Jammed up by the Navy

If your remote garage door opener or wireless keypad hasn't been working, the problem may not be in your equipment.

Radio signals coming from the Newport Naval Station's new Enterprise Land Mobile Radio System have been jamming garage doors all over Aquidneck Island. But the problem seems to have spread "way far." Like the 22 miles to my house. My garage remote hasn't been working. I thought it might be dead batteries. But it will apparently be a lot more complicated.

In a just-published piece in the ProJo, the Navy is reportedly suspending use of the system until June 3rd to allow residents enough time to contact their garage door installer to change their equipment. Some installers say they will do the fix for free. The Navy will not change its system to cease being a nuisance, clinging to the motto "The price of liberty is eternal jammed garage doors."

If your system hasn't been working, try it now.  As soon as I read the ProJo piece, I did and both my remote and keypad worked fine. Next, I'll have to call the installer about a permanent fix.

Read it here first: Mageau wants $20,000

A couple days ago, we heard a rumor that former Town Council member Jim Mageau had just sued the town for $20,000.

Actually, what Mageau really did was present the Town with a bill for $20,000 to reimburse him for his cost to defend himself from criminal assault charges rising from his famous altercation with CCA leader Cliff Vanover. Mageau’s claim was filed by one of his lawyers, Lynette Labinger. The claim is not itemized.

RI state law requires municipalities to indemnify town officials for costs that arise from their performance of their official duties. This legal requirement is not only the law, but it’s also fair and practical for municipalities to stand behind people acting on behalf of the town.

It's Official! Amy Weinreich Sworn In

On a much more pleasant note, the Town Council officially appointed Amy Rose Weinreich to be our new Town Clerk. The oath of office was immediately administered by her mentor, recently retired Town Clerk Jodi (Jo Jo) Lecroix.

Click on the arrow at the end of the line, below:
Agenda item 2. Appointment of Amy Rose Weinreich as Town Clerk

Tax Assessor Ken Swain featured in ABC 6 investigation

Tax Assessor Ken Swain was the target of an ABC Channel 6 investigation. The piece features tax assessor work Swain has done for the Dunn's Corner Fire District (in our part of town, we pay taxes to Charlestown and to Dunn's Corner for fire protection).

The only "town official" other than Swain interviewed by ABC 6 was former council member Jim Mageau who had, as we would all expect, harsh words for Swain.

See the video here.

REVIEW: Small Axe Cafe

Small Axe Cafe at the Umbrella Factory (next to Ninigret Park) has breakfast, brunch and lunch from 10-5 Wednesday through Sunday.

My friend Chris and I had lunch at the newly reborn Small Axe Cafe last week. We had the quiche.  While we were eating the waiter/cook came over to our table and asked how we liked it.  We stared at him and nodded reverently while chewing.  We couldn't talk because that would mean putting down the fork and having no quiche for that many seconds. 

With the quiche came a big, fresh Garden-of-Eden salad.  For dessert, a "kolache," which is an anise-scented Czech pastry. And a cup of tea in a Small Axe mug.  All told, about ten bucks each.

The Small Axe Cafe can be found tucked into a twist of verdant path in the secret wonderland known as the Fantastic Umbrella Factory. The cafe is a wooden box of a room, painted soft green here and there, with wood floors, a low ceiling, happy incandescence and  reggaemusic wafting in through the screen door of the gift shop next door.

After the quiche we went out to visit the resident goats and emus. On our way to the gardens a black duck walked up and asked us if we had any snacks. We didn't, so he waddled on.  In the gardens we saw Egyptian papyrus, Irish Moss and coral begonias, reeds and lotus and bright orange coi. The whole place makes you want to tune in, drop out and live off the land.

On Wednesday nights there's music at 6:30. Soon they will have music on Friday nights too.  Superb food and positive Rastaman vibrations for ten bucks. In Charlestown. Sssh. This is a secret. 

By: Regina DeAngelo

A Guide to the Charlestown Citizens Alliance, Part 2: What went wrong?

When the CCA started out as the umbrella for opponents to Jim Mageau’s reign on the Charlestown Town Council (2006-2008), they were a pretty diverse movement. Old Yankees, newcomers, environmentalists and conservationists, hardcore Republicans and life-long Democrats, independents, yuppies, progressives, Shoreline Coalition leaders and average citizens came together to try to stop Mageau from making Charlestown a laughing-stock, if not actually remove him from office.

I almost joined myself, but didn’t because so many CCA leaders came from of the RI Statewide Coalition crowd. RISC’s advocacy for the out-of-state millionaire absentee property owners made their vision for Charlestown was just as unpalatable as Mageau’s antics. But there were many good and decent people in the early CCA and they did this town a great service by forcing Mageau into involuntary political exile.

