Woonsocket Call

Officials studying surge in local 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 in...

Will the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl?

PRA to study six development proposals for Apex property

PAWTUCKET – The Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency (PRA) and the city have announced that six competitive bids have been formally submitted in response to the request for proposals (RFPs) for the redevelopment property. Those sites include the former Apex...

Rte. 146 flyover bridge completed, work on next phase beginning

PROVIDENCE – The major premise behind the Route 146 Improvement Project was twofold: First, to eliminate one of the premier accident sites in Rhode Island, and, in the process, rid the highway of a traffic light that caused nothing but havoc and...

Maduro pleads not guilty to drug tra cking charges

NEW YORK (AP) — A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself “the president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power...

Woonsocket’s 2025 was full of emotional stories

WOONSOCKET – Residents of this city have experienced all sorts of tragedies and triumphs, and everything in between, over the past 12 months. There have been inspirational stories, such as the opening of the new John R. Dionne Track & Field/ Stadium...

Pawtucket sees tragedies and triumphs among top 2025 stories

PAWTUCKET – The year 2025 certainly didn’t end the way those in and around the city would have hoped. While residents and those from our neighboring communities were busy shopping for holiday gifts or catching up with old and new friends on Saturday...

Arctic blast brings snow and wind to the Great Lakes and Northeast

A surge of Arctic air brought strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone barreling across the Midwest left tens of thousands of customers without power. Blustery winds were...

Bomb cyclone brings blizzards to the Midwest before turning east

A strengthening bomb cyclone barreled across the northern U.S. on Monday, unleashing severe winter weather in the Midwest as it took aim at the East Coast. The storm brought blizzard conditions, treacherous travel and widespread power outages to parts...

WOON Milk Fund Radio Auction nears a big tally

WOONSOCKET – The Milk Fund continued to rise this month as the WOON Radio Auction brought in plenty of donations with the help of local listeners and special guests. The daily auctions run on weekdays since the day after Thanksgiving and ending on the...

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...

Woonsocket Milk Fund gets help from Chelo’s customers

WOONSOCKET – Danielle Rondeau and Joshua Fiske had a few final details to work out on Wednesday for their upcoming wedding and decided to hold the meeting at a Chelo’s Hometown Bar & Grill fundraiser for the Milk Fund at the same time. Danielle’s...

SORI Penguin Plunge will turn 50 this New Year’s Day

SMITHFIELD – The Special Olympics Rhode Island’s Penguin Plunge will turn 50 when the beloved annual event takes place at Scarborough State Beach on Thursday, Jan. 1 at high noon. “It’s incredible to think that a small group of dedicated volunteers...

Cumberland Learning Center will bene t all ages, officials say

CUMBERLAND – It’s been a long time coming, but the town’s residents finally can celebrate the soon-to-be opening of the Amaral Building Community Learning Center, which sits adjacent to Town Hall. On Friday, Dec. 12, Gov. Dan McKee, Cumberland Mayor...

Modern Diner has new owner, sta remains in place

PAWTUCKET – Good news abounds for those who love the Modern Diner. At Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, Rumford resident Jhageiry Garcia introduced herself as the new owner of the iconic city landmark and told the board that she would keep the...

Soup for Supper surpasses past support for Milk Fund

WOONSOCKET – The 2025 Milk Fund Appeal benefited from its biggest fundraiser yet last Thursday as the latest edition of Soup for Supper drew a big crowd to the St. Joseph Veterans Association’s upstairs function room at 99 Louise St. The evening...

Search for Brown shooter continues with few answers from o cials

PROVIDENCE(AP) — Authorities knocked on doors and scoured yards Monday in search of any video or other evidence that might lead them to the Brown University gunman, whose face was covered or not visible in footage captured before and after the weekend...

CUMBERLAND LEARNING CENTER OPENS

Cumberland State Rep. Brandon Voas and State Senator Ryan Pearson, from left, join Governor Dan McKee and Cumberland Mayor Jeff Mutter as Carlos Amaral, whose family owned and operated the longtime Amaral Family Market, center, cuts the ribbon with his...

Hundreds lined up for Slater ‘Run for the Trees’

PAWTUCKET – Sleeping in is not an option, says city resident Adrienne Diaz, especially when it comes to participating in the Winter Wonderland “Run for the Trees” event at Slater Park. She got out of bed shortly after 5 a.m., Thursday, grabbed a quick...

Walnut Hill bowlers roll for the Milk Fund Appeal

WOONSOCKET – The Milk Fund received a boost from a new event on Sunday- – Bowling for the Milk Fund, put on by WOON Radio at Ryan’s Walnut Hill 1666 Diamond Hill Road. Ryan’s Family Amusements completed a purchase of the longtime Walnut Hill Bowl...

