ABC’s Eastwick is R.I.-inspired

A national TV audience may not know the new drama Eastwick is Rhode Island-inspired. But we will. Simply merge East Greenwich with Wickford. John Updike did in his 1984 novel The Witches of Eastwick, and its 2008 sequel, The Widows of Eastwick.

That book’s the basis of the ABC (Channel 5 and 6) show debuting Wednesday at 10 p.m., with its title shortened and its female characters’ names changed. But that’s Hollywood, where the series was filmed.

The main male character remains Darryl Van Horne, who was played by Jack Nicholson in the 1987 movie that was filmed in Massachusetts.

On its Web site, ABC calls the show “brimming with romance, mystery and dangerous charm.” But it says nothing about Rhode Island, just that Eastwick is a “seaside village” in a “small New England town.”

“No one said a word to me about it,” said Barbara Cullen, president of the Wickford Village Association. “That tells me they’re not doing a good job of advertising.”

Updike, who visited Rhode Island often, never admitted his Eastwick fiction was drawn from East Greenwich and Wickford, whose streets, businesses and characteristics he describes.

— Bryan Rourke

Cicilline appoints city solicitor

PROVIDENCE — Mayor David N. Cicilline Monday appointed Deputy City Solicitor Adrienne Southgate to lead the City’s Law Department.

Southgate, who has been the deputy solicitor for seven years, will replace Joseph M. Fernandez, who is leaving at the end of September.

In a statement, Cicilline said Southgate has “an extraordinary breadth of experience in government, regulatory and corporate issues.”

Southgate joined the Cicilline administration in 2003, and has been the primary legal counsel for all boards and commissions as well as the City Council. As deputy solicitor, she assisted in managing a team of 17 attorneys and support staff in the Law Department.

Southgate holds a bachelor of arts degree from Wellesley College and a J.D. degree from Wayne State University School of Law.

— Phil Marcelo

Providence promotes recycling

PROVIDENCE — Mayor David N. Cicilline on Tuesday kicked off a new campaign to double the city’s recycling rate by distributing 100 free bins in the city’s West End.

Starting Nov. 2, if residents don’t recycle, the city won’t take away their trash. Residents have an option, however: they can purchase the bins for $5 apiece or they can label their own trash cans with recycling stickers.

Providence is the sixth community to implement the no-bin, no-pickup policy. The others are Cranston, Smithfield, Cumberland, East Providence and Lincoln. Residents should use the green cans for paper and cardboard and the blue cans for bottles and cans.

“Increasing recycling saves taxpayers’ money, protects our environment and is the right thing to do,” Cicilline said, standing on the corner of Sorrento and Wadsworth streets. “Recycling not only protects our environment and promotes sustainability, it also makes good economic sense and translates into savings for taxpayers.”

Cicilline said that the goal is to double the city’s recycling rate to 20 percent, which should reduce the cost of waste disposal fees at the landfill by nearly $300,000. Last year, the city disposed of 64,400 tons of solid waste at a cost of $2.1 million. Because the city exceeded the state cap by 3,770 tons, it cost taxpayers an additional $211,000.

State law will require all cities and towns to reach a recycling rate of 35 percent by 2012.

The city plans to embark on a comprehensive recycling publicity campaign, called Green Up Providence.

— Linda Borg

Help available for needy families

WEST WARWICK — Representatives of 85 nonprofit organizations, businesses and public agencies that provide services for families in need will be available Wednesday at a resource fair at the John F. Deering Middle School.

The fair will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Visitors will be able to find out everything from how to apply for food stamps or unemployment benefits to where to get banking advice or medical services.

— Journal staff