She beat second-place finisher and political newcomer, Democrat Jill Fonnemann, by only 42 votes, . Jill was my choice and I hope she well try again next year after this strong showing in her first election campaign.
I had expected this election to draw fewer than 1000 voters, but to my surprise that 1,459 Charlestown residents turned out. Still, that's far fewer than the number who typically vote in general elections.
More than 60% of them cast their votes against the CCA so Van Slyke returns with no mandate.
Republican Laura Rom ran a distant third with less than a quarter of the vote. That's pretty much in line with the way elections in 2025 have turned out for Republicans nationwide.
Scientists warn half the world’s beaches could disappear
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Photo by Will Collette
Coastlines around the planet are being steadily
"crushed" as climate-driven sea level rise combines with expanding
development in coastal zones. This ongoing process damages the diverse life
that depends on sandy environments, disrupts local economies that rely on
fishing and tourism, and leaves coastal cities more exposed to encroaching
waters.
The concern was raised by Uruguayan marine scientist Omar
Defeo, a professor at Uruguay's University of the Republic (UdelaR), during the
opening sessions of the FAPESP Day Uruguay symposium, which began on November
13 in Montevideo.
"Almost half of the beaches will disappear by the end
of the century. We in Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina share these resources.
Therefore, we must work in partnership with Brazilian scientists to manage and
conserve coastal ecosystems," Defeo said.
Leading Autism and Disability Organizations Statement on
CDC’s Vaccines and Autism Page
As national organizations dedicated to advancing the
well-being of autistic individuals and partners across the disability and
public health sectors, we are deeply disappointed by the latest update to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website on autism and
vaccines.
The website now states: “‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is
not an evidence-based claim.” This is false. Nearly three decades of scientific
research, consisting of dozens of high-quality studies conducted around the
world, surveying millions of people, has repeatedly confirmed there is no
causal link between vaccines and autism. The limited studies that have
suggested otherwise have not been reproducible and are consistently found to
contain methodological flaws and, in some cases, have outright falsified evidence.
CDC has been the primary source of reliable public health
and medical information in the country, if not the world. Last week’s actions
will likely confuse the public, and especially parents, who seek to protect
their children from infectious diseases and chronic conditions that those
diseases may cause.
The choice to invest further resources in search of a link
between autism and vaccines detracts from the current wishes and needs of the
autism community. There are dozens of potential research topics that could
inspire hundreds of projects focused on community needs, personalized health
care, and services that could benefit from funding.
Under Art. 92 of the UCMJ,
members have a duty to obey all lawful commands, and they have a parallel duty
to disobey all unlawful commands. Obeying
a manifestly illegal order, like an order to target civilians, can expose a
service member to criminal liability.
The Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals established the principle that "I was just following orders" is NOT an excuse
The duty to disobey manifestly illegal orders is
a cornerstone of international law, with foundations in Nazi-related post-WWII
trials like Nuremberg. Orders of such nature that their unlawfulness is
clear and obvious, such as an order to target unarmed civilians, are
considered manifestly
illegal.
Trump, Hegseth are issuing manifestly illegal orders to
murder civilians
Trump has ordered the summary
execution of at least 83 people so far in suspected drug-trafficking
boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump and Hegseth call these
targets ‘narco-terrorists’ because they think that means they can treat them as
enemy combatants in a war that does not exist.
The international condemnation of Trump’s campaign in South
America is growing, along with global
accusations of murderthat would be louder if Trump weren’t
threatening foreign leaders with erratic tariffs. Formerly strong
US allies, including the UK, Colombia, and the Netherlands, have either refused
or suspended related intelligence sharingwith
the US because of the illegal strikes. Military support groups are starting to
talk in earnest, offering counseling
and advice on what to do when faced with illegal order situations.
The Charlestown Gallery invites you to join us for the
Annual Charlestown Holiday Ramble on Friday, December 5th from 3pm to 9pm and
Saturday, December 6th between 10am and 7pm. You can find us at 5000
South County Trail in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
We have collected over 100 original art works priced at $500
and below for this event. You will not be disappointed. Friday night
raffle 50% off one original work of your choice (limit applies) and Saturday
night raffle 1 free workshop of your choice. Sip a hot beverage and
mingle while you tackle some holiday shopping. Exquisite original paintings,
sculptures, furniture, books, ornaments, jewelry, and pottery will make
memorable gifts. You might even find something for yourself if you
dare.
Chef Bryan Chavez Food Truck Curbside Creperie will be on
site Friday and his Farm to Sandwich Truck on Saturday. Gather around the
fire pit while you meet the artists and your Charlestown neighbors while
supporting small local artists and businesses this holiday season. Make a
lasting difference in our community.
