the flow of traffic was increasingly restricted. The latest and largest push to close unofficial paths across the border was in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
Still, disparities between the staffing and resources on the northern compared with the southern border are stark. There were slightly more than 2,000 agents staffing the eight northern border sectors in fiscal 2015, compared with more than 17,500 along the southern border, according to federal statistics.
The records show a much higher rate of illicit traffic along the southern frontier as well. In fiscal 2015, 2,626 people were apprehended by the Border Patrol in all eight northern sectors versus 331,333 on the southern border.
While more than 1.5 million pounds of marijuana was confiscated coming across the southern border, just 654 pounds of it was intercepted along the northern border.
The Swanton sector tends to see a fairly high rate of illegal activity, compared with other northern sectors.
The vast majority of the marijuana confiscated along the northern U.S. border in 2015 was intercepted in the Swanton sector’s jurisdiction: 502 pounds of the total. That trend traces back several years.
Nearly 1,500 people have been apprehended along this sector’s stretch of border in the last five years. Border Patrol agents call them PWACs: “present without admission Canada.”
The sector also had the highest number of cases accepted for prosecution: 108 cases, followed by 93 in the sector headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Doyle, who works out of the Burlington office of the U.S. attorney for the District of Vermont, said cases related to the border are “pretty common.”
Cases brought to federal court include drug smuggling, firearms trafficking and human smuggling. Instances of illegal entry into the United States from Canada tend to come up weekly or biweekly, he said.
The time and resources involved with resolving cases varies depending on the charges, he said. He, like Border Patrol agents, acknowledged that it is difficult to know the rate of success in catching cross-border activity.
“I don’t know the percentage of what we’re catching and what we’re not catching, but we can’t be catching all of it,” Doyle said.
The Border Patrol is one of three subsets within U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Office of Field Operations is responsible for manning the border crossing points; Air and Marine Operations secures the border by air and on water. The Border Patrol is responsible for the border in between the ports of entry.
Agents typically go out on patrols solo in white Ford SUVs marked with a broad green stripe. They drive along country roads and look for signs of unusual traffic — tracks from a car that may have turned around, or an unfamiliar car with a non-Vermont license plate. With luck, they may notice a path in the snow, a muddy print or some other sign left by someone crossing the border by foot.
Meanwhile, a network of cameras and sensors installed at points along the border sends information to a team of three people watching some two dozen screens around the clock, crammed into a small windowless room in Swanton.
Some cameras provide live feeds; some take up to 15 minutes to transmit images back to the headquarters — a reality of operating in remote areas with limited radio and cell signals, according to Swanton Sector Special Operations Supervisor Brad Brant.
The technology captures a log of life as normal along the border: a roadside jogger in a red hat frozen midstride, the dark brown body of a moose lumbering through the woods. If something suspicious comes up, agents in the field are notified and head to the area.
Still, the surveillance reveals only so much, Brant said. An image of someone illicitly crossing the border doesn’t provide much in the way of identification. The sector holds onto images of people crossing the border who were never caught.
Agents are also backed up by a resource that Richard Ross, deputy patrol agent in charge of the Richford station, considers indispensable: residents. Locals, he said, represent a willing and supportive set of eyes that is key to helping intercept illicit transborder traffic.
Ross heads a station responsible for 23.5 miles of border. The stretch ranges from rolling agricultural hills in the west to the densely wooded north side of Jay Peak, where the Long Trail spills out.
On a drizzly November day, Ross navigated a network of roads that loosely parallel the Canadian border. Occasionally he passed a green-striped vehicle — one of the agents from his station out on patrol. He stopped and rolled down the window to check in with an agent driving the other direction along a dirt road less than a mile south of the border. Nothing too unusual, the agent reported — a parked car that likely belonged to a hunter in the area.