Landmark exhibit draws interest from staff and former patients

WOONSOCKET – Landmark Medical Center’s new display at the Museum of Work & Culture drew warm memories and positive reviews from the staff members and former patients seeing it for the first time at its opening. Dr. Michael A. Luke, Landmark’s chief of...

Do you think the Patriots will make the Super Bowl this year?

Milk Fund Appeal starts the giving season with WOON Radio Auction

WOONSOCKET – The 94th Annual Milk Fund Appeal kicked off with the start of December and is already getting great support from the local community thanks to WOON Radio’s Milk Fund Radio Auction set to run through the day of Christmas Eve. The first of...

Cape Verdean Museum gala to honor Kim Alves

PAWTUCKET – There will be a lot to do and experience at the Cape Verdean Museum’s 20th Anniversary Gala, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, at Amigos Da Terceira, 55 Memorial Dr., but as far as CVM Community Engagement Coordinator Carlos Spinola is...

Winter Wonderland Holiday Stroll on tap for Saturday

WOONSOCKET – Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative Chair Garrett Mancieri can’t wait to see the final results of what has been rebranded the Winter Wonderland Holiday Stroll, which is slated for this Saturday between 2-8 p.m. throughout the downtown...

Woonsocket Police toy drive nets big haul at St Joseph

WOONSOCKET – With 2025 looking like a year when people need help, the Woonsocket Police Toy Drive can provide that assistance thanks to a record turnout of support at its Woonsocket Knights of Columbus and Auger family annual drop-off day at St. Joseph...

Pawtucket revises plan for winter preparedness

PAWTUCKET – With winter nearing, Mayor Donald Grebien and his administration are taking proactive steps to ready the residents for upcoming bad weather and snow. That’s why they have released an updated “Snow Plan,” which includes revised parking rules...

Judy Beauchemin and crew prepare annual holiday meal

WOONSOCKET – It seemed a group of soldiers were on Kitchen Patrol duty at Missy’s Family Restaurant at 80 Clinton Street this week as Judy Beauchemin got ready to offer her annual free turkey dinners for the Thanksgiving holiday. The soldiers were...

Emotions fill the air at city ’s annual Turkey Basket Drive

PAWTUCKET – City resident Paul Rodrigues had just driven into the line at the old Apex site to pick up a free, full Thanksgiving meal Monday morning, courtesy of First Lady Laureen Grebien’s annual Turkey Basket Drive, and he seemed both happy and...

Pawtucket proclaims November Native American Heritage Month

PAWTUCKET – Proud Narragansett Indian Ray “Two Hawks” Watson acknowledged that, about a decade ago, he wasn’t all that pleased with the lack of credit and respect others had for native Americans. He doesn’t feel that way nowadays, and it’s because of...

Cemetery repair project a labor of love for volunteer group

NORTH KINGSTOWN — A year after Elm Grove Cemetery clawed its way back from near-abandonment, a new “Friends” group is stepping in to make sure the revival outlasts the volunteers who sparked it. In October, Friends of Elm Grove Cemetery, Inc. was...

Pawtucket’s Rosemary Costigan chosen to head CCRI

WARWICK – Shea High graduate Rosemary Costigan began her post-secondary career at the Community College of Rhode Island, which was then known as Rhode Island Junior College. She had enrolled in the relatively-new nursing program, but it didn’t take...

Senate Democrats move closer to ending government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate was drawing closer to a vote on legislation to end the shutdown on Monday after a small group of Senate Democrats broke a 40-day stalemate late Sunday evening and voted with Republicans to move forward with reopening the...

Sophia Academy’s Wood receives ASRI ‘Educator of Year’ award

PAWTUCKET – It was just another regular school day at Sophia Academy in Providence for science teacher and Oak Hill resident Alyssa Wood on Monday, Sept. 29. She had just finished with a sixthgrade class and awaited her next to begin when she figured...

Historic marker for Pawtucket River and Fields nally restored

PAWTUCKET – Thanks to the attention and concern of city resident Judith Tolnick-Champa, Pawtucket now has a beautifully-restored historical marker that now stands in a new section of the Veterans Memorial Park amphitheater after 90 years in the same...

URI to partner with DEM on study of wild turkeys in RI

KINGSTON — November brings talk of turkeys and now local scientists bringing clipboards —launching a five-year study to map the wild flock’s routes, check their health, and explain why they patrol our streets like feathered traffic cops. The...

Dick Cheney, powerful and polarizing VP, dies at 84

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dick Cheney, the hard-charging conservative who became one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in U.S. history and a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, has died at 84. George W. Bush’s vice president died...

SNAP beneficiaries grateful for ELISHA Project food boxes

PAWTUCKET – When city resident Michelle Fortes discovered about a week ago that she would no longer receive her SNAP benefits beginning Nov. 1 because of the federal government shutdown, she admitted being petrified. “I immediately thought, “What am I...

