Kent County Daily Times
Lawmakers award grants in West Warwick
State representatives recently paid a visit to West Warwick High School, where they awarded a $3,000 legislative grant to the athletics department to purchase new weight room equipment. Pictured above from left to right: Rep. Tom Noret; Jim Alves, West...
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R.I. Beekeepers Association will be a hive of activity in 2026
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Stephen Burke’s basement is an homage to beekeeping. Multicolored square hives and frames are stacked nearly to the ceiling, some holding precisely shaped honeycomb. Burke presses on the honeycomb and amber liquid emerges from the...
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Fire destroys West Warwick home
WEST WARWICK — In temperatures well below freezing, firefighters battled a blaze in West Warwick Sunday evening that destroyed a multi-family house and left 10 residents displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting those who had been living at the...
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Rhode Island’s last ski area faces an existential threat: No snow
TEXETER here is a delicate art to creating snow. Not many know that better than Joe Marfeo, 27, the head snowmaker at Yawgoo Valley Ski Area. The outside temperature can’t be above 27 degrees, or it isn’t cold enough for the water to freeze into snow...
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WHEN SECONDS MATTER
In the State House library, training mannequins lay face up, members of the General Assembly positioned over them as they practiced the skills that could save someone’s life during a cardiac event. The lawmakers, 34 all together, were among more than...
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
As part of Career and Technical Education Month, the Rhode Island Department of Education earlier this week highlighted West Warwick High School, where students in the school’s Facilities Operation and Management program recently constructed two...
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‘Crisis’: The fallout from Trump’s surprise plan to close Kennedy Center
President Donald Trump’s surprise Sunday announcement that he planned to close the Kennedy Center for two years sent shock waves through the center, Washington and the broader arts world. “I’m not ripping it down. I’ll be using the steel,” Trump told...
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'What it truly means to serve'
COVENTRY — At Cornerstone of Faith United Methodist Church, four folding chairs sat in a row, an orange life vest strapped to the back of each. Behind the chairs were displayed the blackand-white photographs of four World War II chaplains: a Catholic...
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On stage at The Arctic Playhouse
"Miss Nelson Is Missing!" opened Thursday at The Arctic Playhouse in West Warwick. Directed by Rose Racine and featuring a cast of young actors, the production, which is based on the book by Harry Allard and James Marshall, will run through Feb. 8 but...
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Responders recall a mission of recovery and grief a year after the midair collision near DC
WASHINGTON — For some, it was the children’s luggage and small ice skates that became indelible memories of the night a passenger plane and a helicopter collided over the murky Potomac River. Others remember boats navigating debris and shallow water to...
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HOME SWEET HOME
KINGSTON — Heather Le understands fully how on-campus housing at the University of Rhode Island plays a major role in the students’ social and academic development at the University. Le — a senior marketing major at URI from Warwick — told state and...
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America’s oldest warship, sunk in 1776, is getting a 250th-birthday makeover
Conservator Angela Paola is lying on her back under the 16-ton gunboat, picking debris from between its nearly 250-year-old planks. She is wearing blue surgical gloves, grimy white coveralls, and a half-face respirator. Dust floats in the beam of her...
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Swiss fire tragedy evokes emotions from family of Station fire victim
On the night of Feb. 20, 2003, Nicholas O’Neill found himself in a lively crowd of 462 people gathered inside The Station nightclub in West Warwick. The space was tightly packed with eager fans awaiting a performance by the ’80s hard rock band Great...
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ROLLING THUNDER THE THUNDER ROLLS Thundermist unveils its new initiative to ‘meet people where they’re at,’ a mobile medical unit taking healthcare on the go
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — When a patient can’t get to the doctor, sometimes the doctor comes to them. That’s thethephilosophyphilosophybehindbehind Thun-ThundermistBydermistBillHealthHealthSeymourCenter’sCenter’s...
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Rhode Island may ditch Mr. Potato Head license plates after Hasbro's move to Boston
PAWTUCKET — It's been no small potatoes that Rhode Islanders have been able to choose the image of Mr. Potato Head as a specialty license plate for decades. Yet with Hasbro's decision to move its headquarters from the smallest state in the U.S. to...
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GIVING BACK
Rajesh Patel of Liquor World, pictured at the right, recently visited the West Warwick Police Department to deliver a $1,000 check to Marine Cpl. Teddy Asvestas, pictured beside Patel along with five members of the police department. The donation was...
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WINTER WONDERLAND
Snow covers the pond at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island's Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge in Coventry Tuesday morning. A weekend storm blanketed the Ocean State in snow, with up to 7 inches falling in some places.
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TAKING THE OATH
COVENTRY — In the auditorium of the Coventry Town Hall Annex, several new firefighters were sworn in last week during a ceremony that Kevin Cady, chief of the Central Coventry Fire District, called “a significant right of passage.” “Every family...
