In yet another sign that Rhode Island has driven itself into a ditch, three more members of the board of directors of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation have begged off serving on the board anymore, leaving the 13-member board temporarily with five members, plus the nonvoting Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee. more

Fallout from the 38 Studios LLC debacle has followed a predictable pattern whenever people try to avoid responsibility. more

Rhode Island’s Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Deborah A. Gist is taking a bit of unwarranted heat these days. more

Who knows what kind of governor Ken Block would have made had he won in 2010 instead of Lincoln D. Chafee? As a leading member of the Smaller Business Association of New England, he is certainly providing an interesting look into what might have been. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee starts the second half of his term with an economic record that is mediocre at best. Rhode Island finds itself with a very slow-growing economy, high unemployment and modest job creation, and no real comprehensive plan to get us out of this mess. more

Last year was a big one for Newport’s big houses. Attendance at the Preservation Society of Newport County’s mansions increased 11 percent over 2011 to 883,000, the largest one-year jump ever. more

In Sylvia Maxfield, Providence College has a dynamic leader of its College of Business. She has the academic qualifications one would expect, including a doctorate in political economy from Harvard University. She has a varied and interesting work experience, having held academic posts at Yale University and Simmons College, as well as having worked as a sovereign credit analyst for Lehman Brothers. more

Social media is all the buzz … for consumers. But a Social Media & Marketing Summit presented by Providence Business News last week made clear that social media provide tools unparalleled in their ability to connect with customers. more

The Providence Business News’ biannual Business Survey is straightforward in its approach. more

Included with this week’s edition is the annual Book of Lists, PBN’s premier special publication. We believe there is no more accurate measure of the region’s economic activity than our yearly snapshot of its enterprises and business leaders. more