From the gov's office:

Today at the netWORKri One-Stop Career Center in West Warwick, Governor Donald L. Carcieri announced the Industry Skills Development Initiative, a $3.3 million collaboration among public agencies and private industry designed to raise the skill levels of Rhode Island workers in strategically

State Senator Josh Miller is rasing concerns about the wind farm project announced by Governor Carcieri last week.

“While the General Assembly has fully supported developing renewable energy projects in Rhode Island, I am concerned that Governor Carcieri has unilaterally moved Deepwater Wind to the front of the line when major questions remain about their experience and background.

While the Providence Journal routinely reports on layoffs at other companies, it has yet to report on its own forthcoming axing of 30 news employees, which is due to take effect October 10.

These economic layoffs are thought to be the first in the paper's lengthy history. As a result, the ProJo's "In Her Shoes" women's initiative is said to be on hold, and there is talk -- unconfirmed at this point -- that the paper may close its remaining bureaus in Rhode Island.

One wonders how the fiscal crisis will hurt small businesses in Rhode Island. The cause seems unrelated in this instance, though, and the BDH has the story of how the venerable sex shop is history.

A locked door, a dark, almost bare interior and a large sign reading "Space for Lease" in red letters. Today, that's all that greets visitors and customers to what was once Wickenden Street's popular sex store, Miko Exoticwear.

The estimable Fund for Community Progress has a benefit set for Thursday in which former ProJo political columnist M. Charles Bakst will be roasted.

This year’s roast is Thursday, October 2, at OUR NEW LOCATION:

The Radisson Airport Hotel, Warwick, RI.

The roast theme is: Salute to the Independent Man

Dean Starkman, a one-time ace scribe on Fountain Street, has an early post-mortem on the role played by the business press in our current fiscal crisis.

Some excerpts:

For the business press, there are only two options when considering what has happened here, neither particularly good. Either the business press institutionally provided appropriate arms-length scrutiny of the financial-services industry, including investigative work, opinion, analysis and rigorous beat reporting that provided decision-makers, including readers, with fair warnings of the coming collapse, and it was ignored, or it didn’t do the work in the first place.

When it comes to the Red Sox getting far in the post-season, it doesn't inspire confidence that J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, and Josh Beckett are ailing.

Then again, says Mazz:

It's worth noting that in Beckett's 27 starts this season, the Red Sox actually had a losing record (13-14). Behind Lester (22-11) and Matsuzaka (23-6), the Sox were a stunning 45-17.

Action Speaks!, the compelling annual discussion series at AS220, returns this Wednesday (5:30-7), with a focus on race in America. The first installment this season will examine this event from 1910:

Racist biologist Charles Davenport creates the Eugenic Record Office at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

With the ProJo bleeding news jobs, blogs and bloggers have a more important role to play in Rhode Island.

Yesterday's Sunday ProJo had some good stories, including Jennifer Jordan's report on the state's shrinking support for higher education and Mike Stanton's dispatch on John Cicilline and his $75,000 bad check

Former Bill Clinton adviser Dick Morris, who is credited with helping to introduce "triangulation" into the political lexicon, will be the special guest during a fundraiser this evening (6:30 pm, Westerly Yacht Club) for Mark Zaccaria, US Representative Jim Langevin's Republican opponent.

In writing a few years ago about the shrinking commitment of TV news to political coverage, I noted this prevalent belief in the broadcasting community:

"If we had five minutes of politics at six o'clock consistently for one year, our ratings would plummet and we'd go out of business," says a Providence TV reporter, who asked to not be identified.

A local bright spot amid all the bleak economic news is the growth of RISD and its potential as a creative and economic incubator.

Tomorrow marks the grand opening of the art school's new $34 million Chace Center, which Greg Cook describes in this week's Phoenix. Peter Kadzis puts it in context.

As part of the same package, I talk with John Maeda, RISD's impressive new president.

Saul Kaplan of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and Andrew Dzykewicz, the governor's energy czar, join Tim White, Arlene Violet and myself to talk about the planned off-shore wind farm and related topics. The show will be broadcast Sunday, at 5:30 am on Channel 12, and at 10 am on Fox 64.

Also joining us is Christine Lopes, the departing head of Common Cause of Rhode Island.

Beth made a post at the Dose yesterday about an anti-drug war event at Brown:

The Brown University chapter of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy ( SSDP) sponsored a lecture last night featuring Jeffrey A. Miron, libertarian economist and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard University. Mr. Miron is the author of Drug War Crimes: The Consequences of Prohibition; his particular focus last night was contrasting the libertarian approach (complete legalization of all drugs) with that of liberals (some marijuana is okay sometimes, but the other stuff should be controlled).