My Favorite Car Memories: The Grand Canyon and Beyond

From the Grand Canyon to Niagara Falls, I've put some miles on my 2002 Honda Civic.

When I was a teenager, every now and then I’d ask my parents, half jokingly, what kind of awesome new car they were going to buy me when I got my license. My dad’s response was always the same: “The first car you have will be the car you buy yourself.” There were several life lessons in his short, yet unchanging, response. I did not get a car when I was in high school, nor in college. But I made my very first car purchase just a week after college graduation. Then I learned about car payments and financing, maintenance and protecting my new asset. What did I get? A black 2002 Honda Civic LX. What do I drive now? The same car, which will turn 11 next month. It has around 177,000 miles and is still going strong. It's obviously my favorite …

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Sovereign Bank Hosts Economic Outlook Breakfasts

Area business leaders discussed 2013 economic outlook.

Letters To the Editor

Gregory: Looming 'Fiscal Cliff' Would Be Disastrous For Economy

Northern RI Chamber asks for support in lobbying lawmakers to avoid implementing Budget Control Act of 2011.

  To the Editor: By now, most readers have probably heard of the so-called “Fiscal Cliff.” By way of a basic definition, the fiscal cliff is the phrase used to describe the challenge that the U.S. government will face at the end of 2012, when all the provisions of the Budget Control Act of 2011 are scheduled to go into effect. So what does it really mean to us as residents, taxpayers, business owners and employees? Well, let’s take a more in-depth look. Specifically, let’s look at what taxes are set to increase if nothing is done by the Congress and the President to prevent the act from taking effect. Well, if Congress and the President don’t act before January 1, 2013, the following taxes are set to increase at that time: Also, taxes that…

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Fall Color: Indian Summer At Bileau's Flowers

Local flower shop, wood stove accessory store has fall display up for customers.

  Fall flowers, corn husks and pumpkins are on display at Bileau's Flowers, where the owner, Ralph Bileau is enoying the 63rd fall at the family shop.  Bileau, 65, the fourth of 14 siblings, said he's been around the store all his life. He remembers the oil crisis in 1973, when members of OPEC declared an oil embargo. That made wood stoves a good hedge against heating oil, Bileau said, and the store sold a lot of them during that time. Now, he said, his store just sells accessories and wood pellets for the stoves. While the fall flowers are still out for a little while, he said, that season is about to end in November, when the business will move to corn husks and pumpkins for a while before switching over to Christmas trees in December. …

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Yvette M Ayotte

11:16 pm on Saturday, October 20, 2012

Love that place!!   more ›

2 Companies Awarded Training Grants

Woonsocket businesses will see some state monies for workplace training.

  Submitted by the Governor's office: At the monthly meeting of the Governor's Workforce Board today, Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee and GWB Chair Constance A. Howes announced $1.3 million in training grants to 83 RI companies. Collectively the grants, which are geared toward existing employees and not new hires, are anticipated to improve the skills of more than 3,800 workers. Because matching grants require recipients to match or exceed their awards, the total for this public-private investment in the Rhode Island workforce is more than $2.6 million.  Thirty-seven of the businesses awarded grants are manufacturers, representing the largest industry sector among the recipient pool. Chafee said, "This sector's interest in training shows that the …

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