The Rhode Island Senate voted 31-6 on Wednesday to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.75 to $8 an hour on Jan. 1, which would be the second increase in as many years. Massachusetts’ minimum wage is already $8, while Connecticut’s is $8.25; the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009.

Among the 31 senators who voted for the $8 minimum were two of the chamber’s six Republicans: Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, R-Westerly, and Sen. Chris Ottiano, R-Portsmouth. They’re not the first Republicans to back a hike; Govs. Lincoln Almond and Don Carcieri both approved increases on their watch.

Two Democrats broke ranks with the rest of their party and voted against raising the wage to $8: Sens. Marc Cote, D-Woonsocket, and Leo Raptakis, D-Coventry. Notably, increasing the minimum wage was not part of Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed’s economic-development package earlier this year.

The Senate bill sponsored by Erin Lynch, D-Warwick, was referred to the House Labor Committee, which held a hearing Feb. 5 on Warwick Rep. David Bennett’s bill to raise the minimum wage to $8.25 next year.

Rhode Island’s first minimum wage was 90 cents an hour in 1956, which would be $7.69 in today’s dollars, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI inflation calculator. In 2013 dollars, the value of the minimum wage has averaged roughly $8.20 over the last half-century; it peaked at $10.69 in 1968 and bottomed out at $6.79 in 1995. Here’s a chart showing the nominal and inflation-adjusted wage over time:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The former executive director of Rhode Island’s Economic Development Corporation wants to build a biomass to renewable energy plant along Providence waterfront’s on Allens Avenue, but he said the city needs to commit to freezing commercial tax rates to make the project happen.

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Christine Ferguson

If you care about public policy in Rhode Island, there’s one article you have to read this week: “36 Hours Behind Rhode Island’s Health Exchange,” a new Governing magazine story by staff writer Dylan Scott.

The centerpiece of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act are the new health-insurance exchanges, online marketplaces where residents will be able to comparison shop for coverage and access federal subsidies to help them pay premiums. It’s modeled on the Massachusetts Health Connector, which was set up in 2006 by the Romney administration.

Rhode Island is one of 17 states that are setting up their own exchanges as the law’s architects intended, and the state has $65 million to get it up and running. Now the staff is scrambling to prepare for the Oct. 1 start of enrollment on the exchanges, as Scott explains:

Everybody around here, most of whom have spent some time in the private sector, emphasizes how creating the exchange, which centers on launching a complex yet functional and usable website, is more like working at a commercial start-up. This isn’t some entitlement program with automatic eligibility and a strict set of benefits. Dharma Yechuri, a private consultant who came from Blue Cross/Blue Shield in North Carolina, explains that the whole enterprise boils down to getting a segment of state government to think like “a product-centered business.”

Ian Lang, the exchange’s director for marketing and communications, puts it another way: “We’re asking people to change their buying habits. We’re asking them to buy this product.” In many ways, that’s a totally new role for government.

As we discussed when exchange chief Christine Ferguson appeared on Newsmakers recently, it’s an open question whether Rhode Island was right to create its own exchange rather than, say, try to join the Massachusetts Connector or create a regional grouping. (RIPEC looked at some of the questions in this study.) But now that the path has been chosen, it matters whether the people in charge get it right, particularly since health care is one of the few bright spots left in the Rhode Island economy.

Read the full story here.

The forecast calls for a 70% chance of the following occurring.

Named Storms: 13 to 20  (Seasonal Average is 12)

Hurricanes: 7 to 11 (Seasonal Average is 6)

Major Hurricanes: 3 to 6 (Seasonal Average is 3)

Hurricanes feed off of warm ocean water, and indeed the ocean water in the tropical Atlantic is warmer than average.  In years that we are under the influence of El Nino, hurricane season is often relatively quiet.  This hurricane season, El Nino is not expected to be present which could also lead to the development of more hurricanes.  (Photo below courtesy NOAA)

 What does this mean locally for southern New England?

Obviously, a more active hurricane season increases the probabiliy that Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts would be hit by a hurricane or tropical storm.  But just because the probability increases doesn’t mean it will actually happen.  There are many hurricanes and tropical storms that form in the Atlantic and never make it to southern New England. 

