News

Holding a finger to the wind

An energy expert forecasts a blustery day ahead for the region
Across New England, there's currently less than 150 megawatts worth of wind turbines installed and operational. That's small change compared with what's happening in places such as Texas and California. But it's a whole lot more than existed just a few years ago.

By MIKE MILIARD | August 19, 2009

Why wind power blows

Why we shouldn't overload our energy basket with wind eggs
The world is looking for a no-brainer solution to the 21st century's impending energy crisis, and wind power seems to provide many of the right answers.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 19, 2009

Health of a nation

Enough with the 'forums!' Plus, playing politics and sporting news.
Let's just forget about all these dog and pony health care "forums" and face some facts. First and foremost, the main (and, perhaps, only) debate is this: Do you believe that health should be subject to the marketplace?

By PHILLIPE AND JORGE | August 19, 2009

Whole Foods health-care boycott gathers momentum

Human Rights Watch
Unfortunately for Whole Foods Market CEO and founder John Mackey, those who appreciate his store for the healthy, eco-friendly (read: left-leaning, progressive) lifestyle it promotes are the same citizens who support universal health care.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 24, 2009

RI goes DIY at the Maker Faire

Makin' It Work
Kipp Bradford builds things. For commercial clients, he puts together high-end mini-computers and other electronic gizmos. For his friends and himself, anything goes — a sea of LED-lit balloons, sound-activated light displays, circuit boards strung around partygoers necks programmed to "like" and "dislike" each other.

By MARION DAVIS | August 19, 2009

Photos: Stetson Wind in Maine

Images of Stetson Wind
Photos of Stetson Wind in Washington County, Maine

By MIKE MILIARD | August 19, 2009

State House status

In a purportedly liberal state, the Rhode Island General Assembly has a stubbornly conservative bent. But can progressive politics make a dent in 2010?
Rhode Island voters, for all their supposed insularity, are an increasingly progressive bunch.

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | August 12, 2009

RISD's hope-less situation

Outrage over the Alswang 'Resignation.' Plus, too many sad passings
On August 3 it was announced by the Rhode Island School of Design that Hope Alswang had resigned as the director of the RISD Museum. Those who have followed the coverage of this story may be somewhat confused by the revelation that absolutely everyone acknowledged that Alswang was a superlative museum director and that absolutely no one involved in the arts scene at RISD or in the state of Vo Dilun thinks that she voluntarily "resigned." It was said that she loved the job, and the vague announcement that Alswang left to "pursue other opportunities" sounds as suspicious as elected officials dropping out of election campaigns to "spend more time with their families."

By PHILLIPE & JORGE | August 12, 2009

Candy for your sins

Confessions Dept.
Confessionals aren't just for holy rollers anymore. They are for everyman, according to Melissa Joy, creator of the Truth Booth — a wandering tent designed to collect secrets.

By ABIGAIL CROCKER | August 12, 2009

Knowledge in a flash

Ingenuity
Jake Rolan sat at Starbucks on Thayer Street one day last month, busy on both his laptop and iPhone, seemingly no different from the other students who had carved out an itinerant workspace there, cursing out the wireless network that seemed to fade in and out.

By RICHARD ASINOF | August 12, 2009

Trucking along with the Mobile Art Project

Street Art
When the Hera Gallery left its customary perch on Main Street in Wakefield last fall for a time, artist and curator Viera Levitt started thinking of ways to bring art back to the heart of South County. She struck upon the idea of the Mobile Art Project and this week it's hitting the road with stops in West Kingston, Peace Dale, and Providence.

By GREG COOK | August 12, 2009

Lynch's bumpy road

Nothing unusual here
There is nothing all that unusual about Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch's now well-publicized travels to New Orleans, San Francisco, and other far-flung locales. Just the networking and fundraising forays of a pol gearing up for a gubernatorial run.

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | August 05, 2009

The Wat Misaka story

Making a rebound
He only played three games and scored seven points in the 1947-48 season, but Wataru Misaka's story is netted, slammed, and sealed in NBA history. The 5'7" Japanese-American was the New York Knicks' first-round draft pick and the first non-white basketball player in the NBA.

By ABIGAIL CROCKER | August 05, 2009

Magnificent machines

Inside AS220's Fab Lab
A machine that can make everything. It's been the stuff of science fiction for decades. But now, it's a reality. In fact, there's one in Providence.

By CHRISTOPHER COLLINS | August 05, 2009

Gubernatorial agonistes

Caprio makes a big move. Plus, reasons to block the LNG terminal
On Tuesday, WRNI political reporter and former Phoenix news editor and master of the Casa Diablo elbow bend, Ian Donnis, broke the news that veteran political communications specialist, Bill Fischer, head ramrod at True North Communications, had signed on as spokesman for the State Treasurer Frank Caprio's gubernatorial campaign committee.

By PHILLIPE & JORGE | August 05, 2009

Interview: Jim Langevin

This Just In
Rhode Island Congressman Jim Langevin has been in the news of late.

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | July 29, 2009

Reeling

Get ready for RIIFF's 13th Filmapalooza
If the Rhode Island International Film Festival were a monster movie, it would be something like The Blob That Engulfed Delaware . Like its dozen predecessors, the 13th annual event will be taking over the state.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | July 29, 2009

Tricycles, boob cubes, and all things Woolly

Freewheeling
The Woolly Fair, the annual art bash at Monohasset Mill, has quite the reputation.

By ABIGAIL CROCKER | July 30, 2009

More fun in Nawt Prov

Tales of Ebay Cholly. Plus, our sorry state, kissing cops, and the GOP.
Sal Mancini would be proud.

By PHILLIPE AND JORGE | July 29, 2009

Personal fouls

ESPN's odd double standard on sex
The biggest story in sports media last week was the discovery of surreptitiously shot nude-video footage of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, whose comeliness has made her a favorite — and sometimes a fetish — of the online sports commentariat.

By ADAM REILLY | July 29, 2009