Just want to thank everyone for making the 6th Annual East Greenwich High School Wall of Honor another huge success. The administration, the custodians and Aramark Foods all contributed to a great night. Close to 100 people were in attendance at the event, sponsored by Gammons Prudential Realty, to see Linda Catanio Alix, Peter DeRestie, Sr., Dr. Fred Procopio, former R.I. Governor Donald Carcieri, Rear Admiral Richard Bennis, and Anthony "Tar Tar" Ucci honored for their exploits both in school and out. Michael and Anna Zaino and Carl Hoyer received WOH Appreciation Awards for their …

It was back in 2007 when Rhode Island’s unemployment rate was last below 6 percent. Since then we’ve seen it grow to almost 11 percent, and we’ve been one of the states that is leading the U.S. in this category. Despite this, it took until this year before local leaders started talking at all about economic development and what needs to be done, and we are still stalled in the talking phase. We’re seeing some modest improvement on the unemployment front. But it is modest improvement. Fixing what needs to be fixed in Rhode Island’s economy is a long term, structural process, and there is no …

The President again is threatening to take what amounts to legislative action via executive order. As you may recall, right before the 2012 election, Mr. Obama unilaterally cleared the way for certain illegal immigrants to become US citizens; this type of policy change needed to be implemented by Congress. Now Mr. Obama again is threatening to circumvent Congress and unilaterally alter national gun policy. Irrespective of how one feels about the ends the President seeks to attain, we all should be mortified at the unconstitutional manner in which he is pursuing those ends. In the long run, …

On November 13, my youngest daughter underwent orthopedic surgery. As a result, she is now in a long leg cast for six weeks and on crutches. The physical therapist told us that it would be easier for her to climb and descend from a bus than from a car. Consequently, we contacted the East Greenwich School Department to discuss providing special bus service to transport her while she is disabled for the six weeks, and the subsequent six weeks for the second phase of the surgery. After considering the issue, the school department decided they will not provide any accommodation. My daughter’s …

Imagine my surprise when I poured my morning coffee last Saturday at dawn, swiped on my iPad, checked the national news, the Rhode Island news and of course the local news from our beloved EG Patch, only to find an article about ... ME.   I read Lisa Sussman's witty rant with interest as she raised several questions about the Town Moderator position and the rationale for my own desire to serve the Town in this capacity. Basically her main concern seemed to be: why would anyone want to be the Moderator, a position with limited power and authority in our local system of government? Fair …

To those who participated in the EG Halloween Parade and Party, On behalf of the East Greenwich Interfaith Food Cupboard, we want to thank everyone so much for the donation of food from the annual Town Halloween Parade and Party. Making this a "Helping Halloween Event" was a terrific idea and the food cupboard was delighted to receive close to 150 items that had been collected.  The Food Cupboard is located at St Luke's Church in East Greenwich and we are open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30 to noon. Members of our community who are in need of food can come in and choose from a …

There are several proposed bond issues on the November ballot of interest to East Greenwich. Question 5 would authorize the issuance of $20,000,000 for the Clean Water Finance Agency. We have utilized this agency to finance our sewer line extension program east of Route 2 as well as improvements to our wastewater treatment plant. A recent example is the nitrogen removal facility to improveconditions in Greenwich Cove. We rank first among the state’s wastewater plants for nitrogen removal. We anticipate future projects to ensure the maintenance of our treatment plant. The plant went …

On Nov. 6 the voters of East Greenwich, in a non-binding referendum, will be asked the question of whether they want the East Greenwich Fire District to cease to exist and become a Fire Department within the Town. The answer to this question should be NO for the following reasons. It is universally agreed that the East Greenwich Fire District has been providing excellent service to the East Greenwich community since 1797, 215 years. The firefighters have performed admirably over the years and are highly regarded in our Town. There is no need to change. The Fire District is financially well …

The national debt is out-of-control.  In the past 4 years, it has risen by an astounding $6 trillion (i.e. it has risen from $10 to $16 trillion). Worse, President Obama’s proposed policies would continue this debt explosion; he plans in a second term to add about $1.5 trillion per year to this accumulated debt! President Obama lies straight to our faces when he proposes to solve this crises by “raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires.” As a solution, this amounts to throwing sand into the wind. As reported in the Wall Street Journal on October 3, 2012, the income of this group (per …

Many times, over my career, I have been asked, “Why it is necessary to send a fire truck on an ambulance or rescue call?” This is the Most Frequently Asked Question of the fire service. As the answer is not readily apparent to our taxpayers, I would like to explain why we send the fire truck on rescue calls. All of the firefighters of the East Greenwich Fire District are cross trained to respond to both fire and emergency medical incidents. Every firefighter is an Emergency Medical Technician–Cardiac (EMT-C) licensed by the state. They are required to maintain their licensure throughout their…

