The good, the bad, and the ugly…

Editorial. Aug 9-16.

The good, the bad, and the ugly…

The good

Outdoor fun.

Events, and festivals, and concerts – oh my! There have been literally so many events that we’ve taken to scheduling them, so we don’t look like a cultural event promotion newsletter. But make no mistake about it, the last two weeks in August are go-go-go in Rhode Island. For the most part the weather is holding out – many of the events are free – and within easy drive-times – so search our site – look under “events” on Facebook and go out and have some end of the season enjoyment. (PS. there are many great events coming up this fall, too).

Downtown Providence Bridge

Have you been? What a pretty thing it is. The lighting at night makes it even more so. Coming in at 733% over budget, it should be all those things and more. We encourage the city of Providence, who now owns the bridge – having purchased if for $1 from the state of Rhode Island – to allocate appropriate resources for maintenance, general clean-up and garbage detail, moderating of folks who have started to take up residence underneath – and the most important element to make the bridge a great success – security. Feel safe – and enjoy.

Delivery services

They’re growing! From ordering your kitty litter overnight on your Amazon app, to ordering dinner from a fine dining restaurant delivered to your table in 30 mins, or your groceries from Whole Foods in 2 hours, delivery and overnight delivery services are pushing our buying habits to online. Yesterday, Walmart earnings were reported, and their e-commerce sales had surged 37% for the quarter. They smartly used the recent Amazon Prime Day promotion to compete by tagging along with “cheaper” “faster” promotions – and they both won. What’s the good news for us all? The economy is booming; buyers are confident. And that’s good for all of us. Those unhappy in their jobs – just look around – opportunities abound – little birdies chirping about recession are there, but growing fainter for now.

Kelly does traffic

NBC10’s Kelly Bates has been on all week as part of the new Sunrise Team. But! She’s not doing weather – she’s doing traffic. Some people can rise and shine in every role, and we just love them – Kelly is one. Maybe they’ll give her a chance to anchor, next. Go, Kelly, go!

9 to 5

The unemployment rate for Rhode Island continues to follow the US trends – falling now to 3 1/2%, lower than the national average.

The bad

Jeffrey Epstein’s death.

We’ve heard two theories – that he was murdered – and that he is still alive. Somehow the many wavering factors – understaffing, guards falling asleep, a cellmate being moved the day before, camera footage not available, broken bones in his neck, being taken off suicide watch, etc., etc. lead us all down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. While no one needed to watch the grotesque details of a trial – though hold on because it’s not over yet – certainly, to victims, “justice delayed is justice denied” has been taken to the extremes. If you “believe” then there’s always hope that the ultimate justice comes in the life after this one.

Traffic.

Well, the roads are getting fixed. But while we all live through this construction all at once time, because of years of neglect, getting around Rhode Island, even a simple lunch run, is becoming longer and tougher to endure. Now we add the Newport Bridge – and if Boston is in your work plans, well, we’ll be quiet about RI’s problems, because Boston takes it to a whole new level. Let’s get fixed. And pledge to never let this disgraceful amount of falling apart roads and bridges happen again (but we know it will).

Men and Women in Blue

We’ve watched police have water guns fired at them, and water bottles thrown – and they are told to do nothing. The other day it was, inexplicably, Chinese food being thrown. In the incident where six police officers were shot, with many more held at bay, they showed restraint, ending with the man being talked out and arrested without injury. Later we heard about the neighbors and standers-by who had been taunting the police, even laughing at their predicament, and spraying water at them. And yesterday, we learned of one more New York City police officer who has committed suicide, bringing the total to 9 New York City police officers this year. Growing up to be a police officer may not be in the dreams of young women and men as it used to be – and that’s not good for any of us.

The ugly

Demonstration danger.

Some members of the RI Jewish community gathered to have a “peaceful” demonstration at the Wyeth Detention Center in Central Falls against ICE, immigration arrests, and the use of this private federal prison for detainees. What transpired was demonstrators sitting down to block employees going in and out, and in a moment captured on video, a truck started – then stopped – then started again to go through a tight area surrounded by demonstrators. In doing so, there were a number of people injured; one man is said to have suffered a broken leg. Demonstrators use the phrase “Never again” with references to the Holocaust. Families were at the detention center that night – moms, dads, and children. But things ratcheted up, and a terrible incident happened. Where was the Central Falls police? Once an “incident” rachets, there is no telling where emotions and fear will take it. It was best described by a caller to a local radio station – “Extremism begets extremism”. Let’s rethink tactics for peaceful demonstrations and how safe they are in today’s explosive and hateful environment.