Rhode Island
Coach bringing NBA trophy to Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The coach of the NBA champion Boston Celtics is bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the Ocean State.
According to a tweet from Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, Coach Joe Mazzulla will be at the State House on Tuesday morning at 10:00.
Mazzulla, a Johnston native, was a standout playing basketball for Bishop Hendricken High School, where he graduated in 2006.
The Celtics won their 18th NBA title by beating the Dallas Mavericks, four games to one in the championship round.
The win came at home in Boston’s TD Garden, on June 17 – or 6/17, in the heart of the 617 area code.
Rhode Island
‘Classic Nor’easter’ forecast for RI. When will the snow start?
In recent days, the projected storm track has shifted northeast, meaning a bigger impact on Southern New England
Serene snowy scenes around Providence’s West End neighborhood
Bundled up pedestrians, slippery roads and even cross country skiers were spotted in Providence’s West End during Sunday’s storm.
The National Weather Service has extended its winter storm watch to include all of Southern New England, as a coastal storm Sunday into Monday could evolve into a “classic Nor’easter” and drop 12 to 18 inches of snow on Rhode Island.
As of early Saturday morning, Feb 21, forecasters say the highest snow totals are expected along and southeast of the Interstate 95 corridor “with slightly lower amounts farther inland,” the weather service says in its forecast discussion.
“Blizzard conditions are possible near the coast, as well as” Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, the weather service said.
“Whiteout conditions are possible and may make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening,” the winter storm watch says.
The wind could gust over 50 mph in much of southern Rhode Island and coastal southeastern Massachusetts, according to the weather service.
The high winds and wet snow increase the likelihood of power outages, the weather service says.
Likely storm track has shifted closer
Forecasters have been monitoring the potential track of the storm for several days. Lately, computer models have been coming into agreement on a closer track to the coast.
“Consensus in guidance shows a more classic Nor’easter track with low pressure emerging off Cape Hatteras Sunday evening, then rapidly deepening as it passes near the 40N/70W benchmark Monday afternoon,” the weather service says in its forecast discussion.
In trying to determine the impact of coastal winter storms, forecasters consider how close the storm will come to a benchmark about 80 miles southeast of Nantucket, at 40 degrees north latitude and 70 degrees west longitude.
When will the storm start?
“The area of highest snowfall and greatest impacts is still somewhat uncertain, but a widespread high-impact event appears more likely with the latest forecast cycle,” the forecast discussion says.
The snow should start sometime between Sunday afternoon and evening, with the peak snowfall Sunday night into Monday, before the snow tapers off Monday evening, the weather service says. There’s a chance the snow could hold off until Monday, it says.
Rhode Island
Trans Rhode Island gunman had permit to carry gun — and used a high-powered pistol in hockey rink massacre
Trans killer Robert Dorgan had a permit to carry a firearm, and used a high-powered handgun to murder his son and ex-wife at a high school hockey game in Rhode Island on Monday.
The 56-year-old dad of six, who also went by Roberta, obtained a concealed carry permit in Florida, but it did not cover Rhode Island, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said during a news conference this week.
Dorgan used a Glock 29 10mm purchased in Jacksonville in September 2021 and a .357 Sig-caliber Sig Sauer P226 bought in July 2019 in West Warwick, R.I., to slaughter ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan, 52, and their son, Aidan, 23, at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket at around 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
The 10mm round — made mainstream in the show “Miami Vice” — is nearly twice as powerful as the 9mm carried by many police departments and the the US military.
It is considered big enough for hunters to use on bears or deer.
The trans gunman also critically wounded Rhonda’s parents, Gerald and Linda Dorgan, as well as family friend Thomas Geruso, before taking his own life.
State law “requires a Rhode Island state permit to carry, with one exception,” attorney general’s office spokesman Tim Rondeau said when asked whether Dorgan’s Florida permit would have been valid in Rhode Island, the Providence Journal reported.
“That exception is if the person carrying or transporting the firearm is merely passing through the state on the way to somewhere else,” Rhondeau said.
“An out of state permit is not valid in Rhode Island,” Glenn Valentine, vice president of the Rhode Island Firearms Owners League, told the Providence Journal.
