Would love to know when you find a place! I'm a business and food writer for the Boston Globe's Rhode Island Bureau and I have a free weekly newsletter about the business of food and dining. https://mailchi.mp/bostonglobe/ri-food-dining

email me anytime- alexa.gagosz@globe.com

BACKSTORY: From Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket and Skyline at Waterplace in Providence to Alex and Ani, ripping off the city and state of Rhode Island. This is the story of Michael Mota -- whose secret behind his success is tireless networking, great timing, and some smoke and mirrors.

​

My colleague Amanda Milkovits has been working on this story for the last year. Read a snippet below.

Michael A. Mota leaned back in a black leather chair in his second-floor office, next to a framed poster of him surrounded by actors famed for portraying Hollywood mobsters, and talked confidently about his business plans.
He spun tales about the value of the cryptocurrency he launched, his popular conventions aimed at fans of mob movies and “The Sopranos,” his connections with celebrities and power players, and the successes of his convention and entertainment company, VirtualCons.
In press releases and online, he calls himself “Dr. Mota,” referring to an honorary doctorate he received last fall, and says he was a vice president at Alex and Ani, the once high-flying jewelry company. He says unnamed overseas investors and others want to sink millions into his plans “because I am a smart guy, just so you know.”

And he has emerged as a key player in two of Rhode Island’s most prominent properties where his boasts are no less grand — and the results so far underwhelming at best.
As CEO of Skyline at Waterplace, a shimmering event venue in downtown Providence, Mota once proposed building an amphitheater and ornate Bellagio-style fountains in the mucky tidal river.
And Mota claims his company, Bayport International Holdings, has a $50 million to $90 million redevelopment plan for the former Memorial Hospital property in Pawtucket, which will help solve the state’s housing crisis along the way.
There’s just one problem: Mota’s tales of success are largely fictional, a Globe investigation shows.
Skyline hadn’t paid its rent to the city of Providence for months, city officials say, and there’s no record that Mota made renovations that were promised in exchange for avoiding rent for nearly three years.
Bayport International Holdings is a defunct company. Its stock is worthless, industry analysts say.

Mota’s doctorate comes from a diploma mill that provides honorary degrees for a price, the Globe’s research found. His work at Alex and Ani has been exaggerated — the company’s founder told the Globe he never served as its vice president.
The list goes on.
“Don’t trust him,” said Rhode Island filmmaker David Bettencourt, who worked directly with Mota at a marketing company that was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alex and Ani. “You can’t listen to anything he says.”

​

READ MORE IN THE GLOBE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/17/metro/mike-mota-art-virtual-con/

FROM THE STORY: Six of every 10 households that rent in Rhode Island spend more than half of their income on housing alone, and are at risk of homelessness, according to a newly released report.On Thursday, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released “The Gap” report, which is an annual compilation of data that examines the shortage of affordable homes across the country. The US has a total shortage of 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income rental households.

Between 2019 and 2021, the national shortage of affordable housing for extremely low-income renters worsened by more than half a million units, according to the NLIHC. Some rental inflation has cooled during the first quarter of 2023, but those with extremely low incomes are still facing significant barriers to finding and maintaining affordable housing. In many cases, their incomes are insufficient to cover even modest rental costs, NLIHC president and CEO Diane Yentel said.

In Rhode Island, there are 51,596 extremely low-income households, but only 27,547 rental homes are affordable and available to them, the report found, which shows a shortage of 24,049 affordable and available units just for this income bracket.

DETAILS FROM THE STORY: A federally-funded two-year initiative is expected to launch next week to help combat misinformation in Rhode Island and help minimize online violence and extremism.
The new program, dubbed Courageous RI, was designed by the University of Rhode Island’s Media Education Lab, and was funded through a $700,000 grant from the US Department of Homeland Security. The initiative, which will be rolled out in three phases, has been tasked with fostering community conversations, providing training and education, and engaging youth. The trainings look to help participants across sectors become “more resilient to propaganda and disinformation.”
The initiative will formally launch at an in-person event at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Rhode Island State House, kicking off a series of free virtual sessions that are open to the public. Officials including Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, Republican State Representative Brian Newberry, and Democrat State Senator Hanna Gallo are expected to offer remarks.

​

READ MORE IN THE LINK.

Hi all! Here’s an ongoing list of candidates that are exploring and have confirmed they are out (after previously stating they’d be interested in heading to Congress in the past); https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/21/metro/running-list-possible-candidates-cicillines-congressional-seat/?p1=StaffPage

I included a good portion of the story in the comments! Pay walls are annoying, I know. But it helps me pay the rent. Happy to answer questions you might have!

We are hearing that CF Mayor Rivera is in discussions with family and colleagues exploring a potential campaign as well. This was only a preliminary list of people who have expressed interest in running for Congress in the past. Not a list of viable candidates who would "do a good job."

