Rhode Island and Charlestown Bits

Short takes and links for February 3, 2012

By Will Collette

Megan

33 Bridges. For something completely different than Progressive Charlestown, there’s a new home-grown blog you should check out called 33 Bridges. The blog is the creation of Megan Moynihan and Damara Ortolani Sisti at Oyster Works and went live last August. Megan and Damara show you design and art that interests them in a blog format that is really a joy to see. Just for fun, scroll through all the pages and drink in the items they’ve put on display. It’s a delightful contrast to the nitty-gritty of politics.

You probably WON'T see this on 33 Bridges

38 Studios. But enough of nice design. Let’s talk trash about the prospects for the $75 million in our tax dollars we've invested in former Red Sox hurler Curt Schilling’s video game company, 38 Studios. FINALLY, Schilling will be releasing the company’s first-ever game, Kingdoms of Amalur, on Tuesday, February 7. A week ago, Schilling put a demonstration version on-line and has spent every day since then explaining and apologizing for why the demo is “riddled with software bugs,” according to the Boston Globe.

We have paid Schilling $75 million to move 38 Studios from Bellingham, MA, to Providence on his promise to ramp up to 450 jobs. As of November 1, he “certified” he had 270 and we gave him the last installment on the $75 million. Unknown: the number of those 270 “certified” workers who live in Rhode Island – Schilling had 200 employees in Bellingham and many of them may be commuting to Providence (but paying taxes in Massachusetts).

Anyway, Schilling is going to have to sell a helluvalot of “buggy” games at around $60 a pop just to stay in business, never mind pay the taxpayers of Rhode Island back. I'd say the odds of that happening are roughly the same as Oakland winning Sunday's Super Bowl game. There are a lot of existing Rhode Island small businesses who could have done a lot with a piece of that $75 million package.  

Larry loses Charlestown
We still support him.

RI General Assembly approves redistricting plan. Unless Governor Chafee vetoes it or a court stops it, both unlikely, the redrawn electoral map will become law and voters may face some new choices next November. As previously reported, Charlestown will undergo more dramatic changes in its state Senate and state Representative line-up than any other town in South County.

Charlestown will become one unified House district, ably represented by Rep. Donna Walsh. Our friend, Rep. Larry Valencia, loses the northern end of Charlestown as his district expands into more of rural south central Rhode Island. Republican Senators Frank Maher and Dennis Algiere will divide Charlestown roughly in half, with Maher in the north and Algiere in the South.

Bunnies - GOOD

Good news, bad news for birds and bunnies. Roger Williams Zoo has launched a breeding program to help restore the New England Cottontail rabbit to its native habitat. Our native bunnies have been under pressure from more prolific eastern cottontails and their range has shrunk to the point where they near extinction. Roger Williams Zoo plans to breed native cottontails and then release a bunch of them to, well, breed like rabbits in the wild. 

Rumor around town is that Charlie Vandermoer, manager of the Ninigret Wildlife Refuge, wants the town to chop down large trees in Ninigret Park to create more undergrowth as habitat for these bunnies….At the opposite end of the critter care spectrum, those eco-sensitive folks who run the State’s Central Landfill in Johnston have decided to spend $75,000 to get rid of sea gulls. They will try non-lethal methods first, but are prepared to bring in hunters to shoot the birds down. Isn't it wonderful to see humans and nature in harmony? 

Sea Gulls - BAD

R.I. Wild Plant Society Offers Grant (from ecori.org) The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS) is offering a grant to aid individuals in the study of wild plants and their habitats. To qualify, you must be an educator, a member of a Rhode Island botanical or environmental association, or a student in a field related to botany or environmental studies.

The grant is for up to $1,000 and includes a one-year membership to RIWPS. The project goal must involve environmental activities or research in any area of study related to wild plants and/or their habitats. These activities may involve such things as installation of gardens or invasive removal. It can also be used for project materials, to create workshops or courses with a community outreach component. The award is open to Rhode Island residents or non-residents at a Rhode Island educational institution. For more information, call 401-789-7497 or send an e-mail to office@riwps.org. To download an application, click here. Applications must be received by Feb. 29.

Open Space, Affordable Housing on November ballot? Governor Lincoln Chafee’s new budget proposal includes two bond initiatives to go before Rhode Island voters in November. If the General Assembly agrees (and there’s only a 50-50 chance at best), voters would be asked to vote on two of Charlestown’s most divisive issues. Chafee proposes a new $25 million bond issue to build affordable housing (please give Ruth Platner a Valium) and another $25 million bond issue for open space, recreation and water quality (give her another one to control her excitement).

Voters can, of course, vote for all, some or none of the proposed bond issues. If these questions appear on the November ballot, your faithful political geeks at Progressive Charlestown will be watching carefully to see how Charlestown voters cast their ballots on these issues. If there's any inner meaning to be had in those vote tallies, rest assured we will find it.

 

Ewwww. I wouldn't want to touch that stuff.

Charlestown Vital Statistics for 2011. Our ever-efficient Town Clerk Amy Weinreich has compiled the 2011 end-of-year statistics for Charlestown. Here’s a first look at some of the more interesting stats. For the first time in five years, Charlestown saw more births (64) than deaths (62). Somebody please give Ruth another Valium. Charlestown marriages, at 71, hit a five-year low. We had no civil unions registered in Charlestown. We closed 2011 with 17 officially registered foreclosures, tying the previous all-time high set in 2008.

Help stop “Rock Snot!” I am not making this up. RIDEM’s latest issue of  “Wild Rhode Island” reminds us that new regulations ban the use of felt-soled waders in the state’s fresh waters to prevent the spread of Didymosphenia geminata, also known as “rock snot.” This is a very nasty algae that can infest fresh waters and produce a slime that can cover a stream bed up to eight inches deep. The one potential use for "rock snot" is as the source for bio-fuel. Given Charlestown's aversion to clean, alternative energy, such as wind power, perhaps this could be the next, big thing for Charlestown. We could buy the YMCA Camp and use it as a rock snot ranch. 


Non-resident voter fraud? Block Island did its annual census, according to the Providence Journal. They do it on Ground Hog Day so they can count the number of "true" BI residents, minus the part-time residents. The tally total this year is 948 men, women and children under 18. By interesting contrast, Block Island has 1,468 people registered to vote as if they were permanent residents.