On Politics

Brown University president Christina Paxson was part of an interesting forum in the Atlantic Monthly’s March edition. The question asked of a group of intellectuals and academic historians was: What day  most changed the course of history?

Ken Burns, the documentary film maker, said it was June 28, 1914, the day Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, which started World War I. Yale history professor Paul Kennedy said  it was the day Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine.

Municipal retirees in Woonsocket are being asked Monday to accept pension and healthcare concessions as part of a five-year plan to improve the city's finances.

City Council President John Ward, a member of a state budget commission, says a freeze in 3 percent annual cost of living adjustments in Woonsocket's local pension plan is part of the proposal.

We remain stuck in the pit of winter, judging by the forecast for the latest in a string of storms. Yet things are already percolating for our next massive political season, so let's get to it. As always, your thoughts, tips, and reactions are welcome at idonnis (at) ripr (dot) org.

The high cost of local government in Rhode Island has forever been an issue. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay wonders why – even in a recession- our little state can’t make progress on consolidating municipal services.

It seemed like a smart and easy way for both Warwick and East Greenwich to save taxpayer money. In 2011, at the depth of the recession, leaders of the two communities got together to see if they could merge fire dispatch services in a way that would incorporate new technologies and save money.