The Daily Beast says Providence is America’s third-craziest city

Which city is America’s craziest? According to The Daily Beast, it’s Cincinnati, Ohio. But Providence, Rhode Island has earned the coveted (or not) #3 spot.
The Beast’s “study” was based on four criteria: psychiatrists per capita, stress, eccentricity and drinking. They also cite a Guinness Record-breaking strand of red and white beads made by a group [...]

Would proposed Liquid Natural Gas project for Fall River help or hurt?

The CEO of a global energy company says the region would benefit from a liquid natural gas project. Eric Johnson has more:

Transcript:
The long-debated Weaver’s Cove project would install a port for natural gas tankers in Fall River.
Gordon Shearer, the CEO of Hess Liquid Natural Gas, told a Rhode Island Senate task force yesterday that the [...]

Breaking: Senate passes $140 billion jobs bill

(AP) – The Senate has passed legislation to give months of continued jobless checks to people who have been out of work for more than half a year and help the unemployed pay for health insurance.
The jobless aid accompanies a host of other provisions that would prevent doctors from absorbing cuts to Medicare payments and [...]

The Brief, 03/08/2010: DIY Democracy with the UnCaucus

Now that Providence Mayor David Cicilline is running for Congress, who’s running for mayor? Let’s review: John Lombardi, Steven Constantino, Daniel Harrop, Christopher Young, Angel Taveras and—you? Well, one local group wants to think about it.
The group is called UnCaucus, and they’ve been reaching out to potential candidates in an unusual way. Just ask [...]

YouTube Tuesday: One of the Best Music Videos of All Time Edition

Hello, and welcome to YouTube Tuesday, WBRU’s weekly roundup of the best in online videos! Seriously, have you seen some of the crap that passes for entertainment on the web? We can do so much better than that. Your friends at WBRU have done all the heavy lifting to make sure you never have to [...]

Coming up in the General Assembly: a tax credit for local businesses?

Businesses in Rhode Island could receive a $2000 tax credit for hiring new workers if a new bill passes in the General Assembly.
NBC 10 reports that to be eligible, a company would have to employ between 5 and 100 workers in Rhode Island.
The new hires would also have to receive health insurance and [...]

Sarah Palin used to go to Canada for her healthcare

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has admitted that she and her family used to go to Canada for their healthcare.
The admission came in a speech last week in Calgary. She says that it’s “kind of ironic” given Republican backlash against healthcare reform.
President Obama is pushing Congress to wrap up their reform bill by March [...]

Cicilline orders random drug testing for Providence Police (video)

Mayor David Cicilline has announced his plan to rebuild the Providence Police Department.
Three officers were arrested last week in a drug probe on charges that they helped a cocaine dealing ring. Cicilline has directed police chief Dean Esserman to begin random drug testing immediately.
Video of the Mayor’s announcement earlier today:

The Oscars 2010 Liveblog!

Good evening, and welcome to WBRU News’ first-annual Oscars liveblog! Stars have been landing in various states of sobriety on the red carpet for a few hours now, and the anticipation is building for what will surely be a long night of drama, surprises, and awkwardly scripted “banter” and acceptance speeches.
We’ll have updates on who’s [...]

Two RI police officers jailed on cocaine ring charges

(AP) – Two Providence police officers accused in a cocaine ring have been ordered held without bail.
Narcotics Detective Joseph Colanduono and Patrolman Robert Hamlin appeared Friday in Providence District Court.
They did not make any comments during their arraignments. District Court Judge Michael Higgins set a bail hearing for March 18. Colanduono’s wife Tracey said after [...]