A cautionary tale

By Linda Felaco

CRAC-ers take heed: MercuryNews.com recently reported that the Santa Clara Valley Water District in California may have to wait till next year to get a question on the ballot—an error that could cost the Water District half a billion dollars—because the summary of the ballot question they turned in to election officials went over the allowed number of words. Then in their haste to correct their mistake, the district’s board members violated California’s open meetings law, the Brown Act, by holding a board meeting without posting a public agenda on their website 24 hours prior (they missed the cutoff by about an hour). Now a taxpayer group is threatening a lawsuit unless the measure is pulled off the ballot.

A word to the wise: Always make sure to read directions first.

Romney Runs away from his Running Mate

If they were honest with voters, their bumper sticker would read: "Ryan-Romney 2012."

By Jim Hightower

Poor Paul Ryan — he successfully rammed a budget bill through the U.S. House of Representatives that gutted Medicare, thus earning him the undying adulation of the far-right Republican fringe, whose unrestrained enthusiasm for him compelled Mitt Romney to name the Wisconsin Republican as his vice presidential nominee.

Rhode Island wind energy round-up

Jamestown Town Council Halts Turbine Project

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org News staff

The following is an update on various renewable energy projects across Rhode Island:

The Jamestown Town Council voted 4-1 Monday night to suspend all work on its proposed wind turbine. The vote was held to determine if an additional $45,000 of grant money should be spent to fund final studies of a turbine at Taylor Point, near the Newport Bridge.

Climate change hitting New England the worst

Data shows we are getting hit with more and bigger storms

By Will Collette

The frequency of severe storms in Rhode Island has almost doubled since 1948, according to a new Environment America Research & Policy Center report, When It Rains, It Pours: Global Warming and the Increase in Extreme Precipitation from 1948 to 2011.

According to this report (click here to read the entire report – pdf), the region of the US hit the hardest by this widespread increase in the frequency of heavy weather is New England.

Ghost of Ayn Rand

Haunted by his muse

By Tom Tomorrow

Click here for the whole cartoon.

Shameless Tax Loopholes

Sen. Lindsey Graham says tax-avoiding gimmicks are "American."

By William A. Collins

Don't just hang
Your head and moan,
Buy a loophole
Of your own.

Emergency rehearsal for towns near Millstone nuclear power plant

Preparing for a radiation release

"Emergency, Everyone to get from street!"

By Will Collette

The New London Day’s Judy Benson reports on an emergency drill conducted for emergency management staff and municipal leaders for ten communities in the immediate vicinity of the Millstone nuclear power plant just outside of New London.

The plant is only 20 miles due west of Charlestown. If there had been an actual radiation release of the type used in this drill, Charlestown would have gotten a bad dose given our relative closeness and position immediately down-wind.

Cuts to education never heal

The Bush tax cuts siphon off money that could fund education and other crucial programs.

By Mattea Kramer

Patrick Pylvainen grew up in a small town outside Minneapolis. The Minneostan college student has seven siblings, so he borrows money for his tuition — Stafford loans from the federal government, plus loans from private banks that require interest payments while he's still in school. Now, those more affordable federal loans are in jeopardy.

The cascade of federal budget cuts expected to begin in January would slash every single program the government classifies as "discretionary," including funding for education. 

"Eat food you grow," part 3

Quahogs we dug ourselves steamed in their own juices served with the
spaghetti dish described in Part 1 and a garden tomato salad.

A locavore recipe collection, inspired by the CCA Steering Committee

Part 1: The Pasta-sauce Variations
Part 2: The Salad Variations
Part 3: The Quahog Variations

By Linda Felaco

Do political parties matter?

Depends on who you ask, where you ask and how you ask it

By Will Collette

In the recent debates over the importance of political party labels, there’s one point that most people take to be a given – party labels matter a whole lot less the more local you get.

That’s certainly the case in Charlestown, where Democrats favor tax cuts[1], less burdensome regulation[2] and promotion of small business, contrary to the usual “tax and spend” anti-business stereotypes associated with the national Democratic Party.

But there’s a difference between the common agreement that national party labels matter less at the local level and making the blanket judgment that labels don’t matter at all.

To say that labels don’t matter at the local level is just plain ridiculous, and to find the evidence, you need to look no further than the website of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance. Though the CCA claims to be nonpartisan – indeed, it claims to be a veritable melting pot – that’s just not true.

Eat the Poor

Why Paul Ryan?

By Ted Rall


For the whole cartoon, click here.

Gemma “Bombshell” is a dud

Unsubstantiated Allegations

Anthony Gemma on his way to announce …
unsubstantiated allegations. (Photo by Bob Plain)

By Bob Plain RIFuture.org

After all that hype, there was nothing particularly game-changing about Anthony Gemma’s announcement that he found some people willing to accuse his political opponent of voter fraud. There wasn’t even anything substantiated.

I would imagine most candidates could dig up similar accusations regardless of whom their opposition is. The difference is most know not to stake their entire candidacy on unsubstantiated allegations. Gemma, though, seemingly doesn’t even realize he’s doing that! Either that or he doesn’t mind blatantly lying to the people’s faces.

Peaches and cheese

Grilled Peaches with Ricotta

Photos and text by KARA DiCAMILLO/ecoRI.org News contributor

I love these August days, and one of my favorite summer fruits to quench my thirst is peaches. Right now you can find juicy local peaches at almost every farm stand. I visited Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown this past week and picked my own. They were delicious.

For this recipe, I grilled the peaches, which I find brings out the sweetness and juiciness even more while adding a bit of a smoky flavor as well. Grilling peaches is easy, and they can be used in salads, as a dessert, or eaten on their own.

Planning Commission meets tonight

Bring a pillow

By Will Collette

The Charlestown Planning Commission meets tonight for yet another of its marathon sessions.

The agenda contains three development proposals that will no doubt get the patented Platner Planning Commission run-around, regardless of their merits.

One of them is an on-going proposal from the Botka family, who frequently appear before Planning. There is no love lost between them.

The Planning Commission, following its usual practice, has a long list of its Top Ten hot-button issues listed, though many of these are simply place-holders. They appear on the agenda so that if Platner and her Planning Police feel moved to discuss them, they’ve at least minimally complied with the state Open Meetings Act.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Episode 7

Under the Radar with L-T

By Robert Yarnall

Read the rest of the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot series:
Episode 1 – Getting Ready To Fish
Episode 2 – Watchaug Bites
Episode 3 – Avoiding Car Sickness
Episode 4 – Bait & Switch (Not!)
Episode 5 – Still Baiting, Still Switching…
Episode 6 – Mother Gooser & Friends
Episode 7 – Under the Radar with L-T
Episode 8 – Steering Committee Syndrome Unleashed, The Prelude
Episode 9 – Steering Committee Syndrome Unleashed, The Kiss
Episode 10 – Snagged on the Epilog Epic-Log
Time to stow the fishing gear this week while area ponds are restocked with hungry trout for the autumn season, courtesy of our friends at the Division of Fish & Wildlife. We bass anglers usually take a hiatus as well, stocking up on 2012 Patriots jerseys and wiping down crusty boat hulls with otherwise useless 2012 Red Sox non-memorabilia.

Unbeknown to most folks in Charlestown, neighborhood resistance to developer Larry LeBlanc’s industrial wind energy proposal began a good six months before a pair of congenial front men began pulling fire alarms in the neighborhoods abutting Whalerock.

Soft-spoken former U.S. Army 1st Lt. Joseph S. Dolock, a Vietnam veteran of an actual yearlong live-fire combat tour of duty, had caught wind of a pending town council agenda item that roused his considerable business instincts.