Tagged: economy

By CATHERINE WELCH

PROVIDENCE, RI – Rhode Island's unemployment rate has been in the double digits for two years now, with the latest numbers showing that it crept up in November.

Many of these jobless Rhode Islanders are moms and dads whose struggle is playing out in the state's Family Court.

By FLO JONIC

PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Lincoln Chafee joined with officials from four other New England states in calling on Congress to fund the low income heating assistance program.

In a conference call with elected officials from Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts, Chafee said providing heating assistance is cheaper than lodging people in nursing homes, which would be the alternative for some people.

By BRADLEY CAMPBELL

PROVIDENCE, RI – Occupy Providence Protesters say they plan to temporarily move their tents to allow maintenance work at Burnside Park. The agreement between protesters and the city is in stark contrast to some other Occupy movements, now facing removal by force.

By FLO JONIC

PROVIDENCE, RI – Providence mayor Angel Taveras is joining with preservationists to announce steps to save a bank facade on Weybosset Street. The bank was torn down six years ago but the facade was left in place to be incorporated into a high rise that became a victim of the recession.

By IAN DONNIS

PROVIDENCE, RI – Leaders of Rhode Island cities and towns will be making their case to the General Assembly's joint Finance Committee on what they need from the proposed pension overhaul plan.

There are 36 locally managed pension plans in 24 different communities. Many of them have just a small percentage of the money needed to meet their long-term commitments.

The mayors of Providence, Cranston, and other municipal officials say they need more state help to make their pensions solid.

By FLO JONIC

PROVIDENCE, RI – Testimony at Wednesday's public hearing on proposed pension overhaul pit organized labor against small business. Hundreds of people crowded the state house for the first of three public hearings on a bill that would scale back public employee pension benefits in an effort to return the plan to solvency.

By SCOTT MACKAY

By FLO JONIC

PROVIDENCE, RI – Providence police have no plans to evict the roughly 100 members of Occupy Providence camping out in a downtown park.

Participants say they have a good relationship with city police despite the fact that they're occupying Burnside Park without a permit.

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare visited the park Monday morning, says Occupy' organizer Amanda Magee.

By CATHERINE WELCH

PROVIDENCE, RI – RIPTA board member Margaret Holland McDuff says public outcry played a huge role in making sure services weren't part of the public transit system's budget cuts. McDuff says the RIPTA board voted to spare service cuts--although the time between bus arrivals will increase.

RIPTA had been looking at cutting night service after 10 pm or eliminating dozens of routes as a way to close a nearly $5 million budget shortfall. But McDuff says rider protests to those cuts were heard loud and clear.

By IAN DONNIS

PROVIDENCE, RI – More bad news on municipal pensions and the woes of State Representative Dan Gordon. That's part of the discussion this week on Political Roundtable. This week's special guest: Cranston Mayor Allan Fung.

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