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TOYS FOR TOTS & TEENS
WEST WARWICK — It was another busy holiday season for the Jaycees of Kent County, as its members worked with the Marine Corps Reserve and nearly a dozen local businesses and organizations to collect gifts for kids of all ages. “We were able to meet...
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Statewide project calls on public to report bobcat sightings
Bobcats, once nearly absent from the Rhode Island landscape, are increasingly sharing space with residents — albeit quietly and mostly from the shadows. Just last week, one person on social media reported, “Bobcat near downtown Wakefield ... this is...
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Trump administration indefinitely pauses immigrant visa processing for 75 nations
The Trump administration is halting immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries, including Brazil, Iran, Russia and Somalia, the latest effort by officials to restrict legal immigration pathways. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said...
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URI researchers launch stone wall study
This year’s snowy winter makes New England’s iconic stone walls look even more picturesque. The sturdy markers dot our local landscape, a backdrop to yards, property lines, photos and views. But what else do they do? Kathleen Carroll and Shelby...
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Doubling down for Operation Stand Down
On Friday, the West Warwick Police Department delivered a check for $1,500 to Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, a nonprofit that exists to “strengthen the veteran community by providing crucial wrap-around services.” The funds were raised during the...
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Shooter who killed Brown students and MIT professor planned attack for years, DOJ says
BOSTON — The man identified as the shooter who killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor planned the attack for years and left behind videos in which he confessed to the murders but gave no motive, according to information released...
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Rhode Island eyes tax on rich to counter Trump policies
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee is warming to the idea of a tax on the wealthy as one way to bolster the state’s resources after a particularly turbulent year for its economy. A proposal for a 3% surtax on incomes of more than $640,000, or the top 1%...
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TAKING THE PLUNGE
With a temperature of 26 degrees and a windchill factor much colder, 600 participants took part in the 50th Anniversary Special Olympics Penguin Plunge at Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett on New Years Day. Hundreds of spectators braved the cold...
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Firefighters respond to Coventry fire
Firefighters from Western Coventry and beyond responded Wednesday night to Old Summit Road, where a fire had broken out at a home. Three people had been at the house at the time, but safely evacuated, according to officials. The fire was determined to...
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YEAR IN REVIEW
From ground-breakings to ribbon-cuttings, retirements to resignations, a lot happened in 2025 in the Pawtuxet Valley. Long-time fire chief retires With 49 years of service under his belt, Frank Brown, who served for some 32 years as chief of the...
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Man hospitalized after Coventry car crash Tensions flare between Russia and Ukraine after Trump’s peace talks
COVENTRY — A man was taken to the hospital over the weekend after his car struck a tree in Coventry, police said Saturday. At around 9:30 a.m. on KYIV - Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a call with President Donald Trump on Monday, accused...
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A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
This year, the holidays were a little bit brighter for 1,155 local children who received toys through an annual program by Christian Hill Community Church. With 439 families served, this was the biggest year yet for the West Warwick church’s Christmas...
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Faithful return to Bethlehem, Pope celebrates Christmas Mass
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations...
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‘ TIS THE SEASON
The annual tree lighting celebration in East Greenwich included a parade of vintage fire engines, a ballet performance, music by St. Luke’s choir and a visit from Santa Claus.
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'We just want to say thank you'
AWEST WARWICK s they prepared to leave school Friday to go on holiday recess, a group of students at Deering Middle School wanted to be sure that they let those who have been there for them know how much they’re appreciated. "We just want to say thank...
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A SLEIGH RIDE TOGETHER
Wednesday was an extra special day for the residents of the West Shore Health Center, as more than 100 residents of the center were given the chance to re-live some nostalgia with a festive horse-drawn carriage ride. The event was made possible through...
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Investigators seek older video that might show the Brown campus shooter days before the attack
PROVIDENCE — With the search for the Brown University shooter in its fifth day Wednesday, authorities were asking the public to review any security or phone footage from the week before the attack in the hopes it might help investigators identify the...
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HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS
Santa and his elves made their way through West Warwick's neighborhoods on Sunday, stopping at several sites to greet children, collect their letters to Santa and hand out some special treats. Pictured clockwise from above: children get a visit from...
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A CHRISTMAS BLESSING
Firefighters in West Warwick this week donated $18,500 to Christmas Blessings, a program run by Christian Hill Community Church that each year provides presents to hundreds of children in need. The funds were gathered on the Friday and Saturday after...
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HAPPY PAW-LIDAYS
During a holiday donation and adoption event on Thursday, Santa Claus and the Grinch stopped by the West Warwick Animal Shelter to spread holiday cheer and help fill a Christmas stocking for each of the 11 animals hoping to find their forever homes...
