Publication

Mount’s top students to lead commencement ceremonies

WOONSOCKET – After completing their high school years with distinction, Mount St. Charles Academy’s three top students of the Class of 2026 are more than ready to lead the school’s 102nd Commencement Ceremonies on Sunday. Mia M. Rocco of Portsmouth is...

Gonzalez, Torres named Tolman 2026 valedictorian, salutatorian

PAWTUCKET – Unusual as it may sound, Naima Gonzalez has been consumed by the idea of finishing as the top student in her class since elementary school. Now that she has been announced as Tolman High School’s newest valedictorian, she’s feeling quite...

Lopes, Rosales named top scholars at BV Prep High

PAWTUCKET – When Jazleen Lopes entered Blackstone Valley Prep High School as a freshman four years ago, she never really thought about finishing atop her class. She just wanted to do the best she could and challenge herself academically. “I never...

LESSONS FROM THE FRONT LINE

WOONSOCKET – When police are routinely showing up among teenagers to do an unpopular job – like breaking up fights, for example – the shots the cops take to their public image are often harder to heal than any physical injuries the combatants may...

Man arrested a er hours-long stand o with Woonsocket Police

WOONSOCKET – A tense police stand-off with a domestic incident suspect at 613 Grove Street ended after 4-1/2 hours when police patience paid off with the man’s surrender just after 3 p.m. Friday. Woonsocket Police had surrounded the three-family...

McKee, Grebien, Beauchamp highlight RhodeRestore initiative

PAWTUCKET – Gov. Dan McKee, Mayors Don Grebien of Pawtucket and Chris Beauchamp of Woonsocket, RIDOT Interim Executive Director Bob Rocchio and other state and municipal leaders gathered on Broadway on Thursday morning to highlight the success of the...

Woonsocket native pens book inspired by journey to India

WOONSOCKET – Over 30 years, GiGi Desaulniers made more than 20 trips to India, most often to Kolkata, in West Bengal. Her purpose was charitable work, including volunteering with Mother Teresa. Now Desaulniers has written a book inspired by what she...

Bally’s picked to launch Rhode Island’s second online sportsbook

RhodeIslandCurrent.com As soon as late November, Rhode Island will have a new online option to bet on any sports matches — one from the very company that already operates the state’s in-person sportsbook. The Rhode Island Lottery on May 8 awarded...

Barnai Worsted founder Naismith honored at Museum of W&C

WOONSOCKET – Robert William Naismith, 81, never knew his grandfather, William Naismith, but thanks to some research into the city’s industrial past he is now helping the Museum of Work & Culture learn more about the former mill it calls home at Market...

Duschang, Lebeuf are St. Raphael valedictorian and salutatorian

PAWTUCKET – St. Raphael Academy valedictorian Michael Duschang is sure many things will cross his mind while he and the rest of the Class of 2026 parade through the massive Cathedral of Sts. Peter & Paul during commencement exercises on Sunday...

‘Summer of Celebration’ events announced by Grebien, McKee

PAWTUCKET – At a most appropriate venue, Centreville Bank Stadium, on Thursday morning, Mayor Donald Grebien, Gov. Dan McKee, State Treasurer James Diossa and a host of other dignitaries unveiled numerous events that have been scheduled as parts of the...

Woonsocket High scholars savor rewards of academic challenges

WOONSOCKET – The high school’s top two students of the Class of 2026, Valedictorian David A. Vega and Salutatorian Timothy Silvia now know that hard work pays off when it comes to their academic pursuits. Vega achieved his top honors by challenging...

Council opposes state’s bid to hamper camping enforcement

WOONSOCKET – The City Council voted 6-0 on Monday night to pass a resolution in opposition to House Bill H-8000 Substitute A and any companion bill in the Senate in connection with the enforcement of camping bans on public property. The ruling comes...

URI commencement encourages students to seize opportunity

Graduation weekend 2026 at the University of Rhode Island has come and gone, a time for faculty, leaders, and students themselves to give graduates advice on their way off campus. This year’s encouraging messages appeared to have a theme: uncertain...

North Smith eld High scholars succeed with more than academics

NORTH SMITHFIELD – The high school’s Class of 2026 Valedictorian, Leah Goodwin, and Class Salutatorian, Emerson Deschene, both point to time spent outside the classroom for life experiences as important as their academic success. For Goodwin, the...

