To the editor: According to PBN’s July 12 Morning Call e-newsletter, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras wants to borrow $40 million to fix city streets. Clearly, that’s bad financial management for a city already deeply in debt. Worse, it avoids dealing with the serious underlying issues. Providence is in a fiscal and infrastructure mess because of: more

While I do not ever profess to having the be all and end all of solutions to major as well as minor social issues, I am never afraid to think outside the box and put my ideas in front of you for what hopefully shall be constructive evaluation and refining. more

NEW YORK – Fitch Ratings has affirmed the long-and short-term-issuer default rating of Independent Bank Corp. at “BBB/F2.” The bank’s rating outlook has been classified as “stable.” The bank is the sole holding company and the sole shareholder of Rockland Trust Co. more

In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, the Champions in Action program, along with WJAR-TV NBC 10 and Citizens Bank, recently held a “sail-a-bration” at the Community Boating Center in Providence, where guests enjoyed boat trips in Narragansett Bay. more

David Olsen, Warwick treasurer, was recently elected to the executive board of the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada. Olsen will serve a three-year term on the 17-member board. He has been a member of the association for 15 years and is currently the only board member from New England. He holds bachelor’s degrees in history and accounting from Barrington College and Bryant University. Olsen has worked for Warwick since 1993. more

Nalari Health LLC, of Providence, is trying to bring online health care to life. At the heart of online health care is the idea that the doctor can see you now, anytime, anywhere. The foundation of Nalari’s ability to deliver the best online care assistance is based upon using technology to bring patients and providers together for live encounters. For example, a nurse could examine a patient at their home while receiving instructions from their doctor on the computer, eliminating travel time, multiple visits and even needless ambulance calls. more

Newport Bancorp Inc. the holding company for Newport Federal Savings Bank, on Friday reported second-quarter net income of $253,000, a 42 percent decline from the $439,000 profit posted during the same quarter ending June 30 last year. more

Bank of America Corp.’s record $53 billion reduction of of long-term debt in the second quarter will help the lender go three years without needing to tap the bond market, the biggest cushion in its history. more

Independent Bank Corp., parent of Rockland Trust Co., posted net income of $8.9 million, or 41 cents per diluted share, for the second quarter, a decline of 20.2 percent when compared with the year-earlier period. more

Navigant Credit Union and Columbus Credit Union have jointly announced that the two institutions are merging, with Navigant remaining as the surviving credit union. more