​

I hope that helps!

Please take a look at the comment I left on the story. I copied and pasted half of my colleague's story there.

FROM THE STORY: US Representative David Cicilline plans to resign from Congress later this year to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, the Globe has learned.
The announcement, expected Tuesday, is sure to send shockwaves through Rhode Island’s political establishment, setting up an off-year special election for the First Congressional District seat that most political observers believed the 61-year-old Cicilline could have held for the rest of his life.
Over the course of 28 years, Cicilline has held elected office as a Rhode Island state representative, mayor of Providence, and member of Congress.
During a special meeting on Tuesday morning, the foundation’s board of directors voted to hire Cicilline following a months-long national search to replace outgoing president and CEO Neil Steinberg. The foundation is Rhode Island’s largest philanthropic organization, with a endowment of more than $1.3 billion.

​

“For more than a decade, the people of Rhode Island entrusted me with a sacred duty to represent them in Congress, and it is a responsibility I put my heart and soul into every day to make life better for the residents and families of our state,” Cicilline said. “The chance to lead the Rhode Island Foundation was unexpected, but it is an extraordinary opportunity to have an even more direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents of our state. The same energy and commitment I brought to elected office I will now bring as CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, advancing their mission to ensure all Rhode Islanders can achieve economic security, access quality, affordable healthcare, and attain the education and training that will set them on a path to prosperity.”

​

READ MORE IN THE LINK

FROM THE STORY: US Representative David N. Cicilline’s decision to resign from Congress to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation took many Rhode Island politicians by surprise on Tuesday. Now the game begins: Who is going to decide to run to replace him?
This is the second time in two years that a Rhode Island congressman has shaken up the state’s political structure with an unexpected departure. US Representative James R. Langevin set off a scramble for the Second Congressional District.

​

Democratic candidates could range from former Providence mayors Jorge Elorza and Joseph Paolino, former CVS candidate and probably 2024 candidate for governor Helena Foulkes, former secretary of state Nellie Gorbea, Attorney General Peter Neronha, and many others. A possible GOP candidate? Possibly Minority Leader Senator Jessica de la Cruz.

​

Read my colleague Ed Fitzpatrick's smart takes on who could take Cicilline's place.

They have hired Stefan Pryor as the replacement, though. He already started.

FROM THE STORY: Boxing gloves emblazoned with the Providence Police shield sit on a table behind the new chief.
For all of the awards and achievements over 28 years at the Providence Police Department — a master’s from Boston University, graduating from the FBI National Academy and senior management programs at Boston University and the Harvard Kennedy School, teaching community policing at Roger Williams University and Salve Regina University, serving on the parole board, the board at the Nonviolence Institute, and working on statewide policies — the gloves are a symbol of his grit.

Soon after emigrating from Medellín, Colombia, at age 13, Oscar Perez started going to a boxing gym near his family’s home in South Providence. He couldn’t speak English, but boxing taught him other lessons, like what it takes to remain standing in a fight.
He’s personable and quick to laugh, but even now, at age 52, he instinctively balls up his fists as he talks.
READ MORE IN THE LINK.

Love these compare/ contrast images

Details: Joshua D. Saal, the former housing secretary who resigned after months of missteps reported by the Globe, has been hired by the state as a contractor.
The decision to have Saal return to state service as a contracted consultant was made by the governor’s office and the housing department, state department of administration spokeswoman Laura Hart told the Globe. Hart said the agreement was not required and is an “occasional practice” for departing state employees.

​

more in the link.

I just really love Palo. They do great work there and are unpretentious about it.

Thank you!

I love Slow Rhode on the West End.

I also wrote this piece in the Boston Globe about late night digs in Providence. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/26/metro/want-late-night-bite-you-have-few-options-providence/

I wrote about food-specific gifts you can buy that are from Rhode Island for my weekly food and dining newsletter with the Globe. Here it is: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/12/metro/one-of-a-kind-food-gifts-everyone-your-list/

Here's parts of that article/ newsletter here:

• Finishing salt from local waters beats anything you’re buying in bulk, elevating your dishes and craft cocktails. Hand harvested from Brenton Reef along Ocean Drive, Newport Sea Salt Co. follows a traditional and unhurried process of making small-batched, pure and natural sea salt where nothing is added or taken away.
• No one has time to make everything from scratch at home. But you can say “no” to the big brands you’ve seen in every home kitchen for the last few decades. Grab sauces and other BBQ goodies from the Backyard Food Company in Warwick, seasoning from Ocean State Pepper Co., fresh pasta from Priva Farina in Warren, and hot sauce from Rhed’s inside the Farm Fresh building in Providence. Bonus: Gastro’s Craft Meats usually has sampler sizes and gift baskets.