Enestvedt, Bhatt named top scholars at Cumberland High

CUMBERLAND – Molly Enestvedt calls it sweet satisfaction being named Cumberland High School’s newest valedictorian. The reason: The youngest of the Enestvedt clan has watched her older siblings excel academically for years at both her soon-to-be alma...

Shode, Grullon top Davies’ academic list as valedictorian, salutatorian

LINCOLN – Tyra Shode of North Providence and Abigail Grullon of Johnston have been named the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, at the William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School. Shode, the daughter of Modin and Bilikis Shode, has...

Levitt AMP concerts to return to city on June 12

WOONSOCKET – Get ready, the Levitt AMP Woonsocket Music Series will be starting up on June 12 with another run of 10 Friday evening free concerts at River Island Park near Market Square. The headliner acts of the popular concert series, now starting...

Woonsocket Police Department takes part in 25th annual Copswalk

IWOONSOCKET n a rite of spring that reaches the 25-year milestone this week, a team of city police officers is marking National Police Week by jogging all the way to Washington, D.C. to pay tribute to fellow officers who died in the line of duty and to...

First come, first served

PPAC’s ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ lacks depth of original play but still has plenty of laughter

PROVIDENCE – “Kimberly Akimbo,” the straight play turned musical now at the Providence Performing Arts Center, is a paradox. It’s funny and entertaining while dealing with some serious stuff. Generally, that works. While on Broadway, the musical...

Shea High’s Campbell and Sirleaf named Class of 2026 top scholars

PAWTUCKET – There are more than a few reasons why Mikha’la Campbell recently became Shea High School’s Class of 2026 valedictorian, but the primary impetus came from her parents and her teachers when she was growing up in Jamaica. “This means so much...

Four Corners Community Chapel holds annual Spring Fling

CUMBERLAND – A bit of late morning rain didn’t deter members of the Four Corners Community Chapel at 200 Angell Road from doing some good work Saturday for their congregation’s youth programs and general fund. Four Corners’ fifth annual Spring Fling...

Assault trial of Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs begins with contrasting accounts

DEDHAM, Mass. — The livein chef who accused Stefon Diggs of assault took the stand Monday on the first day of his trial, testifying that the former New England Patriots wide receiver slapped and choked her during a dispute at his home. Diggs’ defense...

Paulin and Roberts named top scholars at J.M. Walsh School

PAWTUCKET – To Melissa Paulin, a senior at the Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing & Visual Arts, being named the institution’s newest valedictorian is mind-boggling. “Honestly, for me, it represents resilience because during my freshman...

McKee, Foulkes: Don’t move sludge processing to North Kingstown

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Despite the Quonset Development Corporation’s pause on a plan to build a sewer sludge plant, signs with red slashes, rallies, and hundreds showing up at the latest North Kingstown council meeting indicate that the community’s fight to...

O cials say get ready for a ‘Summer of Soccer’ in RI

PROVIDENCE – Dignitaries packed the State Room at the State House on Tuesday morning for the unveiling of plans for the “Rhode Island Summer of Soccer” ahead of the FIFA World Cup’s stop in Foxboro in June and July. General Treasurer James Diossa,...

NASA’s Artemis II moonship returns home to its launch site

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The spacecraft that flew four astronauts around the moon is back where its record-breaking journey began. NASA’s Artemis II capsule returned to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, almost a month after blasting off on...

City announces expansion of e ort to combat rodent infestations

PAWTUCKET – The city’s Division of Zoning & Code Enforcement, in partnership with Mayor Donald Grebien, has announced the continuation and expansion of its Neighborhood Task Force Program for 2026, an initiative rooted in public service, neighborhood...

Parrots’ new home rises, phoenix-like, from the ashes

Community News Lab HOPKINTON – Tucked down a dirt path off Woodville Alton Road is a sprawling, farmhouse-style building that could pass for a boutique hotel. But this luxury isn’t for humans— it’s for birds. Foster Parrots Ltd., founded in 1989, is...

Friendship, and much more, at stake on in ‘Primary Trust’

PROVIDENCE – “Primary Trust,” now on stage at Trinity Rep, is a deceptively simple play. Simple, if you stop at what the central character, Kenneth, says at the start: “This is a story of a friendship.” True statement, but there is much more to think...

