Rhode Island

The late Rhode Island artist Maxwell Mays, when asked about the 300 acres he owned here and would bequeath to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, said, "I would like this land to stay open, I would like this land to breathe. " I stood on Hammitt Hill in the middle of the Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge, the conservation property Mays left to the Audubon when he died in 2009, a scant 609 feet above sea level but a brisk walk up a well-marked, hilly trail. Breathing deeply from the minor exertion, I took in the sights and sounds of this forest of pine and oak, wetlands, stone walls,...

Curt Schilling's troubled 38 Studios laid off its entire staff in Rhode Island and Maryland on Thursday in a stunning turn of events for the former Red Sox pitcher's ambitious gambit to build a video game franchise off the back of a winning baseball career. The decision comes less than two weeks after 38 Studios' financial woes surfaced and deep cracks began appearing in the six-year-old company. It was lured from Maynard to Rhode Island on the promise of a $75 million loan guarantee from a state hoping Schilling's vision could bring high-paying jobs.

I have never felt so proud to be a Massachusetts resident upon hearing how Curt Schilling snookered Rhode Island. An overstatement, perhaps. But still, the Commonwealth is coming out a rose on this one. Rhode Island is staring in the face of a possible $75 million (or more) loss to its taxpayers after Schilling's video game company, 38 Studios LLC, just defaulted on a $1.1 million loan payment due the state. Meanwhile, Massachusetts (the Evergreen Solar state, lest one forget our own transgressions)

The exodus at 38 Studios LLC has begun. Two senior officials, including its chief executive, appear to have left as the video game company founded by former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling runs low on cash. The chief executive, Jen MacLean, had already been on maternity leave. But she and John Blakely, senior vice president for product development, recently changed their profiles on the business networking site LinkedIn to indicate they no longer work at 38 Studios. MacLean, a former Comcast executive who joined 38 Studios in 2008, declined to comment.

Rhode Island, which has provided $75 million to former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's troubled video game firm, may be on the hook for millions more in subsidies to the company, Governor Lincoln Chafee revealed Friday. Schilling's firm, 38 Studios LLC, has qualified for state tax credits available to film companies and video game makers, and, Chafee said, Rhode Island may have no choice but to pay them, no matter how shaky the venture's outlook seems. So far 38 Studios has qualified for $2.1 million in credits for 2011 and has applied for another $6.5 million that the state is now...

Rhode Island is honoring veterans of the Vietnam War. A legislative committee has scheduled a Statehouse ceremony Monday to observe the 51st anniversary of the war. Speakers at the event include Gov. Lincoln Chafee (CHAY'-fee), Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Kevin McBride, House Speaker Gordon Fox and others. House Rep. Raymond Gallison says Vietnam veterans endured "agonizing and eternally haunting conditions" during the war and were not properly honored when they returned.

The cost to Rhode Island taxpayers for free college tuition to several thousand fortunate students has more than doubled over the past five years. The Providence Journal reports ( http://bit.ly/yXauJR) that the cost for the tuition waivers was $10.6 million last year, up from $4.6 million five years ago. The waivers at the University of Rhode Island and other schools for employees in the state college system, spouses and children, covered 2,020 students five years ago and 3,428 students last year.

Warren is a waterfront village in the state's smallest county, tucked between Newport and Providence, and sometimes overlooked because of its proximity to those more recognizable tourist destinations. But with more than 16 miles of shoreline, abundant recreational opportunities, and a downtown bursting with restaurants, boutiques, antique shops, historic buildings, and a thriving arts scene, it's a tiny town with a lot going on and well worth a visit by couples, singles, and families.

The photo looked like a snap from the glory days: Retired Red Sox great Curt Schilling surrounded by a swarm of reporters pressing in close with notebooks and cameras. But there was nothing glorious about the scene this week, when Schilling met with Rhode Island economic officials scrambling to keep his 38 Studios computer gaming company afloat. Those state officials were already on the hook for $75 million in business loan guarantees — one of the great bonehead economic development deals of recent history — and publicly questioning whether additional aid Schilling is seeking...

If hypocrisy had a face, a look, a certain familiar strut, it would be that of old favorite Curt Schilling as he pushed his way through a swirling collection of reporters and photographers in Providence this week with absolutely nothing of consequence to say. Curt Schilling, mute, the one time he actually owed an explanation. Perfect. But that's a minor point, really. There's a larger hypocrisy in his failing video game venture, the one that Rhode Island state officials giddily backed to the tune of $75 million in loan guarantees, which seems to be a fancy financial...

The late Rhode Island artist Maxwell Mays, when asked about the 300 acres he owned here and would bequeath to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, said, "I would like this land to stay open, I would like this land to breathe. " I stood on Hammitt Hill in the middle of the Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge, the conservation property Mays left to the Audubon when he died in 2009, a scant 609 feet above sea level but a brisk walk up a well-marked, hilly trail. Breathing deeply from the minor exertion, I took in the sights and sounds of this forest of pine and oak, wetlands, stone walls,...

The animated sitcom "Family Guy" has achieved success managing to make fun of American pop culture through random cutaways. Its most frequent references pay homage to the unique attractions of the Ocean State. The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has created an entertaining, self-guided tour in honor of the program; Danny Smith, executive producer and Rhode Island resident; and Seth McFarlane, creator and former Rhode Island School of Design student. There are 25 sites to be seen and although "Family Guy" may not always be appropriate for families, this tour has plenty of attractions...

Sometimes it pays to have a governor who doesn't like pro sports. In 2010, Governor Deval Patrick and his economic development team were under pressure to support 38 Studios, then a Maynard-based video gamemaker seeking to expand its operations. It was headed by a local hero, former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, making the appeal all the more compelling to some. And Patrick had in the past shown a willingness to dedicate taxpayer dollars to economic development.

I have never felt so proud to be a Massachusetts resident upon hearing how Curt Schilling snookered Rhode Island. An overstatement, perhaps. But still, the Commonwealth is coming out a rose on this one. Rhode Island is staring in the face of a possible $75 million (or more) loss to its taxpayers after Schilling's video game company, 38 Studios LLC, just defaulted on a $1.1 million loan payment due the state. Meanwhile, Massachusetts (the Evergreen Solar state, lest one forget our own transgressions)

PROVIDENCE - Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling scrambled to prop up his ailing video game company, asking Rhode Island officials Wednesday for more public aid while Governor Lincoln Chafee questioned whether the state should cut its losses in the firm, 38 Studios LLC. "How do we avoid throwing good money after bad?" Chafee asked after an emergency meeting of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., which provided $75 million in loan guarantees two years ago to woo 38 Studios from Massachusetts to Providence.

Anthony DiNunzio, the alleged don of the New England Mafia, sat in a federal courthouse in Rhode Island last week, draped in tan prison garb, nodding as a federal judge said he faces a lengthy prison term if convicted of racketeering and extortion. Luigi Manocchio, DiNunzio's 84-year-old predecessor, will go before a judge in Rhode Island on Friday to be sentenced for extorting protection payments from strip clubs. And Mark Rossetti, one of the most feared captains in the New England mob, is being held in Massachusetts on state charges of extortion and bookmaking.