In addition, the “Major Hurricance” forecast can be a little misleading.  “Major Hurricanes” are defined as being a category 3 or higher with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.   While major hurricanes can be devastating, a direct hit from a weaker hurricane can be much worse than a glancing blow or miss from a major hurricane.  Technically, Sandy was not even a hurricane when it made landfall in New Jersey.  But it certainly felt like a major storm for people living on the Rhode Island coast, and especially those in Westerly.  

The bottom line? It’s not always about the number and size of the storms.  The exact track is very important too.  Unfortunately, we don’t have the technology to predict the exact tracks of storms months in advance.  -Pete Mangione

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Rhode Island’s biggest cities are among the slowest-growing in the nation, and one of them is actually losing population, as weak population growth continues across Southern New England, according to new U.S. Census estimates released on Thursday.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – With officials mulling a contract renewal for Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras is again questioning a high school graduation mandate that ties a diploma to the state’s standardized test.

Read the rest of this story »

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Rhode Island’s teen birth rate has dropped by 27% over the last five years, with the largest decrease among non-Hispanic blacks, according to newly released government data.

Read the rest of this story »

While the whole day won’t be a “washout”, we will need to watch again later this afternoon and especially this evening for the potential for strong and severe thunderstorms.  The highest risk will be over western New England, but a few storms containing torrential rain and strong winds will be possible around here, too, especially if we get some breaks of sun.

Thunderstorm outlook Thursday, May 23

Tornado Outlook Thursday, May 23

Parts of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma also have the potential for more severe thunderstorms with a moderate risk of those storms producing tornadoes.

Our best shot at getting widespread rain/thunder will come after 7pm this evening and continuing through the night.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – R.I. Gov. Lincoln Chafee on Wednesday reaffirmed his support for Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, but stopped short of fully endorsing the school chief’s request for a three-year extension when her contract ends next month.

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The new Pension Investments site includes the portfolio’s investment returns over multiple time periods, its current asset allocation, its total hedge-fund fees in 2011-12 and the State Investment Commission’s monthly meeting reports, as well as an FAQ about expenses.

The information on hedge-fund fees will be closely scrutinized after Raimondo came under harsh criticism from a Forbes.com blogger for her decision to use the alternative investment vehicles. The data shows the pension fund spend $16 million on investment expenses in 2011-12, an amount that will presumably rise significantly this fiscal year because many of the hedge funds weren’t part of the portfolio for all of 2011-12, limiting fees.

In 2011-12, the costliest hedge funds were Och-Ziff Capital Management Group’s OZ Domestic Fund II LP, which got $1.9 million in fees, and the D.E. Shaw Group’s D.E. Shaw Composite International Fund, which got $1.81 million. All of the pension fund’s initial commitments to 20 hedge funds totaled between $20 million and $75 million, with the two largest commitments going to OZ Domestic and Brevan Howard LP.

The hedge-fund portfolio earned a 9.36% return during the year ended April 30, beating its benchmark but trailing the entire pension fund’s 13.38% return over the same period, according to Treasury data compiled by Bank of New York Mellon, its custodial bank, and Cliffwater LLC, its hedge-fund advisor.

• Related: Chart: How Raimondo has changed RI’s pension investments (April 4)

Meanwhile, Rhode Island PBS was kind enough to include me on the panel for last week’s “Lively Experiment,” along with Richard Licht, Gary Sasse and Maureen Moakley. Topics include economic development, the various scandals in Washington, and whether Richard deserved that raise. The video is up now – check it out:

From the Severe Storms Prediction Center: Convective Outlook for Wednesday

       The primary threats with any potential storms will be from damaging straight line wind gusts and hail as well as torrential downpours and frequent lightning.  With that said, the SPC also released their outlook for a tornado threat  for today

From the Severe Storms Prediction Center: Tornado Outlook for Wednesday

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   While the chances are low, there is the slight chance for an isolated tornado in Connecticut and Massachusetts up to the Rhode Island border.  Obviously during the afternoon and evening today, we need to be alert!

