Kent County Daily Times
MEMORIAL DAY IN THE VALLEY
Memorial Day is right around the corner, and events to mark the occasion are planned in Coventry and West Warwick. In Coventry, local veterans will host their annual tour of the town’s war monuments. The tour will kick off at the WWI memorial at the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
'It's a big honor'
WEST WARWICK — Having proven their proficiency in either Spanish, Italian or French, dozens of West Warwick High School students were welcomed this week into the school’s World Languages Honor Society. “It’s a big honor,” Grace Gallo said, a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ECOLOGY & PEACE
The Jaycees of Kent County will continue their month of Earth Day activities this Saturday with the 29th annual Ecology Day and Peace Prayer Ceremony. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at Riverpoint Park, 110 Hay St., West Warwick, featuring...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OPENING DAY
The 2026 Opening Day for the Paine House Museum in Coventry was held on Saturday, featuring an open house, market day and the introduction of a new historical medicinal garden that was designed, built and maintained by local Girl Scout Kelsey Authelet,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WWHA recognizes community partners during annual meeting
WEST WARWICK — The West Warwick Housing Authority conducted its annual meeting last week. In a packed room of 85 residents and guests, the housing authority presented its Annual Report on Operations, recognized two organizations with Partnership...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
100 & FABULOUS
WEST WARWICK — The key to living a long life, according to Josephine Lucier, is threefold. “They all want to know the secret,” Lucier said last week, a tiara on her head and a golden sash draped across her chest. “I tell them, ‘eat, sleep, and go...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SPRING CLEANING
With the help of about 100 community volunteers, Mother Nature received a make-over this past weekend. The annual Earth Day clean-up occurred in many neighborhoods throughout Coventry. The Department of Public Works has been coordinating the event for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
It’s a Big River job but somebody’s got to do it
WEST GREENWICH — For more than 25 years, community members have gathered to clean up everything from boats, to tires, to filled bottles, to snack wrappers from the approximately 8,600-acre Big River Management Area. In partnership with the West...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Five years after devastating fire, Foster Parrots rises again
THOPKINTON ucked 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 a nonprofit...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A FAMILY TRADITION
If you've spent any amount of time in the Pawtuxet Valley, chances are that you know or have heard of the Iannotti family. Their involvement in the community is well known. From beautiful floral arrangements, to hometown restaurants and pubs, to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OAKER PRIDE
A celebration was held Thursday morning at Coventry High School to recognize the school being designated a National Unified Champion School by the Special Olympics. This is the second year that Coventry High School has earned the distinction, having...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
'When is enough enough?'
A package of bills introduced this year in the General Assembly aims to make Rhode Island’s roads safer by stiffening the penalties for those caught driving recklessly or while under the influence. “Drunk driving offenses are becoming an almost daily...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GONE FISHING
Anglers in Rhode Island await the second Saturday in April each year as the formal opening day of trout season. Rhode Island is the last state in New England to maintain this classic spring milestone, when thousands flock to local ponds and lakes in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
' Today we are celebrating the future of Coventry'
COVENTRY — Federal funds totaling $2.25 million will support two projects that Coventry’s town manager this week called “very important for the residents and business owners” of the town. “Today we are celebrating the future of Coventry,” Town Manager...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
' Those guys saved my life'
WEST WARWICK — Russ Bullock was playing pool at Phenix Sportsmen’s Club one night last December when he suddenly collapsed to the floor. “On Nov. 22, I turned 69,” Bullock said earlier this week. “Eighteen days later, I was dead.” If it hadn’t been...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Coventry School Committee celebrates 2026 All-State student musicians
COVENTRY — The Coventry School Committee took time during a recent meeting to celebrate dozens of talented student musicians. “Whenever we have an opportunity to celebrate anyone, we want to take advantage of it, because we have a great district and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
'I'm beyond grateful'
COVENTRY — When Bailey Borkowski walked into work on Wednesday afternoon, she was not expecting what she was met with. The sounds of cheers and party blowers rang out as she walked through the door; balloons in the shapes of hearts and stars floated...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DIGGING FOR TREASURE
Treasure hunters flocked to the Coventry Parks and Recreation Department's community yard sale this past weekend. The two-day event included more than 30 sellers, food trucks, entertainment and prizes. Pictured Your weekly guide to home improvement &...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ON THE HUNT
The annual West Warwick egg hunt was held on Saturday behind the Maisie E. Quinn School, featuring a visit from the Easter Bunny, face painting, a balloon artist and plenty of eggs to hunt for. The event was sponsored by Balise Honda of West Warwick,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Coventry High School Alumni Association funds grants for 2026
The Coventry High School Alumni Association will provide $8,951 in grant funding to faculty members at Coventry High School. These grants have been allocated across a variety of activities and programs. This support not only enhances the student’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PASSPORT TO FLAVOR
COVENTRY — A group of aspiring young chefs recently took community members on a culinary journey around the world — without ever leaving Coventry. “When you see the students, they’re so passionate, they’re so excited,” Alanna Conca, general manager of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A HOPPIN' GOOD TIME
