economy

RI Unemployment Rate Drops to 8.8 Percent

Flo Jonic — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:55:50 +0000

Rhode Island’s unemployment rate took a healthy drop in April. But the state is still a long way from restoring all the jobs lost to the recession.

Rhode Island’s April unemployment rate was 8.8 percent. That’s three tenths of one percent lower than in March and the lowest rate in four-and-a-half years. Charles Fogarty, director of the state Department of Labor and Training, attributes the decline to increased consumer confidence.

Rhode Island Nonprofits Feel the Squeeze

Flo Jonic — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:41:47 +0000

It’s hard to turn on the news these days without hearing about another nonprofit in financial trouble. Advent House – the state’s first homeless shelter – is without a director because it can’t afford one. John Hope Settlement House is bleeding $30,000 a month. And the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence has laid off a third of its staff.

Stenhouse: Rhode Island Needs to Take More Urgent Steps

Ian Donnis — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:28:46 +0000

As Rhode Island tries to overcome high unemployment, some observers argue that more urgent steps are needed to spark the economy. One of the groups making that argument is a free-market think tank, the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity. The center’s CEO, Mike Stenhouse, stopped by our studio to talk about a proposal to eliminate the sales tax and other issues.

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What Canada knows that RI doesn't

Scott MacKay — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:04:00 +0000

The Boston Globe reported Monday that the Canadian government has established a business accelerator program in Cambridge to help its ``most promising young start-ups tap into the expertise and energy of the growing innovation economy around MIT and, ideally return home with new customers, connections and ideas.’’

As anyone with a pulse is aware, the area around Kendall Square in Cambridge has evolved over the past two decades from a seen-better-days warehouse and manufacturing district into an innovation lodestone.

State Senate Unveils Plan to Boost Economy

Ian Donnis — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:21:04 +0000

The leadership of the state Senate Tuesday unveiled a legislative package of 25 bills meant to improve Rhode Island’s economy.

Heartening News for Rhode Island Economy

Flo Jonic — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:06:11 +0000

Two new reports suggest Rhode Island’s economy is on the rebound.

The Political Roundtable: Woonsocket's Finances & the Gov's Tax Plan

Ian Donnis — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:23:21 +0000

The fight for fiscal stability in Woonsocket and mixed news on Rhode Island's economy. That’s part of the discussion this week on Political Roundtable with guest Woonsocket City Council President John Ward.

Bonus Q+A: Kaplan says RI Needs to Turn its Size Into An Asset

Ian Donnis — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Saul Kaplan, head of the Business Innovation Factory, says Rhode Island has the necessary assets for a thriving economy. Part of the challenge, he says, is transforming the state's small size from an obstacle into a benefit.

Economic Expert says Rhode Islanders Need to Grab Control of Their Own Fate

Ian Donnis — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:27:03 +0000

It’s up to business leaders and other people in Rhode Island, not just lawmakers, to help save the state’s economy.

That’s what economic expert Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution told a lunch gathering of more than 200 people in Providence Tuesday.

Gov. Chafee: RI Taking a Methodical Approach to Improving the Economy

Ian Donnis — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:52:16 +0000

Gov. Lincoln Chafee says the findings in a new report are part of the process of improving Rhode Island’s economy.

The report centers on the state’s business climate and found Rhode Island has made some progress in cutting taxes but they’re still perceived as being a potential roadblock to attracting new business. It also found gaps in funding for start ups.

Chafee says the process is part of what he calls a methodical approach his administration is using to target a better economy.