‘Machinal’ opens URI theatre department’s diverse season
It all adds up
By Tom Dinki, University at Buffalo Department of Chemistry
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The good news: Most of the tested chemicals’ individual
cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity levels were relatively low.
The bad news: The chemicals acted together to make the
entire mixture toxic.
Top Execs Exit Trump Media Amid Allegations of CEO’s Mismanagement and Retaliation
by Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica
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Several people involved with Trump Media believe the ousters are retaliation following what they describe as an anonymous “whistleblower” complaint regarding Nunes that went to the company’s board of directors.
The chief operating officer and chief product officer have left the company, along with at least two lower-level staffers, according to interviews, social media posts and communications between former staffers reviewed by ProPublica. The company, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, disclosed the departure of the chief operating officer in a securities filing Thursday afternoon.
ProPublica has not seen the whistleblower complaint. But several people with knowledge of the company said the concerns revolve around alleged mismanagement by Nunes. One person said they include allegations of misuse of funds, hiring of foreign contractors and interfering with product development.
“This story is the fifth consecutive piece in an increasingly absurd campaign by ProPublica, likely at the behest of political interest groups, to damage TMTG based on false and defamatory allegations and vague innuendo,” the statement said, adding that “TMTG strictly adheres to all laws and applicable regulations.”
Not needed and not worth the risk and expense
By Ruth S. Taylor, Rhode Island Current
In fact, Rhode Island has always been very particular about the language in its governing documents and has found it difficult to come to consensus. Once we manage to adopt something, we become pretty invested in not changing it.
Consider Rhode Island’s original European settlers, who were free thinkers who had trouble aggregating. They settled in Providence, Warwick and in two places on Aquidneck Island establishing separate communities with their own governing authorities.
But pressure from adjoining colonies, which both rejected notions of religious tolerance and wanted Rhode Island’s resource-rich landscape, encouraged the groups to come together and to get from King Charles II a document which codified the ways they had chosen to live, most particularly, with freedom from governmental stipulations about religion.
The resulting charter took a trip to England and 17 years to get right before it was adopted in 1663. It created the unified colony of Rhode Island and was our central governing document through the Revolution and Independence. The charter includes both standard boilerplate for such documents in the 17th century, and very specific language about religious freedom, written by Rhode Islanders.
We liked our charter so much that we were reluctant to endorse the new, U.S. Constitution, and were the last new state to do so in 1790.
Of course, that was not the end of it.
Rhode Island historians love to tell the story of the Dorr Rebellion, so I will keep it short. In the 19th century, the State of Rhode Island was still using the ancient charter as its state constitution. Thomas Wilson Dorr, a lawyer and politician, wanted to expand voting rights. He gathered followers, wrote a new constitution and ultimately provoked an armed rebellion against the state. This effort failed to replace the government, but it did force a constitutional convention, and a new state constitution, in 1842.
It took a big push to make a change.
We have made amendments to our constitution since, and regularly tweak the laws it oversees, but the last real rewrite was during a constitutional convention in 1986. Once every 100+ years or so, it seems, we become willing to come together to manage big change.
We are not even halfway through that timeline this year. So it does not surprise me at all that while the citizens of Rhode Island have the right to call for a convention, many oppose it.
Psychological projection is a behavior known in psychology
as a defense mechanism. It’s an unconscious way of coping with emotional
conflict and discomfort, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). When
someone engages in projection, they attribute their own behaviors, emotions,
characteristics, or impulses to another person or group without realizing
it.
Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home tests.
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Tests with a Longer Shelf Life
Many COVID-19 tests have extended expiration dates, so
you may be able to use your COVID-19 tests after the expiration date that is
printed on the box. To find out if your test has an extended expiration date,
check the FDA’s list of extended expiration dates.
About At-home COVID Tests
The tests available for order:
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Multiple artist studios and locations in Hopkinton, Rhode Island.
October 19 and 20, 2024, 10 AM to 4PM.
Explore the studios of local artists in the fall weather of
southern Rhode Island.
Over 20 artists will be at various locations within close driving distance.
This is an amazing event for all ages where you can see the artists’
studios, talk to them about how they make their art, and purchase their handmade items.
NO Sales Tax!
New Motion Presents Most Detailed Case Yet Against Trump for Insurrection Crimes
Brett Wilkins for Common Dreams
Smith's sprawling and highly anticipated 165-page motion—which was partly unsealed
Wednesday by presiding U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan—states that Trump
"asserts that he is immune from prosecution for his criminal scheme to
overturn the 2020 presidential election because, he claims, it entailed official
conduct. Not so."
Trump—who in August 2023 was charged with
conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official
proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and
conspiracy against rights—contends that his actions were taken in his official
capacity as president and not as a private individual.
In July, the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing
justices—including three Trump appointees—ruled that the
ex-president is entitled to "absolute immunity" for "official
acts" taken while he was in office, raising questions about the future of
this case. According to Smith's motion:
Although the defendant was the incumbent president during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one. Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as president, had no official role.
