Engaging Experiences Scheduled for PVDFest Ideas 2019 Released

Explore the Culture of The Creative Capital through a multitude of moments

PROVIDENCE, RI – PVDFest is about exchanging fresh ideas and new creative concepts from Providence’s vibrant cultural communities and around the world. This year’s PVDFest Ideas brings together a constellation of programs highlighting innovations in culture, technology and more throughout the duration of the festival and the first week of June. PVDFest Ideas will showcase exciting events like the Jewelry District Historic Walking Tour; a family-friendly Make-A-Kinder Providence Make-A-Thon Pitch Fest; and will build off last year’s sold out Ideas Conference keynote with a “Welcome To Your World” Book Club and Reception. This year’s keynote address, delivered by Lars Jan, a genre-bending media artist, will provide insights into HOLOSCENES, his large-scale installation/performance exploring the relationships between climate change and human behavior.

From housing the first Providence building with working electricity, to acting as an important site for the development of steam engine technology, and incubating spaces where medical breakthroughs are taking place today, the story of the Jewelry District is one of new, revolutionary ideas. The Jewelry District Historic Walking Tour will discuss the past, present, and future of the neighborhood, highlighting 100 years of innovation, civic pride, and culture. This walking tour will be led by Jewelry District resident and neighborhood historian, Olin Thompson.

Providence is a maker city; a place where artistry and craftsmanship are encouraged and celebrated.

Etzel Posts Shutout, Brown Women’s Soccer Plays Bryant to 0-0 Draw

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island – Freshman goalkeeper Christine Etzel notched her third shutout of the season as Brown University women's soccer played to a 0-0 draw for the second time in as many outings, tying Bryant University on Wednesday night at Stevenson Field.

The Bears (3-4-2) controlled play against the Bulldogs (0-8-2), holding advantages in shots (31-10), shots on goal (10-3), and corner kicks (13-3), but neither side could find the back of the net in the 110-minute, double-overtime affair.

"I thought we controlled the overtime. From the opening 15 minutes, we just didn't have the intensity that we had against Dartmouth, but it got better," 39^th-year head coach Phil Pincince said. "I thought in the overtimes – the two 10s –that's where we should have been from the beginning. It gradually got better and better."

Brown increased its pressure in the 20 minutes of overtime, recording eight shots, two shots on goal, and eight corner kicks in the extra sessions while not allowing Bryant to tally a shot or a corner.
Etzel (Madison, Conn.) made three saves in her second straight shutout while Brown's back four of sophomores Maclaine Lehan (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Sarah Cobb (North Tustin, Calif.) and freshmen Megan Grant (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Nicole Phillips (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) contributed to the clean sheet.

Bryant net-minder Kaylan Conrad stopped 10 shots, including a penalty kick, in her first shutout of the season.

Junior Charlotte Beach (New Haven, Conn.), who totaled a game-high six shots, nearly broke the deadlock in the 100^th minute as she drove a shot from the edge of the box, which ricocheted squarely off the left post.

In the 109^th minute, sophomore Mikela Waldman (San Francisco, Calif.) fired a shot on target as Conrad just managed to parry the ball away from the frame.

Brown remains undefeated against Bryant, claiming a 6-0-2 record in the all-time series.

Next, Brown returns to Ivy League play at Columbia University on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Brown Wrestling Unveils 2015-16 Schedule with Eyes on March

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island – Brown University wrestling will take part in five invitational meets and compete in 15 dual meets, including the Bears' second simultaneous meet with Brown gymnastics, as part of its 2015-16 schedule, with its sights set on the EIWA and NCAA Championships in March, head coach Todd Beckerman announced on Wednesday.

• Brown Wrestling 2015-16 Schedule

"Our 2015-16 schedule is designed to prepare our team for the NCAA Championships at Madison

Governor Chafee, Working to Diminish Regulatory Burden on Businesses, Seeks Direct Feedback from Business Owners

Part of Governor's Ongoing Efforts, through Office of Regulatory Reform, to Improve Business Climate
Governor Recently Expedited Statewide Regulatory Review & Examination

Providence, Rhode Island - Governor Lincoln D. Chafee yesterday contacted more than 5,000 Rhode Island business owners and operators asking them to complete a thorough survey on the effects of state and federal regulations on their business.