ONE IF BY LAND

TBOSTON he clip-clop of horse hooves echoed as Paul Revere rode through the streets of Boston’s North End on Monday — a reenactment of his historic midnight ride, but with some modern-day tweaks: This time, the revolutionary hero set out under bright...

RI state payroll system failed to prevent excess contributions

The Rhode Island Department of Administration building in Providence. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Fifty state college and university employees were mailed corrected tax forms on the afternoon of April 15 — the very day they were...

Gov. McKee agrees to debate Democratic rival Foulkes before primary

Keep your calendars open. Gov. Dan McKee has agreed to debate his Democratic challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, three times before early voting begins in August. The verbal deal reached within a single business day comes as the rivals continue to...

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz amid peace negotiations

BEIRUT — Iran said Friday it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but U.S. President Donald Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S.,...

Artemis II astronauts praise their moonship’s performance

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts who ignited a lunar renaissance gave high marks Thursday to their moonship, especially the heat shield, for its performance during reentry. In their first news conference since returning to Earth,...

NASA astronaut Chari talks to Winters Elementary students about life in space

PAWTUCKET – As soon as Congressman and city native Gabe Amo and heralded NASA astronaut Raja Chari had rounded the corner to enter the Henry J. Winters Elementary School cafeteria on Tuesday morning, the noise from exactly 207 third-, fourth – and...

Island Rhodes Music Festival to debut Aug. 15-16 at Centreville Bank Stadium Tolman senior named RIIL’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year

PAWTUCKET – The Ocean State is welcoming a new music festival this summer with the debut of Centreville Bank Stadium’s first-ever concert event, Island Rhodes Music Festival. Set to take place the weekend of August 15-16 at Centreville Bank Stadium in...

NASA already planning next Artemis ight following astronauts’ return

HOUSTON — Never-before-glimpsed views of the moon’s far side. Check. Total solar eclipse gracing the lunar scene. Check. New distance record for humanity. Check. With NASA’s lunar comeback a galactic-sized smash thanks to Artemis II, the world is...

The Garage Kitchen restaurant is a family affair for Cordovas

WOONSOCKET – Some folks who enter “The Garage Kitchen” for some good Latin eats just can’t help but ask the proprietors – Carlos Cordova, wife Santa Gilcas and sons Giancarlo and Christian – how the restaurant earned its rather unusual name. Their...

Cass Park marks start of shing season with Carignan Derby

WOONSOCKET – After a long winter, local kids will get the chance to begin another season of outdoor activities as the annual Ernest A. Carignan Jr. Memorial Fishing Derby kicks off the state’s opening day of fishing Saturday morning at Cass Park on...

Classic coming-of-age tale ‘The Outsiders’ still resonates

When Jaydon Nget was a freshman in high school, he had to read S.E. Hinton’s book, “The Outsiders.” “I wasn’t much of a reader, but I was hooked on this book for quite some time,” the Houston native says. “It’s so relatable, such a heartfelt...

Artemis II astronauts make long-distance call

HOUSTON — Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts made more history Tuesday: calling their friends aboard the International Space Station hundreds of thousands of miles away as they headed home from the moon. It was...

SPRING MEANING

WOONSOCKET – After a winter hibernation, the St. Ann Arts & Cultural Center is ready to open its doors to another season of tours and events highlighting the religious artwork of one-time city resident Guido Nincheri. Nincheri, an Italian artist based...

FUNDING THE POLICE

PAWTUCKET – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Gabe Amo remained in town Tuesday to help Mayor Donald Grebien and Public Safety Director/ Police Chief Tina Goncalves unveil three new, state-of-the-art vehicles and other equipment purchased...

R.I. Corporate Career Fair a hit with job seekers regionwide

PAWTUCKET – City resident Kevin Lester owns his carpet-cleaning business, but because times have become harder for him, he said he didn’t have a choice but to seek more financial help. That, in essence, is the reason he attended the Rhode Island...

Want to buy a re truck? Inquire with WFD.

WOONSOCKET – Anyone interested in buying an outdated, partially-operable fire truck? The Woonsocket Fire Department has one for sale, and it’s now sitting outside the Cumberland Hill Road station. Back on March 16, the City Council voted unanimously...

Police say driver was drunk at double legal limit when he crashed

WOONSOCKET – A city man had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system when police zeroed in on him for speeding, but his miseries were compounded when he struck another vehicle as he was pulled over. Weverton Desamendes, 24, of 553...

