The Pulse, 05/02/10: Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee 50th Anniversary

On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina A & T University held a sit-in at a lunch counter in Greensboro. Their

Come let us build a new world together The symposium’s theme comes from this iconic SNCC poster, based on a photograph by Danny Lyon. Credit: Labadie Collection, University of Michigan

effort to overcome [...]

The Pulse, 4/11/10: Minorities respond to healthcare reform bill

April is Minority Health Month, or as Urban Health Watch.net calls it, Health Equity Awareness Month.
Since President Obama signed the national health care reform bill three weeks ago, community activists in the state and in Washington have begun thinking of ways to explain the changes to Americans with and without health insurance coverage. This week [...]

The Pulse, 4/04/10: Providence men say “It’s On Us” to stop violence in the community

Good morning and welcome to the Pulse, I’m Quyen Ngo. This week, I spoke with members of a newly founded organization called “It’s On Us” about issues of violence in the community and what they are doing to try to reduce these problems. Check it out:

The Pulse airs weekly on 95.5 FM, taking a closer [...]

Census Bureau office flooded

The US Census Bureau office on Kilvert St in Warwick flooded this morning from what the governor is calling the worst flooding in 200 years.
Office manager Judy Babcock said “copiers and printers were toast” and that the extent of damage to paper records on employees and job applicants is unclear.
Babcock said no completed Census questionnaires [...]

Potentially contaminated floodwaters

The wastewater treatment plant in Warwick was shut down yesterday due to threatened flooding from
thePawtuxet River.
City residents were urged not to flush toilets that could cause sewage backup in the house and people were advised not to run dishwashers, washing machines or showers.
There was concern that processing tanks would overflow spilling raw sewage into floodwaters, [...]

No action on overhaul of RI unemployment law

An advisory board decided yesterday not to take action on a proposed overhaul of Rhode Island’s unemployment law.
Members of the board were prepared to vote against the plan due to reduced benefits and business owners complained the overhaul would raise taxes.
It’s now up to Governor Carcieri and the General Assemply to deal with the financial [...]

Flooding in Rhode Island

Flood evacuations are beginning in Cranston.
About 100 residents in the city’s Valley View district were evacuated last night, as ordered by the mayor. A shelter for evacuees is in place at 100 Factory Street in West Warwick.
This could be just the start of the flood’s impact.  National Weather Service forecasters are calling [...]

More woes for Providence Police

These aren’t the brightest of days for Providence police.
Four Providence police sergeants have been suspended with pay pending the outcome of an investigation of what is described as quote record-keeping discrepancies.
Police Chief Dean Esserman issued a statement saying an internal audit of the records in question is being conducted.
This news comes as the department deals [...]

No Race to the Top for Rhode Island

Rhode Island was not chosen for a Race to the Top grant from the US department of Education. Only the two states of Delaware and Tennessee received a grant.
The 126-million-dollar education funding grant could potentially have helped improve academic achievement in the Ocean State.
State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist said work will begin immediately on the [...]

What is… a Brown student on Jeopardy?

A Brown University freshman will appear on game show “Jeopardy” tonight.
Rebecca Maxfield of New Rochelle, New York will compete against two other college students on the game show’s College Tournament.
The tournament runs through February 12th , with 15 students from around the country.  The eventual champion could win 100-thousand dollars.
“Jeopardy” airs locally at 7:30pm on [...]