Link to Accuweather
Showing posts with label Rhode Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rhode Island. Show all posts
Go go Rhode Island, Island.
In further fabulous economic news out of Rhode Island, the state government is broke, and will close for 12 days." Rhode Island will shut down its state government for 12 days and hopes to trim millions of dollars in funding for local governments under a plan Gov. Don Carcieri outlined Monday to balance a budget hammered by surging unemployment and plummeting tax revenue.
The shutdown will force 81 percent of the roughly 13,550-member state work force, excluding its college system, to stay home a dozen days without pay before the start of the new fiscal year in July.
The closures come as the worst recession in decades has eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in tax collections and pushed unemployment to 12.7 percent, the second-highest jobless rate in the nation behind Michigan.
Carcieri predicted the state's fiscal future could grow even bleaker."
Link to AP story
Rhode Island keeps up it's winning streak
"Rhode Island's soaring unemployment rate is the second worst in the country, behind only Michigan, and by far the highest among the six New England states. Rhode Island's unemployment rate for June was 12.4 percent, second to Michigan's 15.2 percent."LINK
The weather is ridiculous!
"•April and May had only 3 clear days each, and there has been none so far in June.
•The average temperature in June has been 62.6, or 3.5 degrees cooler than normal.
•In the first 18 days of June, 12 were cooler than average and 6 were warmer than average.
•Precipitation for the year was 1.32 inches less than normal as of 6 p.m. Friday.
•In the 90 days since March 20, 55 have brought measurable rain or at least a trace of precipitation. "
Link to Projo
•The average temperature in June has been 62.6, or 3.5 degrees cooler than normal.
•In the first 18 days of June, 12 were cooler than average and 6 were warmer than average.
•Precipitation for the year was 1.32 inches less than normal as of 6 p.m. Friday.
•In the 90 days since March 20, 55 have brought measurable rain or at least a trace of precipitation. "
Link to Projo
This says so much.
"People filing new claims for unemployment benefits by phone face longer wait times due to a spike in call volume.
The average wait to speak with a customer service representative at the state unemployment division on Monday, the center’s busiest day of the week, was 28 minutes, compared with 15 minutes last year, Raymond A. Filippone, assistant director, income support, for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training said yesterday.
The state’s caseload of unemployment claims, including new and continuing claims, has nearly doubled in the last year, to 21,000 cases, up from about 11,500 during the same time last year, Filippone said. The volume of new unemployment claims, he said, is up 12.2 percent from a year ago.
Rhode Island’s unemployment rate in August jumped to 8.5 percent, the second-highest in the country after Michigan, where the jobless rate was 8.9 percent. Rhode Island’s unemployment rolls in August swelled to 48,800, the highest level on record." LINK
The average wait to speak with a customer service representative at the state unemployment division on Monday, the center’s busiest day of the week, was 28 minutes, compared with 15 minutes last year, Raymond A. Filippone, assistant director, income support, for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training said yesterday.
The state’s caseload of unemployment claims, including new and continuing claims, has nearly doubled in the last year, to 21,000 cases, up from about 11,500 during the same time last year, Filippone said. The volume of new unemployment claims, he said, is up 12.2 percent from a year ago.
Rhode Island’s unemployment rate in August jumped to 8.5 percent, the second-highest in the country after Michigan, where the jobless rate was 8.9 percent. Rhode Island’s unemployment rolls in August swelled to 48,800, the highest level on record." LINK
Keeping an eye on this.
"The Northeast has been put on alert for potential tropical trouble this weekend. The low churning over the Dominican Republic has the potential to trek northward, then curve into the Northeast early Saturday as a powerful hurricane.
It must be stressed that this scenario is anything but certain. The path of the low will become clearer once it develops tropically and the low off the Carolina coastline takes shape. The latter low could keep the low now in the Dominican Republic over the open waters of the western Atlantic." LINK
Wow, what a storm!
WATERSPOUT ON BARRINGTON BEACH (ABC 6 Viewer Christopher Legro)I know all eyes are on Dolly, but Rhody had quite a day!
I don't think I've ever seen rain that intense, and I was way at the south of it!
"Massive Storm Slams Southeastern New England
A severe thunderstorm passed through Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts Wednesday afternoon stopping traffic and causing residents to head inside, some into their basements.
The storm yielded severe flooding, dangerous lightning strikes, hail and high winds, including a water spout in Barrington." LINK
The storm yielded severe flooding, dangerous lightning strikes, hail and high winds, including a water spout in Barrington." LINK
Well, what the hell. Better to pay a toll than to have the bridges fall down, right?
