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Rhode Island
Providence City Council accepts settlement to evict Skyline at Waterplace – The Boston Globe
“It can and should be a great venue for events and for special occasions,” Smiley said. “This operator was not the person to help realize that vision, which is why I pushed so hard to get rid of them.”
Skyline’s lawyer Michael Lepizzera said the company will work with the city to formally memorialize the settlement and voluntarily turn over possession of the premises.
“While Skyline is disappointed that this will mark the close of its operations, the owner is satisfied that a settlement has been reached,” Lepizzera said in a statement. “The original plan was to operate a top scale event facility on the city’s skyline for a minimum of 20 years, which was the term of the lease. Unfortunately, a confluence of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events (especially the pandemic) prevented my client from achieving its business goal.”
Skyline was headed by Rhode Island entrepreneur Michael A. Mota, and the company included his father-in-law, Joseph Ricci, and wife Jodi Mota. Louis Delpidio, a Boston nightclub operator, and David Pontarelli, a former city employee, were also involved when the company began leasing the building in 2016.
At the time, the Skyline at Waterplace group promised then-Mayor Jorge O. Elorza that they had big plans for the venue, which is perched at the edge of the Waterplace Basin.
But the company struggled almost from the beginning, citing issues with construction renovations. So, with Elorza as the chairman, the parks commissioners granted Skyline three abatements that totaled more than three and a half years of rent, in exchange for repairs to the facility. Mota also has claimed, without evidence, that Elorza granted a fourth abatement.
Skyline also received more than $1.8 million in federal COVID relief funds during the pandemic, money that was intended to help keep the business running. Around the same time, Mota launched and sponsored events at Skyline for his Hollywood mobster-themed entertainment and events company, VirtualCons, and his cryptocurrency, VirtualCoin, which was never operable.
Smiley has been trying to evict Skyline since April 2023, citing problems with late rent payments, unpaid taxes, fire code violations, friction with city officials — and recently, a bounced rent check in July and the discovery of the decomposed body of a former employee in August.
According to the police report, the owner of Skyline told officers that the man was homeless and had been given permission to stay at the venue, which had been closed since late July. A statement posted to social media on behalf of the Skyline, the Mota family, and the Ricci family denied that the man was living at the venue. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told the Globe that the mayor’s office it never would have approved letting someone live there.
Before the settlement was reached, Skyline had been heading for a trial in Superior Court this fall.
“This will enable us to close the chapter with this operator who I’ve been trying to evict now for some time,” Smiley said. “This business and venue has effectively been shuttered and only been doing a handful of events. It is a black hole on Waterplace Park and Basin.”
Committee Chairman John Goncalves and city councilmembers Juan Pichardo, Ana Vargas, Shelley Peterson, and Pedro Espinal voted unanimously to adopt the settlement. The terms were not released Monday. Representatives for Skyline could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
“The Skyline space and Waterplace Park are important assets to the city,” Goncalves said in a statement. “With the Providence Parks Department taking over management of the property, we are looking forward to using the future of the space to enhance our city’s downtown.”
Steph Machado of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Amanda Milkovits can be reached at amanda.milkovits@globe.com. Follow her @AmandaMilkovits.
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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.
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