The Providence Journal

Neighborhood beats

PROVIDENCE – Rain and cool weather for the second year in a row did not deter musicians or revelers who showed up to Providence’s Porchfest on the East Side. The music festival featured musicians, most local or from surrounding areas, playing free...

KEEPING THE FEDS IN CHECK

Rhode Islanders – in many circumstances – can’t sue over violations of the state’s constitution. But should they be allowed to, in state court, sue federal officials who have violated their federal constitutional rights? Those are the questions...

What advice do you have for the Class of 2026?

The other day, I was walking through a store when my son pointed out a copy of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” near the checkout aisle. Sure, it may be a little cliché by now, but it was a reminder that graduation season is upon us. It’s a...

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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

CBS walks back copyright claims on Colbert local access episode

‘Real Housewives’ highlights RI culture

As a native Rhode Islander, I had low expectations for “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.” Even though I’d never seen any of the other shows in the TV franchise, I knew enough to expect staged drama, showy houses, and lots of cosmetic surgery. The...

McKee faces dim reelection prospects

If the 2026 election were held today, Gov. Dan McKee would be in deep trouble. He’s trailed former CVS executive Helena Foulkes in every head-to-head poll since she challenged him to a Democratic primary rematch last fall. And as the campaign has...

We will watch over them... forever

By 1945, the remains of 18,000 American soldiers had been buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. At the end of WWII, the Dutch made an extraordinary promise to America: We will never forget. Yet most of the Dutch volunteers who’ve...

Cost of RI homes continues to increase

according to Rhode Island Association of Realtors data. Multi-family house prices continue to rise The median price of a multi-family home decreased a little from the alltime high it hit in March, $637,500, down to $616,000. “Given the high price...

‘A win for Providence’

The Rhode Island Department of Education, in a surprise move, is signaling that it plans to return Providence schools to local control on July 1. In a May 20 letter to the Providence Public School community, commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said...

COMING ATTRACTION

Warwick is planning to refurbish the entrances to Rocky Point Park with the help of a $4.4 million federal earmark secured by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed. The park’s two entrances will get new landscaping, walkways, trees, curbs and gates. Don’t expect the...

NOT ALONE, NOT FORGOTTEN

Pallbearers and attendees were requested for the funeral of a 98-year-old World War II veteran with Massachusetts and Rhode Island ties who died with no living relatives, and hundreds of people turned out to pay their respects. The veteran service...

TRUMP WARNS IRAN: ‘CLOCK IS TICKING’

President Donald Trump warned Iran that the “clock is ticking” following a drone strike on a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, raising fears of renewed conflict as talks between Washington and Tehran stall. Emirati officials said a...

WORLD WARRIOR

On Aug. 7, 2025, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse gave his 300th “Time to Wake Up” speech about the dangers of climate change. “It’s hard, given our peril, not to feel a bitter sense of failure about where we are,” he said. Since then, he’s given at least...

RISING FROM THE ASHES

Five years after a fire badly damaged its facility and killed about 90 birds, the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary in Hope Valley has moved its 400 birds, mostly parrots, into a $9 million building that provides the birds, staff and volunteers...

How AI is helping scientists monitor herring population

NORTH KINGSTOWN – A silvery blur zips through the water into Carr Pond. Another follows, then another. It all happens in a fraction of a second on this April morning, and it’s hard to tell what the flashes of movement just below the pond’s surface...

Xi: China opposes militarizing Hormuz

Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 told President Donald Trump during a high-stakes meeting in Beijing that China opposes militarizing the Strait of Hormuz and levying a toll on the critical waterway amid the U.S. war in Iran. Although Trump...

Historic transition

The two regal-looking brick buildings, one in Wyoming and one in Wickford, were among the first quarters built for the Rhode Island State Police. The arrival of both barracks in the early 1930s allowed state troopers to move out of the private homes...

After 14 years, new housing coming to North Kingstown

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Ever since the 1,100-space parking garage at the Wickford Junction train station opened in 2012, more housing was the plan for the lot next door. It only took 14 years, and a series of developers, before it finally started to happen...

FOLLOWING THE MONEY

Hundreds of lobbyists haunt the marbled halls of the Rhode Island State House each year, seeking to sway the hearts and minds of elected officials. In 2025, they were paid nearly $17 million for those efforts, according to data provided by the...

History of The Providence Journal is the history of RI

I recently had the opportunity to speak at a meeting of the East Greenwich Leisure Learners, a group that meets in April and May to hear from a guest speaker, gather for lunch and then hear from another speaker. They asked me to talk about the history...

Man wanted for murder still on the lam

How did we get here?

‘Right time’ for change

WARWICK – “It’s time.” House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi held off saying those words publicly until the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission had confirmed receipt of his application for the first Rhode Island Supreme Court opening in nearly six...

