Tagged: rwu

RI Local Startup Companies

Obtained via bsf1499 on Flickr

Picture by Brad Fagan

Rhode Island has had a declining economy for years. Local small businesses may be the key to stimulating this suffering economy, especially when local dollars are being locally spent.

Over the course of the next semester I will be researching many local small businesses that are in the start up phase.  I hope to experience a local company transition out of the start up phase and begin the journey to maximizing their business to the full potential.

My group members and I shot stills at Hope & Main in Warren, R.I. and in the downtown business districts of Warren, R.I. and Barrington, R.I. I thought this would be a good location to begin with, as Hope & Main has become the local source for small businesses in their grassroots phase.

Hope & Main was an abandoned elementary school that was eventually taken over and transformed into a culinary business incubator. Though this business has been successful, this was not the owners original plan.

Lisa Raiola needed to start eating locally, but didn’t know any local companies to turn to. After doing a lot of research and finding little results, she started planing to open her own local food business. She then lacked another resource, someone to help kickstart her business.

She discovered the abandoned school and immediately realized the space would serve as an ideal incubator, where many small business and entrepreneurs could seek proper assistance.  She recognized the demand, and created a supply for it.

Hope & Main now has up to thirty companies that is has supported throughout their start up phases. Businesses like this have the power to add hundreds of jobs and kickstart many small businesses in Rhode Island. Just one idea could add significant growth to the state’s economy.

Election Results: Jorge Elorza to Take on Providence

Democrat Jorge Elorza was named Mayor of Providence after a hard fought race against opponent and two-time convicted felon Vincent “Buddy” Cianci.  The results of this election were announced Tuesday night to a crowd of lively supporters of all Democrats running for office in Rhode Island this cycle.

The Rhode Island Democratic Party hosted the event at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence. Hundreds of friends, family and supporters cheered as the resulted announced that Elorza was in fact Providence’s next mayor.

“Sí se puede,” the boisterous crowd cheered in Spanish as the victory was announced. This means “yes he can,” which very accurately sums up the tone of this election victory for the Latinos and supporters of Elorza.

For any candidate, Buddy Cianci is not the guy to go against.  Cianci is a celebrity in Providence and is known for his charismatic nature.

Cianci has changed his political affiliation over the years and now ran as an Independent. He served as mayor for over a decade and had never lost a mayoral election. His fame in Providence gave him a huge advantage in the earlier phase of this campaign.

On election day, the Republican candidate for mayor, Dan Harrop, announced that he was voting for Elorza. This was a very interesting and rare case where a Republican endorsed and voted for his Democratic opponent. In this case, Harrop acknowledged that he was not favored to win this election, and keeping Cianci out of office was more important than their political differences.

For the biggest city in the smallest state, this election was a big deal for Rhode Island, and even gained national attention when President Barack Obama endorsed Elorza.

Having no prior political office experience, Elorza will face a transition period where he will learn what he can do to uphold his promise and move the city forward toward his ideal and campaign slogan of “One Providence“.

Elorza vs. Cianci: Who Will Claim Providence?

The stakes are very high for residents of Providence. Days away until the people will decide who they want to run their city. Democrat Jorge Elorza is focusing on building community schools, a concept that has not been initiated in New England yet. He is running against Independent Buddy Cianci, a two-time convicted felon and former Providence mayor, who talks about expanding the waterfront. Hawk the Vote will be covering all of election night to broadcast live coverage and stay updated on this controversial race to city hall.

Hawk The Vote Presents Science Controversies and the 2014 Midterm Election

IMG_7776BRISTOL, R.I._ Hawk the Vote is a campaign media lab that is very closely following the 2014 midterm elections. The Society of Professional Journalists and WQRI teamed up with Hawk the Vote to broadcast a panel of experts discussing science controversies and it’s role in this election.

Panelists included Dr. Abigail Anthony, Dr. Avelina Espinosa, Mr. Max Green, and Dr. June Speakman, who spoke on issues regarding energy alternatives, health education, sustainability, and women’s reproductive rights, respectively.

Dr. Anthony is the director of the Rhode Island Office Environment Northeast (ENE) and spoke about energy alternatives across the state of Rhode Island.IMG_7788 (1)

“Rhode Island was ranked third in the nation for our energy efficiency programs,” said Dr. Anthony.

However, though R.I. may be at the top of the list for overall energy efficiency, there are still some exceptions, “Rhode Island is behind in electric vehicle adoption,” said Dr. Anthony.

Dr. Speakman is a professor of Political Science at RWU and serves as town council president for Barrington, R.I. She discussed issues of women’s reproductive rights.IMG_7646

“Men’s contraception is never on the table, but that’s a different story,” said Speakman.

She acknowledged that abortion laws usually take place at a national level, however Rhode Island has generally been supportive of pro-choice.

“Rhode Island is ahead of the national curve, at least as long as I’ve been studying Rhode Island politics,” said Dr. Speakman.

IMG_7790 (1)

She also recognized where the setbacks occur.

“Rhode Island suffers from a lack of resources more than anything else,” said Dr. Speakman.