Capron Park Zoo sta, patrons oppose plan to close it

ATTLEBORO — Despite the sunny weather Wednesday morning, a somber atmosphere enveloped Capron Park Zoo as staff and patrons alike mingled with animals while attempting to hold back tears, following the mayor’s announcement of drastic plans to change...

LIVING ON

Above, city officials and a police honor guard join members of the Blackstone Valley Schools Co-op team before the start of the RIIL Division-II boys hockey championship between BVS and Lincoln at Amica Mutual Pavilion Wednesday. The team captured the...

New lease on life for Club building

Woonsocket Mayor Chris Beauchamp, left, is joined by Carlos Rodrigues, owner and developer of CW Rodrigues Enterprises, Lauren Hartshorn, manager of Nova Commons, and Woonsocket City Councilwoman Valerie Gonzalez, from left, as they take part in a...

Where do you get your zeppoles?

RIFC fans enjoy home opener at Centreville Bank Stadium

PAWTUCKET – Warwick resident Tim O’Keefe stood in the old Apex department store parking lot nursing a Best Day Brewing Electro-Lime non-alcoholic beer early Saturday afternoon and confessed he didn’t know where the time went. He and dozens of other...

Students subdued and killed Islamic terrorist a er attack

A former Army National Guard member who had spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State opened fire on a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University on Thursday before ROTC students subdued and killed him, authorities...

DISCO EVOLUTION

KINGSTON — For most college students, going places where there’s music and dancing is all just part of the experience. However, a group of University of Rhode Island students has found a way to use that potential energy to save lives. Caeley Cranstoun...

Centreville Bank Stadium to host comedian Bill Burr in June

PAWTUCKET – Centreville Bank Stadium General Manager Paul Byrne announced Tuesday morning that the arena will host its first-ever ticketed, non-sporting event on Friday, June 12, and that it will feature Grammy-nominated comedian Bill Burr. He will...

How will you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Parade wows crowds from around Blackstone Valley

PAWTUCKET – For decades now, lifetime city resident Mary Araujo has attended the Pawtucket St. Patrick’s Parade every early March, but she had added incentive when the beloved annual event began Saturday at noon. “Obviously, I’m here to see my husband...

‘Above the crowd’

BURRILLVILLE – During a snowstorm at his home on Tuesday afternoon, George Barber sat at his kitchen table with daughter Cathy Jenks and described his thoughts about turning 100 years old three days later. “Can I believe it’s almost here? No,” said...

Historic storm earned its place among generational blizzards

The Blizzard of 2026 will be remembered for the way it kept coming and coming and coming. It was a 24-hour stretch when flakes piled into feet, roads disappeared, and the world shrank to shoveled paths, snowbanks, the glow of a neighbor’s porch light...

‘Ghosts’ at Gamm all about secrets, lies and appearances

WARWICK – Henrik Ibsen wrote his groundbreaking plays in the 19th century, but his observations about people and society still resonate. The Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre has staged insightful productions of the Norwegian’s work over the past 15...

D’Agostino lauds DPW for blizzard cleanup

WOONSOCKET – Department of Public Works Director Steve D’Agostino spent a portion of Monday night’s City Council meeting lauding the work done by those under his leadership and other city departments during the cleanup of the Blizzard of...

City officials cut ribbon on new Albert G. Brien Animal Shelter

WOONSOCKET – Dozens of Blackstone Valley residents flocked to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Albert G. Brien Memorial Animal Shelter late Saturday morning. So many people arrived to the 11 a.m. fete, DPW Director Steve D’Agostino hollered...

Seekonk man suspected in murder, double fatal car crash in Swansea

SEEKONK – A town resident allegedly fatally shot a man in Rhode Island before fleeing into Massachusetts where police say his vehicle ended up in a fiery crash that killed two others. Demitri Sousa, 28, of Seekonk is the suspect in the shooting and...

37.9 inches of snow hit RI. How did that happen?

A nearly incomprehensible amount of snow fell on Providence, much of Rhode Island and the surrounding region late Sunday through Monday. The city recorded 37.9 inches at T.F. Green International Airport, its official observation location. The tally...

Police: Hockey game gunman was frequent xture at son’s games

PAWTUCKET – Police Chief Tina Goncalves revealed during a late Tuesday afternoon press conference that the Lynch Arena shooter who killed two members of his family and injured his parents and a friend had previous family issues, but that family members...