By Elizabeth Roberts on
9/29/2009 1:20 PM
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a reception welcoming Todd Flaherty, the new director of the College Crusade (www.thecollegecrusade.org)—a local nonprofit aimed at curbing dropout rates and promoting college attendance through mentoring and scholarships.
I enjoyed meeting the advisors who work in middle and high schools to help students succeed in school and prepare for college. The mentoring offered as students deal with both the challenges of growing up and of excelling in school is vital. When a student reaches college and succeeds there, a world of opportunities opens up.
...
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
9/23/2009 9:36 PM
This week I spoke at a conference at
Women & Infants Hospital on women’s health research, sponsored
by the National Institutes of Health. The ultimate goal: to get women
to incorporate valuable health research outcomes into their daily lives.
Women made up the majority of the room
where I spoke. That’s encouraging, because it’s critical to get
more women entering health professions, leading research and taking
on health policy roles that will make a difference...
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
9/16/2009 12:00 PM
Prevention, prevention, prevention.
That was the message about H1N1 flu
from Dr. David Gifford, the state’s director of health, at the Emergency
Management Advisory Council meeting I called last week, which brought
together federal, state and local emergency responders.
At this point, the H1N1 threat appears
to be less serious than thought in the spring—it will be widespread
but less intense. That said, the state department of health has met
with schools...
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
9/14/2009 12:00 PM
Friday morning I left the house and,
for the first time in several months, went back inside to grab a fleece.
Fall is here. The kids are back in school. The Red Sox are (hopefully)
headed for the playoffs. And tonight Tom Brady steps back on the field
in Foxboro. I love fall.
Summer is great in Rhode Island—the
beach, the ocean breeze, the slower pace as people take time off. But
although I enjoy it, I can’t wait for fall to come. Labor Day is my
New Year’s....
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
9/10/2009 12:00 PM
Last night I was at the Capitol as
the president reached out to Americans—after a month of loud, often
confusing debate at public meetings and in the press—and spoke about
health care reform.
I was honored to attend the speech
as the guest of Congressman Langevin. I watched the members of Congress
and the cabinet gather, the cheering as President Obama entered the
room, the common applause during some parts of the speech and the clear
partisan divide at other...
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
9/2/2009 12:00 PM
With the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy, we’ve lost so much, but perhaps what is felt most acutely at this particular moment is our loss of a long-time national leader and tireless champion of health care reform.
It’s now up to all of us to see health care reform through. We can do so both by living up to the values behind his belief in health care reform—that quality health care coverage should be a fundamental right, not a privilege—and also by remembering his...
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
8/28/2009 12:00 PM
After a week of touring 11 farmers’
markets around the state as part of my Buy Local RI initiative (www.buylocalri.org), I can say I’m duly impressed by the vast
array of fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat and seafood harvested
here in Rhode Island.
Farmer’s markets across the state
are succeeding at sustaining Rhode Island’s working farms and improving
our quality of life. Farmers are now growing a greater...
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
8/25/2009 12:00 PM
I’m happy to report another Buy Local RI (www.buylocalri.org) success story: Modulus Furniture in Pawtucket has entered into an agreement with Cardi’s Furniture, which plans to begin carrying Modulus products in all their stores by mid-September.
Last May as part of my Main Street tours of area small businesses, I visited the manufacturing site and showroom of Modulus—which specializes in stylish upholstered...
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
8/19/2009 12:00 PM
As another element of my Buy Local RI (www.buylocalri.org) initiative, I’m
kicking off a weeklong tour of Rhode Island farmers’ markets today at
the Aquidneck Growers’ Market in Newport, the first of 10 markets I’ll
visit.
We have an especially vibrant local market scene here in the summer, and
farmers’ markets are a great way to sample our state’s harvest and
support our independent farmers, whose numbers continue to grow—plus
ensure that you’re getting the freshest products available. For a
complete list of Rhode Island farmers markets and area restaurants using
locally grown food, visit
www.farmfresh.org.
I’m really looking forward to this—my family certainly will enjoy eating
a lot of fresh corn and homemade pie with the peaches I plan to buy. My
schedule is below, and I hope to see you at one of my stops. Buy Local
RI!
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By Elizabeth Roberts on
8/13/2009 12:00 PM
Today I’m thrilled to be launching an exciting new chapter in my Buy
Local RI initiative to bolster our small businesses, the backbone of the
state’s economy. We’re launching the Buy Local RI website and logo
during a reception in the State House from 5 to 7 p.m., complete with
food and drink from a wonderful array of local sponsors.
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