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Deported from the U.S. in 2018, he’s trying to help others survive exile
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Not long after President Donald Trump was sworn in for the second time, Bou Nou began buying and storing provisions on the second floor of his house on the outskirts of Cambodia’s capital. Shampoo bottles and bars of soap. Razors...
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WINTER WONDERLAND
The Coventry Parks and Recreation Department held its annual Winter Wonderland and tree lighting celebration at the Coventry Town Hall Annex Saturday, featuring free photos with Santa, gift wrapping, food trucks, a craft fair and more. Pictured...
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O CHRISTMAS TREE
MCOVENTRY ichelle Pezzelli has spent countless hours tending to the Christmas trees that she and her husband planted eight years ago. She’s gotten to know the trees, and still feels a tinge of sadness when one leaves the farm. “I have been in there...
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Secretary of State Amore presents National Association of Secretaries of State awards to local honorees
PROVIDENCE — On Wednesday, Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore presented National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Medallion Awards, as well as the NASS John Lewis Youth Leadership Award, to honorees at a State House ceremony. NASS Medallion...
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SANTA FOR SENIORS
Santa arrived with a cruiser convoy at West View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Wednesday morning, for the West Warwick Police Department's Santa with Seniors celebration. Organized by Trenna Beltrami, the department's community officer, the event...
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CHRISTMAS IN ARCTIC
West Warwick celebrated the start of the holiday season on Monday night with the annual tree-lighting event at the gazebo in Arctic Village, hosted by the Arctic Village Association and Centreville Bank. The festivities included the arrival of Santa on...
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AI-assisted shopping is the talk of the holiday shopping season
NEW YORK — Major retail chains and tech companies are offering new or updated artificial intelligence tools in time for the holiday shopping season, hoping to give consumers an easier gift-buying experience and themselves an augmented share of online...
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KEEPING HOPE ALIVE
Nonprofits and volunteers from across the state were recently honored during the first-ever Rhode Island Hope Awards, a celebration of those dedicated to making a difference in every part of the Ocean State. Held at the State House earlier this month...
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COMIN' TO TOWN
Christmastime is nearly here, and several tree-lighting events slated to take place throughout the Pawtuxet Valley are sure to offer a bit of holiday magic to get community members in the spirit. After having their fill of turkey and all the fixings,...
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Still SMILE-ing after 30 years
On Nov. 17, the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program held its annual West Warwick Family Science Night event at Deering Middle School. During an awards ceremony and potluck dinner, West Warwick Public Schools Supt. Karen...
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WHAT'S COOKING
WEST WARWICK — The community room had the intoxicating smell of garlic, onions and other scents as celebrity Chef Frank Terranova and NBC 10’s news anchor, Mario Hilario, conducted a cooking demonstration (pasta fagioli) for residents in the community...
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'IT TAKES A VILLAGE'
COVENTRY — With far more people than usual relying on pantries to avoid going hungry during the government shutdown, the food has been flying off the shelves at the Coventry Community Food Bank. “I always say it takes a village,” Stefani Weber, the...
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'WE HONOR YOU'
AWEST WARWICK s he reflected on the importance of Veterans Day, giving thanks to those who have served in the nation’s armed forces, tears trickled down Kasim Yarn’s face. “There’s something about coming back to West Warwick and engaging with you that...
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Speaker Johnson says House will return to Washington for voting on shutdown deal
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that House lawmakers should start returning to Washington “right now” after a small group of Senate Democrats broke a 40-day stalemate late Sunday evening and voted with Republicans to move forward with...
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WWHA honors those who served
WEST WARWICK — The West Warwick Housing Authority residents and staff gathered in the community room at West Warwick Manor on Wednesday to pay tribute to veterans who served in the military. With Veteran’s Day only a week away, the annual event...
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FEEDING THE TOWN
Local scouts made their way around the Pawtuxet Valley over the weekend, picking up non-perishable food donations during the 38th annual Scouting for Food drive. All told, scouts in southern New England collected more than 120 tons of food; Pack 13...
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Conservative Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of Trump’s sweeping unilateral tariffs
WASHINGTON — A majority of Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical on Wednesday about President Donald Trump ’s ability to unilaterally impose far-reaching tariffs, putting at risk a cornerstone of his agenda in the biggest legal test yet of his...
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Administration hints furloughed workers may not be paid after shutdown
The Trump administration is sending notifications to federal staff suggesting that only those who are working during the government shutdown will be paid when it ends, despite a 2019 law that also guarantees pay to furloughed employees. “Once an...
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ON STAGE AT THE ARCTIC PLAYHOUSE
"Keep on Laughing" opened last week at The Arctic Playhouse, located at 1249 Main St., West Warwick. Written by Paul Elliot and directed by W. Richard Johnson, the comedy is a sequel to “Exit Laughing,” which ran at The Arctic Playhouse in 2022. This...
