Newport†
Think Pink
Vol. 38, No. 41
THURSDAY, October 14, 2010
What’s Inside
The Final Races
BORN FREE
Schools End the Year in the Black Officials warn this year will be a struggle to make ends meet By Tom Shevlin
CAR SHOW
in this week’s CALENDAR
Table of Contents CALENDAR CLASSIFIEDS COMMUNITY BRIEFS CROSSWORD EDITORIAL MAINSHEET/02840 NATURE REALTY TRANSACTIONS RECENT DEATHS RESTAURANTS TIDE CHART
14 22 4 21 6 11 18 7 21 12 19
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The final races for the J/80 Worlds in Newport were truly epic. No one could’ve predicted what was in store for the fleet and the top five leaders. The NOAA weather forecasters got one thing right, it was going to be a sunny day. The course was set just 2 nm SE of Beavertail Point at the end of Jamestown and about 2.5 nm ESE of Whale Rock in Rhode Island Sound.(Photo by Matt Gineo)
Industrious People Who Get Things Done By Katie Imbrie Who cooks and delivers the lunches that are served daily to detainees in Rhode Island’s courthouses? Who washes and dries and folds thousands of pounds of laundry every day for large Federal and state facilities such as the Naval War College, the Naval Hospital, and the Bristol Veterans Home? Who cuts the lawns and rakes up the leaves at dozens of commercial and residential properties around Newport? Who packs up the nuts and bolts for Aquidneck Fasteners? And who mails out the newsletters for the fabulous new Ocean House Hotel in Watch Hill? The answer in all of these cases is: clients of the James L. Maher (pronounced “Ma Ha”) Center, an Aquidneck Islandbased resource for people with many kinds of developmental disabilities. Since its founding in 1953 by a group of 13 Newport-area families who wanted to find an alternative to institutionalizing their sons and daughters, the Maher Center now provides support for some 400 developmentally challenged children and adults. Today, the Center runs Maher Industries on Aquidneck Ave., a warehouse building that houses an array of business-support services ranging from a laundry facility that is the largest in the Northeast, to a packaging and mailing operation, to a secure shredding service. Next door to the warehouse, the Maher Garden Center overflows with a seasonal bounty of pumpkins, gourds and bright chrysanthemums. In just a few weeks, the Center will have Christmas-season decorations for sale. “Each year, we sell about 1,400 Christmas trees, along with hundreds of wreaths and handmade decorations,” says Lori Scionti, director of the Maher
ABOVE: Mary Burns (L) and Lisa Travis water colorful chrysanthemums at the Maher Garden Center in Middletown. The plants are grown on site. BELOW: Patricia Roppel works with polymer clay beads for Beaded Star Designs, a branch of Maher Industries. Employees create original jewelry pieces, each one adorned with Beaded Star’s signature: a starfish charm. horticultural center. “We grow all our own poinsettias and mums every year.” Providing vocational support through job programs such as these is just one facet of what the Maher Center does for its clients. Maher also runs adult day programs, early intervention programs for children, and offers respite services for family members who are caring for developmentally disabled members. The Center’s fleet of 60 vehicles provides transportation to and from jobs and medical appointments for its clients, as well as to recreational outings such as baseball games.
See “CENTER” on page 8
LOCAL NEWS MATTERS PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
NEWPORT – Despite having to account for a nearly $600,000 lastminute cut from the City Council to current year spending, the city’s school department reported a roughly $1.5 million surplus for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, according to a year-end budget report submitted to School Committee members on Tuesday. And while the FY2009 surplus is less than balances reported in previous years, had the council not chosen to apply $580,000 from the schools’ operating budget to cover its other post employment benefit (OPEB) liability, the department would have ended the year with an estimated $2 million on the books. But with the prospect of reduced state aid, and having to make up a nearly $600,000 last-minute cut to its current year operating budget, school department officials are warning that this year could end
See “bUDGET ” on page 6
The “Pickens” Endures By Andrea E. McHugh When the Opera House Cinemas on Newport’s Washington Square went dark August 29th of this year, closing a trio of theaters inside the historic building, the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center became the lone movie house in the City of Newport. While the Opera House embarks on a major, multi-million dollar renovation and reinvents itself as the Newport Performing Arts Center (NPAC), Kathy Staab, owner of the Jane Pickens since 2005, says it’s hard to determine if her single-screen theater is picking up any new business. “It’s all about programming,” she explains, adding that doing a financial comparative with last year’s sales doesn’t necessarily tell the whole picture. “I wouldn’t say, so far, I’ve noticed a big difference, but I do see customers who want to see a movie wander down to Washington Square, and now I’m the only choice,” she says, “especially tourists.” The theater, which has a maximum capacity of 550, is best known for showing independent and lesser known films and hosting film-related events, like the recent Doris Duke Days–a 3-day line up of 11 films related to the interests and lifestyle of the late heiress. Staab says she doesn’t know the current status of the progress of the Opera House project. She’ll continue to bring in criticallyacclaimed movies that she hopes will lure local cinemaphiles and visitors alike, especially in the current, hard-hitting economy. Like many business owners, she stays focused on the immediate future. “We’re all trying real hard,” she concedes, “and it’s not easy to heat this place.” To her delight though, Staab learned that the Jane Pickens has just been selected as one of the top five cinemas in New England by Yankee Magazine. “I think we have to watch it for a little while and see what happens,” she says, unsure if the recent closing will eventually boost ticket sales. “But I do know that we have great movies coming up!”