After another couple of minutes, beyond a handful of family residences, the road rounded into a clearing about 20 feet wide — like a path cut for power lines.
This clearing, called “the slash,” runs the length of the northern border.
The road crosses into the woods on the northern side of the slash and, after running along for a couple of dozen yards in Canada, cuts back into the slash. To the west of the road, a small cemetery with aged stones and dates ranging back to the mid-19th century sits in the middle of the clearing.
To Ross, the road and cemetery are a potential vulnerability — one that has been exploited in the past.
In the morning hours of Sept. 18, 2013, tipped off by surveillance photographs of two camouflage-clad figures, agents staked out the cemetery. A Ford pickup pulled up and parked on the Canadian side.
Confronted by a Border Patrol agent who was watching the area, the man in the car identified himself as Luis Cordero and claimed he was there to visit the tombstone of a friend.
Cordero was allowed to go, but he made it only a short distance before another Border Patrol agent stopped him after agents recognized his name as connected to a suspected smuggling operation. Agents ultimately found $400,000 in cash split up into bags with “50” or “50k” noted in black marker, alerted to them by a trained dog that smelled traces of drugs on the money.
Cordero later pleaded guilty to evading a legal requirement to report when transporting more than $10,000 out of the country, and he was sentenced to 25 months in prison, according to court records.
Unusual activity stands out, according to Ross. The agents of the Richford station get a sense of the rhythm of the area, he said — commuting schedules, what cars belong at which home, other patterns.
That’s a quirk of the northern frontier, according to Brant, who, like most agents, used to work on the Mexican border.
“There weren’t a lot of people doing normal things along the southern border,” Brant said. Vermont and Quebec residents lead their lives along the border, and criminal activity can blend into the daily buzz, he said.
Earlier this year, on Sept. 17, Border Patrol agents responded to a tip from Canadian police about suspicious activity: Several people were getting into a gray minivan with North Carolina plates about 75 yards from a gate that marks the border in Derby Line.
Agents found five people in the car. One person, Miguel Ramos, showed New York identification. The others were found to be Guatemalan nationals without authorization to be in the U.S.
Ramos later told agents, according to court documents, that his father told him about an offer to make money picking up people illicitly crossing the border. Ramos set up a deal for $1,000 and drove Gerardo Xar-Marroquin to Derby.
The three other men told interviewers that somebody in Canada took them to the border, then they crossed and met Xar-Marroquin and Ramos on the other side. The two were arrested and indicted by a grand jury in Burlington in October.
According to members of the Border Patrol, the federal agency collaborates with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police — the agency that handles security between ports of entry on the other side of the border — and with state and local police in Vermont.
In many of the border communities, including Richford, the U.S. Border Patrol is the only 24-hour law enforcement agency. If something happens during early morning hours, agents might be the first to respond to situations like a domestic assault, Brant said. All Border Patrol agents go through a certification process that allows them to enforce state laws to an extent.
The benefit goes the other way too: The Border Patrol also gets some backup from local and state law enforcement.
Operation Stonegarden, a federal program, provides funding for local law enforcement officers to work overtime shifts along the border.
Last year, according to documents from the Vermont Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, half a dozen Vermont law enforcement agencies received a total of $250,498 through the program.
Franklin County Sheriff Robert Norris said the program is valuable on a local and federal level.
When local or state law enforcement agents are on an Operation Stonegarden shift, they work within their normal powers. “We are simply eyes and ears for our federal partners,” Norris said.
Norris emphasized that international security has a direct impact on the towns of Franklin County and the rest of Vermont.Source: VTDIGGER MEDIA PRESS RELEASE: Elizabeth Hewitt