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Senators, advocates demand explanation on asbestos risks from East Wing
Democratic senators and public health advocates are demanding that the White House and its contractors prove their rapid demolition of the East Wing last week did not expose workers and passersby to asbestos, a construction material that has been...
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Judge questions the Trump administration's plan to suspend SNAP benets for millions
BOSTON — A federal judge in Boston on Thursday seemed skeptical of the Trump's administration's argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program's history because of the government shutdown. During a hearing...
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KICKING CANCER'S BUTT
K-9 Mouse, the West Warwick Police Department’s beloved compassion dog, had her final chemotherapy treatment Monday. Found in February as a stray, emaciated yet very friendly, Mouse, who's around 10 years old, was taken to West Warwick Animal Control...
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State of emergency declared in Rhode Island
With more than 140,000 Rhode Islanders at risk of seeing their federal food assistance benefits disappear, Gov. Dan McKee on Tuesday announced steps the state is taking to keep those in need from going hungry. “I’ve stood at this podium many times to...
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CANDY LAND
Hundreds of kids took part in Saturday night’s Trunk or Treat at Riverpoint Park in West Warwick. The event included games, music, a spooky photo booth and plenty of candy. Pictured above: kids visit a Candy Land themed booth sponsored by First...
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'IT'S ABOUT PRIDE'
BCOVENTRY eneath an archway of red, white and black balloons, members of the girls varsity volleyball team rushed into the gymnasium at Coventry High School ahead of their first home game in the newly renovated space. As they made their way onto the...
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A WORTHY CAUSE
WEST WARWICK — In 2024, VFW Post 449 raised $63,000 for local charities through its popular Bingo nights. “We set a goal to go up 10 percent this year,” George Russell, who organizes fundraising events for the West Warwick-based post, said...
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HAPPENING IN WEST WARWICK
This Saturday, the West Warwick Civic Center will be the site of the annual Halloween Expo and Kids Costume Contest hosted by Community Marketing. The free event will run from 12 to 3 p.m., and will feature indoor trick-or-treating, music by Majestic...
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PC at CHS
ACOVENTRY s Joe Fargnoli watched the last wave of Coventry High School students approach Providence College basketball players Duncan Powell, Jason Edwards and Jaylin Sellers for autographs on Monday morning, the school’s athletic director reflected on...
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SPOOKTACULAR COVENTRY
Hundreds gathered Friday night for Coventry Parks and Recreation's annual Halloween Spooktacular, featuring dance performances, a costume contest, food trucks and, of course, plenty of candy at the trunk-or-treat walk. Pictured clockwise from above:...
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GOP tries to brand anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protests as ‘ hate America’ rallies
Ahead of thousands of anti-authoritarian “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday across the United States, Republicans were trying to brand the demonstrations as “hate America” rallies, ramping up their rhetoric about the millions of people expected...
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Bill requiring universal changing stations in new public buildings becomes law
STATE HOUSE — Rep. Thomas E. Noret and Sen. Peter A. Appollonio Jr. joined Gov. Dan McKee Tuesday for a ceremonial signing of legislation they sponsored that requires universal changing stations in new public buildings. Advocates Diane Silva, who...
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HAUNTED HAPPENINGS
COVENTRY — Halloween is just around the corner, and the Pawtuxet Valley will see no shortage of family-friendly events to get community members in the spooky spirit. This Friday, the Town Hall Annex will be the site of what Kimberly Frenze, event...
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WADING IN
As he made his way from door to door ahead of last year’s general election, introducing himself to residents and chatting with them about their concerns, then-candidate for state representative Earl Read heard about a variety of issues, from taxes to...
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Living Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are freed as part of Gaza ceasefire
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — All 20 living hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free Monday as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that decimated the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of...
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Thousands of Palestinians return to what's left of their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes effect
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip — Tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip on Friday as a U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect in a deal that raised hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war. All the remaining...
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Despite fall’s bounty of crops, drought has hurt the harvest
ANORTH KINGSTOWN t the Casey Farm Market, tent-covered stalls overflow with white and purple-speckled eggplants, cherry tomatoes and deep green lettuces. Despite the bounty, farmers on a recent Saturday shared how this summer's drought affected their...
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' TIS THE SEASON
The streets of Coventry were awash in Oaker pride Saturday, as members of the Coventry High School community — including students, teachers, and bus drivers, among many others — took part in the annual homecoming parade. The theme of this year’s parade...
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LIL PUMPKINS
Wildwood Nursery and Garden Center in East Greenwich held a Fall Festival this past weekend. The event included kids activities, local arts and crafts vendors, food, live music, and plenty of pumpkins, gourds and fall plants for sale. Clockwise from...
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