Then Again...What Do I Know?
Local commentary by Roger Bouchard as published in the Woonsocket Call on
July 01, 2009
Woonsocket
It was September of 1997 that the first ads aired on WNRI for Gian Carlo’s Restorante at 153 Hamlet Avenue. Twelve years later, the beautifully decorated Tuscan style restaurant featuring sculptures, framed Renaissance paintings and even a 20th century photograph of the Iannuccilli family ancestors, closed its doors last Saturday night. On Sunday workers were removing and loading equipment for transport to an unknown location. The Gian Carlo’s era in Woonsocket had ended. The popular restaurant featured Northern Italian cuisine with pastas, fresh meats and fishes prepared on an open grill that overlooked the dining room. The spot served as the setting for numerous community and political events and was the restaurant of choice for Mayor Susan Menard when it came to political fund raising functions. Increased competition from River Falls and Vintage restaurants nearby I am sure contributed to the tightening of the dining trade in the area. Gian Carlo’s had attracted an out of city clientele in addition to their loyal locals. The status of outstanding gift certificates remains unclear. In other eatery news, Sunrise Bagel closed its doors last year but a new business is coming soon. Sunrise Pizza and Grill will open next month as soon as renovations are complete.
Providence
You can still buy stuff from Amazon.com and Overstock.com without paying the 7% Rhode Island sales tax. The two companies have severed formal ties with all Rhode Island businesses like local book dealers who are associates of the companies. A law passed by the General Assembly and took effect yesterday would essentially force Rhode Islanders to pay a 7-percent sales tax for Internet purchases from out-of-state companies, such as Amazon.com, that have formal business relationships in the Ocean State. This is all part of a bigger issue of how can states like Rhode Island get their sales from internet transactions. As is stands if you buy a $100.00 camera from Overstock.com, the price is 100.00 with free shipping; going up the street to Wal-Mart the same camera will cost 107.00. The internet companies claim the US constitution protects them from having to collect the sales tax but cash strapped states like Rhode Island want to challenge that concept.
Providence
One of the
highlights of the general assembly session was the Senate vote of 25 to 10
Tuesday to allow 24-hour gambling, 7 days a week at Twin River and to require
the slot parlor to run a full 200-day greyhound racing season. This bill may be
changed by decisions in the bankruptcy court and for sure will be vetoed by
Governor Donald Carcieri. And some legislators who voted yes may change their
votes depending on new information. As it stands those voting "yes" were:
Bates,
R-Barrington; Ciccone, D-Providence; Connors, D-Cumberland;
Crowley, D-Central Falls; DaPonte, D-East
Providence; DeVall, D-East Providence; Doyle, D-Pawtucket; Felag, D-Warren;
Fogarty, D-Glocester; Gallo, D-Cranston; Goodwin, D-Providence; Jabour,
D-Providence; Lanzi, D-Cranston; Levesque, D-Portsmouth; Lynch, D-Warwick;
Maselli, D-Johnston; McBurney, D-Pawtucket; McCaffrey, D-Warwick; Miller,
D-Cranston; Perry, D-Providence; Picard, D-Woonsocket; Pichardo, D-Providence;
Ruggerio, D-Providence
; Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown; Tassoni, D-Smithfield.
Voting "no" were
Algiere,
R-Westerly; Blais, R-Coventry; Cote, D-Woonsocket; DiPalma, D-Middletown;
Lenihan, D-East Greenwich; Maher, R-Exeter; Metts, D-Providence; O’Neill,
I-Lincoln; Pinga, D-West Warwick; Sheehan, D-North Kingstown.
Franklin
Many Woonsocket area residents are trying to decide to quit or commute. This week Putnam Investments announced will shut down its Franklin facility by year's end, but will offer relocated jobs to its 500-plus employees at the company's Andover and Boston locations. Town fathers in Franklin are depressed about the news and Assistant Town Administrator Maxine Kinhart, who worked for Putnam in Franklin years ago, called the closing "devastating. There will definitely be job losses.” From Woonsocket, Andover is 63 miles and Boston is 53 miles.
Woonsocket
Do you think there are a
lot of overweight people in Woonsocket and vicinity? Hmmmm? Though we are the
home of family style chicken, dynamites, wieners and clam cakes, adult Rhode
Islanders are one of the least obese state populations in the nation, according
to a new study. Rhode Island has the fourth-lowest rate of adult obesity in the
nation, with 21.7 percent of adult residents classified as obese by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mississippi topped the list for the
fifth year, with 32.5 percent of adult residents classified as obese. Colorado
had the lowest rate at 18.9 percent, the only state with an adult obese rate
below 20 percent. Massachusetts was second at 21.2 percent. It's the next
generation that seems to be threatened by obesity.
Rhode Island ranked in the
middle of states, however, when it came to overweight youths, with 30.1 percent
of kids ages 10 to 17 classified as either overweight or obese.
Woonsocket
In the misery loves company category, a quick look at tax increases around the region shows Cumberland with the lowest tax increase of .25% but using $600,000 of its surplus to soften the blow. Without the surplus, Cumberland’s tax increase would have been 1.6%. Johnston reports a 3% increase while Lincoln will increase the bill 3.9%. Woonsocket is holding the increase at 4.75% but in talking with one official the city is “in denial” with unrealistic tax increase this year. Woonsocket will see a huge increase next year while we are living a “taxpayer la la land” this year. North Providence residents are biting the bullet with 17% increase in taxes.
Providence
The list has been narrowed
with Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts saying she will not run for governor in 2010.
The announcement reduces the prospective field for the Democratic nomination for
the governor's office to Attorney General Patrick Lynch and General Treasurer
Frank T. Caprio. The first-term lieutenant governor said that instead she would
seek another term in her current office, pledging "to use her position to make
health care affordable for every Rhode Islander."
ROGER BOUCHARD is general manager of radio station WNRI. His column appears every Thursday in the Woonsocket Call. He can be reached at rogerwnri@prodigy.net.
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ARCHIVE
Webmaster's Note - I've been looking at various websites on the internet, and thought it might be a good idea to keep an archive of past articles.