Rhode Island

‘Never looked better’: 2018 Alviti tribute praised his work to improve RI’s roads and bridges

Published

10 months ago

February 7, 2024

‘Never looked better’: 2018 Alviti tribute praised his work to improve RI’s roads and bridges

PROVIDENCE – Few Washington Bridge commuters are likely to hail the state’s transportation director, Peter Alviti, as Rhode Island’s man-of-the-year. The frustrations since the Dec. 11 bridge shutdown run too deep.

But that was, in essence, what the DaVinci Center for Community Progress did in 2018 in a nine-minute video hailing Alviti as its “Community Humanitarian of the Year.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, while there is still much work to be done, Rhode Island’s roads and bridges have never looked better,” says the unseen narrator, former NBC10-sportscaster Joe Rocco.

“It’s no coincidence,” finishes Rocco, whose voice segues into an on-camera cameo by Armand Sabitoni, then General Secretary-Treasurer & New England Regional Manager for the Laborers International Union.

“He gets an A plus,” says Sabitoni.

“Before Peter got there, there was a different culture in the Department of Transportation. Things just weren’t getting done. It was his idea for RhodeWorks ,and then obviously the governor embraced it and they both ran with it,” says Sabitoni of the 10 year, $5.7 billion transportation improvement plan adopted in 2016 that relied in part on the truck tolls.

The truck tolls have since been ruled unconstitutional. And Rhode Island clearly still has work to do, aside from the undetermined next steps in addressing the Washington Bridge emergency.

Of the 782 bridges in the state, 120, or 15.3%, are classified as structurally deficient, according to the latest state-by-state rundown by the Federal Highway Administration. A recent analysis of that database by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association found Rhode Island had the fourth-highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges in the nation.

Video traces Alviti’s rise to head of RIDOT

Filmed in what now feels like another era, when Gina Raimondo was still governor, the video was produced by One Cut Productions, in collaboration with Rocco’s own RocJo Productions and is packed with tributes to Alviti – a son of Silver Lake and an “engineer in public service.”

It traces Alviti’s beginnings, from “the rich culture of Italian immigrant families in Silver Lake” – where being an Eagle Scout “created in Peter a deep sense of civic duty, morality, leadership, charity, and religious values.”

Then there’s his career milestones: Cranston Public Works Director; Program director for an arm of the Laborers Union; the $182,664-a-year director of RIDOT, the agency at the center of the current firestorm of unanswered questions about the state of the Washington Bridge, including how long potentially “catastrophic” failings went undetected.

In the video, Alviti’s wife, Kathy Lanni, says she initially opposed his move to RIDOT. But, she explained, he “kind of sat me down and said, ‘I want this to be the capstone of my career. I want to end my career in public service, which meant giving up a lot’.” (Cue: Images of Alviti boating. )

As the unseen Rocco explains: “Peter Alviti wanted to end his long and impressive career as an engineer in public service. It was 2015, and despite some pushback at home, sacrifice of free time and a lower salary, he took the governor’s offer to be the Rhode Island Director of Transportation.”

“Typical Peter, thinking less about himself than the impact he could make for the greater good,” Rocco told The Journal on Wednesday.

More: Peter Alviti: RIDOT director faces bridge repairs, possible RIPTA showdown

Who paid for the video?

A question posed by The Journal: Who paid for the video produced for the DaVinci Center, which last year alone got $67,085 from the elderly-affairs division of the state’s Department of Human Services and a $10,000 legislative grant?

Rocco said his company filmed and edited the video, and Kurt Bertozzi’s company, One Cut Productions scripted it at the reduced price they charge non-profits, which he did not recall exactly but said was probably under $5,000. He said the DaVinci Center paid.

Rocco said the bridge closure has probably added about 15 minutes to his and his wife’s own trips from Rehoboth to Cranston and Providence.

“It’s too bad it happened,” but “it could be worse,” he said.

Source link

Click to comment

Rhode Island

2 From Newport Accused Of Selling Cocaine In Town

Published

7 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

2 From Newport Accused Of Selling Cocaine In Town

NEWPORT, RI — Two people from Newport were arrested Thursday after police said they were caught with cocaine.

Glenda Mendez, 48, and Edgardo Torres, 26, were charged with possession with intent to sell a controlled substance. Mendez was also charged with using a firearm when committing a crime of violence.

Newport police said they learned Mendez and Torres were selling cocaine in the city and got warrants to search both their homes. During the search, officers seized 16 grams of cocaine, a SIG Sauer 9-mm semi-automatic handgun, and two loaded magazines, police said.

Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.

Source link

Rhode Island

Record Gifts To University Of San Diego And University Of Rhode Island

Published

15 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

Record Gifts To University Of San Diego And University Of Rhode Island

The University of Rhode Island has received a $65 million estate gift, the largest private donation … [+] in its history.

Getty

Two universities were given the largest private gifts in their respective histories this past week. The University of San Diego reported it had received a $75 million commitment from Darlene Marcos Shiley, and the University of Rhode Island has been given a $65 million estate gift from the late Helen Izzi Schilling, an alum of the institution.

University of San Diego

The $75 million commitment from Darlene Shiley, which will be distributed over time, will create the Shiley STEM Initiative, an initiative intended to enhance the university’s existing STEM programs.

Part of the funding from the commitment will be used to create a new space on the USD campus to integrate engineering and the natural sciences. It’s expected to help enable new majors, minors, and certificate programs. In addition, the expansion will include flexible classrooms for collaborative teaching, “Makers Spaces” for students and faculty, expanded machine shops for STEM disciplines, and more labs and shops in biomedical engineering.

The gift will also support new scholarships, fellowships and undergraduate research opportunities in various STEM fields.

As part of the university’s announcement, USD President James T. Harris, III said, “Darlene Shiley is one of the most generous and kind individuals that anyone could ever meet. She’s always looking out for humanity and the best interests of our society, and she particularly loves our students.”

“We are a better institution because of Donald and Darlene Shiley and what they’ve decided to do for this institution and what they’ve done for this world. In our vision statement we talk about leading with love, and Donald and Darlene Shiley have always led with love, “added Harris.

Shiley, whose husband Don invented a prosthetic heart valve, said that “STEM fields touch all different aspects of our lives, and I believe they can be a force for good in our society.”

“I was drawn to USD because of its emphasis on a values-based education. This gift fulfills my husband’s and my goals and makes me feel like I’ve made an impact. Now I hope it helps future students take what they learn at USD and make a positive impact of their own,” she noted in the announcement.

The Shileys have been major benefactors for the university and the San Diego community over the years. Their prior gifts helped establish USD’s Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the Shiley Theatre, and the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology.

University of Rhode Island

The University of Rhode Island’s $65 million estate gift from Helen Izzi Schilling, a 1954 graduate of the University, will be used to create an endowed scholarship that will provide up to $20,000 per year for four years to high-achieving undergraduate students majoring in a science, technology, engineering, or math field.

“This transformational gift shows that alumni believe in our University and in our students,” said URI President Marc B. Parlange, as part of the announcement. “We are incredibly grateful for the Schillings’ support of our mission and our students. URI has never been in a better place, due, in no small measure, to our remarkable community—the students, faculty, and staff across our campuses and the extraordinary alumni who carry their URI experience with them wherever they go.”

The Schilling Scholarships will begin to be awarded to undergraduates applying to URI for the Fall 2025 admission cycle.

After her graduation from URI, Helen Schilling worked for many years as a registered dietitian, professor and consultant. Her husband, Frank Schilling, worked at General Electric where he became a vice president and was head of GE Medical Systems.

“My mother’s education in the sciences formed the foundation of a career that was dedicated to helping people, and that started at the University of Rhode Island,” Dr. Paul J. Schilling said in the university’s news release. “She wanted to make a difference for her alma mater, but most importantly for the students going forward. I am glad that my parents will be remembered for giving students a head start to achieve their goals.”

Source link

Rhode Island

Three Rhode Island men charged after multiple guns, drugs, drug paraphernalia, $18,000 seized

Published

22 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

Three Rhode Island men charged after multiple guns, drugs, drug paraphernalia, ,000 seized

Three Rhode Island men are facing several charges after a multi-agency investigation.

According to police, on Friday, the Pawtucket Police Department’s Narcotics Unit with the assistance of the Pawtucket Police Special Response Team, Rhode Island State Police –HIDTA, and members of the Pawtucket Police K9 Unit, conducted court authorized search warrants on Calder Street and Benefit Street in the city of Pawtucket and North Main Street in the City of Providence after a narcotics investigation involving the distribution of Cocaine and Fentanyl throughout the City of Pawtucket and surrounding communities.

As a result of the search warrants, detectives located and seized a 10mm Glock Semi-automatic handgun with an obliterated serial number, a Mini UZI semi-automatic firearm, a high-capacity magazine, approximately $18,000 in cash, approximately 600 grams of Cocaine, approximately 105 grams of Fentanyl, digital scales, cutting agents, and packaging material.

Based on the investigation, the following individuals were charged with:

28-year-old David Benevides, Calder Street, Pawtucket