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Candle Light Shopping in Chepachet, RI

Posted by Wayne G. Barber   Wayne will be signing Books at the Union Church 5pm to 9pm



Welcome!
OUR 2016 SPONSORS
Glocester Heritage Society1181 Main Street
Chepachet, RI 02814
www.glocesterheritagesociety.org
Glocester Business AssociationPO Box 327
Chepachet, RI 02814
www.glocester.org

MouseWorks Website Design & Hosting142 George Allen Road
Chepachet, RI 02814
401-568-4016

GLOCESTER BUSINESSES...
Help pay for some fun activities!
Checks should be made payable to
"Candlelight Shopping"
and mailed to:
Candlelight Shopping
c/o The Town Trader
PO Box 496
Chepachet, RI 02814
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
CANDLELIGHT SHOPPERS...
Help Stock The Shelves!
Contribute to the Glocester Food Bank by dropping off canned goods at The Town Trader during the month of December.
You are cordially invited to the Village of Chepachet to enjoy a bit of "Yankee hospitality."
Local shops will be decorated for the season and the streets will be lighted with our new antique street lights. The sounds of holiday music and carolers will add to the old fashioned ambiance that folks have enjoyed for many years!
There will be Bell Ringers on December 1st & 8th, and a photo-op with Santa on December 15th -- all at the Masonic Hall. Several shops will have hot beverages and cookies for all to enjoy.
Holiday shoppers will be treated to a thoroughly enjoyable old-fashioned shopping experience. Don't miss it!!!
For more information about this exciting event, please call:
    Charlie Wilson at 401-568-8800
Thank You!
Charlie Wilson
2016 Candlelight Shopping & Festival of Lights Chair



Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Doyle Convicted Of All Embezzlement, Forgery Charges

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


Dan Doyle was convicted on all 18 charges.
Credit Ian Donnis / RIPR

A jury has convicted Institute for International Sport founder Dan Doyle of all 18 charges against him. Those charges include embezzlement and forgery.

Prosecutors had charged that Doyle siphoned off funds from the nonprofit for his own use, including forging names on checks made out to himself. The trial included several dozen witnesses and lasted for months.
The Washington County Superior Court jury got the case last Monday.
Talking with reporters outside the courthouse, state attorney Patrick Youngs commended the jury.
"When this trial started it was 85 degrees out, and this morning it snowed, that's a long haul for this jury. And we're gratified that we saw it the way we presented it, and the fact that they took a week to deliberate shows how conscientious they were."
Youngs said he hoped the verdict would send a strong message to people with access to the finances of charitable institutions.
"Certainly anybody that's running a nonprofit that thinks it's going t be their own personal piggy bank, this would be a lesson for them I would hope."
SOURCE:  by Da        RINPR

Friday, December 2, 2016

Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


MEETING- POTLUCK- HOLIDAY PARTY -IRELAND SLIDESHOW


The Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society will hold its next event on Tuesday, December 6th at 6:00 p.m. It is a combined meeting/potluck dinner/Holiday party with a slideshow of the BHPS sponsored trip to Ireland! Please bring any dish and lots of holiday cheer. We also have an optional gift exchange. Bring a wrapped gift worth $4.00-$5.00. Come for an evening of good food, friends and fun. Free raffle! Anybody is welcome to join us. Come and learn more about the historical society.

Rhode Island Ranks Near the Bottom in Giving

Posted by Wayne G. Barber



Rhode Island has been ranked as one of the least charitable states in the U.S., ranking 42nd in the country, according to a recent study done by WalletHub. 

"The latest World Giving Index shows that Americans are some of the most generous people in the world, ranking second out of 140 countries in 2015. That year, U.S. donors gave more than $373 billion to charity, and 71 percent of that figure came directly from individuals, according to the National Philanthropic Trust," said WalletHub.
      Rhode Island ranks last in volunteering and service, but ranks 18th in charitable giving.
RI ranks 42nd behind Idaho and Massachusetts at 40 and 41, while ranking ahead of Louisiana and Florida at 43 and 44 respectively.

Utah is ranked as the most charitable state, while Arizona is ranked as the least charitable. 
Source: GOLOCALPROV.COM

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Book Signing Today

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


Do this one early in the day then the Jesse M. Smith Library Book Expo tonight !

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

How Blue is Rhode Island?

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


How Blue is Rhode Island?

