The Middletown Rotary recently hosted a breakfast conversation featuring Senator Jack Reed at the Wyndham hotel on March 25th. Senator Reed began by touching on the upcoming arrival of NOAA and an expanded Coast Guard presence in the Middletown area. While these developments promise increased employment opportunities, they also contribute to the ongoing challenge of affordable housing in our community.The heart of the discussion revolved around audience questions, covering a wide range of topics such as support for Ukraine, The climate in the Senate, and federal backing for current Rhode Island initiatives. These initiatives include the Governor's programs like Learn 365, the litter-free campaign, as well as addressing the issue of affordable housing. Senator Reed also addressed inquiries regarding government funding for school construction, climate change efforts, aid to Israel, defense budget allocations, support for English Language Learners (ELL), the autocracy movement, and the outlook of changing demographics including immigrants.
We thank Jack Haggis for all his work organizing this valuable event and Chris Semonelli for his support and his opening remarks.