Mr. Green works as a staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and believes that improved sustainability laws could be the key to environmental stability.IMG_7705

“Small changes to improve our understanding of environmental problems can have big impacts,” said Mr. Green.

Two weeks left until Nov. 4 election night, where voters will decide which controversies matter to them, and how that is going to effect their decision on the ballot.IMG_7741

Recent Poll Shows R.I. Gubernatorial Race is a Close One

BRISTOL, R.I._Three weeks left until the midterm elections decide who will become the governor of Rhode Island. The recent WPRI/Providence Journal poll shows that Democrat Gina Raimondo has a 6 percent lead over her rival, Republican Allan Fung.

Raimondo is the choice of 41.8 percent of the voters surveyed, while Fung is close behind with 35.6 percent. Moderate Robert Healy is taking away some votes with a slim 8 percent. The 12.1 percentage of voters that are unsure will be a major deciding factor in this election.

The results of this poll, which are based on a sampling of 505 likely voters, does not just show who the people will be voting for on election day, but also shows candidate favorability.

This gubernatorial race just may come down to a battle of the sexes. The poll shows that 46.8 percent of the females prefer Raimondo and 30 percent prefer Fung.  However, 41.7 percent of males surveyed preferred Fung to the 36.4 percent who favor Raimondo.

This Tuesday, the candidates will square off in a debate at the Providence Performing Arts Center, followed by another debate a week later at Roger Williams University.

This is an extremely pivotal election for Rhode Island, because Raimondo could become the first female governor, or Fung could be the first Asian-American governor.

President Barack Obama has endorsed Raimondo, while former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney has visited the Ocean State to endorse Fung.

But will these endorsements be enough to sway the 12 percent of undecided voters? This race will remain a close one all the way until election night on Nov. 4.

In a short three week period, the candidates have to get their message out there and prove that they are the best candidate to lead Rhode Island. The undecided voters have the power to make or break it for either of these candidates.

Hawk the Vote Debate: College Democrats vs College Republicans

BRISTOL, R.I.__The Roger Williams University chapter of Society of Professional Journalists and the Hawk the Vote campaign media lab cosponsored a political debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans.

This debate was regarding local Rhode Island politics and the gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Gina Raimondo and Republican Allan Fung. Each political party backed their respective candidates and discussed their take on the most important issues.

The first question was about the job market in Rhode Island and the lack of college students staying in the state after they graduate.

Dylan Kelly, of the college Republicans made an interesting remark about this issue, commonly referred to as the brain drain.

“Rhode Island’s biggest export is college students,” said Kelly.

Though the first few questions did not spark much controversy, the ethical question about Raimondo’s high school, La Salle Academy, which removed Raimondo’s photo from the wall of notable alumni, got things heated up.

The Democrats stated that they are pro-choice and think that it was completely wrong of the school, when they should be proud to have a prominent woman like Raimondo as an alumni.

The Republican’s stance was less clear as they first stated that as a private Catholic institution, La Salle Academy has the right to remove any photos that go against the school’s beliefs, which are very strongly pro-life.

However, then Republicans said if they were the principle of La Salle Academy, they would handle the situation differently and not remove the picture.

Overall, the debate was riveting and after each side made closing statements, the RWU journalism reporters asked the parties more specific questions geared toward their beats.

“I think Jorge Elorza is a great person to succeed Angel Taveras, they have a lot of the great same policies,” said Democrat Dylan VanDrimlen. “Angel was very successful in moving the city forward, and I believe Jorge has some new and fresh ideas that can not only improve upon that, but can push the city to a better, more economic standpoint.”

Unity Event with Jorge Elorza and Michael Solomon

PROVIDENCE, R.I. __ The city of Providence has one month to decide its fate. Will Independent  Vincent “Buddy” Cianci reclaim Providence due to his recognition and fame? Or will they go with change and vote Democrat Jorge Elorza?

Providence is known as one of the most corrupt cities in the country, and with two-time convicted felon Cianci back in the race, the voters will have the choice to breakaway from that corruption, or stick to what they know.

Saturday September 26th, Elorza supporters went to Club Juan Pablo Duarte to hear from Democrat Michael Solomon and why he decided to endorse Elorza. The event was called the Unity event and offered the undecided voters an opportunity to hear Elorza’s plan to bring Providence together.

Kyla Pecchia is the Executive Vice President of the Student Bar Association at the Roger Williams University Law School and is very enthusiastic about the possibility of Elorza becoming mayor.

Pecchia is a native of Rhode Island, and though she can not vote in this election, she has very strong opinions on the issues.

“I think that a lot of the neighborhoods could use unification and I feel like some of them are feeling like they have been abandoned by their city,” said Pecchia.

A recent poll shows that Cianci currently has a slight lead over Elorza, with Republican Daniel Harrop far behind. Cianci holds a lot of power in the city of Providence and has never lost a mayoral election in his life.

“I understand that (Cianci) has done wonderful and positive things for the city of Providence, before some things happened to him, but I think its time for him to relinquish some of his control and give it to someone else,” said Pecchia.