Rhode Island is one of a handful of states in which both houses of the legislature and the Governor’s office are controlled by Democrats. In addition, all five general officers are Democrats, and all four members of the Congressional delegation are Democrats.  Only Connecticut and Hawaii are as blue as Rhode Island.
Implications 
“I don't think there's any doubt that many of the key policy priorities of the state's delegation could take a hit in the coming years, including tax reform, action on climate change and other environmental problems, and immigration reform,” said Providence College Professor of Political Science Matthew Guardino.
“There is always greater political influence when a state's delegation is in the same party as the president, but with the polarization in Congress, there has been little chance for big legislation on any of these things over the last six years. What comes out of the new Congress on these issues is almost surely going to be opposed by all or most of the Rhode Island delegation,” said Guardino.
In addition, the Manhattan Institute’s Aaron Renn said, “Big states like California can have an influence on the nation regardless of their local politics. That's not going to be true of Rhode Island unless it happens to have a particularly influential Senator or Congressman. Obviously that's not the case at the moment. ”Source: GO LOCAL PROV

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Cicilline and Langevin

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


A Trump win greatly increases the likelihood that Rhode Island will lose a Congressional seat in the next federal redistricting. Rhode Island will be more like Vermont and Delaware -- two Senators and just one House member. This will mean a big loss for Rhode Island's clout in D.C.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Over 2.1 Million New Englanders Expected to Travel This Thanksgiving

Posted by Wayne G. Barber



  AAA is projecting that over 2.1 million New Englanders will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, a 2.4 percent increase over 2015. 


Overall, AAA is projecting that 48.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more over the holiday, a 1.9 percent increase over 2015. The number represents the most Thanksgiving travelers since 2007.
“One million more Americans than last year will carve out time to visit with family and friends this Thanksgiving. Most will travel on the tried and true holiday road trip, thanks to gas prices that are holding steady throughout the Fall months,” said Lloyd Albert, AAA Northeast Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs.
  According to AAA, over 89 percent of holiday travelers will drive this Thanksgiving, up 1.9 percent, while travel by air will be up 1.6 percent. Nearly 1.9 million from New England are expected to drive to their destinations, up 2.5 percent over 2015.
AAA estimates that U.S. drivers have saved over $28 million at the pumps this year compared to the same period last year.

Travel Destinations 
This year's top vacation destinations for Thanksgiving are as follows:
1.    Las Vegas                    6. New Orleans
2.    San Francisco              7. Anaheim
3.    San Diego                    8. Fort Lauderdale
4.    Orlando                        9. Philadelphia
5.    New York City            10. Seattle

Source:  GoLocalProv Lifestyle Team

Saturday, November 12, 2016

The Electoral College Still Makes Sense Because We’re Not A Democracy

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


The Electoral College Balances Voting Power

The purpose of the Electoral College is to balance voting power across states so no one region of the country can gain too much control. If a president is elected by a simple majority of votes, a candidate who is wildly popular in one region (e.g., Ted Cruz in Texas, Mitt Romney in Utah) can ignore smaller regions and campaign only where large majorities are possible. Or a candidate who kills in California and New York can write off “flyover country” completely.
If, however, the Electoral College elects a president, a candidate who is wildly popular in one region must also prevail in a number of sub-elections to win. The Electoral College ensures a better result for the country as a whole than the democratic power play wherein 51 percent of us matter and 49 percent of us don’t.
Think of the Electoral College like the World Series. One person-one vote equates to the World Series Champions being determined by total number of runs scored. If the Dodgers win the first game 10-0, and the Yankees win the next four games 1-0, the Dodgers win the series. Even though the Yankees bested the Dodgers in four games, it doesn’t matter because the Dodgers scored 10 runs to their 4. One anomalous game decides the whole series. Without the Electoral College, a few heavily populated states decide the whole election.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Final Dist. 47 State Representative Total after Paper Ballot Count in Providence

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


The final tally after the write in paper ballot count in Providence on Thursday Nov.10 added to the incumbents total in the hotly contested Burrillville/Glocester Dist. 47 House seat.
  After Tuesday's election Democrat Cale Keable held a slim 60 vote lead 2899 to 2839 over current Town Council Republican member David Place. This was the closest race in all Northern Rhode Island. Rep. Keable has quietly moved up the State Democrat ladder to about number 3 in the State House rankings. House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello was hanging by a thread over Steven Frias before the write in paper ballot count and amazing as it seams, Rep. Cale Keable could have either been the new Speaker of the House or out of office. This was not reported anywhere else but here in all the Rhode Island media outlets.