-T.J. Del Santo

Still analyzing the data from the Moore Oklahoma Tornado. The doppler radar technology we use in our weather department is state of the art when it comes to tracking severe weather.  One feature we use is called “X Vision”, in which we can take cross sections of severe thunderstorms and look inside of them in real time. Keep in mind, tornadoes form inside of severe thunderstorms only. Looking inside of these huge storms gives us a wealth of information about the inner structure of the storm, and clues us in on things like hail, tornado, and wind (microbursts) potential. This in turn allows us to give you specific and advanced warnings of dangerous weather headed your way. Stay tuned to Eyewitness News during severe thunderstorm season to see how we use “X-Vision” technology.

The image below is a dramtic 3D look at the Moore Oklahoma thunderstorm and tornado. You can clearly see the funnel touching the ground just outside of Moore.  Other clues are the hieght of the storm (50, 000 feet !!)..along with the location of large hail.

 Thanks for logging on….Tony R Petrarca

COVENTRY, R.I. (WPRI) – Elected officials in Coventry have taken an apparently unprecedented step by washing their hands of responsibility for one of their employee pension plans, saying taxpayers have no obligation to come up with enough money to stop it from running out of cash within 12 years.

All told, Coventry’s three local pensions plans – one for police, one for municipal employees, and one for non-teacher school personnel – have racked up a $121 million liability for promised benefits, with less than $23 million saved to pay the bill. In fact, just two years ago the newly elected Town Council voted to sweeten police officers’ pension benefits, adding roughly $9 million to the tab in one fell swoop.

Read the rest of this story »

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – A Providence-based payment processing company founded by one of the state’s most well-known technology entrepreneurs on Tuesday announced that it secured $12 million in venture capital financing to help with its expansion.

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Again, Watch means the POTENTIAL for Severe weather in these areas.

Severe thunderstorms can bring torrential rain, large hail, frequent lightning and destructive winds.  These storms can still move into Southeastern New England. 

As of 2pm, storms were developing in parts of New York State.  The storms in New Hampshire and central Massachusetts have moved offshore.

-T.J. Del Santo

Conditions are becoming favorable for thunderstorms now in New York State to move eastward and into Southern New England.  The strongest of these storms will likely be in Western New England, but some strong to severe storms are possible in our region after 4pm.   If you’re interested, here is the discussion from the SPC.

We will continue to monitor these storms closely.  Again, if these storms do move into our region, the biggest threats are:

• Torrential Rain
• Frequent Lightning
• Large Hail
• Potentially Damaging Wind Gusts

-T.J. Del Santo

Here’s an eyewitness account: “I was going to go in anyway, ’cause I could see that swirl in the air up there.”

Tree ontop of car immediately following a tornado which ripped through Cranston and Providence, RI in 1986.

Another eyewitness describes what he saw: “We came around the corner and just looked up… next thing we know, the wind flipped it (the truck) right over.”

A truck flipped by the 1986 Cranston/Providence tornado.

 A house on Hillwood Street in Cranston was literally blown off its foundation.  From the outside of the house, you could see down into the basement.  Donna Santos, who lived in the house, spoke to a WPRI-TV reporter back in 1986:

“I thought I was going to die…that’s all I thought..I have a little 3 year old daughter.

House on Hillwood Street in Cranston blown off of its foundation during the 1986 tornado.

That house was torn down…another house sits on the land today.

Some of the worst damage occurred on Stewart Street at the site of the Fulford Manufacturing Building in Providence.   This is behind what is now Crossroads Rhode Island (the old YMCA building).   Eyewitnesses say the twister hit the building and ripped off the top off the century-old brick structure.  Machinery on the inside was exposed and bricks were scattered everywhere on the outside.  Today, there is a parking lot where the building once stood.  The company relocated to East Providence.

Fulford Manufacturing Building after the 1986 tornado hit it.

The tornado continued northward toward Orms Street where it dissipated.   It was considered an F-2 on the Fujita Tornado Scale with winds between 113 and 157mph.

Approximate path of the 1986 Cranston/Providence Tornado

The next day, twisters struck again…this time in Northern Rhode Island.  In Burrillville and North Smithfield, trees and debris were scattered everywhere.  This tornado was an F-1 with winds up to 112mph.

