Rhode Island's Tavares and Elorza

Followers of US Latino electoral politics should watch Rhode Island! 

A year from now its leading political executives could be Latino: Angel Tavares, 43 year old mayor of Providence, is running to become the state's next governor; and law professor and former housing judge, Jorge Elorza, 36, is seeking to follow Tavares to the Providence mayoralty. 

Harvard Law School graduates -- Tavares is of Dominican and Elorza of Guatemalan heritage. The state's small size, changing demographics -- along w/the Ivy League launch pad available to a select few -- are combining to fast-track the Rhode Island Latino political ascent.

Jorge Elorza (Credit: Brown Daily Herald)

Meet Helen Ubiñas: Courant Columnist and Blogger (Notes from Hel)

My new favorite columnist/blogger is Helen Ubiñas of the Hartford Courant! Why? Because she's given Chris Dodd, the powerful U.S. Senator from Ct. a well-deserved cocotazo -- something the media bigwigs have failed to do.

Dodd has sought to evade any responsibility for his role in the AIG bonus scandal even though he runs the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. But Ubiñas will have none of it! She rightly skewers the silver-haired, life-time pol in her column, There's No Bonus For Lies, Sen. Dodd.

So, who is this amazing Latina? Here's a short bio:

Helen Ubiñas was born in New York and received her bachelor's degree from Boston University. She began her career in journalism in 1994 when she started with the Hartford Courant as a City Desk reporter and has held a number of positions there since, including Town reporter, features reporter, lifestyles and specialties reporter.

Since 2000, Ubiñas has been a columnist as well as a blogger (See Notes from Hel.).

She has been awarded a number of honors, including being a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists and a member of a team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news, both in 1999.

In 2004, Ubiñas was a member of a team awarded the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award for public service. In 2005, she was a finalist for her column writing for both the National Headliner Award and the American Society of Newspaper Editors Award. She was also a finalist for the Howard Scripps Foundation National Journalism Award for commentary in 2006 as well as a first place winner for her column writing from the New England Associated Press News Executives Association.

In 2008, she was awarded The John S. Knight professional journalism fellowship at Stanford University.

Photo: Stanford University

An Obama Tsunami?

Obama's charisma and positive message has sparked a tsunami of excitement and hope among New Hampshire's primary voters.

If the early voters of Dixville Notch on the Canadian-New Heampshire border are any indication, it's going to be a sweet day for the Obama's--and an historic day for America.

Who Won The ABC N.H. Debates? Change

Winners of the back-to-back GOP and Democratic presidential debates by ABCNews/Facebook in New Hampshire were those candidates most convincing in their claims to be a true change agent for a weary nation.

Who were those candidates?

I believe they were John McCain for the GOP and Barack Obama for the Democrats.

John McCain - Senator McCain won the mantel--albeit in Republican form--by detailing how he took on the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and forced the Bush administration to change its war strategy in Iraq.

The GOP runner-up? Mike Huckabee for his populist focus on average Americans.

Barack Obama - Avoided Hillary's bait to get into a tussle while keeping his eye on bringing about a more constructive political dialogue.

The Democratic runner-up? Edwards also for his "personal" commitment to pursuing a politics on behalf of the little guy.

Transcripts:
N.H. Democratic Debate
N.H. Republican Debate

New Haven's ID cards to benefit undocumented immigrants

Conn. city offers illegal immigrants IDs (by John Christoffersen, AP - 7.24.07)

Dozens of people lined up at City Hall on Tuesday for municipal identification cards, the first city-issued ID cards specifically designed to bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows and give them access to community services.

The cards, available to New Haven's entire population, are meant to help anyone without a state- or federal-issued ID open a bank accounts and use other services that would otherwise be inaccessible. Advocates argue that if immigrants can open bank accounts, they will be less likely to carry large amounts of cash, a practice that makes them easy targets for robbers.

An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 of New Haven's 125,000 residents are believed to be in the country illegally.

"The simple straightforward purpose here is to build a stronger community," Mayor John DeStefano said. "You can't police a community of people who won't talk to our cops."

The mayor said the federal government had failed to address immigration-related issues, forcing cities to find ways to manage them. New Haven is simply acknowledging the people who already live there, he said.

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