  The final tally has Cale Keable Dem. at 2935 votes and 51.2 %
  David Place Rep. 2812 and 48.5%   a difference of 123 votes
  Write-In Votes              19 and .03%

First time Dist. 47 Rep. candidate David Place won Glocester and other polling locations but lost the election at Beckwith Lodge by 150 votes. Place will now return to the Burrillville Town Council to fulfill the remaining two years left of his 2014 election win. State Rep. Cale Keable will return to the RI.Statehouse in either the number three or fourth position in the Speakers nominated

leadership roles for the next two years.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Burrillville Vote Results 11-9-16

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Town Council Town of Burrillville

3 to elect
CandidateTotal votesPct
Raymond J. Trinque (REP) 331519.8%
John F. Pacheco, III (REP) 295317.6%
Jeremy P. Bailey (DEM) 253515.1%
John Anthony Scott (Ind) 197411.8%
James Harrison Libby (Ind) 188111.2%
Michael J. Dutilly (DEM) 16159.6%
James H. Alix (DEM) 14788.8%
David J. LaCroix, Jr. (Ind) 9795.8%
WRITE-IN290.2%

Non-Partisan School Committee Town of Burrillville

4 to elect
CandidateTotal votesPct
Dorothy A. Cardon357118.4%
Mark S. Brizard342717.7%
John Michael Karmozyn, Jr.337817.4%
Donison L. Allen315716.3%
Mary Margaret Karmozyn301115.5%
Victor Bevilacqua, Jr.276214.3%
WRITE-IN680.4
Unofficial

Presidential
Donald J. Trump (REP) 395058.0%
Hillary Clinton (DEM) 233334.2%
Gary Johnson (Lib) 2704.0%
WRITE-IN1482.2%
Jill Stein (Grn) 1011.5%
"Rocky" Roque De La Fuente (AMD) 110.2%

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Beauty's Edge Salon

Posted by Wayne G. Barber


Where: Beauty's Edge Salon  35 East Avenue, Harrisville, RI 02830  401--309-2849

When:   November, 2016

Let's welcome Emily Gelinas to our staff.




Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Homeowners & Pet Owners Bears are here to stay.

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

How to make your yard and neighborhood less attractive to bears.

It’s all about food! When bears find sources of food in residential areas, they tend to spend more time in neighborhoods where a meal may be easily found. This can result in a bear losing its fear of people (habituation) and in some cases, can lead to bears breaking into sheds, cages and even homes in search of food. You can help keep bears wild and wary of people by following the suggestions below. To be effective, it's important for entire neighborhoods to follow these guidelines. Share this information with your neighbors!
Bears that are frequently fed, either directly or indirectly through bird feeders or garbage, may completely lose their fear of people. If a bear then behaves in a way that is a threat to public safety it may be euthanized.

