Rhode Island

Presenting the 2023 Providence Journal All-State Girls Tennis Team

Published

2 years ago

January 22, 2024

Presenting the 2023 Providence Journal All-State Girls Tennis Team

The All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the player of the year nominees for Girls Tennis. The winners will be announced during the live show on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

During the live show, athletes of the year in 29 sports will be honored. In addition, top teams, coaches and overall athletes will be honored as will a Courage Award winner. Nominated athletes who RSVP will receive a complimentary ticket to the event thanks to sponsors. Details on how additional tickets can be obtained will be available soon.

For more information about the show and to opt into email updates, visit the website and you can also follow it on Facebook.

The All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. This year, one school from the area will win a $1,000 donation to its school’s athletic department through our School Spirit Contest. Details on how to vote for your school will be coming soon.

2023 Providence Journal All-State Girls Tennis Team

SINGLES

Bridget Casey

La Salle, Senior

Casey wrapped up her career for the Rams with another spectacular season, making her third straight appearance on the first team. Casey was the best player in Division I, going undefeated in the regular season and playoffs to help La Salle win its 10^th straight title. She also made it to the semifinals of the state singles tournament before falling to the eventual champ.

Alexa Clark

South Kingstown, Sophomore

Clark was the most dominant player in Rhode Island from start to finish last fall. Her performance in the state singles tournament was jaw dropping, as she lost only four games in five matches en route to a 6-1, 6-0 win in the final. Clark wasn’t close to losing a match in D-II play and her role as the Rebels’ No. 1 was crucial in their run to the Division II team championship.

Ellie Coker-Dodman

East Greenwich, Sophomore

The sophomore had a special season for the Avengers, battling her way to the top of the order and then earning her first All-State nod. Coker-Dodman gave EG an anchor in their ladder and played in her first State Tournament, where a pair of 6-4, 6-1 wins advanced her to the quarterfinals before falling to La Salle star Bridget Casey. Expect big things from Coker-Dodman next fall.

Arianna DeThomas

La Salle, Senior

DeThomas dominated at No. 2 singles for the Rams all season and made a little history in the process, becoming what is believed to be the first No. 2 to advance to the state singles tournament final, where she suffered her lone loss of the season. DeThomas didn’t drop a set in D-I play or the postseason, closing her career by helping La Salle win its 10^th straight team title.

Emma DiPardo

Providence Country Day, Senior

It’s the second straight first-team selection for DiPardo and the third overall. After the season she had, it’s not hard to see why. DiPardo was the best player in Division III and helped guide the Knights to the D-III team title. Her final state singles tournament was her best, as DiPardo reached the semifinals before falling to La Salle’s Arianna DeThomas.

Adriana Eaton

Moses Brown, Sophomore

After missing her freshman year due to an injury, Eaton was stellar in her debut season for the Quakers. Taking over the No. 1 spot vacated by older sister Kylie, Eaton was one of D-I’s best players all season long and proved as much in the state tournament where Eaton won her first two matches before falling to South Kingstown’s Alexa Clark, the eventual champ.

Ava Koczera-Kasem

Barrington, Junior

A first-team selection in doubles as a freshman and a second-team pick last fall, Koczera-Kasem earned her way to the first team this fall. Koczera-Kasem occupied the top spot for the Eagles and dominated, losing to only La Salle’s Bridget Casey. In the state singles tourney, Koczera-Kasem battled her way to the quarterfinals where she lost a three-setter to PCD’s Emma DiPardo.

Talus Nightingale

Portsmouth, Senior

Nightingale was a second-team selection the last two seasons, but finished her career at Portsmouth strong and made her way to the first team this fall. For the third straight year, Nightingale held strong atop the Patriots’ ladder and was among D-I’s best players. In the state singles tournament, she won her opening-round match before falling to SK’s Alexa Clark, the eventual state champ.