"PROVIDENCE — The state’s highways and bridges need so much expensive work, and the state has so little money to pay for it, that officials are beginning to discuss drastic measures to raise money that include imposing tolls on such main highways as Route 95.
That, and measures such as leasing state bridges or highways to private companies to maintain and operate in return for the tolls they would collect, are on the table at Governor Carcieri’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Transportation Funding.
That, and measures such as leasing state bridges or highways to private companies to maintain and operate in return for the tolls they would collect, are on the table at Governor Carcieri’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Transportation Funding.
The state’s bridges and highways have deteriorated significantly, to the point that critical structures such as the highway bridges crossing the Pawtucket and Sakonnet rivers have been posted with weight limits. Roads are crumbling, and one in five state bridges is classified as “structurally deficient.”
Meanwhile, according to state Department of Transportation figures, transportation revenue will fall far short of what’s needed for repairs and maintenance.
The sums involved are enormous. The DOT says it needs to spend more than $600 million per year, while its present sources produce just over $300 million." LINK
Meanwhile, according to state Department of Transportation figures, transportation revenue will fall far short of what’s needed for repairs and maintenance.
The sums involved are enormous. The DOT says it needs to spend more than $600 million per year, while its present sources produce just over $300 million." LINK
From global to local, bad news all around.
"Starting Tuesday, National Grid customers in Rhode Island will pay 21.7 percent more for electricity and 8 percent more for natural gas, the Public Utilities Commission voted yesterday. " LINK
Fish populations in Narragansett bay changing due to global warming... Maryland-style crabcakes, anyone?
"A recent study by scientists at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography reveals that warming water temperatures are causing major changes in species composition in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island sound.
The study, which will be published in the July issue of the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, reports that the fish community is shifting from vertebrate species, such as finfish, to invertebrates like crabs, lobsters and squid. Populations of species that feed on the bottom are declining while species that feed higher in the water column, where water is warmer, are increasing.
The study, which will be published in the July issue of the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, reports that the fish community is shifting from vertebrate species, such as finfish, to invertebrates like crabs, lobsters and squid. Populations of species that feed on the bottom are declining while species that feed higher in the water column, where water is warmer, are increasing.
“This is a pretty dramatic change and it’s a pattern that is being seen in other ecosystems,” said Jeremy Collie, a professor of oceanography at the URI Bay Campus in Narragansett.
As bottom-feeding species disappear, lobsters and crabs have taken advantage of the abandoned habitat, Collie said, which explains why there are more lobsters and crabs.Some species have seen dramatic population changes. Butterfish and bluefish have increased in abundance by a factor of 100, while cunner has decreased by almost 1,000 times.
The long-term result of the changes will cause Narragansett Bay to more closely resemble estuaries to the south, such as Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay.
“It will continue to get warmer and attract more southern species, such as blue crabs,” Collie said. “Species that couldn’t complete their life cycle here before may be able to do that now.” LINK
More Rhode Island goodness...
"It's the talk of town. A massive sinkhole shocked this community of West Warwick Monday night, nearly swallowing up a minivan with a couple inside.
The ground gave way to a hot spot right on Main Street in the Phoenix Square area. Paul Spera was driving the car, when the ground suddenly opened up before his eyes.
West Warwick town officials say a water main break caused the chaotic scene. People around town say all the digging in the community sparked the sink hole.
Kent County Water is now on a mission to replace most of the existing water lines that are nearly a century old. " LINK
The ground gave way to a hot spot right on Main Street in the Phoenix Square area. Paul Spera was driving the car, when the ground suddenly opened up before his eyes.
West Warwick town officials say a water main break caused the chaotic scene. People around town say all the digging in the community sparked the sink hole.
Kent County Water is now on a mission to replace most of the existing water lines that are nearly a century old. " LINK
Ridiculous weather in Rhode Island today.
Thunder, lightning, hail, flash floods. Horrible.
That's hail in the picture! I think that's Pawtucket."Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island were hit hard earlier this afternoon with severe thunderstorms, flash flooding and massive amounts of large hail." LINK
Hm... West Nile mosquito spray killing lobsters?
Oh, man. This end of the world stuff can be really depressing sometimes.
Climate change is bringing tropical diseases (such as West Nile Disease) to non-tropical places (like Rhode Island) where these diseases kill people. So local governments have been laying down mosquito killing poisons to try to save people's lives, but...
"lobstermen believe the methoprene is stunting the growth of young lobsters, much as it does to mosquito larva.
Emotions are rising on both sides. Lobstermen have seen their catches fall by more than half in the last several years, causing nearly every one of them to lose money and some to quit and sell their boats. On the state’s side, no one wants to have to say they didn’t do everything they could to protect Rhode Islanders from disease.
