In many ways, the recent grand opening of Tockwotton on the Waterfront serves as a pivotal moment for East Providence. Originally announced in 2004, this facility was among one of the initial projects intended for construction within the City’s newly formed Waterfront District.   Fortunately, the officials of Tockwotton shared our vision of capitalizing on this incredibly underutilized asset for the City.  Now that the project is complete, it has been an impetus for further undertakings which are presently taking hold in the District south of US 195.  In fact, there has been an almost …

  Established in 2004 by special state-approved enabling legislation, the East Providence Waterfront Commission’s overarching goal has been to facilitate the transformation of the East Providence waterfront into a model of urban revitalization. Nearly 10 years later, the Commission has demonstrated a proven track record of promoting a variety of economic development activities that have made substantial impacts to our City. First, from a residential perspective, the Ross Commons project in Rumford is a wonderful story of “smart growth”; second, in terms of commercial activity, the Commission …

In 2008 during the election period, I was taking a general philosophy class at Springfield College. My professor is a male feminist; even though he is a philosopher, he had originally gone to college for political science before changing majors. With that being said, most of our philosophy class circled around women and politics.   We watched footage of election issues surrounding Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and John McCain. One of the topics brought up in class was how the women like Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton were treated in the election. Hillary was constantly being …

To the editor, This week approximately 1,600 envelopes were mailed to East Providence businesses with a $25 invoice from the City of East Providence for a business registration fee. The business registration ordinance was recently approved by the city council on February 28. The fee and a notarized registration form must be returned to the City by April 1, 2012 with a fine of $25/day for each day that it is not returned by the deadline. The East Providence Area Chamber of Commerce phones started ringing as soon as the envelopes started arriving in the mail. Laura McNamara, the chamber’s …

Dear Governor Chafee: Recently, the state budget commission appointed to the city of East Providence has decided to deprive our students and community of the ability to participate in middle school sports. Although I fully understand the difficult job the commission must undertake, I fear this move will have dire effects on our students’ educational experience and will serve to erode our sense ofcommunity. On Feb. 23, hundreds of East Providence residents joined with our youth to voice their objections to the elimination of middle school sports. It was touching to witness the confidence and …

To the citizens of East Providence, Senate District 18: I have been very proud to serve the city of East Providence for the last four years as your State Senator, so it is with great gratitude and a bit of sorrow that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the 2012 Rhode Island Senate. Through your efforts I was fortunate to serve two terms, representing District 18, with outstanding Senators throughout our State and a legislative staff at the State House we all should be proud of. Since my election in 2008, I have been working on behalf of myconstituents to improve conditions in the …

This letter was submitted to state representatives by Chrissy Rossi, a school committee member. Dear Representative Helio Melo, Representative Bob DaSilva, Representative Jack Savage, Senator Frank DeVall Jr. and Senator Daniel Da Ponte,I am writing to you on behalf of the children of East Providence who are about to lose their Middle School Sports Programs.The Budget Commission has line item cut Middle School Sports right out of our budget. Not only does this decision contradict Chapter 16-2-9 of the General Laws of The State of RI but, it will directly and adversely impact over 400 children…

To the editor, I would like to announce a change in our government, our new official name is “The Oligarchy of East Providence” and our new motto is “O’Keefe’s Pride." If you don’t like this, it’s my fault and it’s your fault as well. Unfortunately we have two types of unhelpful citizens in this town, the first being the group that I allowed myself to fall in. I used to be more involved in the community and politics but I became complacent and somewhat numb, I let my community fall into this state because as a citizen I (and many others) did not raise my voice. The other group is the kind …

To the editor, I had no intention of taking the health benefits provided to council members by the City of East Providence. Unfortunately, shortly after taking office, I was dropped by my insurance carrier because of the fact that benefits were offered to me through another employer [the City of East Providence]. Being a young adult and recent college grad, I sympathize with my peers who may find themselves in a similar situation, or worse, entirely without coverage. You can read more about health care changes for adults 26 and under, and other details of the Affordable Care Act. Katie …

To the Editor, At the most recent School Committee meeting, Mr. Sweeney from B&E Consulting presented recommendations to the committee. Mr. Sweeney recommended eliminating middle school sports comparing them to community sports such as “AYSO”. It is not the same thing; in fact, as a middle school girls’ soccer coach, I spend most of my season undoing a lot of what I call “AYSO mentality”.  AYSO is valuable in its own right, but it does not serve the same function as Middle School Soccer. The three concepts AYSO focuses on is sport fundamentals, fun, and everyone plays. Middle School sports go…

