In upholding the East Providence School Committee’s January 2009 decision to unilaterally cut teacher salaries and benefits following an impasse in contract negotiations, Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein struck a blow for fiscal sanity. more

Eight years into the proposed Weaver’s Cove Energy LLC liquefied natural gas terminal, the project remains a blip on the region’s energy horizon. more

State leaders have promised an all-out push to lure the America’s Cup races back to Newport. Given the potential economic boon for the state – estimated in the billions of dollars – we heartily support the effort. But as a Page 1 story in this week’s edition illustrates, proponents would do well to learn some lessons from what appears to be a recently failed attempt to lure the less prestigious, but still significant, Volvo Ocean Race to Newport waters. more

The plight and promise of small businesses in Rhode Island finally have the full attention of state leaders in both political parties, after a year of seeming indifference on Smith Hill. more

House Speaker Gordon D. Fox made a smart move last week in hiring the former head of the Carcieri administration’s revenue and administration departments, Gary S. Sasse, as a consultant on issues of government restructuring and tax policy. more

For all its byzantine regulatory nightmares, Rhode Island is remarkably advanced in addressing the uses of the ocean waters. The Special Area Management Plan that is to be finished later this year in a collaborative effort between the University of Rhode Island and the Coastal Resources Management Council is likely to be used as a national template for any use of the country’s offshore resources, whether for recreational, commercial fishing or, as in the case of renewable energy facilities, industrial uses. Anyone planning a project offshore – say a wind turbine farm – will know exactly what is required to clear the regulatory hurdles, and they can then decide whether to go ahead with the project. more

Schools should be operated for the benefit of students. End of story. more

Small businesses have an outsized need for credit, while at the same time, they generate a lion’s share of the jobs in the state. And in difficult economic times, the capital need grows ever more urgent as the sources for credit dry up. more

Raising money for universities is never easy, even in good times. If you haven’t noticed, these are not good times. A recent study by the Council for Aid to Education shows donations to colleges and universities in the 12 months ended June 30, 2009 declined by 11.9 percent. more

The governor and the General Assembly have a profoundly unenviable task – figure out how to balance the budget without eliminating the investments that will lead to lasting economic growth. In other words, how do you get through the famine without eating the seed corn? more

Last week’s predicted blizzard never materialized. Snow, yes; end of the world as we know it, not quite. more

The howling began quickly after Gov. Donald L. Carcieri released his updated budgets for fiscal years 2010 and 2011. And it is understandable – many of the cuts he is proposing are painful. The sad fact is, however, after spending years trying to reduce oceans of red ink, the state has no more easy budget decisions left. more

Even though health care reform seems to have stalled in Washington, progress is being made on the state level, including in Rhode Island. more

Another year, another budget deficit in the hundreds of millions of dollars. And more screaming by local governments that they didn’t see the cuts in state aid coming. It’s getting old. more

Our weekly Main Street feature celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit. It’s particularly heartening to see the flame alive in even this deep recession. It is for that reason that we salute the Kearflex Engineering Co. of Warwick (Page 12). more

In the last year of what has been a very tumultuous second term, with the state buffeted by dire economic forces beyond its control, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri has set for himself and for Rhode Island a very ambitious agenda. If he is able to accomplish even part of it, he will have left the state in better shape than it has been for some time. more

Rhode Island legislators, like their peers around the country, have proposed legislation that would ban the use of cell phones while driving. more

The quote from the 1976 film “Network” – “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore” – comes to mind when thinking about the election of Scott Brown to fill the vacant seat in the U.S. Senate left by the death of Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy. more

In an extended Q&A with PBN, Keith W. Stokes, the new head of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, insisted he would not be a place holder and that he would create the conditions needed to focus on what he calls “game changers.” more

The national economic crisis has hit Rhode Island especially hard because of the horrible tax structure in the state. more