“We figure there won’t be a lobster industry in a short time if this keeps up,” said Dellinger. “All the state wants to do is control us, but you can’t keep polluting the environment and still get fish.”
Local lobster catches topped off in 1999 with about 3,500 tons. Each of the following years got progressively worse. In 2005, the last year with complete figures, the take was less than 1,500 tons.
In response, the lobstermen have greatly reduced the number of traps they set and accepted one new size restriction after another designed to leave lobsters in the water longer so they can successfully reproduce.
Still, the catch remains low. And many lobsters, particularly those caught close to shore, are coming up with a disfiguring, and still unexplained, shell disease.
What they are not seeing is even more disturbing — young lobsters. " LINK
Climate change is bringing tropical diseases (such as West Nile Disease) to non-tropical places (like Rhode Island) where these diseases kill people. So local governments have been laying down mosquito killing poisons to try to save people's lives, but...
"lobstermen believe the methoprene is stunting the growth of young lobsters, much as it does to mosquito larva.
Emotions are rising on both sides. Lobstermen have seen their catches fall by more than half in the last several years, causing nearly every one of them to lose money and some to quit and sell their boats. On the state’s side, no one wants to have to say they didn’t do everything they could to protect Rhode Islanders from disease.
“We figure there won’t be a lobster industry in a short time if this keeps up,” said Dellinger. “All the state wants to do is control us, but you can’t keep polluting the environment and still get fish.”
Local lobster catches topped off in 1999 with about 3,500 tons. Each of the following years got progressively worse. In 2005, the last year with complete figures, the take was less than 1,500 tons.
In response, the lobstermen have greatly reduced the number of traps they set and accepted one new size restriction after another designed to leave lobsters in the water longer so they can successfully reproduce.
Still, the catch remains low. And many lobsters, particularly those caught close to shore, are coming up with a disfiguring, and still unexplained, shell disease.
What they are not seeing is even more disturbing — young lobsters. " LINK
Just in time for people to flock to the beaches...
The heat wave is breaking records, but scope out the water before you dive in at the beach! "Hundreds of Providence city workers were sent home for the day with pay Monday because of the excessive heat. " link
"Two Separate Great White Shark Sightings Reported Near Martha's Vinyard
But no one should run screaming from the water yet, according to a state expert who studies sharks.
Despite the cultural fear of sharks, often attributed to the movie "Jaws," it is not unusual to see the species off the Cape and Islands, said Greg Skomal, a fisheries biologist who specializes in studying sharks for the state Division of Marine Fisheries.
"There are great whites off the coast of New England, although the species is relatively rare," he said.
"I did not observe the animal or animals myself, but the two people who reported them are experienced, credible sources."
The accounts by Capt. Buddy Vanderhoop of Aquinnah and Capt. Scott McDowell of Chilmark are similar. Both described an animal around 15 feet long and wide in girth." Link
"Two Separate Great White Shark Sightings Reported Near Martha's Vinyard
But no one should run screaming from the water yet, according to a state expert who studies sharks.
Despite the cultural fear of sharks, often attributed to the movie "Jaws," it is not unusual to see the species off the Cape and Islands, said Greg Skomal, a fisheries biologist who specializes in studying sharks for the state Division of Marine Fisheries.
"There are great whites off the coast of New England, although the species is relatively rare," he said.
"I did not observe the animal or animals myself, but the two people who reported them are experienced, credible sources."
The accounts by Capt. Buddy Vanderhoop of Aquinnah and Capt. Scott McDowell of Chilmark are similar. Both described an animal around 15 feet long and wide in girth." Link
some more bad signs for (my) local economy
A couple of restaurants are closing. Big, breaking news? Not so much. But, every little drop...
Goodbye Giro's. From the article "After a 75-year run, Giro’s restaurant in the South Kingstown village of Peace Dale will close its doors tomorrow night.
Owner Dan Driscoll said increasing competition, rising costs and an expanding regulatory burden have combined to make business untenable.
...He gave eggs as an example, up 35 percent in price in the last year.
“It’s tough to run a small business in Rhode Island,” Driscoll said. “I gave it a shot.” " LINK
"In October 2005, New England Travel and Life named Raphael’s Providence’s best restaurant, citing its outstanding Italian cuisine and its “fashionably urbane dining experience.”
Raphael Bar Risto, in the Union Station complex owned by the Rhode Island Foundation, filed a petition for receivership late last month in Providence Superior Court.
The owner, Ralph C. Conte Jr., “indicated that business has fallen off, expenses have risen and he wasn’t able to pay rent and other expenses,” Shine said." LINK
Goodbye Giro's. From the article "After a 75-year run, Giro’s restaurant in the South Kingstown village of Peace Dale will close its doors tomorrow night.