Cournoyer-Smith touts book on children’s ‘big emotions’

WOONSOCKET – Ashley Cournoyer-Smith has lived outside her hometown and neighboring Blackstone for years now, but she never forgot where she came from. That’s why she made an appearance at the Harris Public Library on Clinton Street on Tuesday, Oct. 14...

Woonsocket celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month at senior center

WOONSOCKET – City native Marielis Cuello attended the Woonsocket Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Aging Well, the senior center on Social Street, in part because she had to. As the administrator at nearby Vida Church, she had promised Valerie...

Local theater troupe brings comedic ‘Carrie’ to the stage

PAWTUCKET – Halloween has an extended run this season when the Community Players bring “Carrie – The Musical” to the stage Nov. 7-16. Stephen King, the master of scary, wrote the novel, which director Brian DePalma turned into the 1976 film that...

DWC looking for volunteers to plant owers, beautify city

WOONSOCKET – It doesn’t matter whether you have a green thumb or not. Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative Chair Garrett Mancieri is calling for all lovers of gardening or mere natural beauty – or those who just adore being outdoors and getting back to...

PICK OR TREAT

Top: One-year-old Paige Cataloni, left, and her older sister Chelsea, 3, of Mendon, choose their pumpkins at Wojcik’s Farm in Blackstone reently. Right: Ashley and Bryan Liese, of Burrillville, choose pumpkins with their 10-month-old son Jack at...

Ex-Pats’ Mitchell now trying to catch the attention of readers

PAWTUCKET – Former New England Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell stopped by the Henry J. Winters Elementary School on Broadway as part of the Patriot Subaru Community Reading Day at noon Wednesday, he did so with humility and...

‘Witching Hour Social Club’ o ers a spirited serving of spooky season

PAWTUCKET — Lacking Halloween holiday spirit? Give your mood a boost with Burbage Theatre Company’s “Witching Hour Social Club.” Written by company member James Lucey, “Witching Hour” pleases fans of horror stories with creepy characters and clever...

Brickle shows Holocaust sculpture at the Museum of Work & Culture

WOONSOCKET – Sam Brickle, 87, wants people to think about the Holocaust and how the World War II genocide wrought by Nazi Germany not only took the lives of 6 million European Jews but also another 8 million people of other ethnic backgrounds. To that...

Vance is optimistic about Gaza ceasefire but notes ‘very hard’ work to come

KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called progress in Gaza’s fragile ceasefire better than anticipated but acknowledged during an Israel visit the challenges that remain, from disarming Hamas to rebuilding a land...

WHO, WITCH AND WHERE

Above: Enjoying the annual witches parade in Riverside on Saturday are, from left, Lynn Burns and Donna Tarricone, of Cumberland, Lily Pursley, 4, of East Providence, Jack Pursley, 2, also of East Providence and Bethany Pursley, of East Providence....

13th World goes big in sendo season at Diamond Hill Park

CUMBERLAND – It’s a Friday night in October and that means there is a long line of people at 13th World’s fright trail at Diamond Hill Park waiting for their turn to get scared silly. It’s a fright-worthy tradition for the Halloween season that 13th...

WHEN A PET PASSES

Flickering candles and velvet covering are missing from this ordinary shelf, yet it holds the meaning of “shrine” anyway. “I typically just kept them in the closet,” said I, Michael Grossman, 82, recalling the containers of ashes from the dogs who...

Autumnfest makes the best of a challenging weekend

WOONSOCKET – The 2025 edition of Autumnfest faced weather-related challenges at World War II Veterans Memorial Park over the holiday weekend but made the best of it, nonetheless. Changes starting Autumnfest on Friday with vendors, Fanelli Amusement...

Calista shares her secrets to living a century

PAWTUCKET – Ask longtime city resident Mary Calista her secret to living 100 years – she celebrated that amazing milestone with Mayor Donald Grebien, his wife Laureen, State Sen. Lori Urso and son Jeff Calista at a surprise party back on Sept, 23, five...

Trump urges leaders to put ‘old feuds’ aside

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — President Donald Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East on Monday during a global summit on Gaza’s future, trying to advance broader peace in the region after visiting Israel to celebrate a U.S.-brokered...

MAKING THE FEST OF IT

Above: Autumnfest’s set-up crew included Matt and Jill Moylan, and committee members Amy Lacroix, Cindy Stepanian, Dan Tvaroha, Stephanie Santoro, Tyler Martin, Matt Lamoureux, Tim Forcier and Lee Forcier. Right, there are always a few Autumnfest...

PREPPED FOR THE FEST

WOONSOCKET – Just as it happens every year, an army of volunteers worked with determination on Thursday to complete the final tasks needed to give the city’s annual Autumnfest celebration all its Columbus Day weekend fun at World War II Veterans...