Bird Feeders and Bears
  • If you live in an area with bears, it is best to avoid bird feeders altogether. Bears finding a bird feeder, bird seed, corn or other bird food will often revisit that site, month after month, year after year.  Bird feeders draw bears closer to people, resulting in bears losing their fear of people, a process called habituation. It’s not safe for bears or people to be close to one another. If you choose to put out feeders, doing so in the winter when bears are denned may decrease the chances of a bear coming to your feeder. In general, most bears are denned from mid-December through February. Although most bears in Rhode Island enter winter dens at some point, MassWildlife biologists have tracked bears that remained active for some or all of the winter if food is available. It is important that you remove the entire feeder at the first sign of bear activity.
  • For those people who enjoy birds in their yard, the Outdoor Scene Web-Site suggests growing native plants, shrubs, and trees to attract birds. Adding a water feature is a big draw for birds.  Taking these actions may increase the diversity of birds you see and will prevent the unnatural feeding of bears and other kinds of neighborhood wildlife.
  • Some bears have learned to simply empty bird feeders without destroying the feeder. DO NOT continue to fill a feeder.
  • Do not leave empty feeders out.  Residual smell and the sight of feeders can still attract bears.
Garbage and Compost
  • Store all garbage in closed containers in a garage or outbuilding. Do not leave your garbage barrels outside overnight; put them by the roadside just before pickup. Using double bags or sprinkling with ammonia will help reduce odors. Bears and other wild and domestic animals will tip cans and scatter garbage. Bears may be attracted by smelly cans even if there isn’t anything in them, so store garbage cans inside.
  • Compost Responsibly -- Do not throw meat scraps, greasy, oily or sweet materials in your compost pile. Bears and other animals are attracted to these kinds of food.
  • Bear-proof garbage cans may be available from municipalities or waste management contractors. In communities where bears are more common, bear-proof dumpsters are recommended for apartments, condos and campgrounds.    
Other Attractants
  • Feed Pets Indoors -- Pet food is a tasty treat for bears—don’t leave pet food outdoors.
  • Clean greasy barbecues and grills after each use. Do not leave food scraps, grease containers or spilled grease in your yard.
Share these tips with your friends and neighbors and help keep wildlife wild!

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Rhode Island: DMV computer disaffiliates 12,500 voters

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

More than 12,500 Rhode Islanders who used the “upgraded” Division of Motor Vehicles computer system over the summer to register to vote or update their voter information while renewing their driver’s licenses were inadvertently categorized as “unaffiliated,” whether they were or not. The state Department of Revenue director, Robert S. Hull, who oversees the DMV, said Friday that the DMV “was made aware” of the problem midweek, and is “working diligently with the secretary of state’s office and our vendor — SAFRAN MorphoTrust USA — to make sure that all voter registration information received through the DMV is accurate and up to date.” The vendor stated it expects to fix the problem by the end of next week. 
Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea issued this statement: “It has been brought to my attention that ongoing system upgrades at the Division of Motor Vehicles have inadvertently led to a disruption in their ‘motor voter’ registration system. We have reached out to the DMV and their software vendor and have determined the following: “Starting on July 19, approximately 12,500 Rhode Islanders who used the upgraded DMV system and registered to vote or updated their existing voter information did not have their party affiliation transferred to the Central Voter Registration Database as part of their voter registration file.
“This resulted in their party affiliation being listed as unaffiliated, the system’s default,” but “this did not impact their ability to vote in the September 13 statewide primaries,” she stated. Elaborating, she stated: “The DMV is supposed to automatically transmit data to the Central Voter Registration database. But it didn’t in all cases.”
Department of Revenue spokesman Paul Grimaldi explained: “Apparently, the vendor did not capture the data ‘field’ listing party affiliation this summer when it began producing the new Rhode Island license design. We learned through a voter call to a third party, who contacted our department late Wednesday. The DMV administrator contacted the vendor the next morning.”
Source: The Voting News

Voter rolls off by 189,000 in R.I., Journal analysis finds

Voter rolls off by 189,000 in R.I., Journal analysis finds

Thursday, October 20, 2016

The History of Indian Summer

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Indian Summer in the White Mountains by Sanford Gifford

Indian summer has evolved over the centuries from a pioneer superstition to the poet’s best friend to the meteorologists’ whipping boy.
It is a period of unusually warm, still days that follow a cold spell, the atmosphere is hazy or smoky, the barometric pressure is high and the nights are clear and chilly.
But it takes place at different times around New England. Indian summer historian Adam Sweeting notes that if Indian summer follows a killing frost, then Farmington, Maine, can have one as early as September 28. Block Island in Rhode Island doesn't get a killing frost until November 26.
On average, Concord, N.H., has its first killing frost on October 2, but Hartford, Conn., must wait until October 24.
Then again, some say it exists more in our imaginations than it does as a meteorological event.

