Rhode Island
Providence City Water Parks, Splash Pads, Cooling Centers Opening Early For Heatwave
PROVIDENCE, RI — Mayor Brett Smiley, the Providence Emergency Management Agency, and the city’s recreation department announced Monday that due to extreme heat conditions expected between Tuesday and Friday, city splash pads and water parks will open two weeks early and cooling centers will be activated.
Splash pads and water parks will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday, they will be open from noon to 7 p.m.
Below is a full list of water park and splash pad locations that will be open in Providence:
Find out what’s happening in Providencewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Al Carrington Water Park, 64 Richardson St.
- Billy Taylor Water Park, 124 Camp St.
- Sackett Street Water Park, 100 Sackett St.
- Harriet & Sayles Water Park, 375 Sayles St.
- General Street Water Park, 11 West Drive.
- George West Water Park, 1266 Chalkstone Avenue.
- Fargnoli Water Park, 945 Smith St.
- Fox Point Water Park, 505 Wickenden St.
- A. Vincent Igliozzi Rec Center, 675 Plainfield St.
- Wallace Street Park, 1 Wallace St.
- Pastore Park, Corner of Knight St. & Tell St.
- Joslin Recreation Center, 17 Hyatt St.
City officials said cooling centers will be open from Tuesday through Friday, but only the following libraries will be open as cooling centers on Wednesday due to the Juneteenth holiday:
- Olneyville Library: 1 Olneyville Square, 401-421-4084, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- South Providence Library: 441 Prairie Avenue, 401-467-2619, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
The following cooling centers will be opened at their respective hours throughout the week:
Find out what’s happening in Providencewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Emmanuel House: 239 Public St, 401-421-7888, Tuesday-Saturday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Federal Hill House: 9 Courtland Street, Tuesday-Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Providence Rescue Mission: 627 Cranston Street, Open 24/7 during high heat conditions
Crossroads: 160 Broad Street, Open 24/7 during high heat conditions.
Residents may seek shelter from the heat at the following Providence Community Library branches and at the Providence Public Library:
Mt. Pleasant Library: 315 Academy Avenue, 401-272-0106
Tuesday: 9:30am – 8:00pm
Thursday: 9:30am – 8:00pm
Friday: 1:00 pm – 5:30pm
Saturday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Olneyville Library: 1 Olneyville Square, 401-421-4084
Tuesday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Thursday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Friday: 1:00pm – 5:30pm
Providence Public Library: 150 Empire Street, 401-455-8000
Tuesday: 8:30am –7:00pm
Thursday: 1:00pm –5:00pm
Friday: 10:00 am –5:00pm
Saturday: 8:30am – 4:00pm
Rochambeau Library: 708 Hope Street, 401-272-3780
Tuesday: 9:30am – 8:00pm
Thursday: 9:30am – 8:00pm
Friday: 1:00 pm –5:30pm
Saturday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Smith Hill Library: 31 Candace Street, 401-272-4140
Tuesday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Thursday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Friday: 1:00pm-5:30pm
South Providence Library: 441 Prairie Avenue, 401-467-2619
Tuesday: 1:00pm – 8:00pm
Thursday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Friday: 1:00pm – 5:30pm
Wanskuck Library: 233 Veazie Street, 401-274-4145
Tuesday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Thursday: 1:00pm – 8:00pm
Friday: 1:00pm – 5:30pm
Washington Park Library: 1316 Broad Street, 401-781-3136
Tuesday: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Thursday: 1:00pm – 8:00pm
Friday: 1:00pm – 5:30 p.m.
For more information, please visit the City’s website.
Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.
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Rhode Island
The Most Expensive House in Rhode Island—Around the Corner From Taylor Swift’s Home—to Ask $23.5 Million
A waterfront estate in Rhode Island could set a record in the same neighborhood where Taylor Swift owns a home.
The 2.75-acre estate on Pawcatuck Avenue in the village of Watch Hill will soon hit the open market for $23.5 million, making it the most expensive active listing in Rhode Island. The property is in Westerly, a peninsula in the state’s western-most section, at the meeting point with Connecticut and New York.
