RI Speaker's sister accused in counterfeiting case

By NBC 10 News,  August 26, 2010

PROVIDENCE — The sister of Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox is accused of counterfeiting after police said she gave fake $100 bills to a National Grid worker to keep them from shutting off service.

Maureen Bento, 47, of East Providence, was arraigned Thursday at Providence District Court. She was charged with one count of possession of counterfeit bills, and passing counterfeit bills. Bento was released on $20,000 personal recognizance.

Fox said in a statement to NBC 10, "I learned of the accusation (Wednesday night) but I am unfamiliar with the details. I have not spoken with my sister, but I love her and stand behind her during this difficult time."

Police told NBC 10 that a National Grid employee went to Bento's home to shut off service because the bill was not paid. The woman asked if she could pay what was owed and gave the employee three $100 bills.

The worker left then realized the bills weren't real and called police.

Police told NBC 10 they seized two computers, a scanner/printer and 10 counterfeit bills from Bento's home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Little Rhody Has Big Unemployment Woes

By Mara Lee, Hartford Courant,  August 22, 2010

As bad as the economy is in Connecticut, our little neighbor to the east has it far worse.

Unemployment is so high in Rhode Island that when the labor department said Friday that the rate fell to 11.9 percent in July, economists were encouraged. It was the first time in 11 months that unemployment was below 12 percent — and it's still one-third higher than the jobless rate in Connecticut.

At various points in this recession, Rhode Island has had the highest unemployment in the nation, or has been ranked second or third. Now, it's the fourth worst, behind Nevada, Michigan and California.

Read the full story from the Hartford Courant.

R.I. utility shutoff ban automatically takes effect with heat advisory

By Journal Staff, Providence Journal,  July 7, 2010

A moratorium on utility shutoffs took effect automatically on Tuesday when the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Rhode Island.

State regulations prohibit termination of utility service for nonpayment when the weather service issues either a heat advisory or excessive heat warning for Rhode Island, said Terry Mercer, an associate administrator for the state Division of Public Utilities and Carriers. The provision applies to electricity, natural gas and water, he said.

A heat advisory was issued at noon Tuesday and was to have been in effect until 7 p.m., said Neal Strauss, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. (A heat advisory is issued when high humidity is expected to combine with hot temperatures to result in heat indices of 100 degrees or greater. The last one issued for Rhode Island was June 28, he said.)

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

R.I. jobless assistance agency slashes wait time for benefits processing

By Neil Downing, Providence Journal,  June 29, 2010

CRANSTON — Not long ago, the state Department of Labor and Training took weeks to process a claim for unemployment benefits.

Callers were often put on hold for hours at a time. The agency fell far behind in responding to e-mail inquiries. And its director, Sandra M. Powell, was repeatedly summoned to the State House, amid the glare of legislators and TV lights, to account for the backlogs and delays.

Now, the picture has changed. The state labor agency typically processes claims and responds to e-mails within a day or so. The time that people spend on hold trying to reach the agency’s unemployment call center is averaging about a half-hour. And there are no more of those heated meetings at the State House.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

Power is cut, a woman dies, and furor follows

By Brian R. Ballou, Boston Globe,  June 26, 2010

SALEM, N.H.— The National Grid worker showed up at Kay Phaneuf’s beige, Cape-style home on Charles Street at 9 a.m. Monday with an order in hand to shut off her electricity. He saw no car in the driveway. He knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, just inches away from a red sign stating “No smoking, oxygen in use.’’ When he got no answer, he cut the power and left.

But Phaneuf, who relied on an oxygen machine because she suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, was inside. By the time her husband, Stephen, arrived home an hour later, she was unconscious. The machine, a plug-in, had stopped working. Stephen Phaneuf called 911. Two days later, his 54-year-old wife was dead.

As a result of her death, the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, the regulatory body for utility companies in the state, has launched an investigation and Governor John Lynch yesterday called on the commission to conduct a broad review of the shut-off policies of all utility companies operating in the state.

Read the full story from the Boston Globe.

One in seven residents use food stamps

By Paul Davis, Providence Journal,  May 22, 2010

PROVIDENCE — A record 142,351 Rhode Islanders received emergency food assistance last month, the state Department of Human Services said Friday.

Nearly 1 in 7 people are relying on the government food stamp program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

A high jobless rate, continued outreach and changes in eligibility are driving the record enrollment, said Donalda M. Carlson, associate director of children and family support services at DHS.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

R.I. antipoverty activists press Carcieri on jobs, utility shutoffs

By Paul Davis, Providence Journal,  August 22, 2009

PROVIDENCE — Antipoverty activists Friday urged Governor Carcieri to do more to help the poor, the jobless and those without gas or electricity.

The federal government gave the state $40 million to help Rhode Islanders pay their utility bills, but more than 6,000 people have had their electricity or gas shut off, said Henry Shelton, coordinator at the George Wiley Center, a community organizing center based in Pawtucket.

The number is high, in part, because the shutoff regulations “are so bad,” said Shelton. The utility companies require customers with delinquent accounts to pay more than they can afford to have their utilities turned on again, he said.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

PUC panel decides to reconsider shutoff rules

By Paul Davis, Providence Journal,  July 18, 2009

PROVIDENCE — The Public Utilities Commission will revisit the rules that allow utility companies to shut off service to Rhode Islanders hurt by the souring economy.

