Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

CITY OF WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND

169 MAIN STREET  WOONSOCKET, RI 02895-4379  PH (401)767 9205  FX (401) 7654569

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: July 19, 2017

Contact: Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 401-767-9205

General Assembly Pending Legislation Support Clarification

Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt was perplexed to hear that Councilman James Cournoyer had taken to the airways to disseminate false information stating that the Mayor is not opposed to the so-called "perpetual contract" legislation currently pending in the Rhode Island General Assembly.

The legislation requires that the contractual provisions in expired collective bargaining agreements with teachers and municipal employees remain in place until a successor agreement is reached between the parties.

"Rather than acting as a statesman to create a healthy environment for accurately and truthfully conveying information to the residents of the City of Woonsocket, Councilman Cournoyer has once again chosen to spread political fiction over reality," said Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt.

The true and accurate fact is that the Mayor opposes the legislation and already had communicated to the Governor’s Office her opposition to the legislation well before the time within which Councilman Cournoyer reported his "fake news" relating to the Mayor’s official position.

The Mayor went on to say, "Despite having the opportunity, in a recent extended conversation with me on various other issues, to ask my position on the legislation, the Councilman has chosen to resort to his usual political shenanigans of spreading false rumors about my public policy positions. The residents of the City of Woonsocket are tired of such nonsense and so am I. I have an open-door policy and I encourage any resident of the City, including any Councilperson, to inquire as of my official position on any issue before putting words in my mouth."

-30-

Details of David Pecker's Involvement in Donald Trump's alleged hush money trial came to light in court Thursday. Pecker took the stand for his third day of testimony, and revealed conversations between himself, the former President, and Associate Michael Cohen. Pecker says he arranged to buy the story surrounding Trump's alleged affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal for $150,000, but backed out of the deal after consulting with election lawyers, believing the payment may break the law.        Students at Columbia University are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school. They filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on Thursday, demanding an investigation into the school's actions against pro-Palestinian students. The lawsuit alleges Columbia has mistreated students utilizing their first amendment rights.        The Food and Drug Administration says remnants of the bird flu were found in one in five pasteurized milk samples. Earlier this week, the FDA found fragments of the bird flu in commercially sold milk but said it's still safe to drink, as the pasteurization process kills the virus and only leaves small traces behind. On Thursday officials revealed about 20-percent of their milk samples contained remnants of the virus.        Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is having his conviction for sex crimes in New York overturned. The New York Court of Appeals ruled Weinstein did not receive a fair trial. The court found the judge in his trial made an error allowing women to testify about alleged sexual assaults committed by Weinstein that were not part of the charges against him. Weinstein was also sentenced in Los Angeles in February of last year to 16 years in prison after he was convicted of rape and that conviction still stands.        Buying a home is now more expensive than ever. A new report from Redfin found the median home price in the United States is now over 383-thousand-dollars, a record high. The economic research lead with Redfin says prices may drop slightly in the coming months, but buyers should accept that "housing costs are likely to remain elevated for the foreseeable future." The median down payment is also up 24-percent compared to last year, at around 56-thousand-dollars.        Soulja Boy says he wants to help save TikTok. Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that requires TikTok's Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance to sell the app or else it will be banned in the United States. Soulja Boy has offered up a solution, posting "How much yall want for TikTok? I'll buy it." The rapper tagged the social media company in the post.       

Old News Archives