Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Local News
Mr. Potato Head may soon be peeled off Rhode Island license plates. After Hasbro announced last year that it was shifting its headquarters to Boston, state lawmakers are now pushing a bill to retire the toy-inspired tags, framing the effort as an overdue act of “self-respect.”
As first reported by the Providence Journal, Rhode Island Reps. Brian Newberry and Thomas Noret co-sponsored a bill introduced last Wednesday to remove the specialty plates.
“Hasbro abandoned the State, causing untold economic harm and loss of tax revenue,” Newberry said in a statement to Boston.com on Friday. “There is no reason we should be advertising their products on our license plates.”
He continued, “It may seem trivial compared to many other things, but it’s a matter of self-respect.”
Neither Noret nor Hasbro returned a request for comment Friday.
According to the legislation, drivers who already purchased the special plates would be allowed to keep them. However, they wouldn’t be allowed to transfer them to a new car or a family member’s vehicle.
Half of the proceeds from the plates, which say “Help End Hunger” and cost $40, goes to the Division of Motor Vehicles and the other half to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
According to the food bank’s website, the state began issuing Mr. Potato Head plates in 2002. Designers made the plates to commemorate the toy’s 50th anniversary. The food bank has raised more than $50,000 from them since.
The food bank was not pleased to hear that the Legislature may soon scrap the plates, saying in a comment to Boston.com on Friday that the demand for emergency food assistance reached historic highs last year.
“With additional federal cuts and policy changes on the horizon, the need will be greater than ever moving forward,” Kate MacDonald, a food bank spokesperson, said. “Every source of support for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank — and by extension our network of 137 member agencies — matters.”
MacDonald said the nonprofit is eager to engage key stakeholders to explore opportunities to maintain this source of income.
Rep. Newberry said he’d be open to a different license plate design, suggesting “perhaps the Big Blue Bug or Del’s Lemonade or some other RI institution.”
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
The Boston Red Sox will return to action on Friday to kick off the second half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season with a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The last few weeks have been incredible for Boston and have really gotten the organization right back into the thick of the playoff race. Beforehand, the Red Sox looked like one of the worst teams in baseball. Now, Boston is 46-48 and has won 14 of its last 16 games. It’s why you play the games. The MLB season is long and full of ups and downs. Sure, the first few months of the season were full of many down moments for the Red Sox, but they flipped a switch, got hot, and now are right back in the mix.
Now, there are just over two weeks to go until the 2026 trade deadline and Boston should be looking to add. But who should the Red Sox be targeting? Here are four intriguing options for Craig Breslow and the Red Sox’s front office to target.
The former longtime New York Yankee is a member of the Detroit Tigers and was slashing .280/.395/.395 with a .790 OPS, four homers and 18 RBIs before the All-Star break. Torres is on the Injured List, but has already begun a rehab assignment. Torres has the type of right-handed pop Boston’s lineup needs. Plus, he’s just 29 years old.
Luis Arráez isn’t a right-handed bat and doesn’t have much power, but this is a guy with three batting titles under his belt and has a shot at another one. He’s batting .330 right now and would go a long way for Boston by getting on base towards the top of the lineup.
This would be a pipe dream type of move. Wood is under team control for four more seasons and is just 23 years old, and yet he’s already a two-time All-Star. He blasted 31 homers last year and already has 28 this season in 97 games played. If the Red Sox could get a bat like his, they’d be all set. But it would cost quite a bit to pry him from Washington.
There are few players who were connected to Boston more this past offseason than Isaac Paredes. The Astros don’t look like a team that is going to sell, but Paredes is still worth a call. Houston traded Lance McCullers Jr. to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in a salary dump.
Follow
A man was flown to a Boston hospital after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday evening in Norwood, Massachusetts, and the driver has been arrested.
Norwood police responded shortly after 7:30 p.m. to the intersection of Washington Street and St. John Avenue.
The victim was found seriously injured. Fire crews treated him at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to a landing zone to be airlifted by medical helicopter.
Police said the woman driving the vehicle was taken into custody. She is facing charges including operating under the influence of liquor.
The crash is under investigation.
BOSTON (WHDH) – The You Got This center, run by Children’s Services of Roxbury, helps young adults coping with homelessness, mental health needs, and addiction.
The drop-in center also provides a space to create community.
One of the programs they center offers, freestyle Fridays, held on the first Friday of every month, gives members a chance to test out their rap skills.
Members said programs like these have taught them to be more confident.
“It’s a comforting area,” Deryq Samson-Brown said. “I’ve never felt like an outcast; I don’t think anybody has really felt like an outcast. It’s like a real accepting place.”
Samson-Brown said the center has inpsired him to pursue a career giving back to youth.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
New Honolulu police chief plans to launch drone program to help catch crime
Boating, beaches, and mountain scenery: Escape to this bright blue Idaho reservoir
Illinois awards AD Josh Whitman a new contract worth more than $31 million over the next 10 years
WATCH | Drone video captures Big Boy rolling through Northwest Indiana
Jaylen Raynor Wisely Predicted To Be Starting Quarterback for Iowa State Football
Chiefs Name Burns & McDonnell as Owner’s Representative for New Practice Facility and Headquarters in Olathe
Saturated soil raises flooding risk across Kentucky after recent heavy rain
Why Louisiana is one of the most mosquito infested states in the US