Some of your have messaged me, asking how you can help the family. They just started a GoFundMe. You can find that here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-family-get-back-to-normal

‘Tis. However, I worked on this story for months along with my photographer. I think it’s worth it.

Overview: With two working parents, $80,000 a year in income, four kids, and a stable home in Rhode Island, the Strong family was living the American dream. Then they were evicted. And the nightmare began.

After months of reporting, I respectfully ask that you please give this a story a read.

FROM THE STORY: Local and national legal experts are questioning whether Governor Dan McKee has the authority to evict homeless people sleeping on the grounds of the Rhode Island State House, which is public property.

On Dec. 7 the people, who have been sleeping outside in tents, were given 48 hours to vacate the State House grounds or face fines or arrest. According to notices handed out at the time, the state promised to provide them with a bed in an emergency shelter and transportation from the State House.

But Rhode Island currently has a severe shortage of shelter beds for people who are homeless. And as the 9 a.m. deadline for eviction came and went on Dec. 9, it was still unclear where, exactly, the state was proposing to place those who had been camping on State House grounds. By noon on Dec. 9, McKee spokesman Matthew Sheaff that there were “less than 10″ remaining members of the encampment, though there were still about 25 tents set up outside the State House

“If there aren’t enough available shelter beds, then you can’t criminally punish someone from taking care of their basic rights like sleeping and sheltering,” Eric Tars, the legal director of the National Homelessness Law Center in Washington D.C., said in an interview with the Globe. “There doesn’t seem like there are beds available, let alone accessible.”

On Monday, when questioned by members of the press at an unrelated event, McKee said the state was short “close to 200 shelter beds.” But according to data provided by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, as of Nov. 30 there were approximately 615 people, including children, living in places not meant for habitation while they waited for spaces in shelters.

Tars noted that in Martin v. Boise, a case the center took on in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the court decided that unhoused individuals could not be punished for sleeping on public property if there were a lack of alternatives. Criminal and civil penalties used to punish those who are unhoused for existing in public spaces with nowhere else to go can be a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which refers to cruel and unusual punishment.

READ MORE IN THE STORY.

>I, and we’re in East Providence. This is a good chance to try something new! I’m looking for a restaurant that hits it on all 3 courses: apps, entrees,

Palo is such an underrated gem. I love it there.

LINK: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/30/metro/is-jamestown-new-dining-destination-rhode-island/

Details: More than half a dozen new restaurants have opened in this tiny Conanicut Island town over the past 18 months.

Start of story: When chefs Marla Romash and Marc Alexander visited friends in Jamestown in December 2014, they didn’t know they’d be walking into a scene straight out of a Christmas movie, as they describe it. It was the annual Holiday Stroll, and the two watched as Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived on the island by boat, the local women’s club passed out hot chocolate, and townsfolk gathered around the tree at East Ferry to watch its lighting.

“It was quite the scene, and we fell in love. That was it. We were done,” concedes Romash, and so began the couple’s quest to bring their culinary talents to Conanicut Island. They had to wait until this past spring to make that dream happen, and it turns out, they were hardly the only aspirational restaurateurs lured by Jamestown’s charms.

More than half a dozen new restaurants have opened in Jamestown over the past 18 months, in addition to new owners taking over the Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe, an island institution for two decades. “A renaissance,” is how Jamestown native and seasoned restaurateur Kevin Gaudreau describes it.

“When I was a kid, it was a total blue-collar community,” he said. Gaudreau was cooking in New York City when he and his wife decided they wanted to return to Conanicut Island to raise a family. He led the kitchen at the now-closed Trattoria Simpatico for five years He tried to buy the iconic eatery more than once, but moved on to other Rhode Island restaurants when a deal never materialized.

​

MORE IN THE LINK.

FROM THE STORY: Just two days after dozens of homeless Rhode Islanders rallied outside the governor’s office, demanding more shelter beds be made available, Governor Dan McKee’s administration announced Wednesday that it would fund a fraction of their request.

McKee’s office said $1.4 million has been administered to fund 77 new emergency shelter beds, bringing the total number of new shelter beds funded this year to 351. With these additions, the state’s housing department expects the statewide shelter capacity to include more than 1,000 operational beds.
The governor said in a statement that expanding shelter capacity will “help ensure we have the resources to support families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness.”
However, advocates have been calling on the administration for months — including during Monday’s rally — to immediately open 500 hotel rooms to provide additional beds for the homeless. It’s similar to what Rhode Island did as part of its emergency shelter plan last year.
“I appreciate that they are expanding the shelter capacity. However, because of the very slow pace of that expansion, we are woefully short of enough beds for those who are living outside and in their cars,” said Eric Hirsch, a Providence College urban sociologist and co-chair of the state’s Homeless Management Information System Steering Committee, to the Globe on Wednesday.

​

READ THE REST OF THE STORY IN THE LINK.