An Eyewitness described it: “This was short-lived.  Gone as soon as you were able to recognize what was going on.”

Tornadoes are rare in Rhode Island and are usually weak.  On that day in 1986, however, many people saw first-hand the destructive nature of these storms.

The field of likely 2014 candidates for governor of Rhode Island has come sharply into focus over the last week thanks to three key announcements: Democrat Ernie Almonte’s switch to the treasurer’s race on Thursday, Republican Brendan Doherty’s decision to sit out the race on Friday, and Moderate Party founder Ken Block’s announcement this morning that he’s running again.

Almonte’s exit leaves Treasurer Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Angel Taveras as the two potential heavyweights in the Democratic primary, setting up a head-to-head clash between the two. Almonte’s absence could boost Raimondo, since both of them have reputations for pension truth-telling and fiscal responsibility, issues that appeal to moderates and conservatives; Taveras has a more wide-ranging portfolio.

That assumes, of course, both Raimondo and Taveras actually jump into the gubernatorial race. While the two Democrats are taking the steps necessary to mount campaigns, until there’s an official announcement the possibility remains that one of them won’t pull the trigger. Raimondo has $1.7 million already and her fundraising shows no sign of slowing, while Taveras has $560,779 and can tap the deep-pocketed network of former DSCC chief J.B. Poersch; a lengthy primary fight could be expensive and bruising.

On the Republican side, Doherty’s decision to take a pass – along with John Robitaille’s a few months back – is great news for Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, who’s made no secret of his interest in the governor’s office.

Doherty had the support of new party chairman Mark Smiley and could have assembled a campaign team easily; he also demonstrated real fundraising prowess in his congressional bid last year. Without a real primary, Fung can now spend the next 16 months raising money and preparing for a quick two-month general-election campaign once the Democratic candidate is picked. It almost worked for Robitaille in 2010.

Then there’s Ken Block.

The Moderate Party standard-bearer received 22,146 votes in 2010, good for 6.5% of the total. Put another way, Block garnered two-and-a-half times the 8,660 votes that gave Lincoln Chafee his margin of victory over Robitaille in the election. Republicans blame Block for Robitaille’s defeat, which Block contests, but there’s little doubt he makes the math harder for centrist and center-right candidates. A January PPP poll showed Block getting between 8% and 16% of the vote depending on his competition.

As for Chafee, it’s likely nobody was more pleased about Block’s announcement than the incumbent.

If Chafee remains an independent, which still seems probable, his best-case scenario is probably another four-way field: Chafee, Raimondo/Taveras, Fung, Block. But there’s no guarantee he can turn a crowded field into another victory – PPP put him in third place, with only about 20% of the vote, under that scenario, which suggests a Democrat or Fung could be 2014′s Chafee, winning with the support of just a third of the electorate.

The silver lining for Chafee is another finding from the PPP poll. In a hypothetical three-way contest with Chafee running as the Democratic nominee against Doherty and Block, his support reached 35%. Obviously that contest isn’t going to happen – but it suggests about one in three voters are still open to casting a ballot for Chafee depending on their other options. “Landslide Linc” he ain’t, but he has a path.

Of course, the most important fact of all is that it’s only May of 2013, with a year and a half left before voters choose the next governor. But make no mistake: what happens this year will have a big impact on who takes the oath of office in January 2015.

• Related: Minority turnout surged in RI in 2012; white vote slumped (May 9)

We expect more thunderstorms to develop through the afternoon… likely further south and west.  Northern Rhode Island could possibly see some thunderstorms later this afternoon and early evening. 

The primary threats with these storms would be

• heavy rain
• frequent lightning
• hail
• potentially damaging wind gusts 

Of course, with the images of the Oklahoma and Texas tornadoes fresh in everyone’s minds, you may wonder about the threat of a twister.  The threat of a tornado with these storms is considered to be very low.  We will watch these storms closely and keep you updated through the afternoon.

-T.J. Del Santo

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Moderate Party founder Ken Block will once again be the face of his party’s 2014 gubernatorial run, according to a website that went live this morning.

