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2008-2009 Public School Bus Schedule
Sailing into charted waters at Warwick Country Club
By John Howell
Friday’s early morning sun cast long shadows across the
fairways of Warwick Country Club. The course was emerald green, sparkling where
the first rays reflected from its dewy coating. It was too early for golfers,
but grounds crews were already at work. Squat lawn tractors, the golf course
equivalent of the skating rink Zamboni, looped back and forth over the greens,
trimming them to carpet smoothness. A pair of women, talking in low voices,
cleaned the pool with its vista of Greenwich
Bay. The bay was flat, a
mirror reflecting the bright blue of the morning sky. Beyond the remnants of
the club jetty with its skewed pilings there were faint signs of wind, patchy
gentle ripples on the water.
Kevin Beaulieu spotted them.
“Perfect,” he declared.
How could this be? Beaulieu, an accomplished sailor,
wouldn’t bother leaving the dock with such conditions, not to go sailing
anyway. His 8-year-old daughter Anna is with him. She is wearing a life jacket
and is anxious to get going. Read More... From bad to worse
Schools face $4M shortfall in current budget
By John Howell Having finished last fiscal year with a surprise $2.3
million deficit, Warwick schools face an even bigger shortfall this year unless
the committee starts making dramatic cuts, including the possible elimination
of extracurricular activities, athletics and teacher assistants as soon as this
September.
School business affairs director Leonard Flood said
yesterday $4,059,122 must be trimmed from the department's projected budget
expenditures of $164.6 million in order for the current budget to balance.
The news, which Flood briefly touched on at last
Thursday's School Committee meeting, sent a shiver through City Hall. Mayor
Scott Avedisian called the projected deficit “frightening.”
Flood said a combination of a known $1.6 million
shortfall in the approved budget, plus assumptions that have not materialized
and unexpected expenses have pushed the number to more than $4 million. Read More...
For a program that not too long ago was mired in a string
of 12 losing seasons in 13 years, it would be easy to look at a Super Bowl
appearance as a culmination.
Toll Gate looks at it as another step, one that raises
expectations and creates that much more motivation to take another step. After
losing to South Kingstown in last year’s
Division II Super Bowl, the Titans want to be back there again – and they want
to finish it.
“We’ve been taking steps the last couple of years,” said
senior Dougie Johnson. “Now we’ve just got to take that last step.”
But make no mistake: the Titans might be climbing, but
they’re not looking at the top. Since head coach Steve Spaziano took over four
years ago, he’s preached that step-by-step approach. With three consecutive
winning seasons and the Super Bowl appearance under their belts, the Titans are
believers. Read More...
New faces, same foundation as 'Canes build for big year
By William Geoghegan Bob Bentsen, last year’s Rhode Island Gatorade Player of
the Year, is back under center for the Warwick Vets football team.
Not surprisingly, preseason talk generally starts with
him.
Postseason talk may hinge on everybody else.
While Bentsen is still behind the wheel of Vets’ powerful
offense, a lot of the other parts have been changed out. The ’Canes lost 20
players to graduation, including Mike Eldridge, Justin Hardy and Anthony
Petrarca, the three biggest weapons in last year’s scheme.
How their replacements fare will go a long way in
determining how the ’Canes fare. With a week of practice under their belts, so
far, so good. Read More...
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