“The rules are so complicated it takes a lawyer to understand them,” said Commission Chairman Elia Germani.

The George Wiley Center, in Pawtucket, sought the “hardship” moratorium, but the request was “not as clear as it should be,” Germani said.

The commissioners did, however, approve naming a 10-member committee to review all shutoff rules and regulations, Germani said.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

Anti-poverty group would curtail utility shutoffs

By Andy Smith, Providence Journal,  June 20, 2009

Antipoverty activist Henry Shelton, head of the George Wiley Center in Pawtucket, is calling on the state Public Utilities Commission to impose a “hardship moratorium” on utility shutoffs for any Rhode Island household in foreclosure or experiencing a job loss. The proposal would require anyone applying for the moratorium to make an “affordable” payment plan for utility service.

Shelton and other associates of the Wiley Center delivered a petition signed by about 80 people to the state Public Utilities Commission on Friday.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

Protestors demand easier access to food stamps

By Felice J. Freyer, Providence Journal,  April 5, 2009

PROVIDENCE — Just over a dozen protesters, beating a drum and shaking a maraca, marched to a state human services office on Broad Street Saturday to demand easier access to food stamps.

The protesters, from the George Wiley Center, said that it was one of five buildings around the state that advocates visited to press for keeping food-stamp offices open on Saturdays to accommodate the working poor.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

Antipoverty Advocates Urge Governor to Expand Food Stamp Program

By Paul Davis, Providence Journal,  March 7, 2009

PAWTUCKET — Antipoverty advocates yesterday again urged Governor Carcieri to improve the food stamp program. The state needs 40 more workers to handle the growing demand for food, they said.

The governor should restore budget cuts to school breakfast programs and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and shorten the food stamp application form from 28 to 4 pages, similar to forms used in Massachusetts, Maine and California, said members of the George Wiley Center in Pawtucket.

Read the full story from the Providence Journal.

Where Are The Food Stamps?

Wiley Center members discuss food stamps with DHS Director Gary Alexander Friday, February 13, 2009.
Photo by: John J. Colby.

By Pat Crowley, Rhode Island's Future,  February 13, 2009

“No more delays,” was the message members of the George Wiley Center delivered to Gary Alexander, Director of the Department of Human Services on Friday.

Henry Shelton, Coordinator of the Wiley Center, addressed the need for DHS to hire more food stamp application processors. “We and others have been waiting for months for DHS to hire at least 14 more workers. Every month we hear that hires are being held up by someone in the Governor's inner circle. This has to stop,” Shelton insisted.

Read more at Rhode Island's Future.

Wiley Center Members Deliver Holiday Wish List
to Rhode Island State House December 23rd, 2008

George Wiley Center members pose with special holiday ornaments which illustrate a Wish List of items calling attention to Rhode Islanders' need for jobs, food, and heat.
Photo by: John J. Colby.

Like the three Wise Men, a contingent of George Wiley Center supporters delivered Christmas gifts to the rotunda of the State House on December 23rd, 2008. Led by Coordinator Henry Shelton, the group decorated the state tree with ornaments painted to call attention to Rhode Islanders' need for jobs, food, and heat. After the tree was decorated, the group delivered a New Year's Wish List to several General Assembly leaders.

Speaking to aides of House Finance Chairman Steven Costantino, Henry Shelton emphasized that the George Wiley Center supported legislative action to create programs that would fund “green” jobs. “People need jobs and Rhode Island right now has almost $6 million dollars in federal money for weatherization. Those jobs should be filled now. There is no reason not to be saving energy while supporting more employment for weatherization — 100% of the workers wages are paid for with federal money.”

Members of the group also called for the State to hire more workers to process unemployment claims and to assist persons who are eligible for food stamps. Jack Colby, speaking for the group said, “Again, all of the wages paid to the hires who process unemployment claims would be paid for with federal money. Rhode Island does not have to come-up with even one penny. With unemployment in Rhode Island hovering around 9%, the highest in the country, and with their wages paid for by Washington, there is no excuse not to hire more workers to process unemployment claims.”

George Wiley Center members deliver their New Year's Wish List to an aide to then State Senate Majority Leader Joseph A. Montalbano on December 23, 2008.
Photo by: John J. Colby.

When the “Wish List” was delivered to House Speaker William Murphy'’s office, John Lawlor, Esq., a member of the George Wiley Center's Leadership Committee Lawlor drew attention to the need for more food stamp workers. “There is no excuse for Rhode Island to have so few eligible citizens signed up for food stamps. With more workers to process food stamp applications, up to 60,000 eligible persons could begin to receive food stamp assistance.”

Speaking to a WPRO reporter who covered the tree decorating while it was underway, Henry Shelton said that if the food stamp program hired just 20 more workers to process claims, and if they signed up 40,000 of the eligible persons who should be relieving food stamps now, up to $35 million additional food stamp dollars would come into Rhode Island next year. “What an economic stimulus package that would be,” Shelton noted. Especially since 97% of food stamp dollars are spent in the month that they are received. This boon for Rhode Island comes with another silver lining since fully 50% of the cost of each food stamp worker is paid for with money from the federal government.