I was very sad to hear the Town Council voted to cut the budget to the East Greenwich Animal Protection League another $5,000 this year, which leaves the Town’s financial responsibility to the stray and surrendered animals to a mere $14,000 for the fiscal year. As you know, having read the facts previously provided to you at the Town Council meeting, this amount is far from what it costs to care for the animals turned in by the Town of East Greenwich. For the 2011 – 2012 fiscal year the amount needed to board and provide medical treatment for the animals of East Greenwich exceeded $43,000.00…

Dear neighbors, I write with a mixture of enthusiasm and sadness as I encourage you to participate in the First Annual Rainbow Race this Saturday, May 5 at 9 a.m. at John and Cindy’s Harvest Acre Farm on Route 138 in West Kingston. This measured 10K Race and 5K Walk covers some of the most picturesque rural areas of Washington County. I first met John and Cindy Duncan at a funeral home in December 2005. Their daughter, Cassie – whom I knew from chaperoning an eighth grade trip to Washington, DC the previous May – had committed suicide. I felt compelled to attend her wake, not just in my …

The Greenwich Odeum is getting ready to reopen after a sustained effort to come into compliance with our new state fire codes. A critical enabler to this effort has been the support we have received from both residents and businesses within the community. We clearly appreciate all of the volunteer help we’ve received from board members, other volunteers, and the financial support we’re receiving from so many individuals and businesses buying seats and attending our fundraisers.  We’re also grateful to many of the vendors for working with us and, in some cases, providing exceptional pricing – …

Tonight, the East Greenwich School Department will host the first of a series of four public meetings, titled the “Excellence in Education Forums.” This week’s subject is: “Aligning Educator Talent with Student Need.” Anyone interested in public education, particularly parents of children in the schools, should plan to attend. Here’s why:The adage that “all politics is local” is particularly true in public education. While the broad outlines for our educational initiatives and curriculum are a result of federal and state directives, local school committees have the specific responsibility for…

To The Editor: In September 2011, parents of elementary school children in East Greenwich convinced the Town Council to approve a major renovation project to one of the school district’s failing buildings. For years, the Meadowbrook Farms Elementary School, which houses half of the community’s K-3 students as well as a pre-school program, has had issues with humidity and mold that cause the floor tiles to buckle and crack. More importantly, this compromises air quality. The building’s roof failed not long ago and there is asbestos in the floor. Attempts to resolve these issues repeatedly …

Rhode Island’s presidential primary almost — almost — mattered this year, on the Republican side anyway. But Rick Santorum’s decision earlier this month to suspend his campaign made Mitt Romney the all-but-certain GOP nominee. That doesn’t mean candidates such as Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul don’t want votes. The more votes they get, the more delegates they earn and the more influence they could have on the Republican Convention in Tampa, Fla., in August. In fact, Callista Gingrich was in East Greenwich and Ron Paul himself paid a visit to URI just last week. In total, there are five …

The “A Taste of the World” fundraiser held March 10 in support of technology for East Greenwich elementary schools was a huge success, resulting in 16 fully funded grants for teachers at Meadowbrook Farms and Hanaford. Uniting teachers, parents, and community members, the gala affair was organized by Meadowbrook Farms and Hanaford Schools Technology Group. The goal was to fund grants for technology that teachers had posted on the website Donorschoose.org. Participating teachers included Mrs. Bose and Mrs. Cram of Hanaford as well as the following teachers from Meadowbrook Farms: Mrs. Cerro, …

Figgy's Art Studio cannot thank the Summer Arts and Festival Organization (SAFO) enough for their continued support to the community, to children with needs, and to the arts. It's a good example of neighbor helping neighbor. Best known for hosting the annual Summer's End concert, as an East Greenwich non-profit organization, SAFO also supports the arts by redistributing a percentage of their tax deductable donations in the form of scholarships. These scholarships have allowed qualifying EG public school students to attend Figgy's Art Studio, a place dedicated to providing a fun, safe and …

My daughter Laurel Koehler was 8 years old, without a care in the world, when her hair started falling out. Within a short period of time she lost all her body hair and about 50 percent of the hair on her head. After many doctor's appointments, bloodwork and specialists, we heard the words that changed our lives: "She has Alopecia areata." Laurel isn't sick, contagious or in physical pain. She has an incurable auto-immune disorder that makes her suddenly lose her hair. Searching for treatment options, we found The Children's Alopecia Project (CAP). Laurel began to attend a CAP Kids support …

Hello, my name is Daniel Andrade and I’m writing this letter in hopes of spreading the word about a wonderful organization called the St. Baldrick's Foundation. I am a firefighter with the East Greenwich Fire District and a member of Local 3328. Our Local has been supporting the St. Baldrick's Foundation since 2010 by volunteering our time, energy, and our heads to this worthy cause. We are very passionate about this organization and hope we can get the word out to as many people as possible. The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising …