Follow us on social media:
Here are different ways to recycle your Christmas tree
Tens of millions of Christmas trees are sold in America every year, and there are thousands of ways that you can recycle them since they are biodegradable.
Accuweather
Hosting for the holidays this year or headed to a relative’s? Make sure to line up any necessary ingredients or spirits now — most stores in Rhode Island close on Christmas Day. But even with the best laid plans, an unexpected necessity can come up at the last minute.
In Rhode Island, many businesses can’t open on Christmas under state law. Some businesses, like gas stations, florists and pharmacies, are allowed to be open on restricted holidays.
But, even if a business is allowed to open on Christmas Day, it might opt to stay closed for the day, so it’s important to check a store’s holiday hours. Here’s which places around Rhode Island will be open on Dec. 25.
Be sure to check your pantries now, because you won’t be able to head to a supermarket on Christmas Day for any missed ingredients.
Per state law, grocery stores can’t be open on Christmas Day. Whether it’s Market Basket, Whole Foods, Dave’s Fresh Marketplace, Stop & Shop or Trader Joe’s, your regular grocery store won’t be open, so you’ll have to go to a convenience store instead.
No, you’ll have to stock up on Christmas Eve. State law mandates liquor stores close on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. A 2021 law allowed liquor stores to be on New Year’s Day.
Yes, gas stations and convenient stores are among the few businesses that are allowed to be open on Christmas.
Hours vary by location, but the following stores will likely be open on Christmas:
Pharmacies, like convenience stores, can open on Christmas Day.
Some CVS locations may be closed, so be sure to check your local store’s hours.
Walgreens will be open on Christmas, the company said.
Coffee drinkers looking for a morning cup of joe before opening presents can head to Dunkin or Starbucks on Christmas Day — they are allowed to open in Rhode Island.
However, many locations may close anyway or have reduced hours, so check respective locations.
Restaurants are allowed to open on Christmas, but many opt to close to give employees the day off.
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
Follow us on social media:
A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
I’m a running coach — I’ve just tested shoes actually designed for women’s feet, and they’re a total game changer
‘Hen’ movie review: György Pálfi pecks at Europe’s migrant crisis through the eyes of a chicken
Video: Why Your Paycheck Feels Smaller
Famous Authors’ Less Famous Books
Sunday Puzzle: For Mimi
The future of local TV news has taken a Trumpian turn
Pope Leo says remarks about world being ‘ravaged by a handful of tyrants’ were not aimed at Trump: report
Trump renews bridge, power plant threat against Iran in push for deal, mocks ‘tough guy’ IRGC