Follow us on social media:
Rhode Island
A NASA space grant is helping students learn about Rhode Island’s infamous history of trash – The Boston Globe
The National Park Service website said that the restoration of the river has been “remarkable” but “fish consumption” is not advised. The stream is good for canoeing and kayaking but swimming is not recommended.
“I found out that this was one of the most polluted rivers in America,” senior Clover Burke said. “It used to be one of the top 10. And that you should only eat one fish max per year from this river because of the amount of heavy metals. Or else it’s really bad for you.”
In 1971, Audubon magazine said the river was “one of America’s most polluted rivers.” In 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency said the river held “toxic sediments” left by textile and metal industries during the second half of the 19th century, leaving communities to deal with environmental issues.
“It’s awful,” Burke said. “It’s insane that a river that should be for everyone, including all the animals, you can’t even eat from.”
According to the park service, non-point pollution (runoff dispersed from many sources) is now a major threat to the river, including “reckless excavation practices, uncontrolled stormwater runoff, and certain landscaping.”
The NPS said runoff carries nutrients into the cola-colored river, causing harmful algal blooms that muddle the ecosystem. This affects surface and groundwater quality.
Frequent downpours have led to historic flooding in December and January, and recent heavy rains nearly led to the cancellation of the field trip, AP environmental science and biology teacher Amy O’Donnell said.
The trip was funded by the NASA Rhode Island Space Grant, funds that the space agency distributes to every state to engage students in STEM.
Brown University distributes the funds to K-12 schools around the state.
Ralph Milliken, associate professor of Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown, said O’Donnell’s application was picked because the university felt it was a trip that would leave a lasting impression on the students.
Milliken said that in addition to flinging rockets into space, NASA has a big Earth science program.
“We want to get students outside the classroom beyond the textbooks and internet articles they read about” he said. “So they can understand the interplay on human society and the natural environment.”
In addition to supporting local schools, Brown has offered internships for students at NASA centers, hosted students at on campus for the April total solar eclipse, and partnered with WaterFire for a program on the sea-level rise.
Brown receives $860,000 each year for the statewide program but that number is expected to be cut to $800,000, Milliken said.
Milliken said schools can apply for science education funding by contacting the university with their ideas.
“Now and then we learn about climate change — we’re looking at evidence of climate change here,” O’Donnell said standing on several feet of sand deposited by recent floods. It will make it more difficult for native species to grow.
When the river swells, it also uncovers evidence of the land’s previous use as a dump.
“All this is pretty worrisome, especially being able to go out and see it firsthand,” junior Preston Brown said. “It’s a big issue because we’re going to be the ones that are dealing with it.”
Brown learned about the presence of an invasive plant called Japanese knotweed that also grows in the woods behind his house.
“I want to be able to enjoy the forest, so I’m taking this class to learn how to save it,” he said.
Junior Taejo Chung-Brcak said “mountains of trash” pile up near his yard from street-level pollution after a deluge. Science isn’t his favorite subject, but the field trip was eye-opening for him.
“My teacher makes it interesting and makes nature seem like something worth fighting for,” Chung-Brcak said.
O’Donnell and Diane Siliezar-Shields, teacher and science department chairperson at Barrington High School, modeled the class after environmental activist Rachel Carson, whose 1962 book “Silent Spring” showed the world the danger of forever chemicals — extremely persistent chemicals that last thousands of years — found in the water, and the blood of nearly 97 percent of Americans, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Carson’s work led to a ban on DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and is credited for the creation of the EPA.
O’Donnell said she is teaching her students to be “problem solvers” who invest in their local environment before they graduate.
“We have a curriculum that is really heavy duty,” she said. “We want to show our young people there is hope. If you leverage your understanding and activate yourself, you build a community around yourself, which I think is perfect. There’s so much time spent on computers now, I wanted them to really be able to see this firsthand.”
O’Donnell said staff at Friends of the Blackstone showed the students how bioremediation can be used to fight pollution naturally.
“We planted willows to be able to clean up the soil,” she said.
