OPINION/LETTERS: On citizens of Newport, Middletown to make regionalization a success
A smoother ride on East Main Road
As one who travels extensively on East Main Road, I would like to thank the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for the repaving work that was done on the road. Parts of the road were almost impassable, drivers had to plan where to drive on the road to avoid the ruts and potholes that seemed to be everywhere. But after the repaving, the road was much ore easily traveled.
Driving on the island: The repaving of troubled spots on East Main Road is finished for now. Here's what's next.
Edith Morin, Middletown
Jamestown council right to deny water hookup
The Jamestown Town Council made the correct decision in not allowing the town water line to extend beyond its current limit. Doing otherwise would set a precedent in the town and create problems in the future for several reasons.
Water woes: A Jamestown woman's well ran dry. Why won't the town let her tie into its water system?
While we understand the problem of the property owner, it was suggested to them at a Town Council meeting that they install an above ground water tank that can be connected to their indoor water system and be filled on a regular basis. Nowhere in the article was this suggestion mentioned by the property owner and I wonder why the property owner did not mention this to Mr. Hummel. I see this as a very viable solution to the problem and one they should further explore.
Mary Lou Sanborn, Jamestown
On citizens of Newport, Middletown to make regionalization a success
I have read a number of letters and heard members of the community recommending the postponement of the vote in November. My wife and I are relatively new residents to Newport, retiring here full-time a year ago from New Rochelle, New York. We have both worked in higher education for many years. I was an administrator and professor at a small private college located in the Bronx, New York, which enrolled primarily first generation and minority students from the public high schools throughout the boroughs of New York City and Westchester County. As dean of admissions, I was fortunate to collaborate with many of the superintendents, principals, and counselors at these high schools. I greatly admired their determination to provide their students with the support needed for success. Many of their students came from low- and lower-income homes, ELL students, and even homeless. I say all this to help put my observations about regionalization in perspective.
School regionalization: Is the state pushing for regionalizing Newport, Middletown schools? RIDE officials weigh in.
I attended the Aug. 22 meeting on regionalization and the Q&A meeting last night, Sept. 20, with the members of the Newport and Middletown School Committees with representatives from RIDE. After the Aug. 22 meeting, I was very encouraged and came away with these takeaways:
1. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to free up significant money that “we” can plow back into our schools and improve the educational experience of our children.
2. The money coming from the state will provide a good portion of the funds needed to build and improve schools planned for Newport and Middletown.
3. How these benefits are effectively used to improve our schools is on us; parents, administrators and residents of Newport and Middletown.
From the Sept. 20 meeting, I was struck by how little the School Committee members from both towns seemed to understand regionalization the benefits and opportunities. I was told after the meeting that this was the first time the members were brought together to discuss the process with representatives from RIDE. I found that very troubling and surprised that the members weren’t more enthusiastic about this opportunity.
The bottom line is that this is a path for improving our schools and providing our children with better educational opportunities. Once regionalization is approved, we, the citizens of Newport and Middletown, have a great opportunity to create the vision and model we want for our children. We can create a school system that is student-centric and innovative. Let’s move forward and get to work. It’s on us.
Michael Niedzwiecki, Newport
More options for disposing of fishing line are needed
Rhode Island is the Ocean State, and because of that, fishing is an essential part of the culture and economy. About 80,000 Rhode Island residents go saltwater fishing per year. If you walk by the shore on any summer morning, you will undoubtedly see crowds of eager anglers looking for a thrill. One thing you won’t see is safe places to dispose of fishing line.
Newport County is currently under-equipped for the amount of fishing line thrown away by fishermen. While disposal units do exist, they are often limited to specific docks like Tiverton Boat Launch, while other areas are left without a place to put trash. Many of the highest traffic areas are beaches and sea walls that are completely devoid of safe disposal units. The distribution of fishing line receptacles is inconsistent with where people are actually fishing. Portsmouth in particular has a distinct lack of them, despite the huge number of fishermen around Common Fence Point and Island Park.
While it is still on the fisherman to properly get rid of tackle, making safe disposal more accessible decreases the chance that monofilament will contaminate the environment. Responsible fishermen will have an easier time, and irresponsible fishermen will be less likely to toss their line when a disposal unit is a few feet away.
One hundred million pounds of plastic pollution enter the sea each year as a result of lost or littered fishing gear. This plastic gets into our food and water and has health impacts that are only now being discovered. It also poses a huge threat to our native seabirds. An estimated one million birds die from plastic consumption per year. I also consider it a positive when our beaches are trash free. A small change can help reduce the plastic footprint of the county, while also making our shorelines safer and more beautiful. As a coastal community, it is our job to take care of the ocean we rely on so much, and proper receptacles for fishing line would go a long way.
Chase Forch, Portsmouth
Beware toddy judges
Judges come in three “flavors,” coerced, independent, or toddy.
In places like The Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia, judges seem fully coerced. Their processes are opaque; the laws are vague; their consistent pro-government rulings are harsh; but they and their families remain safe from vengeful, strong-man governments. Current news items from unimpeachable media outlets prove these assertions. America must not, of course, embrace or mirror this corrupt judicial “flavor.”
Independent federal judges have long populated the third branch of our American government. Now, however, independent judges are viewed as enemies by those on the far right. If independent judges sanction their leaders, friends, or associates, the far right seems just fine with death threats against them. These threats come from rabid right-wing political supporters, led or egged on by venal, corrupt politicians. Independent judges are, as if we need a reminder, essential to justice based on the rule of law. This is not the “flavor” of the month. It is the “flavor” of our best hopes.
The third branch: Supreme Court Justice Kagan warns against court involvement in politics at Salve talk
What the far right clearly wants, as we learn nearly daily, are toddy judges, people who pay for their lifetime appointments with rulings that satisfy their sponsors. This “flavor” is beyond sour. It is detrimental to our democratic republic. By the way, why would toddy federal district court judges fear appeals to their rulings when appellate courts have toddy judges, too? Indeed, the smug far right is thrilled to have toddy justices on the supreme court, the realization of their fevered dreams.
There’s an old, familiar question that haunts many Americans. It is ‘Who will protect the public when the police break the law?’ That question is at the heart of efforts to reform our police. Now a parallel question is ‘If the federal judiciary, the third branch of government, is full of toddy judges, can justice based on the rule of law endure?’ The answer is no.
Will Newman, Tiverton
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: LETTERS: On citizens to make regionalization a success