Read the rest of this story »

In fact, the Storm Prediction Center based in Norman, OK has parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas under a “Moderate Risk” for severe storms.

Severe Weather Outlook for Tuesday, May 21

Here’s the forecast for potential tornadoes:

Tornado Probability

The main threat with any storms that develop in this area will be very large hail and strong tornadoes.  There’s also a lower risk for isolated severe thunderstorms in the central Great Lakes and into far western New England.

Locally, a front will be over southern New England today and will act as a focus for isolated showers and thunderstorms to develop late afternoon and evening.  The greatest risk of seeing any storms would be in northern RI and northern Bristol County, MA.  Brief heavy downpours, gusty winds and lightning are all possible.  If you are headed to the ball field today, keep an eye to the sky for changing weather conditions.

RPM Model Valid at 7pm

The pictures from Moore Oklahoma are heartbreaking…the damage, incredible, even for Oklahoma, which is no stranger to tornadoes.

The strength, size and duration of this particular tornado is rare. Tornado stength is measured using the Fujita Scale.  Twisters are ranked on a scale from Zero to Five. A zero is the weakest, a five is considered catastrophic. Yesterday’s Moore Oklahoma tornado is estimated to be a 4 or 5 on that scale.  That puts winds up to 200mph or higher. Whole cars are lifted and thrown hundreds of feet.

Latest News On Severe Outbreak Click Here

Damage From More Oklahoma, May 20th, 2013

THE FUJITA TORNADO SCALE

 SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR TUESDAY, MAY 21st, 2013….

SEVERE RISK AREAS IN YELLOW AND RED, GREEN SHADING REPRESENTS GENERAL THUNDERSTORMS WHICH MAY BE STRONG BUT NOT SEVERE

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Fewer than two percent of all certified food stamp retailers in Rhode Island were disqualified by from accepting EBT cards in 2012, but a reform advocate says that figure is just the tip of the iceberg of a fraud problem that is costing taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

Read the rest of this story »

RISK POTENTIAL TODAY….

Good Evening …

After a slow start. tornado season continues to become more active last several days. As of this writing a Tornado Warning has been issued for Oklahoma City.  This large weather sysytem will affect our weather next several days, but nothing severe…however, this risk of occasional showers and thuderstorms is expe this week. Many hours however will be rain free too, so not a washout.  This storm across the Plains is helping to draw in high humidity across our area….that in turn will produce dense fog along our south coast Tonight. A Dense Fog Advisory has been issues for the coast from 10pm Tonight thru 10am Tuesday..

Thanks for logging on…….Tony Petrarca

But Arnold’s actual story is actually more interesting than that, according to the summer issue of WSJ.Money magazine.

Arnold, 39, closed his hedge fund last year and retired to begin giving away his $2.8-billion fortune, mainly through the Laura and John Arnold Foundation he and his wife founded:

Arnold and his wife, Laura, have a somewhat unique approach to giving. Most billionaires tend to write checks to good causes they’re part of, hospitals where they were treated or universities they attended. … Or there are donors who make sizable gifts to meet an obvious need in a community, such as hunger or education. But at a time when charitable giving in the U.S. is still down from its peak in 2007, the Arnolds want to try something new and somewhat grander. John says the goal is to make “transformational” changes to society.

The Arnolds want to see if they can use their money to solve some of the country’s biggest problems through data analysis and science, with an unsentimental focus on results and an aversion to feel-good projects — the success of which can’t be quantified. No topic is too ambitious: Along with obesity, the Arnolds plan to dig into criminal justice and pension reform, among others.

Among Arnold’s critics is Rhode Island’s own Mike Downey of AFSCME Council 94:

J. Michael Downey, president of Rhode Island’s biggest union of state employees, says he considered it a “wonderful Christmas present” when The Wall Street Journal reported in December that Arnold was helping to fund a pension-reform effort in concert with Gina Raimondo, the state’s Democratic general treasurer. Downey says he’d never heard of Arnold before the article appeared but sees Arnold’s Enron background as evidence that he cares less about workers than pursuing a Darwinian form of capitalism. “That’s how he operates,” Downey says. 
For his part, Arnold says he is “pro-worker” and that solving pension reform will only save jobs in the long run.