Think and grow rich: RI's got ten million bucks for developers with brains

A few months ago the U.S. Economic Development Administration announced grants for Rhode Island flood-damaged businesses and business-development enterprises to rebuild with sustainability in mind.

That means the government wants to give money to developers and builders who think before they dig.  How much money?  About ten million dollars. Eligibility includes the state itself, or  any city,  tribe, non-profit or college/university in Rhode Island that has a post-flood redevelopment plan.

To get this money, the entity must present a development or building strategy that includes not just plans for dealing with future floods, but a long-term economic redevelopment strategy.  To a player, you must be a collaborator.  They want to see joint efforts between government and business that result in sustainable economic redevelopment strategies.  If these strategies create jobs in underdeveloped places in the state, you move up a few places in line. If your plan involves ecologically sustainable solutions, you're golden.

According to the grant announcement, "The Economic Adjustment Assistance program can provide a wide range of technical, planning and infrastructure assistance. This program is designed to respond adaptively to pressing economic recovery issues... The average size of an Economic Adjustment Assistance investment in FY 2010 was approximately $550,000, though investments ranged from $100,000 to $1,250,000."

Ten million bucks for Rhode Island innovators with a brains and a conscience. 

Click here for details.

By Regina DeAngelo

Four things to do while waiting for the end of the world

As I prepare this post, we have almost exactly three days left until the world comes to an end, if preacher Harold Camping prediction is correct. [See countdown clock in the right-hand column.] Here are some suggestions on ways to fill your remaining hours:

1.       Visit hundreds of strange places around the world that you will probably never see (even if you’re still around after Saturday).  

2.       Figure out, finally and scientifically, what political classification your beliefs earn you by taking the very cool Pew Research Center’s questionnaire.

3.       Find out exactly how annoying you are. Again using a scientifically designed survey of 20 questions, NPR helps you measure three things about yourself – how picky, arrogant and irritating are you. And then, since it’s NPR, they explain it all.

4.       Buy federal surplus property in Charlestown. The federal government is trying to unload buildings, land and facilities it no longer wants and needs. There are 11 listings for Rhode Island and most of them are in Charlestown. Post-date the check to May 22^nd.

And of course, give your worldly possessions to the CDTC for its “Not the End of the World Tag Sale,” May 28. Donate before May 21^st (it’ll do your soul good) and, if we’re all not dead, we’ll sell you back your stuff one week later.

By: Will Collette

Four Things Coming Up...

Will told us yesterday how the world is scheduled to end on Saturday. Around 6 pm, in fact. In case that doesn't happen as scheduled, here are some items to consider adding to your plans.

• SK Patch.com reminds us that the cost of passes for state beaches will be going up soon. You can beat the increase by purchasing one this weekend but you'll evidently have to go to Misquamicut or Narragansett.
• Next week we have two scheduled information sessions about the proposed beach facilities. Get the details for the Tuesday and Thursday sessions from our calendar and plan to attend one to be prepared to vote on June 6.
• The gigantic "It's Not the End of the World Tag Sale" benefiting the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee will be taking place on May 28 on Old Post Road between Genwood Drive and the Ocean Aire Motel. Check it out or donate some excess valuables.
• And you can't miss the Memorial Day Parade starting at 1 pm on Sunday, May 29 going down Old Post Road from Andross Hardware to near the Charlestown Package Store followed by a ceremony with food at Ninigret Park. Look for me to be marching in it and my father-in-law will be riding in a car proudly wearing his WW II uniform.

Author: Tom Ferrio

Tax the Rich

Our two State Representatives Larry Valencia (D-District 39) and Donna Walsh (D-District 36) are offering a pretty good alternative to raising the sales tax or making more draconian cuts to balance the budget. They propose increasing the state income tax on high earners by 4.1%.

The tax hike would apply to families earning $250,000 or more and individuals with more than $200,000 in income. Larry says that 95% of RI taxpayers would pay no additional tax.

This is Larry Valencia’s bill (Donna is a co-sponsor) which he calls the “95/5 Civic Responsibility Plan” (2011-H 6095). Larry’s campaign manager Robert Malin posted a lot of information on the bill on RI Future. The news release says his bill would reverse the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy.

"It's Not the End of the World Tag Sale" May 28th

Some of you who may have no plans, nor any foreseeable material needs beyond 6 PM, Saturday, May 21st.So here's a practical piece of information.

The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee will be holding a tag sale on the following Saturday, May 28th (such eternal optimists) and would like to take those no longer needed earthly possessions off your hands.

If you are planning to check out on Saturday and have resaleable goods for the CDTC tag sale that you obviously will no longer need - and even if you do plan to stick around, but have goods to donate -  the CDTC would love to have them!

And if things don't work out for you on Saturday the way you planned, we'll be glad to sell you your stuff back on the following Saturday.

Please contact CDTC Treasurer Frank Glista to arrange a pick-up of large amounts of good or drop-off of smaller amounts.

Priorities: Lawns or Ponds

This is a topic that really bothers me. We, rightly, crow loudly about our wonderful salt ponds and freshwater lakes. They are the central defining feature of our lovely community. It's no coincidence that we chose a view of a salt pond for our header photo at Progressive Charlestown.

But then we, individually and as a town, do things to favor personal convenience over the quality of our waters. Many places in the USA where water quality is considered important put restrictions on fertilizer. I'm not a water quality expert but I understand that nitrate restriction is the priority for salt water ponds and phosphate restriction is the priority for freshwater lakes.

Of course there is controversy, whenever government does something that could impact corporate profits (the Koch brothers are probably involved), but a web search on fertilizer restrictions will give you a sense of how states with water resources (Florida, five states around the Great Lakes, even new Jersey) feel about this. This article gives an example. Here is another.

You will be seeing more of this topic on Progressive Charlestown but here is a good article to read, from the South Kingston Patch.com.

Author: Tom Ferrio

Don't make any plans for Sunday

It's rainy, so the mood is right for uncomfortable subjects, like the End of the World. Tom and I may have mentioned this before, but we have it on reputable authority that the End of the World will happen at roughly 6 PM this Saturday, May 21st. Preacher Harold Camping, the owner of the Family Radio Network has carefully calculated the date based on some really interesting numbers that he says he multiplied together to work out the date. Camping is spending a lot of the $120 million in assets his radio network has generated to get the word out.

And right on cue, we had an earthquake right near us at 8:39 PM, Sunday, almost exactly one week before Camping's prediction. That earthquake was detected about 12 miles southwest of Woods Hole and 14 miles west of Vineyard Haven. It registered 2.1 in magnitude, which probably raised a tsunami of about 1.5 inches at Blue Shutters Beach. I think that means something.    

Camping is 89 and I think he is ready to go. But I wonder what will happen with Camping's followers if they wake up Sunday morning and they're all still here. Most of them have sold all their possessions to prepare for the end. Some of them are going to be pretty pissed, although some might be relieved. As for me, I'm gonna just sing along:

Author: Will Collette

A Guide to the Charlestown Citizens Alliance, Part 1

If you "join" the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA), you will get an occasional e-mail that sometimes carries a little information, such as dry descriptions of recent meetings. But mostly, you will get a compilation of anonymous opinions about hot button issues.

The CCA has the right to address issues whatever way they choice, but I find their approach raises questions.

First, why doesn’t the CCA say where it stands, as an organization, on current issues?

Maybe they might feel no need to state a position. After all, they control Charlestown by owning every member of the Planning Commission. Plus, they have a working majority on the Town Council as long as Lisa DiBello stays aligned with them. So for all practical purposes, the CCA is our shadow government.

Bring on the Campers!

Now that the largely out-of-state property owners south of the derelict YMCA camp on Watchaug Pond buffaloed the Town Council into tabling Ted Veazey’s proposed conservation development, what’s next?

Maybe Mr. Veazey will follow Council President Tom Gentz’s suggestion – Solomon-like or chicken-crap, you be the judge – that Veazey go back to the drawing board and try to come up with a new plan that pleases everybody.

Or maybe Mr. Veazey should return with a proposal for an affordable housing plat with cheap homes built on tenth of an acre plots so that they’ll fit right in with the Sonquipaug neighborhood.

Or maybe Mr. Veazey and the YMCA ought to stick with the camp’s original use. I know the Y doesn’t want another camp that will compete with its newer camp on the Pond. But how about a different sort of camp?



William Miller - new neighbor in spirit?



Like a Bible Camp! Just last weekend, the Seventh Day Adventists hosted a gathering of 3,000 young people at its “Courage 2 Shine” Pathfinder Camporee in the Burlingame campgrounds. I know they all must have had a good time because I could hear every word clear as a bell over their very impressive sound system even though I live almost half a mile away.

Plus, according to the Westerly Sun (May 7) they only had two casualties – two teenagers, a boy and a girl, stabbed by a third kid, aged 14. But hey, they didn’t die and I’m sure the kid who stabbed them was just caught up in the heat of the moment.