Letter: VonVillas Supports Second Beach Pavilion Bond Referendum

Councilor Barbara A. VonVillas says while she does not support increasing debt, she believes voters should decide.

To the Editor, On Monday, April 2, the Middletown Town Council will consider a proposal for a November 2012 bond referendum to support a new Second Beach Pavilion. I do not support increasing debt at this time, but I can appreciate the passion of Mr. Semonelli and the Beach Commission for a new structure that is badly needed, and I will support the proposal because I believe the voters should have the opportunity to weigh in on this important issue. Similarly, I have proposed three additional questions for the November ballot, none involving the expenditure of funds, but all asking the voters to express their wishes regarding issues that have been deadlocked at the Town Council level for more than three years. 1. Shall the Town of …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Letter: Student Thanks Community for Supporting European Trip

The following was submitted by Lauren Hayes.

Middletown student Lauren Elizabeth Hayes, who was selected to participate in the People to People Ambassador Program, shares a thank you following her recent pasta fundraiser at the FOP Hall on March 16.  Dear Editor: Thank you all so much for coming! Thank you for all the gracious donations and love and support. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so very grateful for your contributions. When I was first chosen to go on this trip I thought it was too good to be true, but now I see it becoming real for me. This trip is not only for me, but it fulfills my grandfather’s dream of finally seeing the most beautiful place in the world. On this adventure I’ll be seeing the Grecian coastline, Vatican City, and the coliseum all in …

• Photos (1)

Lifelong Middletown Resident Says Wind Turbines Forced Her to Move

Tracie Spooner said the turbine on Mitchell's Lane drove her out of Middletown.

The following is a letter to the editor from Tracie Spooner, a lifetime resident of Middletown who said she moved away because of the wind turbines. The Middletown Town Council recently proposed an ordinance that would restrict the placement of turbines in Middletown. Once the ordinance has been drafted by the administration, it will go before a series of public meetings and the council will vote to approve it into law. Dear Editor: I have read a lot of negative comments recently directed towards the town council and specifically Councilor Chris Semonelli regarding the decision to restrict wind turbines in Middletown, and I felt that I needed to address this topic since I have had my own personal experiences with the wind turbines on …

•  11 Comments
• Photos (1)

Tom

2:44 am on Friday, April 6, 2012

Great idea. I'm all for it. If you want a wind turbine, you owe compensation to your neighbors. Free electricity and the town compensated you with lower property taxes. That's a deal I'd be willing to listen to.   more ›

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: How Stormwater Runoff Pollutes Oceans, Narragansett Bay

One local education director talks about how stormwater runoff has become a major pollution source.

Summer is here, the Fourth of July looms, and it is officially beach season in Rhode Island. Pack up the kids, the beach towels and umbrella, the cooler, and a bucketful of suntan lotion and head for the shore. Here are some things you won’t have to take: cigarette butts, lawn fertilizer, pet poop, and oil and gas residues from roads and driveways. They will get there on their own. What Rhode Islanders don’t realize as well as they should is that the main source of pollution to our water bodies is stormwater runoff.  In a recent University of Rhode Island survey, nearly 90 percent of those polled believe that the most damaging sources of pollution coming into our rivers, Narragansett Bay and the ocean are from industrial discharges and …

• Videos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to Editor: Senator Talks Future of Education

Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Newport, Little Compton, Tiverton) writes about the future of education.

The key to our future and the future of our economy hinges precipitously on the results that are produced by our educational system. By the very nature of our citizenship of the State of Rhode Island, we are all stewards and custodians of this system. As stewards, we are accountable and it is our responsibility to ensure that quality products are produced; that all Rhode Island students receive an affordable, world-class education preparing them to compete in the global economy. It’s a responsibility we cannot and must not delegate. Competing in the global economy will certainly require a firm grasp of the basics, though a focus on science, technology, engineering and math, which is commonly referred to as STEM, is paramount. Currently …

• Photos (1)