Hour by Hour // A close look at the upcoming conditions »
Rhode Island
A mysterious departure – and a big payout – at Rhode Island College – The Boston Globe
Sounds like the kind of glowing letter an exemplary employee would receive from an appreciative boss, right?
Well, it appears there’s a little more to it.
The part that neither Warner nor Cano Morales is willing to discuss these days is the reason for her abrupt departure, or why the college agreed to pay her up to $180,000 — a year’s salary — plus a $2,200-a-month health care stipend on her way out the door.
Those details only came to light after I requested a copy of Cano Morales’ severance agreement, which is dated May 14. The agreement also spells out specific language for the college to use to communicate her decision to step away, explaining that she was leaving to pursue other opportunities.
As is typically the case with severance agreements, the deal prohibits Cano Morales and Warner from making any disparaging statements about one another. Both sides interpret that to mean that they can’t speak about the arrangement at all.
None of this passes the sniff test.
If, in fact, Cano Morales left the college on perfectly good terms simply to pursue other opportunities, that would mean Warner signed off on a $180,000 taxpayer-funded golden parachute for a seven-year employee who wasn’t working under a contract. This wasn’t a buyout.
If something else happened, the public — including the hardworking students at this commuter school — deserves to know why their money is funding payouts like this one.
Either way, their silence is deafening.
This is where I have to show my cards: I truly don’t know what happened, even off the record. This isn’t a situation where I’ve heard rumors about an employee or employer behaving badly, and I happen to think highly of both Cano Morales and Warner.
Cano Morales has a beautiful life story, a first-generation Colombian who graduated from the University of Rhode Island and then earned a master’s degree at RIC. She has become one of Rhode Island’s most influential members of the Latino community, previously holding roles as chair of the Central Falls School Board of Trustees and at the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University.
In Warner’s case, I was quick to call on Governor Dan McKee and Postsecondary Education Commissioner Shannon Gilkey to remove the interim tag from his presidency. They did, and by all accounts, he has delivered. Rhode Island College is in a better place than it was 10 years ago, and the future looks bright.
What I do know is that secretive year-long severance payouts to public employees aren’t very common in Rhode Island, and they usually involve the threat of a lawsuit or wrongdoing on someone’s part. In 2019, for example, I covered the city of Providence’s decision to pay its human resources director a year’s salary in exchange for her not suing the city.
In this case, I know that RIC isn’t planning to fill Cano Morales’ role, which raises some diversity questions about Warner’s leadership team. At the vice president level, the college’s leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion was part of Warner’s cabinet. Now the college is in the process of hiring a director of DEI, according to spokesman John Taraborelli, putting the leader of the college’s DEI efforts significantly lower in its leadership hierarchy.
“The rest of her portfolio has been distributed among several members of the leadership team to ensure that the projects and initiatives within those areas continue without interruption,” Taraborelli said.
When I asked Taraborelli if RIC had entered into any other severance or separation agreements with non-union employees in recent years, he was able to produce only one other example. In July 2023, Jeannine Dingus-Eason resigned from her role as dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development to become associate provost of DEI initiatives at the same salary for one year. She was allowed to work remotely, and agreed to not apply for any role at RIC in the future.
Back to Cano Morales. For now, her departure remains a mystery.
She has been receiving $15,000 a month from RIC as part of the severance package, and she has been guaranteed at least eight of those payments, according to the agreement. She is entitled to four more of those monthly payments as long as she doesn’t secure employment elsewhere.
Judging by Warner’s recommendation, she’d make quite a hire.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.
Why is the flag at half staff? These are possible reasons
The flag of the United States of America is flown at half-staff on several occasions, generally marking that the country is in mourning
On Friday, May 15, flags will be flown at half-staff across the United States to commemorate Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Recognized each year since 1962 as part of May’s National Police Week, the national observance pays tribute to United States law enforcement officials who gave their lives in the line of duty, whether at the local, state or federal level.
“United in gratitude, we recommit ourselves to supporting those who keep the peace in our neighborhoods, and we offer our heartfelt appreciation for the service they render to community and country,” reads a proclamation from President Trump. “Their steady presence brings calm to our streets, their dedication preserves the order that allows our Nation to flourish, and their unwavering vigilance is the reason families across America can rest under the promise of a safer tomorrow.”
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the flag of the United States at all public buildings and grounds across the country and its territories – including in Rhode Island – will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, May 15.
Why are flags flown at half-staff?