EngageRI isn’t the Arnolds’ only involvement in Rhode Island; their foundation is partnering with the Pew Center on the States to help cities and towns, including Pawtucket and Scituate, deal with their underfunded municipal pension plans. They’ve also donated $8,000 to Treasurer Gina Raimondo and her political action committee since last May, according to R.I. Board of Elections filings.

The entire WSJ article is worth a read. It managed to win Arnold praise from Gawker’s Hamilton Nolan, archenemy of plutocrats. “We salute, John Arnold, and your cold-blooded and dead-eyed approach to making this world a better place,” Nolan wrote in a post on Friday. “If every billionaire were like John Arnold, we would be slightly less apoplectic. (Momentarily).”

• Related: EngageRI raised $900K in 2011 and 2012, tax returns show (May 13)

(photo: Laura and John Arnold Foundation)

1. Providence’s push for a new Ocean State Regional Water Authority deserves a closer look. The bill, which was supposed to get a hearing Thursday but got yanked from the agenda, would pave the way for the city-owned Providence Water Supply Board to lease its system to the new authority. Notably, any lease or sale agreement entered into by the Ocean State Regional Water Authority wouldn’t be subject to approval by the R.I. Public Utilities Commission; if the capital city got a big upfront payment under the terms of the lease, the new water authority would presumably need to borrow a significant amount to pay the tab – money that would come out of ratepayers’ water bills. The new authority would also still need to come up with a lot of cash over the coming decades to pay for more than $300 million in water-infrastructure projects. Selling a water supply isn’t a new idea – London’s system is privately owned and operated, though not without its critics – but if Providence needs cash and the water system needs capital, it’s unclear if a quasi-public is the best approach. An alternative option would be selling or leasing Providence Water to a private company. For example, Aquarion Water Co., a division of Australia’s Macquarie Group, is in talks to buy yet another Connecticut town’s water system, with the promise of cash and new property-tax revenue once the deal goes through. Perhaps a firm like Aquarion could bring capital from outside Rhode Island to invest in the water system. The privatization option is at least worth considering if Providence Water is keen to change the current regime.

2. This week marks the 65th anniversary of the end of passenger trolley-car service in Providence. The United Electrical Railways’ last streetcar ended its final trip at the Swan Point trolley shelter in the early hours of May 15, 1948. “It was, thus, officially ending a transportation era, which began in Rhode Island in 1864, with horsecars,” a local journalist remarked at the time. “The first line was electrified in 1892 and trolley cars hung on despite introduction of busses [sic] in 1932 and trackless trolleys in 1931.” Has the time come for streetcars to make a grand return to Providence (if not Blackstone Boulevard)? Mayor Angel Taveras included the idea in his big economic-development plan, though funding remains elusive; possible solutions have been offered by Jef Nickerson and Stephen Miller.

3. While taping “Lively Experiment” on Thursday, Director of Administration Richard Licht good-naturedly chastised me for overlooking the “silver lining” of Rhode Island’s falling unemployment rate and instead focusing on the state’s shrinking work force. To the extent that reduced unemployment is a sign of reduced human misery, Licht is right to see good news. The question is how much that’s the case. Since January 2010, when the jobless rate peaked, the number of unemployed Rhode Islanders has fallen by 18,510 – yet the number of employed Rhode Islanders has risen by only 5,624. If those 12,886 unemployed-but-uncounted workers had stayed in the labor force, Rhode Island’s April unemployment rate would have been 11.2%. While that’s still better than the 11.9% unemployment rate of January 2010, it would be far less positive than last month’s actual reported jobless rate of 8.8%. And this isn’t a universal phenomenon: the 6.4% April jobless rate in Massachusetts doesn’t change when you carry out the same exercise, because the Bay State has increased total employment and the size of the labor force since the worst of the recession. That said, DLT statistician Donna Murray told me Friday she thinks a key reason for the recent drop is delayed retirements finally taking place: raw data shows the number of Rhode Islanders ages 55 and older who weren’t in the labor force because they don’t want a job jumped by 15,800 from December to April.