MORE: A Former Gilded Age Inn Perched on a Cliff Above the Hudson River Lists for $2.9 Million
The main New England-style home spans 7,000 square feet across four levels, with five bedrooms, several reception rooms, a wet bar and a wine cellar. There is also a three-bedroom guest house, which spans close to 5,000 square feet, along with a saltwater pool surrounded by a bluestone deck and a newly refinished tennis court, according to the listing with Geb Masterson of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.
“Properties don’t often come up for sale in Watch Hill,” Masterson said via email. “People and families often stay for generations, holding onto the homes their parents bought.”
The property, which has an alternate address on Bay Street, is fully outfitted with amenities for waterfront living, including a boat house, boat garage and a dock that can accommodate a 70-foot yacht. There is also a three-bedroom guest house, according to the listing.
Swift has owned a home in the Watch Hill neighborhood since 2013—a bolthole where the global pop star reportedly throws the best July 4th bash in town. Additionally, earlier in the year, Swift and her fiance, football star Travis Kelce, were rumored to be marrying in a coastal wedding venue nearby, but recent gossip suggests the wedding will actually be held in New York City in less than a month, on July 3.
Mansion Global Boutique: Why Your Home Needs a Little ‘Ugly Beauty’
The sellers purchased the Watch Hill property in April 2020 for $10.4 million via a trust, from the family who built it in 2006, according to records accessed through PropertyShark. The 2020 sale was approved by a Connecticut District bankruptcy court, as the prior owner was in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings related to the home as well as to a ski resort he owned in Vermont, according to court documents and news reports.
The sellers and previous owners couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Rhode Island
R.I. Senate passes pair of DiPalma bills on dementia services and pension revocation for sex crimes – What’s Up Newp
The Rhode Island Senate passed two bills sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis P. DiPalma, D-Middletown, on Thursday — one creating a state dementia services coordinator and another allowing the state to revoke pension benefits from public employees convicted of job-related felony sex crimes.
The first bill (2026-S 2874) would create a dementia services coordinator within the Rhode Island Department of Health to oversee the state’s approach to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. According to DiPalma’s office, the coordinator’s duties would include overseeing implementation and updates of the Rhode Island Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorder State Plan, analyzing dementia-related data collected by the state and recommending strategies to improve coordination of services provided by public and private entities.
“Unfortunately, most of us have been touched in some way by Alzheimer’s and dementia,” DiPalma said in a statement. “Whether it’s caring for a loved one or seeing a friend suffering from these devastating diseases, the toll they take is significant. That’s why it’s important to have a central authority in the state whose job it is to support all those afflicted by these diseases.”
The second bill (2026-S 3296) would authorize the State Retirement Board to revoke or reduce a person’s pension benefits if the individual is convicted, or pleads guilty or no contest to, a felony sex crime related to their public office or public employment.
“Any state worker who commits a sex crime in relation to their official duties does not in any way deserve the continued financial support of the state through pension benefits,” DiPalma said. “This is a common-sense measure that will hold sex offenders accountable for their despicable actions.”
DiPalma represents District 12, which includes Middletown, Little Compton, Newport and Tiverton. Both bills now head to the House for consideration. Rep. Julie A. Casimiro, D-North Kingstown, has introduced companion legislation on the dementia services coordinator (2026-H 7542), and House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Carol Hagan McEntee, D-South Kingstown, has introduced companion legislation on the pension revocation (2026-H 7656).
Rhode Island
Rhode Island DCYF discloses fatality of 18-year-old
(WJAR) — The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families disclosed the fatality of an 18-year-old who was previously the subject of a near fatality notification on June 2.
According to the department, the 18-year-old died on Thursday and was involved with DCYF.
The Office of the Child Advocate was notified about the incident.
DCYF did not disclose additional information due to confidentiality laws.
The original incident that required the prior notification occurred on May 27, officials said.
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According to DCYF, Rhode Islanders are required by law to report known or suspected cases of child abuse or neglect within 24 hours of becoming aware of such cases and can do so by calling 1-800-742-4453.
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