John Marsland, president and founder of Friends of the Blackstone, said the willows work to absorb heavy metals in the soil. The willows can also thrive despite the sandy silt left on shore by floodwaters.
“We planted the native willows to re-establish native trees on the flood plain instead of knotweed,” Marsland said. “We mow the knotweed three times a year and plant grass but there’s so much sand from the flooding, it’s almost a foot deep. I don’t think grass will grow. Willow can.”
Students hammered posts 2 feet into the soil and planted rows of willow tree branches.
Burke said she is going to study forestry and environmental science after high school. She wants to help fix the problems caused by people.
“I get to go home and tell my parents random facts and they think I’m so smart,” Burke joked. “But this is, I feel, a class everyone needs to take to know the basics about our environment.”
Junior Sofia Buchanan has been working on a project on microplastic awareness. Sophomore Iris Yang said the class has taught her to be aware of the nature around her. Sophomore Claudia Leonard said she’s learned how to decrease pollution in the environment.
“I see the plastic as kind of a warning of what will persist in the ecosystem 50 years later if we currently don’t come up with solutions because right now we’re already seeing plastic in the rivers. And, we’re seeing the health effects of pollution on the ecosystem and ourselves.
“I think that this is a warning for what pollution could do to humans in the future and other animals.”
Carlos Muñoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews.
As if the aftermath of her explosion at the Studio 54 party wasn’t enough to deal with, Liz also now has to figure out what to do with the six bunches of bananas that Gary accidentally ordered when he meant to order six individual bananas. But until they’re ripe enough to make banana bread, she’ll focus on the other issue. “I came across as a bitter, drunken, witch,” she tells Dolores — three words that I have to imagine also appear on the show’s casting notice.
Meanwhile, Ashley takes some of the other women to her favorite beach, and Alicia, who is used to her country club, is terrified. “This is not my vibe, I’m freaking out,” she whispers as she’s forced to carry her chair, bag, and snacks. The snacks in question are something called “pizza chips,” which appears to just be bread with sauce on it? Alicia, being the brain behind Pizza Mamma, tries to break down the science to us, saying that cheese can’t sit out in the sun, but she need not explain. She had me at pizza chips.
She also had me when she revealed that Rulla apparently met Brian while he was married to Alicia’s high school Spanish teacher. “I don’t know if this is true, Brian cheated on his first wife, my Spanish teacher,” she says with her hands over her heart, “with Rulla. I hope that’s not true because I really did like my Spanish teacher.” Yet again, I’m obsessed with how deep the ties between these women go. A game of six degrees of separation hates to see them coming. I also love Alicia starting a declarative sentence with, “I don’t know if this is true,” but she should say it in Spanish next time.
And speaking of those deep ties, we already know that there was some connection between Jo-Ellen’s sister and Jo-Ellen’s husband while they were in high school, before Jo-Ellen swooped in. But now we’re finally getting to meet Jen, who is basically subbing for Jo-Ellen at the house while she’s on a work trip. “She perpetuates this fun little game of flirting with my husband,” Jo-Ellen explains, but assures us that nothing is going on. That being said, Jen does joke that they’re like an old married couple and Jo-Ellen tells us that Jen wants his sperm to have a baby…but apart from that I guess everything is totally normal! I’m putting together a list of side characters who should be in the running to hold clams in future seasons, and so far Jen and Alicia’s Spanish teacher are leading the pack.
But when it comes to side characters, the real stars are of course Alicia’s aunts, who are thankfully back on our screens for a backyard barbecue with some of the ladies. And what better group to speak frankly to Rulla about her situation with Brian? The second Rulla alludes to bumps in the road, this beautiful coven of scorned divorcées pounce, encouraging Rulla to leave him. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder?” one of them asks her, and later in her confessional Rulla even admits that those words stayed with her. I feel like we’re seeing something real with Rulla and she’s finally letting the glossy veneer slip. But the best commentary comes from Alicia’s mother, who says, “I just hope and pray that you somehow hurt him…I’m gonna pray you get him back.” Forget the usual Bravo aftershows, I want a show that’s just all of Alicia’s aunts watching and commentating on each week’s episode. The ratings will be higher than the MASH finale.