Julianna Steere

Ponaganset, Freshman

It was quite the debut for Steere, who becomes the first Chieftain to earn first-team honors since 2002. Steere — whose brother Josh is a two-time All-Stater — played beyond her years, besting everyone in Division II except state champ Alexa Clark of South Kingstown. In her first state tourney, Steere made a run to the quarterfinals and should be a favorite to challenge Clark next fall.

Elsa White

Mt. Hope, Senior

White wrapped up her terrific career for the Huskies with her third All State appearance and second straight as a member of the first team. White manned the top spot in the lineup and was one of Division I’s top players all season long. Her draw at the state tournament was less than friendly, but White won her first match before falling to La Salle’s Arianna DeThomas, the eventual runner-up.

DOUBLES

Eliza Barker, La Salle, Junior

Alisha Chowdhry, La Salle, Senior

It’s the second-straight first-team appearance for Chowdhry and first All-State spot for Barker, who came into the season as the state’s best doubles team and ended it that way. The duo went undefeated in the regular season and playoffs, helping the Rams win their 10th straight state title, and then cruised through the state doubles tournament with straight-set wins in all three matches.

Singles

Laurel Christensen, Mount St. Charles, Senior

Ashley Gagner, Smithfield, Senior

Ava Grant, Barrington, Senior

Geneva Lindsay, Cranston West, Senior

Kate Maloney, North Kingstown, Senior

Ella Nadukkudiyill, Moses Brown, Senior

Abigail Oxley, La Salle, Senior

Audrey Paxton, North Kingstown, Senior

Mia Renzulli, Prout, Junior

Grace Rochelle, Rogers, Junior

Doubles

Lara Gooding, Narragansett, Freshman

Ambujam Lohmann, Narragansett, Sophomore

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Rhode Island

Thieves steal $470K worth of electrical wire from Rhode Island highways

Published

10 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Thieves steal 0K worth of electrical wire from Rhode Island highways

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is facing a costly and dangerous problem after thieves stole roughly 11 miles of electrical wire from highways across the state, leaving long stretches of road without lighting and drivers at risk.

RIDOT spokesperson Charles St. Martin said there have been at least 16 thefts in recent weeks, mostly in Providence, but also in Cranston, Johnston and Warwick. The agency first realized something was wrong after drivers began calling to report unusually dark sections of highway.

“Right now, about 16 sites or so around the Providence Metro area down into Cranston and Warwick and Johnston that we have different lengths of highway where the lights are out,” St. Martin said in an interview with NBC10.

Cars driving on the highway with no overhead lights. (WJAR)

St. Martin says thieves accessed underground electrical systems through manholes, cutting and removing large quantities of wire.

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, speaking on WPRO Radio with NBC10’s Gene Valicenti, said the scale of the problem is staggering and growing.

“You would not believe how many locations throughout the state that we are experiencing the theft of our underground electric cables,” Alviti said. “They’re pulling it out and then selling it for scrap to make money.”

The thefts pose serious safety risks. St. Martin said the suspects are cutting into live electrical wires leaving drivers to navigate dark highways and roads.

The cost to taxpayers is also significant. According to RIDOT, the stolen wire alone carries a material cost of about $470,000, not including labor to reinstall it.

“When you just look at the amount of wire that we are talking about that we are missing now, it is about 11 miles worth of wire,” St. Martin said. “Just the material cost about $470,000.”

RIDOT says it will likely take several weeks to fully restore lighting along impacted highways, including I-195, I-295, Route 37, Route 10 and Route 6. The agency plans to install heavier, anti-theft manhole covers in the coming months and is working with state and local police to identify those responsible.

Drivers like Perry Cornell say the outages make already challenging roads even more dangerous.

“Dangerous,” Cornell said when asked how it feels driving through dark stretches of highway. “It’s unsafe.”

Lights off on the highway. (WJAR)

Cornell said the situation raises questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the thefts.