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Lively, Baldoni settle lawsuit over filming of ‘It Ends With Us’

Ready for approach

The airport-related responsibility for Warwick police officers and firefighters is not drama-free, regardless of the outcome. And it happens more frequently than the public might realize, according to local public safety leaders. A recent example in...

CLAMS AND GRENADES

It could be the quintessential Rhode Island Bomb Squad story, because it involved grenades and clams. It happened a few years ago when a Rhode Island fishing boat hauled in more than clams while dragging off New Jersey, according to Deputy Thomas...

FUN & GAMES

Hasbro Children’s Hospital hosted its annual prom on Friday, May 1, at the Hotel Providence, giving teens dealing with long-term illness a chance to experience prom season. The prom is funded through a grant from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood...

Have a RI first story to share? We want to know about it

Having grown up and lived in Rhode Island for all of my life, outside of going away to college for a couple of years, my life is full of Rhode Island firsts. Sure, they may not be as impactful as the separation of church and state or the first...

FIRST-CLASS HERO

Seven-year-old Sameer Santana was a kindergartner when a North Providence health teacher taught him how to clear another person’s airway with the Heimlich maneuver. Then, on April 9, Sameer realized that another boy in the class, Jabril “Nino”...

Polished legacy

For the family behind S.R. Blackinton, the most thrilling moment of the Kentucky Derby happens just after the "Greatest Two Minutes in Sports." As the winning horse, jockey and owners step into the Winners’ Circle at Churchill Downs Racetrack, 64...

Paolino-backed group to buy Providence Place for $133M

Providence Place mall may soon be sold to Pyramid Management Group and Paolino Properties for an offer of $133 million after a judge approved the recommendation of the mall’s receiver. Superior Court Justice Brian Stern heard the recommendations from...

‘The right thing to do’

Renee Gomes found herself on her own at age 18, grabbing shelter with any friends who would have her. Born to a mother with addiction issues, she spent the bulk of her childhood in residential care due to her mental health and behavioral...

Victims file lawsuits

Three Brown University freshmen seriously injured in the December shooting are suing the Ivy League school, accusing it of negligence for failing to take adequate security measures to keep students safe. The three students are identified only as J....

NEW BATTLE PLAN

PROVIDENCE – For more than 30 years, efforts to reopen the Cranston Street Armory and usher it into its next era have ebbed and flowed. Millions have gone into drawing up plans, paying consultants and printing mock-ups, including Gov. Dan McKee...

We all loved RI’s attractions. Share your favorite memories.

When it comes to Rhode Island attractions that are long gone, there’s one answer that’s probably on the tip of most Rhode Islanders’ tongues. From the flume to the Corkscrew, the haunted house to the clam cakes and chowder, just about everyone of a...

FINANCIAL REHAB

One Neighborhood Builders, a major player in Rhode Island affordable housing development, is trying to execute a financial turnaround while completing three of the state’s most ambitious apartment construction projects. The Olneyville-based...

HEATED DEBATE

NORTH KINGSTOWN – A plant in the Quonset Business Park is using the latest technology to continue an ancient practice. The sprawling facility, a maze of gleaming pipes, pumps and conveyor belts all painted in primary colors, was built by Quonset Soil...

Affordable by design

At the corner of Knight and Westminster streets in Providence’s West End, steel beams mark the start of the second floor on what will be an income-restricted housing project with a shop on the first floor. The $21-million project by nonprofit...

DHS proposal to use AI to streamline services draws pushback

PROVIDENCE — The state Department of Human Services is proposing to use artificial intelligence to route customer calls, answer basic inquiries and help workers determine who qualifies for government benefits. DHS, which administers social safety net...

THE VISITING TEAM

BOSTON – The stars of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” went out to the ballgame on April 17, taking on Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox’s game against the Detroit Tigers. From Alicia Carmody throwing out the first pitch – a perfect strike, by...

‘It’s getting worse’ What is the state doing to end homelessness? We asked.

Fourteen years after the state created a roadmap to end homelessness in Rhode Island, the problem has worsened, with no strategic plan and questions from advocates for the homeless community about how more than $100 million in taxpayer money has been...

Do some time traveling at Coggeshall Farm in Bristol

I'm keeping my promise to get to all the special places in Rhode Island, and my most recent trip was to Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol. I even got to chat with Shelli Costa, the executive director. Set on 48 acres, Coggeshall Farm recreates the...

Brown parts ways with embattled police chief

Amid reports that a legal settlement has ended Rodney Chatman’s fiveyear tenure as Brown University’s police chief, the institution announced Wednesday, April 8, that a former Providence police chief has taken over Chatman’s previous role. Brown has...