Letter to the editor, On behalf of Riverside Middle School, I would like to invite parents and community members for apresentation of Rachel’s Challenge on Thursday, Jan. 19 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the The Hurley Auditorium at Riverside Middle School. Rachel’s Challenge is a program created by the parents of Rachel Joy Scott who was the first victim of the Columbine High School tragedy. Rachel left behind an amazing legacy and a simple challenge to anyone who will accept it - treat others with kindness and compassion and you just may change the world you live in. We feel that Rachel’s message is …

To the editor: I would like to suggest to all the residents of East Providence to take a little time this year to make a New Year’s Resolution when reflecting on decisions made by our current city council. This council has had a very difficult year. It has been difficult, not because of our actions on the council. On the contrary - we have been trying hard to make this city better under the scrutiny of those who have their own agenda. Remember the school days of stop, look and listen? I think we should all remember this when questioning the council's decisions. Take time to stop and read the …

Editor's note: This is a version of the letter read to members of the East Providence Housing Authority and its Board of Commissioners at the meeting held Thursday, Jan. 5. I was angry to hear that our mayor chose to appoint an individual to the Board of Commissioners privately instead of at the council meeting. The mayor had the opportunity to make his appointment at the Dec. 20 council meeting instead of on Dec. 22 in the city clerk's office. This is the first time a mayor has made this decision in the past three years, according to the city clerk. I requested additional research, however …

To the editor, From last minute shopping trips to holiday parties and family gatherings, the holiday season is often a stressful time for parents. But for children with autism spectrum disorder who rely on structure and routine, the hustle and bustle of the holidays can be extremely unsettling, according to experts from Bradley Hospital. This is particularly true for children who also have sensory processing issues and may be overwhelmed by the overabundance of lights, sights, sounds and smells during the holidays. This distress can often impact the entire family.  “Maintaining the current …

To the editor, Imagine being an American, living in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey. You have a job, a well-paying one, but there's a hitch: you're a drug addict and the 300 Oxycontin pills you smuggled from home, hoping to wean yourself off them, are long gone. And you need a fix. You convince a friend from home to Fedex you some pills. As you approach the Fedex office, you notice two armed police officers inside and three Fedex workers standing near a package that's been opened and closed back up again with yellow tape. You know that's your package. Outside the office, scenes from "…

To the editor: I worked at East Providence High School (EPHS) for 14 years before retiring and the school is just like thosepictures or worse. Every year, staff had to sign a paper stating we were aware that we were working in a building that had asbestos. The building has so many problems it does need to be closed. But there is no way to house the number of students that are trying to obtain an education in these conditions, and the staff trying to make a living there.  The problem lies with many administrators and school committees, past and present, that have turned a "blind eye" to the …

To the editor: Tip-off for the fifth annual girls basketball alumni game will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 at East Providence High School. This is the fifth consecutive year the Girls Basketball team has held this event, and continues to be one of the team's major fundraisers throughout the season. The game features former Townie players re-living the "glory days" against this year's current varsity squad. The game will be three periods, with two officials, a three-point shooting contest, as well as a raffle to help raise funds for the team to participate in CCRI's summer league this …

Rhode Island Pop Warner Champions met Connecticut Pop Warner Champions in Middletown for the second round of Regional Playoffs. EP Jr Townies Jr PeeWee Team played a tough game finishing regulation time tied 0–0. EP Jr Townies lost in overtime 6-7. The winner of the Regional Finals will move onto National Competition at Disney in Orlando, Florida the first week of December.  Join us Monday, Nov. 21, for Monday Night Football at the Comedy Connection to support the East Providence Jr. Townies Travel Fund! Come watch the Patriots on our 135" HD TV Screen and other TV's with some friends! We …

Sometimes in the most desperate of circumstances we show our true colors. As a community, what do some of the proposals for balancing our budget say about who we really are? Proposals ranged from a devastating plan to cut community libraries to mentions of middle school sports and other valuable programs. Our libraries are one of the closest things we have to community hubs, a meeting ground for the community to come together, a place for those with limited access at home to have access to reading materials, video and the internet. The community libraries reflect the community and citizens …

To the editor, The East Providence Jr. Townies need your help! In the first year of our organization, the combined East Providence Mohawks and Riverside Raiders have put their new name on the map. This past Sunday, The East Providence Jr. Townies Jr. Pee-Wee's defeated the Middletown Islanders, and the Jr. Midget's defeated the Edgewood Eagles for the 2011 Rhode Island State Championship title. The Jr. Pee-Wee's had an impressive season going 12-0 with only two touchdowns allowed. The Jr. Midget's were equally impressive with a record of 11-0-1. Right now, both teams are only two games away …