Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Rhode Island Senate passed two bills Tuesday to improve school safety, but they also make safety plans exempt from public records. What do you think? Should these plans be made public?
School safety is on everybody's mind, especially after the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT, which was deemed the worst school shooting in recent U.S. history. On Tuesday, the Rhode Island Senate passed two bills aimed at improving school safety. The first bill, 2013-S 0800A, introduced by Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D- Cranston, West Warwick), directs the commissioner for elementary and secondary education to certify annually that all school safety plans and school emergency response plans have been reviewed and updated as appropriate. The second bill, 2013-S 0801A, sponsored by Gallo, requires all schools to perform a school safety assessment in conjunction with local police, fire and school safety teams within 30 days of passage of the …
Rep. Dennis Canario talks about recent gun legislation.
The following is an op-ed submitted by Rep. Dennis Canario. In the wake of the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the General Assembly leadership joined with Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and law enforcement officials to introduce a package of gun legislation, including several bills that seek to strengthen existing laws dealing with firearms violations. Since the introduction of those bills, the House Committee on Judiciary, on which I serve, has held a lengthy hearing. Over the course of about eight hours, many people testified on the various bills. There was clearly a great assortment of opinions, from strong support to strong opposition. I am writing to share with my constituents …
Monday, May 20, 2013
The legislature has submitted 18 bills "developed to improve the coordination and quality of Rhode Island’s economic development efforts and help business succeed in their efforts to grow here."
Recent goings on at the Rhode Island State House.
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Monday, May 20
General Assembly launches easy-to-use bill tracking email system Members of the public who want to track the progress of certain bills throughout the legislative session can now use the General Assembly website to sign up for email updates. After a simple registration process, a member of the public can subscribe to up to 50 bills of his or her choice. Using the new tool, one can search for bills by committee, category, sponsor, range of bill numbers or individual bill numbers. Users will receive email updates regarding the change in status of these bills hourly, daily, or weekly, depending upon their preferred settings. Senate passes legislation banning gender rating in health insurance market Falling into step with the federal …
Eva-Marie Mancuso, the state’s new Board of Education chair, uses courtroom demeanor to try to convince angry teachers and nervous parents that change is necessary.
Eva-Marie Mancuso enjoys a lively debate but is clear about one thing: When it comes to educating Rhode Island’s children, the status quo is not an option. At a recent Q&A session in East Greenwich, the state’s new Board of Education chair, sparred with state Sen. James Sheehan (D-NK, Narr.) over teacher evaluations, cajoled teachers to work with the state, and tried to reassure at least one parent that using passage of a test as a graduation requirement is the right move. The forum, organized by the EG Democratic Town Committee, was held at EG’s Town Hall, the former Kent County Courthouse. The setting suited Mancuso, a personal injury lawyer. Although the new Board of Education for the first time combines all levels of public education …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Liven up your Thursday with a high school concert in South Kingstown, or wine and cheese.
Here are the (more than) Five Things for Thursday, May 16, 2013: A fantastic night of the arts! It’s being held by South Kingstown High School from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $5. For more info, click here. Wine and cheese you say??? The annual meeting for South County Museum members begins at 6:30 p.m. For more info, click here. “Once a nation parts with the control of its credit, it matters not who makes the laws.” – William Lyon Mackenzie King. Here are today’s government meetings: Mmm, delicious vegetables and produce! Goose Pond Farm of West Kingston is offering community supported agriculture accounts from this season to Dec. 31. For more info, click here. Has the time or date or details of one of your events changed? If you posted …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
DEM, URI and CRMC officials are asking for public input on shellfish management.
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Wednesday, May 15
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, with support from the University of Rhode Island, are developing a Rhode Island Shellfish Management Plan. There will be an RI SMP Stakeholder Meeting, to promote the participation of individuals and businesses concerned with the future of the commercial and recreational issue of shellfish on Wednesday, May 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Corless Auditorium at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography’s Narragansett Bay Campus. This full stakeholder meeting will include an update on the SMP, including the plan's progress, on-going projects, and proposed next steps. In addition, the meeting will serve as the…
It’s Wednesday, the halfway point of the week! Almost there!
Here are the (more than) Five Things for Wednesday, May 15, 2013: “Loyalty to the ballot box is not necessarily loyalty to the nation.” – Arthur Meighen. Here are today’s government meetings: In North Kingstown, and looking to play Pop Warner football? The Jaguars are hosting registrations from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cold Spring Community Center. For more info, click here. A slide show talk about Cuba. The North Kingstown Free Library hosts the free talk on Cuba at 6:30 p.m. The program is free, but registration is required. For more info, click here. BUNCO! As the ad says, have you heard about Bunco and you want to try your luck with the dice? Well, head over to Maury Loontjens Memorial Library in Narragansett a 6:30 p.m. to try! For …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
It’s Tuesday! Only four more days of the work week!
Here are the (more than) Five Things for Tuesday, May 14, 2013: “It is a miserable irregular life one has to lead and I am more than sick of it, I can assure you.” – Robert Borden on Ottawa politics. Here are today’s government meetings: Just don’t request Iron Butterfly. The South Kingstown Community Orchestra has a free concert at Broad Rock Middle School at 7 p.m. Ahhhhh yoga. There is Tuesday night yoga at 6 p.m. The cost is $15, and beginners are welcome. Mmm, delicious vegetables and produce! Goose Pond Farm of West Kingston is offering community supported agriculture accounts from this season to Dec. 31. For more info, click here. Has the time or date or details of one of your events changed? If you posted the event yourself on our …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Ick, it’s Monday. I apologize. But try to get through it with Five Things.
Here are the (more than) Five Things for Monday, May 13, 2013: “For us, sons of France, political sentiment is a passion, while for the Englishmen, politics are a question of business.” – Wilfird Laurier. Here are today’s government meetings: Celeste-A-Thon! Supercuts is hosting a fundraiser all day for Boston Marathon bombing survivors Celeste and Sydney Corcoran. For more info, click here. Learn a new art form. Bellydancing for beginners is available at Lotus Fire Yoga and Healing today, at 4:30 p.m. The cost is $15. For more info, click here. Mmm, delicious vegetables and produce! Goose Pond Farm of West Kingston is offering community supported agriculture accounts from this season to Dec. 31. For more info, click here. Has the time or …
Joseph
8:02 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Of course they should be public, taxpayers have to fund this line item and will be left out of the budgeting process. If you have a safety plan that is effective why would it matter if everyone has access to it or not, it has to be done right. If someone wants to find out a secret safety plan it wouldn't be hard to find out. Stake out the school and observe drills that will definitely have to be … more ›