Dorgan was living in Jacksonville several years ago, but Florida removed its permitting requirement in July 2023, although permits issued prior to that “were valid for seven years,” Valentine added.
“Most folks outside of Rhode Island don’t pursue a permit [here] given that the process is beyond what [most of] the rest of the country requires,” he said.
Dorgan would have had to apply for a license in his town of residence or with the attorney general’s office, Rondeau said.
It isn’t clear if he ever did so.
The minority Republicans in Rhode Island have introduced bills that would grant concealed-carry privileges to gun owners from other states that provide reciprocal privileges to gun owners in the state – subject to action by the attorney general.
Follow The Post’s latest coverage on the Rhode Island high school hockey shooting
Two separate bills were introduced in the state’s Senate and House, sponsored by Republicans, but neither made it out of a legislative committee last year.
A Senate version was reintroduced this year.
Authorities are still building a picture of Dorgan, who became the fourth high-profile transgender mass shooter in North America in recent years.
Earlier this month, Canadian Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, who identified as trans, murdered his mother and stepbrother before killing six others at his former school in British Columbia.
Dorgan had undergone male-to-female gender reassignment in recent years, after a troubled life that saw him booted out of the Marine Corps after less than three months in 1988.
He was charged with simple assault and battery in 1989, but the case was dismissed.
Rhonda claimed that Rhonda’s father had ordered him to leave the house after he underwent surgery in 2020, according to a police report.
But his Nazi tattoos and description of his politics as “to the right of Hitler,” on X, suggest a deeply troubled individual who spiraled in recent years.
Rhode Island
The most romantic spot in Rhode Island is on Block Island. Take a look
Nicks on Broadway named one of USA TODAY’s best restaurants of 2026
Take a look inside Nicks on Broadway in Providence, Rhode Island, named one of USA TODAYs best restaurants for 2026.
The Providence Journal
Romance doesn’t have to stop after Valentine’s Day.
Travel + Leisure created a list of the most romantic places in the United States, featuring one for each state; the lifestyle magazine picked one New Shoreham landmark for Rhode Island lovebirds to visit.
“To inspire you, we’ve rounded up the most romantic places across the country: scenic state parks with beautiful proposal-worthy backdrops, charming urban escapes for those looking to enjoy city sights, and quirky attractions where you’re sure to create lifelong memories,” lifestyle magazine Travel + Leisure said.
Here’s how you can visit the most romantic place in Rhode Island, according to Travel + Leisure.
Mohegan Bluffs — Block Island, Rhode Island
Travel + Leisure said the Mohegan Bluffs on Block Island are the most romantic destination in Rhode Island, which is a far better place to visit in the summer than February.
“A stroll along Mohegan Bluffs on Block Island is one of the most dramatic walks available in the Ocean State,” the lifestyle magazine said. “The bluffs stand 200 feet above the beach and, on a clear day, provide views straight across the Block Island Sound to Montauk, New York.”
If you and your significant other are the hiking type, you may find the 141 steps down from the cliffs above to the beach below a tough but rewarding trek.
Travel + Leisure said that the lighthouses on Block Island are visual treats to behold.
In 2025, Yankee Magazine picked a Block Island lighthouse as one of the most beautiful sights in New England: Southeast Lighthouse.
“From their windswept homes on cliffs and headlands, they invite visitors to come see what they see—which on Block Island, sitting just a short ferry ride from the Rhode Island mainland, means sharing the Southeast Lighthouse’s lofty vantage atop Mohegan Bluffs,” Yankee Magazine said.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.
-
Oklahoma4 days agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Culture1 week agoRomance Glossary: An A-Z Guide of Tropes and Themes to Find Your Next Book
-
Technology1 week agoHP ZBook Ultra G1a review: a business-class workstation that’s got game
-
Health1 week agoJames Van Der Beek shared colorectal cancer warning sign months before his death
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago“Redux Redux”: A Mind-Blowing Multiverse Movie That Will Make You Believe in Cinema Again [Review]
-
Science1 week agoContributor: Is there a duty to save wild animals from natural suffering?
-
Politics1 week agoTim Walz demands federal government ‘pay for what they broke’ after Homan announces Minnesota drawdown
-
News1 week ago
Second US aircraft carrier is being sent to the Middle East, AP source says, as Iran tensions high