New job training program in Rhode Island

The International Yacht Restoration School in Bristol will unveil a new federally funded job-training program.
The IYRS Composites Technology Training Program is a nine-month training course that will start in September.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, got $500 thousand in the fiscal year 2010 appropriation-spending bill to help establish the program.

Club Elements gets an appea

Club Elements will have an appeal hearing this morning.
The appeal hearing was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed to pass Friday’s deadline for potential club buyers to file paperwork.
The city Board of Licenses said it would consider transferring the club to new owners with a detailed business plan.
Club Elements has been closed since a New [...]

More charter schools may get the go ahead

Rhode Island lawmakers are considering opening more charter schools this week.
The General Assembly plans to vote Tuesday allowing for up to 35 charter schools to operate.
Legislators are hoping with more charter schools in Rhode Island the state could compete for millions of dollars in federal education funding.
There are currently 20 charter schools in Rhode Island.

Blogger files ethics complaint against Carcieri

A local political activist has filed an ethics complaint against Governor Carcieri over state tax breaks. According to WPRI, a writer for the Rhode Island’s Future blog cites a Poverty Institute study that’s challenging many 2008 business community tax breaks. The Institute says 88 out of 118 of the breaks were not found in [...]

Providence women’s cancer screening program out of money

A federally funded program that provides free cancer screenings for Rhode Island women without health insurance has run out of money until July. Officials say demand for the Women’s Cancer Screening Program has soared during the recession. In July, program doctors will start screening patients every other year, instead of annually.

Obama Donates Nobel Peace Prize Winnings

(Metro) President Barack Obama has announced which groups will get the $1.4 million he received for winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
He says $250,000 will go to Fisher House, a national nonprofit that houses families whose loved ones are receiving care at Veterans Administration medical centers. He will give another $200,000 to the Bush-Clinton Haiti Fund [...]

Study warns of rising inhalant abuse among children

More and more young people are abusing inhalants nationwide. Alejandra Ceja has more:

[Transcript]:
According to a National Inhalant Prevention Coalition study, the numbers are alarming. They say kids are “huffing” household substances such as aerosol sprays, nail polish, and gasoline in an effort to get high.
Pamela Hyde, head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health [...]

URI president proposes student-business alliance

(Metro) The new president of the University of Rhode Island wants to forge tighter bonds between the school and businesses in the state. President David Dooley says his initiative would enlist URI students to participate in the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension
Service to assist companies that need help raising competitiveness and profitability. Dooley says the partnership, [...]

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 [...]

Marines Investigating Jet Crash

The Marine Corps is trying to determine why a fighter jet suffered engine failures, crashing into the ocean off South Carolina and forcing the pilots to bail out. Officials say neither the pilot nor the weapons officer on the jet suffered serious injuries when they ejected late yesterday afternoon about 35 miles offshore. The Marines, [...]