"This survey is a natural extension of the community business forums I have held in cities and towns throughout the state over the past year," Governor Chafee said. "It is an opportunity to hear directly from business owners about the challenges they face and ways in which state government can help them succeed and grow. That is always our goal, and we will use the information we receive to continue to make Rhode Island more business-friendly."

In June of 2012, Governor Chafee signed into law a requirement for each state department and agency to review 25 percent of its regulations each year for four years until all existing regulations have been evaluated for any adverse impacts on small businesses. It also required the Office of Regulatory Reform (ORR) to provide assistance to agencies throughout the review. Unsatisfied with a four-year review period to determine the impact of regulations on Rhode Island small businesses, Governor Chafee then announced on September 12, 2012, an initiative to accelerate this regulatory review by directing regulatory entities to complete an evaluation of 25 percent of its regulations within a 120-day review period by December 31.

On December 28, 2012, the Governor instructed each agency to begin the second 120-day review of its regulations for any adverse impact on small businesses. This process will continue until all state regulations have been reviewed for any adverse impacts on small businesses. Each regulatory entity will provide ORR with recommendations to revise, repeal, or keep the regulations based on its reviews, including for regulations that are mandated by state or federal statutes. ORR will have 90 days to review those recommendations.

The business survey sent by Governor Chafee will help guide ORR's review by targeting specific regulations that small businesses consider the most burdensome.

In the survey, business owners will have the opportunity to respond to questions such as:

"What are the most important challenges facing your business today?" "Considering state regulations that directly affect your business, would you say there is the right amount of regulation, too little, or too much regulation? How many state regulations does your company currently have to comply with? Of those regulations, do you find any of them challenging or overly burdensome to comply with? If yes, what specific regulation(s) do you find most challenging, or overly burdensome to comply with? What is the annual estimated cost to your company to comply with state regulations? Do you have any ideas and/or suggestions to bring a better balance between regulations and business growth?

Business owners are asked to fill out the survey online within two weeks. All responses will be reviewed by the Office of Regulatory Reform.

HEALTH Announces Centers for Health Equity Grants

Providence, Rhode Island - Where you live makes a big difference in how healthy you are likely to be. If you live in a place without safe sidewalks for walking, or without grocery stores that sell fresh fruits and vegetables, you may find it hard to eat right and exercise. If you do not eat right and exercise, you may become overweight or even obese. If you become overweight or obese, you are more likely to develop some kinds of cancer and diabetes… and if you have diabetes, you are more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.

The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) will address the environments in which people live through the awarding of $100,000 grants to eight community-based organizations serving low-income neighborhoods in Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls. These grants are made through federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funds.

"The way to make Rhode Island the healthiest state in the union is to meet people where they are, in their neighborhoods and their communities," said Michael Fine, M.D., director of HEALTH. "Our goal is to help them build collaborations, and to make lifestyles, homes, neighbors and communities safer."

HEALTH has awarded grants to the City of Providence, Olneyville Housing Corporation, and West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation, all of which will work on building healthy and safe sustainable communities. These agencies will collaborate to develop strategies and policies that impact the availability of resources to meet daily needs like housing, education, job opportunities, and food security. These efforts will impact the community structure, such as parks and transportation, which also affect the natural environment.

Clinica Esperanza, Family Service of RI, the Providence Center, West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation and the Providence Plan (Ready To Learn Program) will implement evidence-based programs addressing chronic disease and its risk factors, as well as maternal child health priorities. This work will address health improvements that can be achieved through population-based and individual actions, as well as systems-based, environmental, health service, and policy interventions. These interventions will further advance the National Prevention Strategy and RI Maternal and Child Health priorities at the local level.