The annual egg hunt organized by Coventry Parks and Recreation took place Saturday, drawing thousands of kids ready for a hopping good time. More than 7,000 filled eggs were ready for the hunt along with pony rides, a petting zoo, DJ, food trucks and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EASTER'S ON ITS WAY
WEST WARWICK — In the nearly 10 years since the first one took place, the West Warwick Easter Egg Hunt has become a fun springtime tradition for many local families. That tradition returns next weekend. “It’s just a fun outdoor event that really kicks...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MODEL LAWMAKERS
Twenty-one Coventry High School students visited the State House over the weekend to participate in the Rhode Island Model Legislature. Sydney Pavao, Meagan Mulcahey, Ellie Bamford, Spencer Knutton, Aubrey Zambarano, Ava Taveras, Eva McLaughlin,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
JOURNEY TO THE PAST
SWEST WARWICK ince the seventh grade, Sophia DaSilva has dreamed of being cast in the musical “Anastiasia.” “I love the story behind it all,” DaSilva said. “It’s very
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FUTURE CHEFS
IWEST WARWICK n the kitchen at West Warwick High School, aspiring young chefs donning black coats and floppy hats showed off their culinary skills on Saturday. Now in its 16th year, the Sodexo Future Chef Challenge was created to encourage students to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
THE IRISH ARE COMING
WEST WARWICK — The town will once again be painted green on Sunday, as the community gathers to celebrate the 65th St. Patrick’s Day Parade in West Warwick. Held for the first time in 1960, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of the Pawtuxet Valley’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ON STAGE AT THE ARCTIC PLAYHOUSE
“The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940" by John Bishop opened last week at The Arctic Playhouse. Directed by Jeffrey Massery and stage managed by Scott Conti, “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 (is not a musical)” is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud farce...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GOING FOR GOLD
In only its second year of competing, the Coventry High School Academic Decathlon Team finished third in the Rhode Island Academic Decathlon 2026 State Competition on Sunday. The team also brought home 14 individual medals, including six gold, in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
A food drive was held on Saturday at the Coventry Town Hall Annex, with enough food collected to help stock the pantries at each of Coventry's seven schools. Organized by school committee member Dorothy Jackvony and town councilor Alisa Capaldi and run...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ONE SHOVEL AT A TIME
After a blizzard dumped around three feet of snow on Rhode Island earlier this week, scouts set out to earn the brand new Operation Blizzard 2026 patch from Scouting America’s Narragansett Council by doing their part to clear the snow. Among those to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
'HOCKEY IS A FAMILY'
In the wake of last Monday's shooting during their game at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, the Coventry/Johnston co-op hockey team, pictured above, and Blackstone Valley Schools team were honored during the Providence Bruins game against the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
URI professor looks to unlock the endless possibilities of ghost gear
KINGSTON — While it’s important to support the art of fishing for the sake of the seafood economy here in Rhode Island, not every fishing expedition is perfect. Ropes get tangled, nets get ripped, and cages fall to the bottom of the ocean with no...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rhode Island digs out after historic Blizzard of '26
As Rhode Islanders crawled into bed on Sunday, outside flakes had begun to fly. By Monday morning, as a powerful nor'easter continued to sweep through the region, the snow was already knee-deep in some places; windows, covered by wind-blown snow, could...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MIRACLE REDUX
MILAN — The United States is on top of the hockey world for the first time in nearly a half-century. Jack Hughes scored less than 2 minutes into overtime and the U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in the gold medal final at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
23 YEARS LATER
Friday marked 23 years since a fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick claimed the lives of 100 people and injured 230 others. Bill Franzen, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is pictured above clearing snow from the walkways at Station Fire Memorial...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
When Rhode Island shooter started firing, bystanders jumped into action to end the carnage
Sitting in the stands at a hockey game, Michael Black heard what he thought was popping balloons before quickly realizing it was gunfire. As dozens of people rushed out of the Rhode Island arena, Black told his wife to “run, run” and then lunged toward...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PLANNING AHEAD
COVENTRY — As it continues to plan for the future of Johnson’s Pond, the Coventry Redevelopment Agency next month will host a community workshop to gather input that will help shape a plan meant to enhance public access. Working with its consultant...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Shooting during Coventry/Johnston, BVS hockey game leaves 3 dead
PAWTUCKET — Students from Coventry were on the ice at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket Monday afternoon when shots rang out. “It was loud,” Olin Lawrence, a 10th grader at Coventry High School, later told WPRI, “and then it kept going on.” A...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MATTER OF BALANCE
WEST WARWICK — The West Warwick Housing Authority’s Wellness Inspired Supports in Housing (WISH) Program undertakes extensive assessments of every resident enrolled in the program. Currently there are approximately 90 residents actively enrolled. One...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Animal Rescue Rhode Island celebrates a moment of stardom for local puppy
NORTH KINGSTOWN — The New England Patriots may have lost the Super Bowl on Sunday, but on that same day, one local puppy won the hearts of millions during his appearance on national television. Niel, a terrier mix, came to Animal Rescue Rhode Island...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
'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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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%...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ 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.
Read Full Story (Page 1)