Rhode Island
Town to benefit from $25M fiber outlay – Jamestown Press
An estimated 1,900 locations in Jamestown will receive improved broadband service through a $25 million investment by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation.
Jamestown will benefit from the initial request for proposals with Newport (2,900 locations) and Westerly (1,900). It is part of the commerce department’s ConnectRI program to bring high-speed internet to underserved areas throughout Rhode Island. Two additional requests will be released in 2024 to connect more communities.
“Broadband is no longer a luxury,” Gov. Dan McKee said. “It is a 21st century necessity that will keep Rhode Island competitive.”
The commerce department’s board of directors approved the spending June 10 to improve speed and resilience while providing affordable broadband to homes and businesses. The exact allocation of the $25 million will be based on proposals that are submitted through a competitive bid process.
Future improvements across the state will be made using $108.7 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The money is administered at the state level through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, which was championed by Jamestown resident Deb Ruggiero when she was a state legislator.
“I’ve been calling on broadband policy for our state for two years to bring Rhode Island into the next generation of digital access and equity,” Ruggiero said in 2022. “Like every state, Rhode Island is set to receive a huge federal investment to address our broadband needs, but we need to qualify for it. Our state must develop a plan for fiber broadband deployment to homes and businesses and a plan to fix digital inequities in underserved and unserved neighborhoods.”
The investments are the culmination of two years of strategic and participatory planning that resulted in a five-year action plan with a broadband map. Jamestown,
Newport and Westerly were selected based on a formula that weighed the total number of locations served against the amount of money available. They looked at cities and towns with higher percentages of households without reliable internet.
The plan will require buildouts of end-to-end fiber networks that can deliver 100-megabit speeds for both uploading and downloading. Affordability will be a priority. Proposals from companies with 100/100 Mbps service that do not exceed $53.09 per month will take precedence.
Town Administrator Ed Mello expects this investment to bring affordable broadband to nearly half of the local population.
“This will create further opportunity for our residents to work and learn from home,” he said. “Reliable broadband has become a necessity.”
According to the statewide broadband map, there are more underserved locations in Jamestown than served, which is defined by 100/20 Mbps or better. Of the 2,985 locations, 1,620 (54 percent) of them have service slower than that. There are also six unserved locations.
When Jamestown is broken into thirds, the north end has 1,466 locations with about half serviceable, the center has 1,232 locations with about 45 percent serviceable and the southern portion has 924 locations with about 80 percent serviceable.
The statistics for the north end, however, are skewered. While the neighborhoods between Frigate Street and Watson Farm west of North Road are 90-95 serviceable, the locations north of Frigate, from coast to coast, are about 80 percent underserved.
While the section of Beavertail’s serviceability is about 50/50, the stats for the southern section are faster because it includes the locations south of High Street on the Fort Wetherill side of Mackerel Cove, including Highland Drive and Walcott Avenue.
“This once-in-a-lifetime investment allows us to lay the groundwork for a more prosperous and connected future that is crucial for our state’s economic vitality,” added Liz Tanner, the state’s secretary of commerce. “By closing the digital divide, we are ensuring the access necessary to promote innovation, enhance productivity, and attract business and development.”
Rhode Island
Why a Taylor Swift wedding might shut down Westerly streets
Forget limos, Taylor Swift will need buses for her wedding guests
Airline Express Limousine Owner Chuck O’Koomian tells us why.
As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce eye possibly getting married at her Watch Hill, Rhode Island, mansion, The Providence Journal is surveying various wedding vendors about what it would take for the Ocean State to host a wedding befitting the most popular woman in the world.
Imagine a crowd of A-list celebrities descending on the village of Watch Hill in Westerly this summer to attend the wedding of mega celebrity Taylor Swift and football star Travis Kelce.
To Chuck O’Koomian, who owns Airline Express Limousine and Car Service with his wife Ginny Cauley, it’s like a scene out of a horror movie.
“It’s gonna be a logistical nightmare,” O’Koomian told The Providence Journal.
How will guests arrive at Taylor Swift’s wedding in Westerly?
While Swift has not announced when or where her wedding will be, O’Koomian talked about what would be involved in getting a large celebrity crowd to the wedding, if it were held at her Bluff Avenue mansion, the nearby Ocean House resort or the Watch Hill Chapel, where Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo tied the know with football player Christian McCaffrey in 2024.
O’Koomian, who has provided transportation for comedian Jay Leno, who has a home in Newport, said there would be three distinct phases of ground transportation:
- Getting people from airports to their hotels
- Getting people from their hotels to the wedding activities
- Getting them back to the airports
The middle phase, delivering people to wedding activities, very well may not be just a one-day affair. Many say Swift won’t have a wedding day; they’re expecting a wedding week.
While some guests, especially those in New York or Connecticut, would probably just have their drivers bring them to Westerly, others would fly in by private jets, probably landing at Westerly State Airport or Quonset State Airport, whose military runway is long enough to handle larger jets. From there, guests would need a ride to where they are staying.
What Westerly residents have to say
Folks in Westerly have surmised that, even if it’s not the site of the ceremony or reception, the Ocean House, along with its sister property the Weekapaug Inn, plus several rented, private mansions would be needed to accommodate guests.
O’Koomian expects that a large limousine company – such as Boston Corporate Coach or Carey Limousine, in Massachusetts, or Hy’s Limousine, in Connecticut – with more than 120 cars each, would get the contract to serve Taylor Swift’s wedding. “There’s not even 120 cars in Rhode Island, all the companies combined,” he said, adding that, as a subcontractor, he would hope to get a piece of the business.
Could a fleet of private cars filled with stars snarl traffic in Westerly?
This first phase of local transportation would involve many trips of smaller parties. “They may come in two, three, four at a time,” he said.
While that is suitable for limousine service, getting from hotels to the ceremony, reception and other events, would require a different strategy for that second phase. “It’s like they’re transporting a football team,” he said.
That would mean “coaches,” the upscale version of buses. They would ease the traffic burden that would be created by limousines ferrying some 300 wedding guests around the tiny village of Watch Hill.
“It’s gonna take a lot of coordination if it’s Westerly,” O’Koomian said. “They’re going to have to shut down half the city. Police would have to shut down streets.”
Rhode Island
Rhode Island man crashes into house in Raynham after apparent medical episode
A car crashed into a home in Raynham Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they responded to a report for a vehicle that crashed into a home shortly before 1 p.m. on Broadway Street.
Officers at the scene said they found a sedan that had crashed into the lower brick portion of the home.
Investigators said a man from Rhode Island appeared to suffer from a medical episode before leaving the roadway and crashing into the home.
Police said the driver suffered non life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Boston Medical Center – South in Brockton.
Officers said the home was empty at the time of the crash.
The Raynham Building Department responded to assess the home for structural damage.
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The crash is under investigation.
Rhode Island
RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 12, 2026
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 12, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
05-27-45-56-59, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
21-23-24-28-39, Lucky Ball: 01
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
Midday: 3-5-2-8
Evening: 4-3-6-1
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
05-08-09-22-30, Extra: 11
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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