cowperthwaite
cowperthwaite t1_j8jmug1 wrote
Reply to comment by critzdem1 in Coworking Spaces in Providence by HummusEconomics
cowperthwaite t1_j8ebp5w wrote
Reply to comment by GotenRocko in Phenomenon of making an outside of Providence recommendation when a poster asks for Providence info by ryanfingawesome
Living in the West End, many things in Cranston are closer or the same distance to me than the equivalent in Providence city limits, including libraries.
cowperthwaite t1_j8eao6l wrote
Reply to comment by n0m_chompsky in Events in Providence subreddit? by cottage-clutter
For a very long time, I read this account as "PVD Gal" not "PVD GCal" for (I assume) google calendar.
cowperthwaite t1_j8aj92e wrote
Reply to comment by winter-14 in Commute to Boston (Back Bay) from Providence by mindful_intervention
cowperthwaite t1_j8ad962 wrote
cowperthwaite t1_j8acyxz wrote
Reply to Biking the East Coast Greenway/Washington Secondary Trail; I have some route and riding surface questions by degggendorf
Might be worth checking out (literally).
Via Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Short-Rides%C2%AE-Rhode-Island-Rides/dp/0762703342
cowperthwaite OP t1_j86hga6 wrote
Reply to comment by whatsaphoto in Push to boost RI minimum wage loses steam as public's interest is pulled to housing crisis by cowperthwaite
Raptakis has been trying to get automatic increases based on inflation since 2007, but told me he almost never gets support, colleagues told him, we'll consider it when we get to $15/hour.
>For Sen. Leonidas Raptakis, the fight over the minimum wage has been a pet issue since 2007. One of the two related bills he filed would tie minimum wage increases every year to the Providence-area rate of inflation as published in the federal Consumer Price Index.
cowperthwaite OP t1_j85j8bh wrote
Reply to comment by lestermagnum in Push to boost RI minimum wage loses steam as public's interest is pulled to housing crisis by cowperthwaite
There was a bit of a kerfuffle over the proposal, after the numbers that households are supposed to save were found to be flubbed.
Story requires a subscription.
>Gov. Dan McKee sparked the debate by proposing to cut the 7% sales tax to 6.85%, which would reduce the tax bite on a $1,000 item from the current $70 down to $68.50, and on a $100 item from the current $7 to $6.85.
Kerfuffle:
>Citing the average of $77 in annual savings that McKee's budget team originally projected for each state household were his proposal to pass, de la Cruz said a household would have to purchase $51,500 in taxable items to see a savings of that magnitude.
>Asked for comment on the minority leader's comments, a spokesman for the Department of Administration acknowledged an error in the numbers originally provided to the media.
>He said the proposed reduction in the sales tax rate from 7% to 6.85% would, on an annual basis, result in approximately $39 in savings, on average per household and business. He said the original calculation neglected to take into account the fact that roughly half the svaings goes to households, and the other half to businesses.
cowperthwaite t1_j8433oh wrote
"The commission had a heavy focus in the past on residential and we really want to refocus on commercial activity." Chairman Marc Crisafulli
cowperthwaite t1_j7uxc4q wrote
Reply to comment by thescimitar in Is it me or is everyone relocating to RI? by boingochoingo
The census has housing numbers, but I always find it hard to navigate to compare years.
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/RI/HSG010221#HSG010221
It shouldn't be too hard to get 2020 numbers, both for cities and the whole state, as 2010s are somewhere out there.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22416492-part_3_livable_neighborhoods#document/p6/a2149023
cowperthwaite t1_j7usdea wrote
Reply to comment by iandavid in Commute from Boston by chocosunn
$348/month for the monthly ticket, $139 for the 10-ride ticket.
cowperthwaite t1_j7g4ijz wrote
Reply to comment by Mrmojorisincg in Coming in at #40 of the 'Worst Dishes in the World' by myninerides
Rocky mountain oysters are totally fine. Don't see what the problems is other than the "yuck" factor.
cowperthwaite OP t1_j6jnr3b wrote
Reply to comment by 4k5 in How to file your taxes for free in Rhode Island in 2023 by cowperthwaite
The article breaks down income limits for each program, but:
I don't like paying, so I'd never go with FreeTaxUSA unless my AGI was below 41k.
I'm using TaxSlayer because I have to file returns in RI and MA and don't want to pay.
However, if I didn't have to file a return in MA, for me, TaxAct would be a viable option.
cowperthwaite OP t1_j6jmbhm wrote
Reply to comment by 4k5 in How to file your taxes for free in Rhode Island in 2023 by cowperthwaite
From the article:
>TaxSlayer
>TaxSlayer offers free federal filing for those who are 57 or younger with an adjusted gross income limit of $60,000; for active military, the income limit is $73,000.
>TaxSlayer also offers free state returns for Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont, but not Connecticut or Maine. Other state returns cost $39.95.
cowperthwaite OP t1_j6jkuvr wrote
Reply to comment by 4k5 in How to file your taxes for free in Rhode Island in 2023 by cowperthwaite
Freetaxusa is fine if your AGI is below 41k.