“Why wasn’t this stopped and why wasn’t there a preventative action taken by RIDOT to stop this from continuing to happen?” he asked.

RIDOT is asking the public to remain vigilant. Anyone who sees suspicious activity near highway manholes is urged to contact local police immediately.

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Rhode Island

Former Pawtucket police officer pleads no contest to DUI, disorderly conduct – The Boston Globe

Published

22 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Former Pawtucket police officer pleads no contest to DUI, disorderly conduct – The Boston Globe

Dolan was also ordered to pay a $100 fine, and has completed community service and a driving while impaired course, the records show. Dolan previously lost his license for three months.

“This plea was the culmination of two years of hard work and negotiations by both sides, resulting in a reasonable, fair, and equitable resolution which allows all concerned to move forward,” Michael J. Colucci, an attorney representing Dolan, said in a statement.

Dolan was arrested and charged in September 2023 in Coventry, where he also allegedly threatened to shoot police officers.

A felony charge of threatening public officials was downgraded to the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge on Wednesday, according to court records. A third charge of reckless driving and other offenses against public safety was dismissed.

Dolan resigned from the police department in November 2023 while the City of Pawtucket was attempting to fire him. He was acquitted by a jury earlier that year after he shot a teenager in 2021 while off-duty that summer outside a pizza restaurant in West Greenwich.

Dolan, who had an open container of beer in his truck at the time, had argued he pursued the teen and his friends after seeing them speeding on Route 95. The group of teens saw him coming at them in the parking lot of Wicked Good Pizza and tried to drive away, while Dolan claimed he wanted to have a “fatherly chat” and shot at them fearing he was going to be hit by their car.

The teen driver, Dominic Vincent, of West Greenwich, was shot in the upper arm.

In 2022, Dolan was also charged with domestic disorderly conduct and domestic vandalism after he allegedly grabbed his 10-year-old son by the neck and threw him outside, according to an affidavit by Coventry police supporting an arrest warrant.

Then, while the children were in the car with his wife, Dolan was accused of throwing a toy truck at the vehicle and breaking the windshield, according to the affidavit. The domestic case against Dolan was dismissed about a week after it was filed, per court records.

Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report. This story has been updated to include comment from Michael Colucci.

Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.

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Rhode Island

Former Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo nominated to Costco board – The Boston Globe

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

Former Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo nominated to Costco board – The Boston Globe

Costco is nominating former US commerce secretary and Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo to serve on its board of directors, the Washington state-based retail giant announced last week.

“We are very pleased to nominate Secretary Raimondo for election to our Board,” Costco chairman Hamilton James said in a statement. “Her vast experience in global business, politics and international security at the highest level will add an important dimension to our current expertise. We look forward to her contributions.”

Raimondo served as Rhode Island governor from 2015 to 2021, when she was tapped to serve as the Biden administration’s secretary of commerce. Before entering politics in 2010, she worked in venture capital.

Her nomination will likely be voted on at the company’s next shareholders’ meeting, scheduled for Jan. 15.

The nomination comes days after the warehouse store announced it would sue the Trump administration over its tariff policy. Costco says the administration’s tariffs are unlawful, since they were imposed under a law that has historically been used to impose sanctions against other nations.

Earlier this year, Raimondo said she is considering running for president in 2028, becoming one of the first Democrats to do so. She also criticized the direction of the party and suggested it had ignored bread-and-butter economics issues in 2024 election loss to Donald Trump.

She added, though, that “if I thought somebody else would be better, or better able to win, I’d get behind that person in a minute.”

Costco does not currently operate any stores in Rhode Island. The nearest location is located on Interstate 95 in Sharon, Mass., according to the company’s website.

Last year, the company seemed to back away from a plan to build a warehouse at a shuttered correctional facility in Cranston, WPRI reported. Officials in Warwick and Smithfield have also expressed interest in bringing the box store to their communities.

Material from previous Globe coverage and Globe wire services was used.

Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.

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