Rhode Island
Rhode Island needs a high school sports ‘death penalty’ – The Boston Globe
Shut the program down.
Not for a game or two. For a year. Maybe more.
In college sports, they used to call it a “death penalty,” but you can call it anything you want. A sports death penalty, an administrative guillotine, a full-season wipeout.
Real repercussions.
There should be no benefit of the doubt given when a teenager uses a belt to heinously whip a kid with special needs while his fellow bullies stand by and watch.
There should be no comeback when a group of football players lock a Jewish freshman in the bathroom and spray Lysol through a grate in the door, possibly to mimic a gas chamber.
The former happened in Newport, R.I., the latter in Smithfield, R.I. But these incidents could have occurred in Everytown, USA.
Schools should be imposing consequences that are swift, consistent, and unmistakably serious — something we’re glaringly bad at in America. And if the schools won’t do it, state leaders should.
The Rhode Island Department of Education and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League should work with state lawmakers to adopt a true zero-tolerance policy that results in a team’s season automatically being canceled if student athletes are caught behaving like the football players in Rogers High School in Newport, or the ones at Smithfield High School.
The policy should be designed to scare the daylights out of students. And every single one of them should have to acknowledge, even sign, the policy before they’re allowed to play. If you act like a jerk – or worse, a criminal – you and your whole team will be penalized, and everyone at the school will know it’s your fault.
At the college level, the NCAA imposed a sports death penalty on the football team at Southern Methodist University in 1987 for repeatedly paying players under the table over several years. The team’s entire season was canceled, and the president of the university was so angry that he also canceled the 1988 season, too.
In Rhode Island, the players’ actions in both cases were far more heinous. The incidents were separate and different, but the penalties deserve to be the same. Because cruelty shouldn’t be graded on a curve.
In Newport, where the student with special needs was whipped, no one is accused of hazing. It was assault. Police say they believe the student was assaulted on at least two separate occasions, and a nauseating video depicting one of these incidents spread like wildfire on social media. Four teenagers are now facing charges in connection with the incident on the video.
To her credit, Superintendent Colleen Jermain acted swiftly, and canceled the remainder of the football team’s season – including a junior varsity game that was set for Thanksgiving. The Newport School Committee is holding a special meeting Wednesday night to discuss the incident and the actions taken.
Leaders in Smithfield were far less courageous – and less transparent.
Though their actions were not considered assault, several players on Smithfield High School’s football team were initially barred from participating in the rest of the season after an investigation into reported hazing and antisemitic behavior, but they were reinstated after just one week.
Now some of their parents have filed a complaint with the state Education Department, denying the students did anything antisemitic and claiming their privacy rights were violated.
The message: We swear, our kids don’t hate Jews. They just like picking on freshmen!
This is precisely why the state needs to intervene. Punishment needs to be doled out fairly and consistently across all districts, and it certainly shouldn’t be left in the hands of principals and coaches.
There’s just too much of a possibility of the old, “but we might be able to beat Bishop Hendricken this year” mentality, where good players who do bad things get a pass so that the team can notch a win.
A statewide standard removes the temptation to look the other way.
Hazing doesn’t just involve football players. There has been an alarming number of hazing incidents in Rhode Island in the last couple of years.
According to the Education Department, 13 students were suspended from school in the 2023-24 school year for incidents classified as hazing, and that number grew to 19 last school year.
The point: These aren’t once-in-a-blue-moon incidents. They’re trends, and trends demand policy, not PR statements.
Even with the harshest possible punishment policy, there will always be teenagers who make irrational, bad decisions. As WPRO radio’s Matt Allen suggested this week, the idea of punishing an entire team over the actions of a few morons might not sit well with everyone. Where’s the individual responsibility, he wondered.
But the current patchwork approach results in secrecy and inconsistency, without the deterrence. This is a moment in our state that demands a reaction.
And nothing changes locker room behavior faster than the threat of no locker room at all.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.
A new era for State Troopers in southern RI
Closing the State Police barracks facilities in Wyoming and Wickford marks the end of an era in community policing
Republican candidate for lieutenant governor John Loughlin wants the office to become the Rhode Island inspector general his party has been seeking in vain for years.
Loughlin, a former state representative, said on May 11 that, if elected, he would staff the underutilized office with people who would help him expose “fraud, waste, abuse, and government corruption.”
“Rhode Islanders are sick and tired of watching their tax dollars disappear into a black hole of inefficiency, cronyism, and outright corruption while the General Assembly talks a big game but delivers nothing − year after year after year,” Loughlin said in a news release. “For more than two decades, the legislature has failed to create a true Inspector General with real investigative power. Enough is enough. If they won’t do it, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office will − starting on day one.”
Why turn the lieutenant governor into an inspector general?
The Rhode Island Constitution gives the lieutenant governor little to no authority beyond being available in case the governor is unable to finish their term. That’s prompted some to call it a “do nothing” office and others to propose abolishing it.