Owner Dan Driscoll said increasing competition, rising costs and an expanding regulatory burden have combined to make business untenable.
...He gave eggs as an example, up 35 percent in price in the last year.
“It’s tough to run a small business in Rhode Island,” Driscoll said. “I gave it a shot.” " LINK
"In October 2005, New England Travel and Life named Raphael’s Providence’s best restaurant, citing its outstanding Italian cuisine and its “fashionably urbane dining experience.”
Raphael Bar Risto, in the Union Station complex owned by the Rhode Island Foundation, filed a petition for receivership late last month in Providence Superior Court.
The owner, Ralph C. Conte Jr., “indicated that business has fallen off, expenses have risen and he wasn’t able to pay rent and other expenses,” Shine said." LINK
The nor'easter acted almost tropical. Not cool. (Heh heh.)
From the ProJo "...out of character for April and bears an uncanny resemblance to a tropical weather system that feeds on a conveyer belt of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico...unusual for this time of year...precipitation circulating around the storm is very reminiscent of a tropical storm."
It should have been snow. It should have been my blizzard.
All winter I've been waiting for a real snow. All winter I was saying and thinking March- when the good blizzards come. And a huge storm formed, and it was headed here- and it was rain. On frozen ground. And the neighbors did a lot of new landscaping in the summer that I just watched with interest, not thinking about how the grade of the land was changing. And this is what happened. You can see the high water line in the basement covering the top of the stairs. In the picture on the right, that water line is about 18" above the ground.
You can see the way the water was flowing like a river through the stone wall back there right into our basement.
It should have been snow. So miserable. So so miserable. And cold- here comes the cold, now!
There are Special Weather statements all over the place about Arctic cold rushing into the area and windchills of -15. And our heater got drowned in the flood.
I know other people are experiencing suffering from climate change way way worse than this, but we are truly upset, and so are (apparently) other people on our road (from what we can tell in conversations with town officials, etc.) and all I can think is that it should have been snow.
Climate change is going to mess with a lot of people who aren't expecting it. We are in a low risk flood area- we're 200 feet up Kingston Hill. The lady at town hall said it was a 50 year rain. Who knows what that means anymore.
Rhode Island now the only NE state not to sign air pollution agreement.
This is a crying shame.
"Massachusetts recently rejoined a regional agreement with seven Northeast states to curb air pollution from energy power plants. The move makes Rhode Island the only state holding out on the agreement.
Newly elected Massachusetts Governor Patrick followed through on a campaign promise Thursday to participate in the country’s first multistate program designed to cut carbon dioxide emissions." LINK
"Massachusetts recently rejoined a regional agreement with seven Northeast states to curb air pollution from energy power plants. The move makes Rhode Island the only state holding out on the agreement.
Newly elected Massachusetts Governor Patrick followed through on a campaign promise Thursday to participate in the country’s first multistate program designed to cut carbon dioxide emissions." LINK
The Ocean Mist and the Joyce in jeopardy, coastal erosion worrying town.
"Business owners and residents along the Matunuck coast have watched the ocean creep closer with each storm. Waves have carved around septic systems and under foundations. South Kingstown lost its wooden boardwalk at the Town Beach.
Local and state coastal officials are bracing for what’s ahead, looking toward precautionary measures that could protect those living and working in the area.
The CRMC is now weighing what steps, if any, should be taken to protect the shoreline behind the Ocean Mist and the Joyce Family Pub. That " LINK
Local and state coastal officials are bracing for what’s ahead, looking toward precautionary measures that could protect those living and working in the area.
The CRMC is now weighing what steps, if any, should be taken to protect the shoreline behind the Ocean Mist and the Joyce Family Pub. That " LINK
Confused dolphins hanging out up by Long Island- warm water blamed.
Wow- now this is messed up. It reminds me of that manatee who was up in Warwick this summer- you know things are off-kilter. Well, these dolphins are apparently enjoying the Hamptons- in January.
"Dolphins have been seen around Long Island before, said William Wise, associate director of Stony Brook University's Marine Sciences Research Center. But such sightings are far from the norm, he said, and more likely to take place in summer."To have this school frolicking in the Peconic Bays in January is most unusual," Wise said."
LINK
"Dolphins have been seen around Long Island before, said William Wise, associate director of Stony Brook University's Marine Sciences Research Center. But such sightings are far from the norm, he said, and more likely to take place in summer."To have this school frolicking in the Peconic Bays in January is most unusual," Wise said."
LINK
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
