hard deadlines

Mayday.us announced today that they've hit $2M in pledges to the "SuperPAC to end all SuperPACs." This grassroots, kick-started experiment in restoring democracy is the brainchild of Harvard Law professor and activist Larry Lessig, and the goal is to raise enough citizen contributions to put some muscle into 2014 races as a proof of concept -- the concept that Americans care about campaign finance reform, and that Congress needs to treat this as a serious issue.

I'm asking you to pitch in if you can. You can pledge on my page at MAYDAY.US.

Still need some convincing? Listen to Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Remember -- Friday, July 4 is the deadline. Don't wait for the kick...)

Kevin Doyle performing at 2013 National Heritage Concert in Washington DC (photo by Tom Pich, provided by the National Endowment for the Arts).

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced today that Kevin Doyle of Barrington is among the latest recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellowships, the nation's highest honors in the folk and traditional arts, according to a press release from the RI State Council on the Arts. Doyle, an Irish Step Dancer, is among a select group of artists and jazz musicians who are being honored for mastering the artistic skills and preserving the cultural traditions of their respective art forms.

Chu said, "Among these recipients of NEA National Heritage Fellowships there is a recurring theme. Starting at a young age, these individuals were exposed to the arts. Today these artists' passion for their art can be seen both in their long and dedicated careers and their willingness to share their knowledge with new audiences."

Governor Lincoln Chafee praised Doyle for receiving this national honor. "On behalf of the citizens of Rhode Island, I congratulate Kevin Doyle for his recognition by the National Endowment for the Arts," Governor Chafee said. "As a retired RIPTA bus driver, he exemplifies the very best our state has to offer. His love for Irish Step Dancing and the arts is clear and should encourage others to pursue their passions."

Senator Jack Reed offered his congratulations. "I commend NEA for selecting Kevin Doyle to receive our nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Kevin is an elite artist with a common touch. He makes Irish step dancing look easy, but he is someone who has poured many years of hard work, sweat, and soul into honing his craft. I think it is great that he is being recognized on a national stage and making Rhode Island and our Irish-American community proud," said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, which oversees federal arts funding, including the NEA's annual budget.

Senator Whitehouse also praised Doyle and this award. "Our arts community makes Rhode Island a better place to live and do business," said Whitehouse, an ex-officio member of the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts. "Supporting the artists that make the Ocean State such a special place is a wise investment. I congratulate Kevin Doyle on this honor, and wish him the best of success as he continues his career."

Congressman David Cicilline, who represents Barrington, also applauded Kevin Doyle's achievement. "For decades, Kevin Doyle has pursued his passion for Irish Step Dancing and has shared with so many his talents and the traditions of his family and his Irish heritage, and I am delighted that the National Endowment for the Arts will honor that artistic dedication," said Congressman David Cicilline. "As a Barrington native, talented dancer and proud father, Kevin is an example to so many across our state, and I am excited to join in recognizing his accomplishment as a NEA National Heritage Fellow."

Randall Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, added his congratulations. "We're thrilled that Kevin Doyle has received this important recognition of his work upholding and advancing the art of traditional Irish step dancing," said Rosenbaum. "We're pleased that the National Endowment for the Arts supports these important cultural efforts here in Rhode Island and throughout the country."

With more than five decades of Irish step dance under his feet, Rhode Island-born Kevin Doyle is a son of County Roscommon through his mother Margaret Taylor Doyle. He is a grandson of County Longford through his father John, whose Irish parents came to live in Providence, Rhode Island's Fox Point in the early 1900's.

At the age of eight, Doyle, along with his sister Maureen, began to learn their first Irish dance steps from their mother. He recalls his mother lilting (a way of vocalizing rhythmically using syllables rather than words) old tunes like "McLeod's Reel," which she had learned from her own mother in Ireland. In the 1960s, Doyle studied at the Pat Fallon School of Irish Dance with visiting Boston instructors Steve Carney and Mary Sullivan, and at the McCorry School of Dance in Pawtucket, where he learned steps traceable to the old dance masters of Ireland.

Through apprenticeship awards with the Southern New England Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Kevin taught his daughter Shannon traditional Irish dance and she has gone on to become an Irish dance teacher herself. In 2013, Doyle was awarded a Folk Arts Fellowship from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

Doyle is retired from a career as a RIPTA bus driver.

The 2014 NEA National Heritage Fellows will be honored at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 and a concert at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Friday, September 19, 2014. Both events will be open to the public and the concert will be streamed live at arts.gov. More information, including how to obtain free tickets to the concert, will be available later this summer.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $5 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.

About the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

Portsmouth Water and Fire District customers can now pay their water bills online using the District’s new web payment portal, according to a release from the District. Payments can be made through a recurring credit or debit card payment or a recurring electronic draft from a checking account. In addition, customers can make a one-time credit card or debit card payment for a particular bill.

Customers can also use the web portal to look-up their payment and water usage history and to view their latest bill. Customers can select to have their water bills emailed to them rather than receiving a paper bill.

According to Administrative Board Chairman, Philip T. Driscoll, there are no charges to the customer for making payments through the District’s web portal. Driscoll indicated that the Board is trying to make it easier and “greener” for customers to receive and pay their water bills. In addition, Driscoll stated that the District is trying to encourage customers to pay electronically to reduce the additional foot traffic that is expected at the office with the switch to quarterly water billing.

The web portal will also be available to make payments for Water District Property Tax bills beginning in October of 2014.

The web portal can be accessed through the District’s website at PortsmouthWater.org by clicking on the “Pay My Bill” button near the top of the home page. Customers will be prompted to create an online account, which will require the account number from their water bill.

Customers can also sign-up for recurring payments and use a credit card for payment at the District office.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

In a Portsmouth Water Board election where less than 1% of the eligible voters turned out, incumbents Terri Cortvriend (Commissioner) and Phil Driscoll (Clerk) were returned to office by huge margins.

In a District with 13,712 voters, there were just 50 ballots cast for a turnout of 0.36%. Cortvriend got 48 votes, while Driscoll received 46. The one write-in was a slate of "Anyone but Phil Driscoll" for Clerk and "Denis Coffey" for Commissioner.

Update: In their official press release this morning, the Portsmouth Water and Fire District said that the one write-in vote was for "Anyone," rather than what the election moderator, Fred Faerber read out, which was "Anyone but Phil Driscoll." When contacted about the discrepancy, General Manager William McGlinn said in an e-mail, "I was not at the Water Board election count, but have contacted our legal counsel who was present. He has indicated that the write-in ballot in question stated "anyone". Apparently, the moderator Pro Tem embellished the announcement as a joke."

I'm deeply disappointed in the PWFD. Reporters depend on the readout provided by election officials.