Rhode Island
Wondering what candy to get your kids? Here’s Rhode Island’s Easter favorite candy
Easter candy ideas for kids: Lollipop garden
Transform your backyard into an Easter wonderland with this simple and fun idea.
For adults, depending on their faith, Easter means a complex and diverse set of ideas involving loss, eternal gratitude and the return of hope.
For kids, no matter who they are, Easter just means candy.
For many children, the real main event is the Easter Egg Hunt, where the main objective is to cover as much ground as possible to find special plastic eggs that typically house candy.
The cherubic cry of joy that a child lets out when he or she has found and cracked open a pastel egg shell is a moment that isn’t easily forgotten by parents, aunts, uncles or just anyone present who is old enough to remember how happy the simple things used to make them.
So you would want to make the right choice of candy, right? But searching through the grocery aisles, it can be hard to choose which candy you should buy for Easter.
Luckily, USA Today made a map of each state’s most popular search result when it comes to “Easter Candy.”
Here’s Rhode Island’s most popular Easter Candy.
Rhode Island’s favorite Easter candy
According to Google search data collected by USA Today, Rhode Island’s most searched Easter candy is gummies.
If that seems strange and you were expecting Peeps or chocolates, that would make sense as most of the states on USA Today’s map of most-searched “Easter candy” had the flavored, bird-shaped marshmallows as their most searched Easter candy, even two New England states had them as their most popular candy of the holiday.
Shoppers spending more money on candy than anything else this Easter
Easter spending is expected to go up in 2025, according to a recent National Retail Federation (NRF) report, with consumers planning to spend a total of $23.6 billion.
The overwhelming majority of Americans who celebrate Easter do so with the assistance of candy, according to the National Confectioners Association. The top sweet treats bought for the holiday include chocolate eggs or bunnies, jelly beans, candy-coated eggs and marshmallow candy (AKA Peeps).
Mary Walrath-Holdridge contributed to the writing of this story.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com
Rhode Island
This RI Zoo Just Solved Your Mother’s Day Plans
Mother’s Day is just days away, and one local zoo is offering all moms some free fun.
Free Mother’s Day Admission Details
Roger Williams Park Zoo has announced free admission for all moms, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers on Sunday, May 10, when accompanied by a child.
Which means if you still haven’t made plans with your mom, why not a trip to the zoo?
There’s plenty happening at Roger Williams Park Zoo these days—new animals like the penguins and capybara plus the immersive bug exhibit—and the weather is expected to be pleasant and mild.
READ MORE: Giant Bug Exhibit Now Open at Roger Williams Park Zoo
The annual offering is a favorite way for people to spend the holiday, but it’s not the only upcoming event at Providence’s popular zoo.
Upcoming Events at Roger Williams Park Zoo
On Sunday, May 17, the zoo is hosting a STEM LEGO workshop hosted by Christine “Tacos” Blandino from FOX’s LEGO Masters Season 3. The event, for LEGO fans aged 6+, takes place during several 90-minute windows throughout the day and helps builders grow their LEGO skills.
READ MORE: Remember When Massive Brick-Made Animal Sculptures Filled Capron Park Zoo?
Then Thursday, May 21 sees the 21+ crowd take over the zoo with the return of Whiskey & More For Wildlife from 5:30–7:30 p.m. This annual event offers ticket holders five curated tastings, a Wee Glencairn tasting glass, appetizers, soft drinks, and animal encounters along with access to an exclusive silent auction featuring rare spirits and unique experiences. Proceeds benefit bison care and conservation efforts.
Sounds like May is going to be a can’t-miss month at Roger Williams Park Zoo.
20 Things To See at Roger Williams Park (Other Than the Zoo)
There are over 427 acres of beautiful landscaping, historical buildings and family friendly spaces at Roger Williams Park in Providence. Gifted to the city in 1872 by the last descendant of Roger Williams, Betsey Williams, the park has become primarily known for its amazing zoo. But throughout this historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, there are plenty of other stunning things to see.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Explore Massive Insect Exhibit at Roger Williams Park Zoo
Roger Williams Park Zoo is bringing larger-than-life insects to Providence with a new Bug’s World experience opening this April.
Get a sneak peak at these insane insects before they open to the public.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Baby Red Pandas Born At Roger Williams Park Zoo In Providence
Gallery Credit: Michaela Johnson
Rhode Island
RI offers state workers with botched W-2s reimbursement for tax filings
The Real Mansions of Rhode Island revealed
Here’s a brief look at 10 of the more notable mansions found in the Ocean State, listed in order of their values as assessed by their municipality.
Journal Staff
The McKee administration is offering up to $200 to any state employee who incurred any additional expense in filing, and then having to refile, their taxes because of a series of botched paychecks and W-2s.
How did we get here? On April 15, also known as Tax Day, Patrick Crowley, the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, called on the McKee administration to reimburse public service workers who had to refile their taxes because of a series of several payroll glitches.
On May 4, Thomas Verdi, the acting director of the Department of Administration, sent state workers a “Dear Colleagues” email that said:
“We recognize that the W-2 corrections released by the state may have resulted in additional tax preparation costs for individuals who had to amend their tax returns.
“To assist with this expense, the state will provide a one-time reimbursement for up to $200 for tax preparation and filing costs an employee incurred to amend a federal and/or state tax return directly related to the W-2Cs issued by the State of Rhode Island.”
The latest in a litany of financial issues with state’s payroll system
The Department of Administration has not yet responded to Journal inquiries about the projected cost to the state.
But the list of well-publicized problems goes on and on.
They have included underpayments, overpayments, botched W-2s that misidentified their employer as the “Rhode Island Umbrella Company,” and a problem with Health Savings Account contributions where the employer and employee contributions were reported separately, instead of combined and will require new W-2Cs to go out to impacted employees. according to Department of Administration spokeswoman Karen Greco.
And about $220,000 in union dues inadvertently wound up in employee paychecks instead of being withheld from them.
Most, though not all, of the glitches were attributed to problems with the state’s buggy new $99 million finance and accounting system known as Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP, which launched in late 2025.
A Department of Administration spokeswoman told The Journal on April 15 that “significant progress has been made to ensure employees who required paycheck corrections are made whole,” but Crowley said his members “shouldn’t pay for mistakes they didn’t make.”
“That is why we are calling on the state of Rhode Island to reimburse state workers who have incurred expenses for refiling their taxes or may have to do so before problems are corrected.”
Olivia DaRocha, a spokeswoman for Gov. Dan McKee, said at that time that the administration was looking at potential ways to support impacted employees.
The email from Verdi to state workers included an “affidavit” for state workers to sign to verify how much, if anything, additional they had to pay to amend their tax returns.
Rhode Island
RI Lottery Numbers Midday, Numbers Evening winning numbers for May 3, 2026
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 3, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Numbers numbers from May 3 drawing
Midday: 8-7-5-3
Evening: 2-5-5-8
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from May 3 drawing
10-15-20-30-35, Extra: 23
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 3 drawing
05-08-15-32-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life 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 Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 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.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 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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