Economy Down = Crime Up?

History predicts a rise in crime will occur in proportion to the decline of the Rhode Island economy. Is that happening now? How can we know? What can the average citizen do to help prevent crime?

Although we can’t answer all the questions we’ve posed, we’re happy to be able to provide a glimpse into the current state of our dear city. We’ve added a crime statistics page to site. To our knowledge, this posting is the first online report of current crime information. Past year comparisons can be found at the Providence Police website.

We encourage all citizens to be aware of crime that occurs around them, to get to know the officer in charge of their district, and to learn how they can help the Providence Police prevent crime. If you have any questions, post them as comments, and we’ll do our best to get them answered.

Patty Patty Pan Pan

“Too much character.” That’s what the lady at the farmer’s market told me. “They have too much character. People are sometimes scared to buy them because they don’t know how to cook them or what to do with something so awkwardly shaped.” What a sad truth. To me, Pattypan squash, to put it simply, is awesome!
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Chamber Helping Entrepreneurs find Money

The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is looking for entrepreneurs in a high-growth mode to participate in a new series of specialized coaching sessions designed to accelerate profitability and improve management acumen.

The Chamber’s Entrepreneur Launch Pad program is now accepting applications for its 2008 programming track. The next session, Essential Skills for the Entrepreneur I, will take place on September 22-23 at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The registration fee is $100 for Chamber members; $375 for non-members which includes membership in the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.

Through four months of intensive coaching, the Chamber will provide entrepreneurs with hands-on, real-world specifics and answer the vexing questions that keep them awake at night. Entrepreneurs will also have the opportunity to meet investors from throughout the New England region who are specifically interested in generating deal flow from Rhode Island. Among the topics to be covered in Entrepreneur Launch Pad:

How to successfully raise venture capital?
How to ramp-up sales?
How to recruit an “A” level team?

And much more…

To deliver the programming content, the Chamber has retained the services of Derby Management– a well known Boston based entrepreneurial advisory firm which has been serving technology and rapidly growing clients in New England for 17 years. Jack Derby and George Simmons maintain extensive connections in the venture capital, private equity and angel funding communities and specialize in business and strategic planning, sales and marketing effectiveness, financial planning and fundraising and senior management coaching.

For more information, contact Paula Hopkins at the Chamber at 401.621.6120 or by email at phopkins@provchamber.com

Providence in the New York Times

36 Hours in Providence

AN Ivy League college, a cutting-edge art school and top-flight chefs have helped Providence shed its reputation as a Boston suburb. In recent years, Providence has not only seen a new convention center and a revitalized waterfront, but historic corridors have also been restored to their Revolutionary-era glory, giving the Rhode Island capital an architectural sense of place. But these cultural trappings, more commonly associated with overcrowded metropolises, have not caused this city of 200,000, near the banks of Narragansett Bay, to lose its small-town flavor. Drivers still request their initials on license plates, sandwich shops let regulars run a tab and Mayor David N. Cicilline greets residents by name and lists his home number in the phone book.

READ MORE…

Major Education Reform Underway

Thanks to the efforts of many folks, The ban on public charter schools in Rhode Island is over.

Mayors in the state of Rhode Island will now be able to apply to open public charter schools in partnership with non-profit organizations such as Democracy Prep, KIPP, Achievement First, and others.

Read more about this historic event on the Passing Notes blog.

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