Reed, Whitehouse Hosting Service Academy Day Saturday

If you have a high school junior interested in serving the country, an info session is being held Saturday at CCRI.

This morning, Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are scheduled to host a U.S. Military Service Academy Day for high school students from schools across the state.  The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick. This informational seminar is open to all high school students and their parents who are interested in learning about the requirements and procedures for seeking a Congressional nomination and obtaining an appointment to one of the United States Service Academies.  However, the program is specifically geared for students currently enrolled in their junior year of high school. “I am always pleased to host this annual event to familiarize Rhode Island students with the application and …

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Senator Honors 90-Year-Old Johnston Resident

The Johnston resident was honored earlier this month in Providence.

  Senator Sheldon Whitehouse honored a 90-year-old Johnston resident recently.  Mario Perri, a former longtime Cranston resident who now lives in Johnston, was honored with five Medals of Honor, reports the Johnston Sun Rise.  Perri apparently never received the medals after his 1945 discharge as a U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant.  On Dec. 6, Whitehouse invited Perri, as well as Perri's family and friends, to his Providence office to receive the medals. 

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Cicilline, Langevin, Whitehouse win Re-Election

Rhode Island voters favor Democrats in election.

It was a good night for Democrats Tuesday in Rhode Island. In Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District David Cicilline was able to win a second term against a tough race fought against Republican Brendan Doherty. The former head of the Rhode Island State Police strongly criticized Cicilline during the course of the campaign over his final leadership of the city of Providence when he was mayor for eight before heading to Washington two years ago. In the 2nd Congressional District James Langevin was able to win a seventh term over Republican Michael Riley. Riley reportedly lent his campaign more than $600,000. Langevin cited as accomplishments his work to maintain submarine production at Electric Boat and efforts to strengthen job training …

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JohnstonPatch Election Guide

The candidates, voting information and issues that will be affecting Johnston.

  As we look ahead to November’s elections, JohnstonPatch is devoted to bring you the information you need about every race in town. Bookmark this page for updates. Candidates: Be sure to complete our Candidate Survey to provide your information to Johnston voters. [Names in blue have already completed our survey.] Click on a candidate's name for biographical information and answers to our candidate questionnaires, and check back for updates. LOCAL: Johnston Mayor: Mayor Joseph M. Polisena (D) Peter A. Filippi (R) Town Council, Ward 2: Melvin Steppo Jr. (I) Anthony Verardo (D) Town Council, Ward 4: Council President Robert V. Russo (D) Robert Matteo (R) Johnston Referenda Items: Question 10: Term Limits for Mayor Question 11: Road Repair …

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The Great Debate

How Do You Rate Hinckley's Chances?

The Newport Republican is challenging U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse in the November election — but will he be much of a challenge?

Among the local elections on this year's ballot is the matchup between incumbent U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Republican challenger Barry Hinckley of Newport, who recently stopped in Johnston for a meet-and-greet at the home of the town's Republican Committee Chairman, George Resnick. Falling in the same year as a Presidential election (where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney seems to be the presumptive Republican nominee to run against President Obama), Hinckley's run is clearly built on the potential for lots of votes cast, as well as recent gains made by the GOP in usually blue territory like New England. Indeed, Hinckley's website prominently displays the endorsement of Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), who won a stunning victory…

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Junior LL Squad Earns Plaudits

Mayor Joseph Polisena, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. James Langevin offer their congratulations to the local team who won the Junior Little League Eastern Regional title.

Johnston's Junior Little League team won some notable praise after winning the Eastern Regional tournament in Freehold Township, NJ, on August 11 — Mayor Joseph Polisena and two members of the Rhode Island Congressional delegation contacted JohnstonPatch with words of encouragement for the team. During a phone interview on August 12, Mayor Joseph Polisena praised the team for their performance. "I'm proud of them and the whole town is proud of them," Polisena said. "They keep Johnston in the forefront, and that's due to their sportsmanship, their dedication, and their teamwork." Polisena, who saw the team off last week before their trip to New Jersey for the Eastern Regionals, said he's "been thinking of them every day" and was "delighted…

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Whitehouse Meets Local Business Owners [Video]

Taso's Restaurant hosts a breakfast with the U.S. Senator and a group of area businesspeople.

On August 10, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse sat down with a group of local businesspeople from a variety of backgrounds — health care, retail, finance, and manufacturing — to discuss the challenges of staying in business, and the efforts he's making to help. Whitehouse met the group at Taso's Restaurant on Atwood Avenue for a breakfast roundtable. Among the business owners at the meeting were Michael Pappas, a physical therapist at Atmed; Dan Pritsker of Providence Diamond Co.; Thomas Thomaidis, a financial planner and son of the owner of Taso's; Bob Ricci of Tri-Jay Electroplating and Dura-Kote Technology of Johnston; Deborah Giannini of Alpha Metal Works of Johnston; and Steve Palmer of Alternate Universe Technologies of Providence. After…

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GOP Plans Would Gut Senior Programs, Says Whitehouse

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) pledged to support reauthorization of the Older Americans Act at a panel hearing at the Johnston Senior Center.

Senior programs should be preserved from Republican attempts to stop the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which is set to expire later this year. The OAA, first passed in 1965, provides federal assistance programs to seniors. More than 100 seniors, many of whom are among the 135,000 members of the Rhode Island American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), attended the hearing at the Johnston Senior Center. In his opening statement, Whitehouse praised Johnston Mayor Joseph M. Polisena, stating: “He takes second place to none in advocating for seniors – especially his Johnston seniors.” The senator also said it is important to defend the progress already made by the federal programs. “Social Security has paid every dime owed to …

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