Early Days

Indian summer has become as much a part of New England as the town common, the white steeple, the stone wall and the covered bridge. But it wasn’t always that way.
A Boston lexicographer named Albert Matthews searched early American literature to find who coined the expression. He found it in a letter written in 1778 by a New York farmer, Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, but he surmised the expression was used widely.
Then the concept of Indian summer was more prevalent in the Ohio River Valley – Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Ohio – than in the Northeast. Samuel Kercheval, in his History of the Valley of Virginia, wrote that pioneers feared Indian summer. “It afforded the Indians -- who during the severe Winter never made any incursions into the settlements -- another opportunity of visiting the settlements with destructive warfares."
Some said the multicolored leaves wear war paint.
A Unitarian minister had another explanation. In 1812, the Rev. James Freeman of Boston's King Chapel claimed in a sermon that Narragansett Indians credited the summer to Cautantowwit, a god living in the Southwest.
Others speculated it was called Indian summer because it was noticed in places where Native Americans lived, or because Indians first described it to Europeans, or because it's the time of year when Indians typically hunt.
Daniel Webster thought the colonial settlers came up with the name because they thought the smoky haziness of the air was caused by great fires the Indians started on the Western prairies -- 'then an unknown and mysterious region of unimaginable area,' wrote the Boston Globe in 1927.

Indian Summer in New England

It was only after 1820 that Indian summer was consistently tied to New England, according to Sweeting.
“For perhaps a week in early November, New England seems most New England," he wrote.
New England writers seized on Indian summer imagery in the 19th century. It became a metaphor for idyllic beauty before inevitable death, for wizened understanding, for an idealized past when peace settled over a community.
It was then that New England writers invented an Indian summer where Pilgrims and Indians sat down to Thanksgiving.
In Oldtown Folks, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote,
when the warm late days of Indian summer come in, the Deacon began to say to the minister, "I suppose it's about time for the Thanksgiving proclamation," at such times there came over the community a sort of genial repose of spirit.
The Transcendentalists, especially Henry David Thoreau, loved Indian summer. To Thoreau, it represented the hope that springs eternal. “May my life not be destitute of its Indian Summer," he wrote in 1851, so "I may once more lie on the ground with faith as in Spring."
Emily Dickinson was less cheerful than Thoreau: “A - Field of Stubble, lying sere/Beneath the second Sun. … Is often seen -- but seldom felt, On our New England Farms,” she wrote.
New England writers still used Indian summer imagery in the 20th century. Peyton Place, by New Hampshire’s Grace Metalious, starts with, “Indian Summer is a woman.” It’s ‘ripe, hotly passionate, but fickle.’

20th Century

By the 20th century, Indian summer became a meteorological controversy. The question arose: Did it even exist?
In 1937, the Boston Globe reported that, statistically, there is no such thing as Indian summer.
"New England has the idea that, most Falls, we have a period of about two weeks in which we have glorious weather -- halcyon days when the sun is delightfully warm and the air is filled with amethystine haze. Really, this is merely another weather superstition." Such periods happen only once every 50 years, the newspaper reported.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac insisted throughout the 20th century that Indian summer may only occur between Nov. 11 and Nov. 20.
The Almanac based its argument on an old saying, If All Saints’ (November 1) brings out winter, St. Martin’s Day (November 20) brings out Indian summer.”
The U.S. Weather Service defines Indian summer weather as sunny and clear with above normal temperatures, occurring late-September to mid-November.
The Boston Globe writer who questioned the existence of Indian summer in 1937 couldn’t help but acknowledge its power over our imaginations:
Meteorologically, these Indian Summer days are a condition of extremely delicate balance between the retreating armies of the sun and the advancing hosts of the North. In a sense, the days are a period of truce.
Source: New England Historical Society 

Kaladesh Game Day at Green Dragon Comics

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Saturday at 1 PM - 6 PM


Where: Green Dragon Comics  401 Putnam Pike, Rt.44 Unit 1, Harmony,RI

Game Day is a Free play!
bring your own legal standard deck
-The first 30 people get a game day promo card
-The top 8 get another game day promo card on top of the first card
- First place gets both cards plus the game day playmat


PHONE 1-401-949-2076 FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS