In any case, Segal said, “We are in an awkward situation. A part-time legislature requires people to have incomes outside the legislature. By and large, people want to do the right thing, but reasonable people have different conceptions of what the right thing is. And it’s valuable to have an entity that can draw a bold line.”

Read Fitzpatrick’s column here.

Also, the WaterFire website has the details of a special walking tour starting at the Roger Williams National Park.  Join Park Ranger John McNiff at 6:30pm at 282 North Main Street or call 521.7266.

And there is a concert at India Point Park at 7:30pm followed by fireworks tonight at 9:15pm. (Other events and fireworks at ProJo).

The Rhode Island Historical Society picks up the Cohan trail, with a walking tour of Fox Point. (Participation is $10 and reservations are requested: [401] 331-8575 ext. 45.) The tour starts at the newly named George M. Cohan Plaza. At 2 p.m., there’s a lecture about Cohan’s life given by Mike Fink, a RISD professor, presented at the French-American School, 75 John St. Immediately after the lecture, there’s a screening of the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy, which stars James Cagney as Cohan.

Pay careful attention to the beginning of the movie. As I recall, in the very brief  ‘he was born in Providence Rhode Island’ segment, Fox Point is shown with mountains in the background. And in keeping with the theme — Rhode Island is now hosting the Irish Potato Famine fungus. Jeez, where do we go from here?

[Update: I have been contacted and have a 10:30am appointment for Monday. Meanwhile I am getting the caller id notice on my TV screen of people trying to call me which is kind of weird.]

Saturday — @The Blackstone, Chelsy Lau Band, Jeff Byrd and Dirty Finch

Sunday — @Club Hell, Enter Shikari, Lions Lions, The Intel, The Noise Campaign

Obviously it’s a limited weekend in the usual venues, but Friday looks interesting. Magic Magic was just singled out in The Providence Phoenix second annual ‘America’s 50 Best New Bands’ (one per state). Representing Massachusetts (with a fan base growing in the UK) Magic Magic has two drummers. MiniBoone shamelessly brought themselves to my attention (hey, it worked) but they sound pretty great and someone is writing good songs (favorite title, ‘Car with the Cans on the Back’) [BC].

A sculpture of Cohan, created by Robert Shure, will be unveiled. The Navy Band Northeast Ceremonial Band will perform, as will singer Ian O’Brian and jazz musician Mike Miller.

Mayor David Cicilline will declare July 3 as George M. Cohan Day, and bestow the first annual George M. Cohan Award for Excellence in Art and Culture to Curt Columbus, artistic director of Trinity Repertory Company.

This is that little plaza in front of Reflections and across from Rustigian Rugs. I’m not optimistic, Shure is a sentimental hack. More fun events on Saturday. [Details at The ProJo]

6:30pm, Friday, Wickenden at Governor Street

Abe’s, 302 Wickenden Street, Tuesday - Sunday, 4pm to midnight, 751.4900

I can’t even pick a favorite.  I was going to say Michigan-sweatshirt Girl, but then I remembered Fake-Nails Girl, and Payphone-Girl at the end.

Mutiny Amongst Friends was first to take the stage. A four piece from Connecticut, this group could be described as your standard lively hipster garage band, with a somewhat odd, yet addicting, stage presence that ultimately draws you into their music and will have you tapping your toes by the end of their set. Although they’re a bit amateur musically speaking, I’m a sucker for a band with feisty confidence and corny jokes, and this is exactly what MAF delivers. Once you’re able to set aside the band’s rudimentary riffs, the audience can take pleasure in rekindling the good old days of drinking excessively, smoking too much, and the nonsense lyrical debauchery that transpires from their naïve angst.

Brook Pridemore enticed me from the beginning and kept my attention throughout his entire set. Stemming from Brooklyn, I was curious what this one piece would provide, being somewhat familiar with various acts the Brooklyn scene comprises.  Brook Pridemore provided more than the customary folky artist with an acoustic guitar, and to my surprise, was quickly able to engage the audience with simple passion and compelling words that swiftly drifted into harmonic short stories of city living and relationships. Brook Pridemore also had his self-publicity act down, promoting his act consistently and connecting with the audience through short dialogues expressing the personal meanings behind each of his candid melodies.

Stalemate, a five piece from Lincoln, Rhode Island, was clearly the act the audience came out to see, with the venue rapidly filling up just prior to their musical engagement. It’s difficult to describe exactly what Stalemate could be classified as — which was refreshing — leaving the audience intrigued through the steady progression of their set list. Composed of the traditional instrument line-up and the added enjoyment of both a keyboard and sax, Stalemate was a clear dichotomy from the two prior acts, with more of a jam band feel with a forceful grace in composition. Though lacking in stage zest at times, their compelling instrumentation makes up for any minor flaws.

Check out MySpace for updates on all their upcoming shows:

http://www.myspace.com/stalemate
http://www.myspace.com/brookpridemore
http://www.myspace.com/mutinyamongstfriends

Her letter to supporters:

Dear _____,

I want to share with you the news of my 2010 campaign plans (below), which I’m announcing today. I appreciate your support, and I look forward to working with you not only on my re-election campaign, but most importantly, on the critical issues facing Rhode Islanders.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts Announces Re-Election Campaign

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts announced today that she will seek re-election, pledging to use her position to make health care affordable for every Rhode Islander.

“National health care reform is happening now and will not wait for Rhode Island to be ready to respond. As President Obama and Congress develop national health care reform, I will work all day, every day, to ensure that federal policies reflect the reality of the struggles of everyday Rhode Islanders,” Roberts said. “Given the urgency of the national health care reforms coming to Rhode Island at a time when our economy is so seriously distressed, Rhode Islanders need leadership on this issue now.”

“As Lieutenant Governor, I have visited every Rhode Island city and town,” Roberts continued. “What I have heard time and again from small businesses, working families and seniors is the desperate need for high quality, affordable health care that is accessible to everyone. My career, both in private life and as a public servant, has been focused on improving health care. It is clear that this fight must continue, and I am committed as Lieutenant Governor to making affordable health care a reality for all Rhode Islanders.”

From 1997 to 2007, Roberts served as a State Senator, where she worked to reform Blue Cross and create the Office of Health Insurance Commissioner. Most recently, Lieutenant Governor Roberts’ leadership was crucial to saving the Health Insurance Commissioner’s position and the critical protections for affordability and fairness that the office provides. The Commissioner is credited with saving over $150 million dollars in health insurance premiums for Rhode Islanders, but was slated for elimination in the General Assembly’s budget. Her leadership also proved pivotal in stopping the state’s health insurers’ request for double-digit rate increases last month.

“These rate increases would have come at a time when Rhode Island’s small businesses and families simply could not afford them,” Roberts explained. “They had to be stopped.”

“I’ve spent the past few months exploring a run for governor, and I want to thank all of my supporters and let them know that I will continue to work to turn the page on politics as usual in Rhode Island,” Roberts said. “I will continue to fight for quality health care for all; a stronger, more diverse Rhode Island economy; and honest, open and effective government. These have been, and will continue to be, the focus of my public service.”

Open House (weather permitting) 9pm to 11:30pm, Wednesday, CCRI, Knight Campus

April Sousa wasn’t allowed inside a special town meeting on Monday, because she couldn’t find a sitter and made the grievous error of bringing her two-year old along.  That didn’t sit well with meeting moderator Paul Burke, who explains his rationale for banning the pair from the meeting:

“You don’t get in unless you’re a registered voter,” Burke said. “The child would have had to sit in the guest section, and you don’t let a 2-year-old sit in the guest section alone.”

Burke said those sitting in the guest section are not allowed to vote.

“So, if the mother had wanted to sit in the guest section with her child, she wouldn’t have been able to vote,” Burke said.

Burke also said there are no provisions for absentee ballots at Town Meeting.

“You have to be there,” Burke said.

Town clerk Susan Taveira agrees:  “We turn away anyone with children,” she said. “It’s just no place for children. It’s for registered voters.”

While I’ve been to enough events that were marred by screaming kids, that doesn’t seem to be the issue here, because theoretically it would have been okay for Sousa to leave her child in a different section of the room.  It seems more like Burke was afraid of the two-year old influencing the vote.  Or something.  Uh, right?

After nearly eight months of waiting, almost 20,000 pages of legal briefs, and millions of dollars in election costs, Al Franken emerged Tuesday as the next United States senator from Minnesota, ending one of the most protracted election recount battles in recent memory.

Full story at The New York Times.

Today was long and my brain is currently jiggling like a bowlful of jelly and/or Santa’s belly, so forgive me if I’m not my usual witty self and I just copy and paste the press release I wrote about what’s happening at the nine neighborhood libraries tomorrow (tomorrow being Wednesday.)  David already mentioned it, but a couple of details have been added since then.  You won’t have to pay fines on overdue books from the neighborhood libraries, you can buy fancy commemorative t-shirts, and depending on where you live you can sing, hear music, garden, or watch movies about bigfoot.

With a leasing agreement freshly signed between the city and the Providence Public Library (PPL), the Providence Community Library (PCL) is ready to take over the nine buildings formerly managed by the PPL.  Tomorrow, July 1, from the Southside to the North End, each library will be holding a celebration to mark this uniquely historic transition.

Ribbons will be cut and commemorative t-shirts will be sold.  Fines on overdue books from the PCL system will be waived.  Books will ceremonially be relayed around the city from library to library. Additionally, each branch will be holding its own celebration.  Here is a complete list of activities by community:

Fox Point:  Food, live music by Annikki Dawn and Orion Rigel Dommisse, crafts for kids, and storytelling. 5-7pm.

Knight Memorial:  Potluck.  6pm.

Mount Pleasant:  Refreshments and kids’ crafts.  4-6pm.

Rochambeau:  Musicians, origami, and storyteller Mark Binder.  3-5:30pm.

Olneyville:  Karaoke and refreshments.  5-7:30

Smith Hill:  A cookout in the back garden, with kids’ activities inside.  4-7pm.

South Providence:  Cookout in front of the library.  Raffles and a
commemorative poster to sign.  3-6pm.

Wanskuck:  A ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by flower-planting and
refreshments.  1pm.

Washington Park:  A Bigfoot film festival, including a debate and snacks.  2pm.

A list of each library’s hours on that day is available at
providencecommunitylibrary.org, as is the relay schedule.  The race will begin at 2:30 at Knight Memorial on Elmwood Ave, then travel counter-clockwise around the city by foot, car, and horse until it arrives back at Knight for 7pm.