NOW PLAYING

PROVIDENCE – The IMAX theater in Providence just got a major upgrade, with a new screen, a new projector and an updated sound system. The upgrade is the first in a planned series for the movie theater in Providence Place, now owned by Apple Cinemas....

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Who better to put Artemis II into context than Woody Spring? He’s Rhode Island’s only astronaut, having spent a week on the space shuttle in 1985, including 12 hours of space walks. Spring is now 81, lives in Stuart, Florida, still summers in Rhode...

BOSTON MARATHON

BOSTON – Opening Day here has a way of renewing the spirit. The Red Sox certainly felt it for at least one afternoon. Wilyer Abreu might have been the only player coming in who could have justifiably argued against criticism after what was an ugly...

Woonsocket wonder

OONSOCKET – In what was once a vibrant FrenchCanadian neighborhood in Woonsocket, a cavernous church houses the largest collection of frescoes in North America, all done by a single Italian artist who saw an opportunity to create his own Sistine...

WINNING COMBINATION

At first glance, it looks like a regular after-school program. Kids trickling in off buses. Snacks are being made and offered. Some quiet time for homework. A book discussion. Plans for community service. And then, “Pop. Pop-pop-pop.” It’s the sound...

Creating division

For the last two weeks, a firestorm of controversy has swirled around a Providence gay bar’s mural memorializing Iryna Zarutska, a murdered Ukrainian refugee. Democratic politicians want it taken down. Republicans think it should be saved. If that...

Rally urges support for RI Voting Rights Act

PROVIDENCE – “We are living in a moment where this country is dangerously close to repeating one of its ugliest chapters,” said Shahidah Ali, sounding the tone for the “Voting Rights” rally that packed the State House Library on Tuesday, March 31, with...

A FLYING START

401Gives community members celebrate hitting the $1 million mark March 31, just hours into the opening day of the annual fundraising drive benefiting Rhode Island nonprofits. 401Gives is the United Way of Rhode Island’s signature donation event. Donors...

Nature lover or nuisance?

For years, Susan Norlin delighted in feeding the wild birds that flocked to her Portsmouth home. She tossed popcorn to pigeons, threw hunks of bread to the seagulls who’d line up politely in her backyard, and poured out cracked corn for 40 mallards...

A DAY OF PROTEST

MOVING FORWARD

The remnants of the Point Street Bridge’s old swing structure that once allowed ships into the upper Providence River are set to be removed later in 2026. ● The state Coastal Resources Management Council is working with The Nature Conservancy and the...

GOP reps push back on DHS funding deal

WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives revolted at the 11th hour against a deal to end the sixweek-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown, hurling the prospects of any impending solution into serious political jeopardy. After...

‘Trump slump’ hit U.S. tourism in 2025

With an upcoming FIFA World Cup being staged across the nation, 2026 was supposed to be a bumper year for tourism to the United States, driven in part by hordes of arriving soccer fans. And yet, the U.S. tourism industry is worried. While the rest of...

Good fit for Friars

PROVIDENCE – You’ve probably seen the clip by now. Bryan Hodgson, at the podium Tuesday afternoon, March 24, during his introductory press conference as the next men’s basketball coach at Providence College, offered his better half, Jordan, as...

FAMILY CIRCUS

The Vargas quadruplets of Cranston are identical twins, so the easiest way to tell them apart is from their different personalities. And those personalities are emerging, all right, just a year after they were born, roughly 10 weeks early in a...

WARMTH AND COMPASSION

PROVIDENCE – A pilot program to provide more shelter beds during the coldest nights this winter has supplied a cot and meals for thousands of people over more than 50 days since December. Operation No One Dies received an initial $200,000 grant from...

NOT A GOOD FIT

For the last 15 years, the Rhode Island-based apparel and accessories brand Kiel James Patrick has sold an aspirational image of preppy coastal New England life, gaining more than 1 million followers on Instagram. Lately, though, some of the brand’s...

WHERE RIGHTS FOUND ROOTS

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Providence Journal and Newport Daily News are celebrating the women who played key roles in the early years before and just after the...

HOME AGAIN

PROVIDENCE – When Joshua McCombe’s landlord suffered a massive stroke and then died 18 months later in 2022, the sweetheart deal they’d had for rent went away. The landlord’s sister wanted to do all the deferred maintenance on the building – new...

Forever ‘brothers’

PROVIDENCE – Keep those Blackstone Valley Schools hockey jerseys close. The ones that witnessed Jaxon Boyes score in quadruple overtime in the championship. And Colin Dorgan lift the team, which has become more family than anything, in double overtime...

‘THIS CAN’T BE RIGHT’

Dr. Stephanie Lueckel was decorating her Christmas tree at home, “trying to have a moment” with her three children on Saturday, Dec. 13. Then she got a text about a mass shooting at Brown University. As she hustled to her car to make her way to Rhode...