The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…this week in RI

We always end on the side of hope.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…this week in RI

The Good

Authors. Don’t ever lack for something good to read from a local author in Rhode Island. From non-fiction to fiction, from every genre that could interest you, our little state explodes with fine writers and good books. We salute the Association for RI Authors – ARIA – with well over 400 members – who go the route of publishing independently and then promoting their books. Clearly, the great majority of authors don’t write for economic gain, but they write for the love of – story. Pick up a book by a local author – if you want to find a list, go to www.RIAuthors.org. We are also pleased to feature the short stories of Dr. Michael Fine monthly on RINewsToday.com. Nothing like a good Sunday read with one’s morning coffee.

Back to school. Concerns or not about our school buildings, we did the best we can, so it seems, and school has begun. As the fixups continue at night and on weekends – hopefully – our attention turns now to curriculum, cell phone policies, teacher – and student – absenteeism – and discipline. Let the enthusiasm to fix up infrastructure not end there – this isn’t even the basics of what needs to happen. The new commissioner will now turn to hiring a permanent Providence Superintendent as the temporary one departs after 90 days. Remember what we said she needs – freedom and empowerment to do her job – let her move forward now to do just that. And a hyper-local shout-out to Warwick for setting out its cellphone policy for students on day one – adding their school lunch policy – and being ready to go with their rules clearly spelled out.

CVS, Walmart, etc.

For their new policies prohibiting open carry of guns in their stores (in states where open carry is legal). To CVS, for also using its retail powers to curb vaping and e-cigarettes – nothing saves lives like when the private sector takes their mission related statements to heart, and to action. Watch other retailers scramble to join in. Sometimes business competition can be far more effective, and motivating, than rules and laws forcing compliance.

The Bad

Hurricane Dorian

It is bad enough to have a hurricane swoop through and cause chaos and destruction, usually in a matter of hours, and then the repairs begin. But this hurricane came and never left, swirling its destruction slowly. And as we write this it’s path of destruction edges up the coast with lingering wind, rain and flooding. This has been a particularly bad hurricane, first for its almost unprecedented Category 5 hitting land, and then for lingering for a week or more. We grieve for the destruction in the Bahamas. Tonight, the death toll went from 5 to 30, and we’re sure that will go higher. But we also applaud the greatest country on Earth for sending in its Coast Guard in well over 100 mph winds to pluck people off rooftops as the US began and continues to lend aid to the people and land we love to visit, which has been forever altered.

The Ugly

Mosquitos carrying EEE

Calling for sports activities to be curtailed and other outdoor activities to end at dusk shows the caution needed as the risk of this almost always fatal disease grows. Kudos to the state for spraying – but we are curious why the spraying isn’t over more RI land. Does a mosquito know that it hit the no-fly-zone going from Westerly to Charlestown? From Cumberland to Pawtucket? EEE threats have hit “critical” in RI border cities/towns of Massachusetts, yet our state of 39 city and town administrations each determines its own policy on spraying. Where is the statewide leadership and coordinated response on this health crisis which won’t get better until the first overnight freeze – quite some time away.