4. We’ve read a lot about various controversies surrounding the Obama administration this week, but some of the most thoughtful critiques of the president didn’t have to do with the daily headlines – they have to do with his entire foreign policy. First there’s Mark Ambinder’s review of “The Dispensable Nation,” which he describes as “the best anti-Obama book I’ve read” thanks to Vali Nasr’s critique of “a president with extreme myopia.” It fits right in with two other new pieces on Obama’s Syria policy: Dexter Filkins’ long New Yorker analysis, and Jeffrey Goldberg’s latest Bloomberg View column.

5. A loyal and good-looking Saturday Morning Post reader informs me Rhode Island’s capital gets a mention from indie band Vampire Weekend on their new album. The lyrics to “Hannah Hunt,” the sixth track on the release, begin: “A gardener told me some plants move / But I could not believe it / Til me and Hannah hunt / Saw crawling vines and weeping willows / As we made our from Providence to Phoenix.” Long trip.

6. The New York Times’ David Carr has a must-read column this week about the disastrous business strategy of Advance Publications in New Orleans, where their Times-Picayune is under assault from The Advocate of Baton Rouge. A recent raid of Times-Pic journalists by The Advocate, Carr writes, “served as a reminder that The Times-Picayune’s former monopoly over talent was a thing of the past. That doesn’t mean that The Advocate will have anywhere near the impact on New Orleans that The Times-Picayune once did, or that it will magically defy the laws of contemporary publishing economics. But it does suggest that Advance’s belief that it had New Orleans to itself and could do as it wished was deeply mistaken.”

7. This week’s dispatch from WPRI.com ace Dan McGowan: “Providence City Council President Michael Solomon this week announced plans to create a 15-member commission tasked with studying the vacant ‘Superman building’ and other potential economic-development projects throughout the city. Both the council and the Taveras administration have expressed concern about offering incentives to help turn the 111 Westminster St. property into apartments – the city has already approved 13 tax stabilization deals since 2011 – but Councilman Terry Hassett said the city must find a way to preserve the iconic structure: ‘We simply cannot allow 111 Westminster to languish,’ he said. No matter what recommendations the new commission makes for the building, the state will still need to subsidize at least some of the project, according to Bill Fischer, a spokesman for High Rock Development, which owns the property. Fischer said his client has continued to meet with Governor Chafee, Mayor Taveras and House and Senate leadership and that he hopes leaders are beginning to understand the magnitude of the project. ‘It’s hard to imagine a refurbished Kennedy Plaza with an empty Superman building sitting next it,’ Fischer told WPRI.com.” Read all of Dan’s reporting here.

8. Congratulations to The Providence Journal’s Phil Marcelo, who was selected this week as one of the International Center for Journalists’ 14 International Reporting Fellows for 2013. Phil will travel to Liberia in mid-July to report for the Projo on how Rhode Islanders are helping the country rebuild after its civil war. By coincidence, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was in Washington this week, where she met with both U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Congressman David Cicilline.

9. Rhode Island PBS was kind enough to include me on the panel for this week’s episode of “A Lively Experiment,” along with Richard Licht, Gary Sasse and Maureen Moakley. Topics include the State House fight over economic development, the various scandals in Washington, and whether Richard deserved that raise. Watch tonight at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (Ch. 36.2), Sunday at noon on WSBE-TV (Ch. 36.1) or online at the RI PBS blog.

10. Set your DVRs: This week on Newsmakers – former Treasurer Frank Caprio in his first TV interview since the 2010 campaign. Watch Sunday at 10 a.m. on Fox Providence. This week on Executive Suite – ShapeUp CEO Rajiv Kumar. Watch Saturday at 10:30 p.m. or Sunday at 6 p.m. on myRITV (or Sunday at 6 a.m. on Fox). See you back here next Saturday morning.

Ted Nesi ( tnesi@wpri.com ) covers politics and the economy for WPRI.com and writes the Nesi’s Notes blog. Follow him on Twitter: @tednesi

An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the Ocean State Regional Water Authority wouldn’t be subject to oversight by the R.I. Public Utilities Commission; the authority’s lease and sale agreements would not be subject to the commission’s oversight, but its other activities would be.