In Trump v. United States... the Supreme Court held that presidents are immune from prosecution for certain official conduct—including the defendant's use of the Justice Department in furtherance of his scheme, as was alleged in the original indictment—and remanded to this court to determine whether the remaining allegations against the defendant are immunized.
The answer to that question is no. This motion provides a comprehensive account of the defendant's private criminal conduct; sets forth the legal framework created by Trump for resolving immunity claims; applies that framework to establish that none of the defendant's charged conduct is immunized because it either was unofficial or any presumptive immunity is rebutted; and requests the relief the government seeks, which is, at bottom, this: that the court determine that the defendant must stand trial for his private crimes as would any other citizen.
Smith's filing details what Trump told various people in his
inner circle, including then-Vice President Mike Pence, his now-disgraced
and twice-disbarred lawyer
Rudy Giuliani, and leading White House and Republican Party figures—some of
whose names remain undisclosed.
The motion also highlights Trump's actions on January 6,
2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop
Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. Trump
is still pushing his "Big Lie" that Democrats stole the 2020
election; his running mate, U.S. Sen. J D Vance (R-Ohio), on Tuesday refused to acknowledge that
Trump lost to Biden when he was asked about the election during a vice
presidential debate against Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim
Walz.
"Upon receiving a phone call alerting him that Pence
had been taken to a secure location, [PERSON 15] rushed to the dining room to
inform [Trump] in hopes that the defendant would take action to ensure Pence's
safety," the filing states. "Instead, after [P15] delivered the news,
the defendant looked at him and said only, 'So what?'"
Smith argued that deceit was central to Trump's efforts,
specifically, "the defendant's and co-conspirators' knowingly false claims
of election fraud," which they used to purvey the Big Lie.
The motion states:
When the defendant lost the 2020 presidential election, he resorted to crimes to try to stay in office. With private co-conspirators, the defendant launched a series of increasingly desperate plans to overturn the legitimate election results in seven states that he had lost—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (the "targeted states"). His efforts included lying to state officials in order to induce them to ignore true vote counts; manufacturing fraudulent electoral votes in the targeted states; attempting to enlist Pence, in his role as president of the Senate, to obstruct Congress' certification of the election by using the defendant's fraudulent electoral votes; and when all else had failed, on January 6, 2021, directing an angry crowd of supporters to the United States Capitol to obstruct the congressional certification.
The CRU has been cleaning up the CCA's mess – and it’s working
By Will Collette
 |
| This is how the CCA managed Charlestown's money |
There was the “$3 million Oopsie,” the misallocation of almost 10% of the town’s budget that went unnoticed for almost 2 years. There was the 2022 RI Public Expenditure Council report that showed Charlestown’s administrative costs were the highest in Rhode Island.
While the CCA now claims that none of this happened, that’s classic CCA b.s. Plus, says CCA resident genius and Town Council candidate Bonnita Van Slyke, why hasn’t the new majority from Charlestown Residents United (CRU) fixed these problems that the CCA claims never existed.
Well, according to a new report
from the Rhode Island Auditor General David Bergantino, the CRU has
indeed brought about a major turnaround in Charlestown’s finances. You can read
his report by CLICKING HERE
with the Charlestown section covering pages 16 and 17.
Look at the numbers
Under the leadership of Deb Carney, Rippy Serra, Steve
Stokes, the late Grace Klinger and her replacement Peter Slom, Charlestown has:
Raised more revenue.
Under
the CCA, revenue was $28 million. Under the CRU, this increased to $30 million.
Lowered expenses.
RIPEC flagged Charlestown’s highest in the state expenses which were $31.2
million, more than the revenue collected. Under the CRU, expenses dropped to
$29.8 million.
Increased the town’s savings.
This is the unassigned fund balance (UFB) that the CCA criticized the CRU for
failing to increase. In fact, according to the Auditor General, the CRU raised
the UFB by 17% from the CCA’s $5.3 million to $6.2 million.
Improved pension funding.
Funding to cover future pension costs rose from the CCA’s $8.3 million level to
$8.8 million under the CRU.
Reduced Charlestown’s debt by a LOT.
Under the CCA, Charlestown’s debt was $7.9 million. Under the
CRU, debt dropped to $6 million, almost 25% less.
Erased the deficit the CCA left behind.
According to the Auditor General, the CCA left behind a DEFICIT of $3,266,029. The CRU erased that deficit and ended FY23 with a SURPLUS of $157,666.
Don't believe me? Here are the numbers from the Auditor General that back up what I just reported:
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| Auditor General's report, page 16. |
The CRU did all this while reducing Charlestown’s tax rate from the $8.17 per thousand the CCA left behind to the current $5.78 under the CRU, 30% less.
In real numbers, the CRU not only cut the tax rate, they reduced the total amount of taxes paid from $23.5 million under the CCA to $20 million under the CRU. That's $3 million dollars less Charlestown taxpayers had to pay. AND the CRU not only wiped out the $3 million CCA deficit but also increased the town's savings by almost a million dollars.
The financial data above from the state Auditor General shows these are facts, not CCA fiction.
How your choice affects your taxes
The CCA has always made a big deal about the tax rate. Considering these numbers, they can’t honestly claim they had some magic formula to keep taxes low (aside from providing almost no municipal services). However, that won’t stop them from making the claim they are the best when it comes to taxes - all facts to the contrary.
The actual tax you pay is based on the rate multiplied by
your property tax assessment. Those property tax assessments have risen sharply
since non-residents found they can buy luxury beach properties here at far
cheaper prices than, for example, the Hamptons. They have been paying far more
than assessed value for Charlestown beach property, in some cases, almost DOUBLE.
Recent examples:
491
East Beach Road near Blue Shutters. Assessed at just under $2 million. Sold
for $3.65 million.
419
West Beach Road. Assessed at $3.95 million. Sold for $7.5 million, the
record so far this year.
59 Ninigret
Ave. Assessed at $2.3 million. Just sold for $4 million.
Data from the Charlestown Tax Assessor database HERE.
These purchases are great for our tax base, making the tax
rate an insignificant factor by contrast. But these purchases drastically
increase the assessments for the rest of us, even though we are unlikely to get
buyers to pay us so much more than assessed value. Not all of us live on the
beach.
The CCA messed up the money
The CCA can use big donations from such non-residents to
print glossy, wordy flyers claiming
they are the best at managing the money, but the hard facts from the RI Auditor
General shows otherwise.
Since ousting the CCA Council majority, along with their
toadies former Town Administrator Mark
Stankiewicz and Budget Commission Chair Dick
Sartor, the CRU has turned around Charlestown’s finances.
And the CRU did it without drama. Without shady land deals. Despite
the chaos the CCA left behind including a merry-go-round of auditors and the
resistance of the CCA to bringing in outside expertise to figure out what went
wrong, the CRU has, according to the Auditor General, has cleaned up most of
the CCA’s mess.
Here is Auditor General David Bergantino's summary analysis:
 |
| Auditor General report, page 17 |
In addition to keeping Deb Carney, Rippy Serra, Steve Stokes and Peter Slom in office, please also support Craig Marr for Council. We all know his success at running the Breachway Grill. CRU offers Charlestown continued steady stewardship over the town’s money.
If there's no rush, take your time
By Duke University
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But according to a new study, sleeping on it can help us
avoid judging a book solely by its cover.
In research published on September 9 in the Journal
of Experimental Psychology: General, a team of researchers at Duke
University started with an age-old question: Is it better to
start strong with a good first impression, or end on a good note?
To shed some light on the issue, they did a study involving
an imaginary garage sale. In a series of experiments conducted online, the
researchers asked participants to look through virtual boxes of unwanted goods
for items to include in the sale.
Two more human West Nile Virus (WNV) cases
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These human cases of WNV are in addition to the previously announced three confirmed human cases of WNV and one probable human case of WNV. This brings Rhode Island’s human WNV case count to six, with three confirmed cases and three probable cases.
Additionally, the most recent mosquito samples tested by the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories (RISHL) has confirmed no positive findings of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus or WNV. These results are from 72 samples collected from 28 traps set statewide by DEM on September 23, 24, and 25.
All other samples tested negative for EEE
virus, WNV, or Jamestown Canyon Virus (JCV). RIDOH and DEM are reminding the
public that it is a particularly active mosquito season in Southern New England
and that recent human cases of both EEE virus and WNV and previous mosquito
testing indicate a high risk level statewide.
Trump Leads, and His Party Follows, on Vaccine Skepticism
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“The Republicans don’t want to claim it,” Trump told an interviewer in late September.
Instead, on at least 17 occasions this year, Trump has promised to cut funding to schools that mandate vaccines. Campaign spokespeople have previously said that pledge would apply only to schools with covid mandates. But speeches reviewed by KFF Health News included no such distinction — raising the possibility Trump would also target vaccination rules for common, potentially lethal childhood diseases like polio and measles.
The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment on this article.
Trump has presided over a landslide shift in his party’s views on vaccines, reflected this campaign season in false claims by Republican candidates during the primaries and puzzling conspiracies from prominent conservative voices. Republicans increasingly express worry about the risks of vaccines. A September 2023 poll from Politico and Morning Consult showed a narrow majority of those voters cared more about the risks than the benefits of getting inoculated.
A surge in anti-vaccine policy in statehouses has followed the rhetoric. Boston University political scientist Matt Motta, who tracks public health policy, said preliminary data shows that states enacted at least 42 anti-vaccine bills in 2023 — nearly a ninefold surge since 2019.