URI honors retiring research ship RV Endeavor with tours

NARRAGANSETT — The time has come to retire the RV Endeavor, the University of Rhode Island’s beloved research ship, after just about 50 years of service. However, her efforts to educate the community were not quite over yet last weekend. Thanks to...

Three US scientists win Nobel Prize for studying quantum technology

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for research on the strange behavior of subatomic particles called quantum tunneling that enabled the ultra-sensitive measurements achieved by MRI machines and laid the groundwork...

EF5 tornado that killed 3 in North Dakota was the nation’s first in 12 years

A deadly tornado that tore across southeastern North Dakota this summer has been upgraded to an EF5 with winds topping 200 mph, the strongest classification of tornado and the first confirmed on American soil in a dozen years, meteorologists said...

Woonsocket Area Career & Technical Center looking for new enrollees

WOONSOCKET – The Woonsocket Area Career & Technical Center’s new director, Jannine Napolitano, is looking for new students to take on the center’s job-skillbased programs. And, the veteran educator also wants to increase the Center’s current offerings...

Theater group presents ‘Little Mermaid’ to raise funds for local scholarships

PROVIDENCE – The Academy Players are performing Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” and for the mermaids, seagulls and many in the cast, this is a special event. The production is a fundraiser for the Heavenly Gingers scholarship program, from which...

Jane Goodall, primatologist and friend to chimpanzees, dies at 91

Jane Goodall had no scientific training, not even a college degree when, at 23, she saved up money to visit a friend in Kenya. She was a London secretary and sometimes waitress with a restless spirit and romantic fixation on animals and Africa based...

PFD adds new ‘Gator’ UTV to its fleet of emergency vehicles

PAWTUCKET – The city has a new, most welcome addition to its fire department fleet. Early Wednesday afternoon, Fire Chief John Trenteseaux, Public Safety Director/ Police Chief Tina Goncalves and Mayor Donald Grebien unveiled the recently-purchased...

O cials debate future use for Arnold St. parcel

WOONSOCKET – During the “Presentations to Speak by Elected Officials” portion of the City Council meeting on Wednesday night, Deputy Chair Denise Sierra updated her colleagues and attendees about the future of 56 Arnold St. She explained that the city...

Federal Reserve cuts key rate for rst time this year

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation’s labor market. The move is the Fed’s...

Pawtucket’s Burbage Theatre opens season with ‘Every Brilliant Thing’

PAWTUCKET – A list is at the center of the play “Every Brilliant Thing,” and Burbage Theatre Company’s current production should top that list. The play is about a 7-yearold child who makes a list of “brilliant things” that make life worth living. He...

City landmark Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining for sale

WOONSOCKET – John Chan, the owner of Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining on Main Street, is once again publicizing that he is interested in selling his renowned business and surrounding property, according to Garrett Mancieri, his agent with Mancieri Real...

Groundbreaking held for new Community Learning Center

WOONSOCKET – Mayor Chris Beauchamp called it a momentous occasion for the city, but that could be considered an understatement. Both he and Gov. Dan McKee on Friday hosted members of the Congressional delegation – including U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and...

Truman

Beauchamp: Truman Drive ‘Greenway’ project a gem WOONSOCKET – The new Truman Drive Greenway project has been finished for just about 11 months now, but it wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that Mayor Chris Beauchamp conducted a walkthrough of the area...

Officials celebrate opening of Cass Park athletic complex

WOONSOCKET – The ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the sparkling new Cass Park Athletic Complex/John R. Dionne Track & Field was still minutes away, so Woonsocket High varsity football captain Ariel Medina spent that time on Wednesday...

Pawtucket city officials react to Hasbro departure announcement

PAWTUCKET – City Council President Terry Mercer would have liked to have said he was surprised when he learned Monday afternoon that Pawtucket’s beloved Hasbro, Inc. had decided to pull up its roots and move to Boston, specifically 400 Summer St. in...

WOONSOCKET POLICE LOG

SATURDAY, AUG. 30 At 12:57 a.m., Luis Sousa of 87 Warren Ave. (first floor), Pawtucket, was charged with domestic violence/simple assault and/or battery (first offense) and domestic violence/disorderly conduct at his abode. At 1:53 a.m., officers...

Chef

to come up on stage inside the school’s cafetorium to receive the glass trophy, which was appropriately shaped like an apple. “I knew nothing about this; I wasn’t aware,” he said Wednesday night. “I’m a native of Puerto Rico so I have a house there,...

Martin, Seng capture titles at Dumpling-Eating contest

PAWTUCKET – City resident Ben Martin may come across as just another gentle, mild-mannered gravestone designer, but when it comes to competing in the Chinese Dumpling-Eating Contest at the annual Taiwan Day Festival, he’s all business. Truth be told,...

How do you like the Patriots’ chances this season?