According to the official website of the U.S. General Services Administration, flags typically fly at half-staff when the country or specific state is in mourning. Observances include national tragedies, days of remembrance and deaths of government or military personnel.
The president, the state governor or the mayor of Washington, D.C., can order flags to fly at half-staff.
Half-staff vs. half-mast
While half-staff refers to lowered flags on land, half-mast refers to those at sea. Both refer to a flag being flown beneath the top of its staff as a sign of respect.
RI’s Verdi Productions films ‘Bad News On The Doorstep’ in Providence
Verdi Productions wrapped filming of Tom DeNucci’s “Bad News On The Doorstep” early on May 23 in Providence.
Verdi Productions’ secret horror movie, “My Boyfriend is a Demon,” now filming in Rhode Island, is no longer a secret as Chad A. Verdi, the East Greenwich production company’s president, has announced the cast and given an outline of the movie’s plot.
The ensemble cast comprises veteran actors and rising young talents. The story follows Mary, a lonely, small-town girl who creates a fake Instagram account that pretends to be boyfriend, a guy too perfect to be real. Mary puts so much effort into making him “real” that he shows up at her door one day.
The cast includes:
- Mattias Ferrell, son of comic actor Will Ferrell and known for “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
- Coco Arquette, daughter of Courteney Cox and David Arquette and known for “Cougar Town.”
- David Arquette, known for his work in the “Scream” film franchise.
- Rosanna Arquette, David’s sister and Coco’s aunt, known for “The Moment.”
- Bailey Sloan, known for “Ragamuffin.”
- Jack Champion, known for “Avatar.”
- Ever Anderson, known for “Peter Pan & Wendy.”
- Vinnie Hacker, known for “Euphoria.”
- Josephine Reitman, known for “Juno.”
- Savannah Lee Smith, kown for “Tunsel Town.”
- Lisa Yamada, known for “Elle.”
- Ty Law, known for “Friday Night Lights.”
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is written and directed by first-time director mishka.
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is filming in Providence
The movie began filming in Rhode Island in April and has rented Providence’s Cranston Street Armory for the month of May to use as a studio.
The producing team for Verdi Productions includes Chad A. Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, Michelle Verdi and Sera Verdi. Executive producers include Ketchup Entertainment and Kinolime.
Good morning! Happy Thursday! Today will be pretty unsettled with the chance for showers and t’storms. Friday will still be damp with showers and drizzle, but the weekend still looks amazing!
The one good thing with the rain, for allergy sufferers at least, the pollen levels will be lower. In fact, both today and tomorrow, the tree pollen counts will be low locally. Do expect a spike in the pollen count for Saturday and Sunday with the dry weather.
INTERACTIVE RADAR: Live Pinpoint Weather 12 Radar »
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” FLIGHT TRACKER
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” POWER OUTAGES
TODAY
Hour-by-hour forecast for today…
We’ll have some showers around during the morning commute today, but the greatest chance for showers and t’storms will be after 9AM and before 5PM.
Showers and thunderstorms could slow travel around mid-day. Rain could fall heavily at times.
A line of showers and t’storms will be sweeping across the area through the afternoon as a slow-moving weather systems moves through the region.
Highs today will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s with southeast to east winds of 5-15mph.
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” BEACH AND BOATING FORECASTS
TONIGHT
Showers are still possible this evening; although they won’t be as numerous.
TOMORROW
That low center will be nearby Friday morning, and we’ll be stuck with a damp, cool windflow. Expect drizzle and showers in the morning and possibly some lingering showers in the afternoon.
Highs Friday will only be in the 50s. The average high this time of year is in the upper 60s.
LOOKING AHEAD
Then…there’s the weekend. Saturday looks amazing with lots of sunshine and dry weather. It’ll be warmer, too, with highs in the 70s.
-Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo
T.J. Del Santo (tdelsanto@wpri.com) is the weekday morning and noon meteorologist for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Threads and BlueSky.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
-
New York56 minutes agoQuestions Arise About Jack Schlossberg’s Readiness for Congress
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoLos Angeles releases searchable list of worst rental properties
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoMLB News & Moments: Mets Gain Much-Needed Momentum by Sweeping Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoWhere to Find Free Street Parking for Shows in San Francisco | KQED
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Stars Forward Would Be Perfect Trade Target for NY Rangers
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoJetBlue to pull out of N.H.’s largest airport amid capacity crisis, officials announce – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver area events for May 15
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoFriday Roundtable: Free Summer Shuttles