The US Congressional Progressive Caucus on Friday accused
President Donald
Trump of “flagrantly interfering” in Honduras’ upcoming
presidential election after Trump announced his endorsement of right-wing candidate
Nasry “Tito” Asfura and repeated threats he’s made previously ahead of other
electoral contests in which he sought to secure a conservative win.
On the social media platform
X, Trump warned that only a victory for former Tegucigalpa
Mayor Asfura and the National Party in Sunday’s election will allow Honduras
and the US to “fight the Narcocommunists, and bring needed aid to the people”
of the Central American country.
He accused Asfura’s opponents—former finance and defense
minister Rixi Moncada of the left-wing Liberty and Refoundation (Libre) Party,
which is now in power, and sportscaster Salvador Nasralla of the centrist
Liberal Party—of being communists and said Nasralla is running as a spoiler in
order to split the vote and weaken Asfura.
State-sponsored terrorism
He added that a loss for the
right-wing candidate would allow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “and his
Narcoterrorists [to] take over another country like they have taken over Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.”
The president also wrote on his social media platform, Truth
Social, that “if [Asfura] doesn’t win, the US will not be throwing good money
after bad,” repeating a comment he made during
New York City’s mayoral election in which he urged voters to reject progressive
candidate Zohran
Mamdani or risk losing federal aid for the city. Trump also offeredArgentina a $40
billion bailout if
voters elected his ally, Javier Milei, earlier this year.
War crimes or just plain old murder - why the US military needed reminding about the duty to not follow illegal orders
Under President Xiomara Castro, the Libre Party’s government
has invested in hospitals and education, and has made
strides in halting the privatization of
the country’s electricity system, Drop Site News reported.
The poverty rate
has also been reduced by about 13% since Castro took office in 2021, although,
as the outlet reported, some rights advocates have criticized Castro’s
government for keeping “many of her predecessor’s militarized policies in
place, despite her commitment to implement a more community-minded strategy.”
Trump added in his social media post that he was issuing
a pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando
Hernández, who represented the National Party and is currently serving a
45-year prison sentence in the US.
He was convicted of working with drug
traffickers who paid bribes to ensure more than 400 tons of cocaine were sent
to the US. The pardon was announced as Trump continues his threats against Venezuela, which he has
accused of trafficking drugs to the US.
On Tuesday, please support
Democrat Jill Fonneman for Charlestown Town Council
By Will Collette
Well, another day and another huge postcard from former Council member and Charlestown Citizens Alliance
spokes-troll Bonnita Van Slyke. Maybe before Election Day on Tuesday, she’ll
send us a real poster-sized card featuring her and her dog Sam.
I know that Sam is a very
good boy. I also know Bonnie was crap as a former town council member. She
bailed from the Council in 2022 just before the CCA got ousted by Charlestown
voters for messing up the town’s money but now she wants back onto the Council.
Charlestown’s money problems during
the decade of CCA rule, which included Van Slyke’s entire term on the Town
Council, were documented by 2022 reports by the Rhode
Island Auditor Generaland the Rhode
Island Public Expenditure Council. These reports were never
acknowledged by the CCA. Click HERE
and HERE
for more details.
I have been calling for Van
Slyke to own up to her mistakes and then apologize. Instead, she produces these
expensive postcards filled with platitudes and vague promises about
environmental issues where there is no fundamental difference between her and her
opponents.
Vote for Jill Fonnemann (D). She also has a dog plus far better ideas than her competitors
I don’t expect her to dump
ashes on her head and prostrate herself in front of Town Hall. But I do expect
her to stop telling fairy tales about the way the CCA mismanaged Charlestown’s
tax dollars and then tried to cover it up.
My choice for Council is Democrat
Jill Fonneman who has been forthright about taking on Charlestown’s
issues and pledges to work hard for fair taxation and trying to revitalize our
blighted small business landscape. I blame the CCA’s business-hostile approach
for our Boulevard of Broken Dreams (thank you, Green Day), better known
as Route One where there are more shuttered businesses than growing concerns.
Boarded up derelict
businesses are not compatible with Route One’s status as a Scenic Highway. Jill
wants to see Charlestown make a concerted effort to turn this around.
Jill brings youth and solid
business experience in boosting the Rathskeller’s success as well as
fund-raising events to boost local charities and to assist the workers after
the devastating fire at the Matunuck Oyster Bar. See video below.
Van Slyke brings nothing to
the table but her awful past performance on the Council where she was the
puppet of Charlestown Planning Commissar Ruth Platner. Van Slyke simply recites
the tired old Platner-tudes about open space Über alles. If you
think about it, a vote for Van Slyke is really a vote for her master Ruth
Platner.
There’s no point in talking
about mail-in or early voting since Monday and Tuesday are the last days to
cast ballots. Now is the time to make your decision about whether you want to
move forward with Jill Fonneman or take a big step backwards with Van Slyke.
Voting on December 2
(Tuesday) will take place ONLY at Town Hall from 7 AM to 8 PM.
