Archive - Jan 2012

Politics as Usual: How could anyone be in favor of receiverships? [OPINION]

January 25, 2012

We pay a lot of lip service in this country to the notion of freedom, democracy (note the lower-case d) and self-government. But despite the many and varied lessons history teaches us from the most ancient civilizations to the present day, the idea of a benevolent dictatorship still appears to hold a measure of allure for a lot of folks.

Legislators propose tax, farm bills

January 24, 2012

The 2012 General Assembly session is under way, and local law makers are looking to make a positive impact by introducing some new, and some familiar legislation.

Grenier rises to the top with sax appeal

January 24, 2012

By MARTHA SMITH
Special to the Standard

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Life was not always promising for Michael Grenier.
In November 1994, at the age of 14 weeks, he was taken in by his grandmother Joanne Naumann because his mother was unable to care for him.
Two years later, Naumann became his legal guardian and has raised a child who turned into a remarkable young man.

Rep. Watson arrested second time for marijuana charges, swears at SK police

January 23, 2012

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Over the weekend, police arrested former state Minority Leader Rep. Robert Watson (R- Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich) for possession of marijuana, his second offense in less than a year after police discovered an open Natural Ice beer can, two Corona Extra beer bottles, and a pipe and small plastic bag containing traces of marijuana in his vehicle.

Rep. Walsh secures $2,000 grant to assist RI-CAN

January 23, 2012

CHARLESTOWN - Lines of hungry people seeking food extend out the door and into the parking lot of the Rhode Island Center Assisting Those in Need (RI-CAN), the food pantry on the corner of Routes 112 and 91 in Charlestown.

‘We were overwhelmed; we recovered’

January 23, 2012

By MARTHA SMITH
Special to the Standard

EXETER – When a Verizon substation failed during Tropical Storm Irene, Exeter’s carefully-devised plan for dealing with natural disasters went out the window.
“There was failure of the infrastructure,” acknowledges Stefan Coutoulakis, the town’s emergency management director, who found himself with no emergency phone lines.
The system “is only good as long as we have power. We got overwhelmed; we recovered.”

Tell Me Your Story: Eagle Scout a Treat for Emergency Management

January 22, 2012

EXETER – Andrew Treat spent 18 months at Franklin Pierce University, in New Hampshire, before deciding he needed a change.
“I left to find myself,” says the 22-year-old Cranston native who grew up in East Greenwich and graduated from East Greenwich High School. After majoring in radio broadcasting and information technology, it turned out that his true calling was as a first responder.
“In college, they’d started a volunteer fire department on campus. I hadn’t thought of that but one of my roommates mentioned it and said ‘Wow, this is really cool!’”

NK Pet Refuge takes in six cats after woman's death

January 21, 2012

By MARTHA SMITH
Special to the Standard

NORTH KINGSTOWN – A half-dozen cats that were abandoned in Apponaug after their elderly owner, known to be a reclusive animal collector, died have wound up at the Pet Refuge on Stony Lane.
According to Donna Hawkins, a Warwick cat expert, the family of the late Pat O'Sullivan arrived from out-of-state, went through the house and then left, leaving the cats to fend for themselves.
Worried that the animals – some of whom are elderly and ill – would be euthanized, Hawkins and a handful of neighbors began tending the animals.

American Mussel Harvesters help drive economy

January 20, 2012

QUONSET — Greg Silkes, Logistics Manager & Sales Team Member at American Mussel Harvesters, Inc., remembers asking one of his clients in Nebraska why he sold seafood in Nebraska, the middle of nowhere. The son of Bill Silkes, owner of American Mussel Harvesters, Greg has grown up around the ocean and seen the benefits of locally grown and caught seafood, but wondered how someone from the windswept Great Plains region could enjoy quality product lifted from an ocean so far away.

SRI Chamber wins name change lawsuit

January 20, 2012

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Washington Superior Court Judge Brian Stern ruled against the United Chambers of Southern Rhode Island in their request for a temporary injunction on Wednesday. The action was aimed to prevent South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce from changing its name to Southern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce (SRICC), which it had enacted on July 25, 2011.