The telephone help line for RI Unemployment Insurance has been so busy since the now-three-week “pause” beginning on November 30 that some callers are told by the automated attendant the queue is full and to call again later before it just hangs up on them. We reached out to the RI Department of Labor and […]
RI experienced its first COVID-19 death associated with the state prison system among either staff or inmates, the Department of Corrections confirmed to Motif. In a statement dated Monday, December 14, Director Patricia A. Coyne-Fague said, “It is with a heavy heart that I must report the loss of Lt. Russell Freeman, who passed away […]
Approval was granted this morning at an emergency meeting of the Vaccine Sub-Committee at the RI Department of Health (RI DoH), conducted virtually, to begin administering vaccines against COVID-19. According to Mckenzie Morton who acted as meeting facilitator, the vote was 95% in favor. The supply of vaccine will be severely limited, and at this […]
“Earlier today [Saturday, December 12], Rhode Island Department of Health [RI DoH] Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, tested positive for COVID-19. This was identified through routine testing. She is asymptomatic and will continue working from home. In accordance with Department of Health guidance, Governor Gina Raimondo and several members of her senior leadership team will […]
Readers have told Motif about a number of restaurants and other businesses allowing customers without masks during the COVID-19 pandemic because the operators mistakenly believe state government requires them to do so. We confirmed with the RI Department of Health (DoH) that such businesses are misreading the rules essentially backward: “A business owner is not […]
What do you get for the foodie who’s tried it all? The answer is easy: gourmet jerky from The Newport Jerky Company! This Aquidneck Island cult favorite turns out homemade salad dressings, salsas, jams and more, but you gotta come in for the creative and **ahem** unique selection of jerkies! Sure, you could always go […]
An unexpected and economical gift is a holiday mix of your favorite treats! Mix the dry ingredients and package them with cute labels and holiday themed instructions. If you have the budget, throw in some vanilla from Mexico because it’s awesome stuff. Here’s a simple sugar cookie recipe you can use for gift giving. Don’t […]
Gabrielle Halliday is a seasoned chef who moved from Rhode Island to the wilds of Houston, Texas, where the budding entrepreneur started Seasoned, an online marketplace for BIPOC business owners in the food industry. Halliday said of Seasoned’s inception, “There’s really a need to support Black people and minorities, and I realized there isn’t a […]
What do woodfired pizza, vegan comfort foods and Mediterranean cuisine (with a Middle Eastern flair) all have in common? They are three of Hope and Main’s new food businesses, or “food babies” as I like to think of them, that they got their start in the middle of COVID-19. And in case you were hunkering […]
This year on December 21, 2020, the Sun enters Capricorn and winter begins with a bang. Tough guy Mars squaring off with the great destroyer Pluto sends an ugly signal highlighting strength, power, greed and obsession. Pluto can transform, but he often does it with a wrecking ball. At this Solstice, Jupiter and Saturn form […]