>FreeTaxUSA allows anyone with an adjusted gross income under $41,000 to file free federal and state tax returns. For active-duty military, the limit is $73,000.
Last year and this year, I have to file state returns in MA and RI, so the freefile version of TaxSlayer is what I'm using/used, this year and last. Before that, I used the FreeFile version of taxact.
cowperthwaite OP t1_j6iipcq wrote
Reply to comment by Kelruss in How to file your taxes for free in Rhode Island in 2023 by cowperthwaite
I did this story partially because of my own experiences with Free File, where I've had the same thing happen and realize I needed to use a different program that would have given me an extra state's return for free (working in MA, living in RI).
cowperthwaite OP t1_j6idjst wrote
Reply to comment by Status_Silver_5114 in How to file your taxes for free in Rhode Island in 2023 by cowperthwaite
It's not a premium story which means there's only a paywall if you've been reading us a lot, and then you should consider a subscription.
I did the work of collating which programs from Free File are applicable to us as RI residents, and for those who worked more than in just RI, and all the income limits. But by all means, do the work yourself.
>While eight companies are participating in the program this year, just four offer free preparation of federal and Rhode Island tax returns for Rhode Island residents.
cowperthwaite OP t1_j6i7qa8 wrote
The basics:
You should be able to file for free through the IRS Free File, assuming an adjusted gross income (AGI) below $73k a year.
Free state tax return as well.
If you worked in surrounding states, I break down which program lets you file free state returns.
Example: If you worked in MA last year but lived here, TaxSlayer is probably your best Free File bet, to file an RI, MA and federal tax return.
cowperthwaite t1_j68hou8 wrote
Reply to Flashing Yellow School Zone Speed Signs Should be Mandatory Alongside Zone Cameras by BiffBiffkenson
Bottom of this story, a listing of all the speed camera locations, although a few may have changed.
cowperthwaite t1_j68hi8s wrote
Reply to comment by radioflea in Flashing Yellow School Zone Speed Signs Should be Mandatory Alongside Zone Cameras by BiffBiffkenson
cowperthwaite t1_j65kk46 wrote
Reply to Schools, neighborhoods by Sure_Guest_4535
Copying from previous post about safety:
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/53v3u9/wondering_what_providence_is_like_for_mid_30s/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/nfq7lp/living_near_the_vavalley_area/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/mn698j/apartment_hunting/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/i114g2/advice_for_possibly_moving_to_providence/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/fnvwta/safe_places_in_providence/
From another post about neighborhoods and apartments:
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/nfuqi7/if_you_could_tell_someone_moving_to_providence/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/kuvq8w/moving_to_providence_whatre_your_thoughts/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/lhx5yd/moving_to_providence_this_summer/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/idibb5/considering_moving_to_providence_down_the_line/
https://www.reddit.com/r/providence/comments/qh5065/moving_to_providence_in_the_spring_2022/
cowperthwaite t1_j658egf wrote
Reply to comment by lavendergrowing101 in Everyone is asking for a tip these days by leavingthecold
For context, RI's tipped minimum wage is $3.89/hour. It was last increased in 2017.
Debate last session:
cowperthwaite t1_j64jmyj wrote
Reply to comment by TzarKazm in WHY ARE HOUSES SO EXPENSIVE by mommy2boy
I think a better stat is comparing the number of listings to the amount of Bristol's residential units (usually the census)
That being said, when I looked it up on the census quick facts, it just gave me "X," so to find the numbers requires digging a couple layers deeper.
cowperthwaite t1_j647z3z wrote
Reply to comment by TzarKazm in WHY ARE HOUSES SO EXPENSIVE by mommy2boy
When I've been doing stories on short-term rentals, all the data points to them being highly concentrated in the coastal towns (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth) and very few everywhere else, especially per capita.
Sub required:
State lookup tool, need to do it by town:
https://elicensing.ri.gov/Lookup/OnlineReportExecute.aspx?queryIdnt=1298
Example: Warwick has 47 current listings but AirDNA, a company that tracks listings, puts it closer to 73.
But Warwick's population is 83k, with 27k single-family homes, 2.4k units in two-family, 1.9k in three familys and 5.5k in apartment complexes.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22416492-part_3_livable_neighborhoods#document/p6/a2149023
cowperthwaite t1_j8o8vx8 wrote
Reply to How can we advocate for pedestrian safety? by mkspo
Related: Smiley has put new speed bumps on pause.
>Mayor Brett Smiley's administration has paused all speed bump requests, it acknowledged last week, and when the pause will be lifted is anyone's guess.
>"Similar to all other large infrastructure projects, the administration is conducting an in-depth review of installments across the city," Smiley's spokeswoman, Patricia Socarras, said in a statement.
https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/02/14/new-speed-bumps-in-providence-on-pause-city-studies-traffic-calming/69893144007/