“Frankly, the current workload of the office leaves ample time and resources to do far more for taxpayers than ceremonial appearances and ribbon-cuttings,” Loughlin said in his news release. “Rhode Islanders deserve a Lieutenant Governor’s Office that works every day to protect their money and hold government accountable.”
The lieutenant governor’s office has a budget of $1.4 million, which Loughlin said is enough to staff and run an effective investigative team made up of “certified auditors, investigators, and compliance professionals” to review state agency spending and contracts.
He acknowledged that the lieutenant governor does not have subpoena power, but believes that investigations can be completed utilizing public records requests and gathering publicly-available data.
Loughlin, who ended his talk radio show earlier this year when he announced his campaign for governor, said he would communicate his findings through “RI Report” publications, news briefings and podcasts.
He said he would also make the office’s resources available to city and town leaders.
Republicans have been fighting for an inspector general
Rhode Island Republicans have for years promised to lower state spending by rooting out government waste, fraud and abuse. The last GOP Rhode Island governor, Donald Carcieri, launched a “Fiscal Fitness” program that aimed to save money and find efficiencies.
Democrats criticized Carcieri’s tenure for featuring exorbitant privatization and outsourcing.
Since Carcieri, the idea of creating an independent inspector general similar to those in other states has become a holy grail for Rhode Island Republicans, but the Democratic General Assembly has had little interest in it.
“If our office saves just 1% from Rhode Island’s bloated state budget, the savings would return more than ten times the entire cost of the Lieutenant Governor’s Office to taxpayers – and that’s only the beginning,” Loughlin said in the news release.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Numbers numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 9-9-9-0
Evening: 5-5-0-9
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from May 10 drawing
01-13-14-16-32, Extra: 02
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 10 drawing
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
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.
Watch: Khano Smith speaks with media after RIFC drew Tampa Bay
Watch as Khano Smith speaks with media after RIFC drew Tampa Bay
PAWTUCKET — JJ Williams finally had his space and rose to the opportunity.
The Rhode Island FC striker, deep in the attacking zone, came back to a cross and headed Nick Scardina’s service to the near post to salvage the night for Rhode Island. Williams’ goal landed in the 86th minute to draw Tampa Bay Rowdies, 1-1, in rain-soaked Pawtucket.
It’s the third draw in USL Championship play for Rhode Island at Centreville Bank Stadium this season. RIFC was turning in a familiar performance before snagging the tie against the league-leading Rowdies as Williams supplied his third regular-season goal of the year. The draw is the first time RIFC has earned a result after the opposition opened the scoring since its 1-1 tie vs. Birmingham Legion FC on July 5, 2025.
Rhode Island now travels to USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine for its second game of the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup group stage on Saturday, May 16 at 4 p.m. The club returns to Pawtucket on May 23 against Brooklyn FC.
“All night they made it tough because they were doubling,” Williams said of Tampa Bay. “And wherever I went to, they were going contact first, especially in this league with no [Video Assistant Referee] … but on that one, the ball was so good that they spun around, and then I was able to make good contact.”
Rhode Island had a string of missed chances in the first 15 minutes that fed into a goal for Tampa Bay and then a triple substitution in the second half that provided little spark. Max Schneider’s cross from right of the box found Pedro Dolabella at the far post for a clinical header in the 29th minute in front of an announced attendance of 6,790.
The game’s first score came just 10 minutes after attempts from Hugo Bacharach and Jojea Kwizera were saved and Williams sailed an open shot past the bar.
“We tried to correct some of those things that we struggled with last week,” Williams said. “Getting to the ball, making tackles, making a stick, I think that we weren’t as clean in possession as we would have been, especially as we won the ball and played forward. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half where we could have seen more chances, but we did well to weather the storm early and create some. But for me, I [have] to bury that first one.”
Rhode Island creates plenty of chances — it is tied for fourth with 112 attempts — but has just 12 goals this season. If it had finished one of the early chances against Tampa Bay, it would’ve shifted the tenor of the match and forced the visitors to play outside of its form. But the final scoring sequence is still missing with the summer months coming soon.
“Happy with the spirit, happy with the effort, happy with the fight,” RIFC coach Khano Smith said. “You’ve seen that a lot with our team. They just fought to the end, never gave up, kept pushing. Ultimately, it’s two more points dropped at home, and we need to find a way to stop doing that. We need to be ruthless – just ruthless in front of the goal.”
-
South-Carolina3 minutes ago
Missouri’s new US House map goes to court while Louisiana and South Carolina consider redistricting
-
South Dakota9 minutes agoSD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for May 11, 2026 – AOL
-
Tennessee15 minutes agoMemphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’
-
Texas21 minutes ago
Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users
-
Utah27 minutes agoData centers raise air quality and environmental concerns in Utah, doctor says
-
Vermont33 minutes ago
VT Lottery Powerball, Gimme 5 results for May 11, 2026
-
Virginia39 minutes agoVirginia governor signs paid leave law, first in the South – WTOP News
-
Washington45 minutes ago
Washington Lottery Powerball, Cash Pop results for May 11, 2026