As for Liz and Kelsey’s simmering conflict, the pair finally meet up to clear the air by the water where Liz’s boat is docked. I’ve seen similar meetings play out just like this on The Sopranos, so I had to keep reminding myself that Kelsey was safe because surely Bravo would never broadcast a woman being murdered. Then again, this would be the show to break that glass ceiling. As it turns out, I had no reason to fear because the sit-down goes incredibly smoothly. Liz explains that it felt like Kelsey was co-signing the rumors by bringing them up, and Kelsey says her instinct for Liz to keep her distance from Dino actually had more to do with her own history. She explains that ten years ago she and Dino hooked up but it didn’t go well, and now his presence is a reminder of a time in her life that she’s trying to forget. She even says she has PTSD over it and now avoids him like the plague, but respects that Liz has a meaningful friendship with him. I still have a lot of questions about this, but ultimately Liz and Kelsey clear the air and reconcile.
And thank god, because then they’re able to go rail biking in peace. All of the women split up into groups to cycle their way three miles down an old railroad track, with drinks in hand of course. “Rullala, how you doing back there?” Alicia asks as they ride, which made me scream out in delight upon once again getting to hear my new favorite word: “Rullala.” It’s my mantra. I say it no fewer than 50 times a day. It’s a greeting, it’s a prayer, it’s a way of life. Better yet, when the camera cuts to Rulla, she finally wins me over. Mid-cycle she’s shaking a cocktail shaker and pouring her tequila into a wine glass. Leave Brian and his bullshit at home, this is the woman that I want to see on my screen.
I’m even more enamored with her once they get to their location and she’s horrified to discover Alicia’s financial situation. She’s telling the ladies about not feeling valued given that her husband won’t put her name on the house or business, and Rulla, being a financial planner, springs into action. Seeing this smart, powerful side of her, especially as she’s trying to empower Alicia, is a great look and is far more compelling than watching her meekly defend her cheating husband. It gives a glimpse at what an independent Rulla might look like on this show in a couple of seasons.
But she’s not the only one supporting Alicia — Kelsey steps up to play Billy in a role-play so Alicia can practice airing her grievances. Sidebar: everyone talks about these women looking alike, but the real problem is that all of their partners have such similar names. Alicia’s is Billy, Kelsey’s boyfriend’s is Bill, Rulla’s is Brian, Jo-Ellen’s is Gary, Liz’s is Gerry, Ashley’s is Jared, and thankfully Rosie’s is just Rich. But oh my god, how am I supposed to keep that all straight? Anyway, the little role-play Alicia does ends up being heartbreaking, as she gets emotional saying that he makes her feel worthless in their relationship. But the fact that we’re talking about this so much feels promising, and I hope we get to see Alicia ultimately bring all of these feelings to Billy. And if he doesn’t listen, I hope her aunts attack him.
The conversation then turns to how Liz has been gelling with newbie Ashley, and they joke about how Ashley is a little scared of her. When the Studio 54 party comes up, Liz says that that wasn’t her finest moment and wasn’t a good representation of what she’s really like. “Alicia, you said she’s always like that,” Rosie says, throwing Alicia right under the bus. “Don’t flip that shit, don’t do that to me, don’t put shit in my mouth,” Alicia fires back, as Dolores looks on like a proud mother. “She twisted my words, you’re a fucking troll,” Alicia yells, saying that Rosie fucked her. It’s a line-o-rama of iconic outbursts, one after another: “Welcome to Rhode Island, bitch, this is how we roll,” then, “Fucking thirsty bitch, so thirsty its scary,” and finally, “I need to get out of here cause I’m gonna end up killing her.” Our first death threat!
But the craziest part of this comes when Alicia and Rosie step away from the group for a moment. It’s allegedly to sidebar, but I was convinced it was so Alicia could murder her with fewer witnesses. Alicia tells her that if she apologizes everything will be good, Rosie apologies, and then things are good. “Did she just hug her?” someone asks from the circle, shocked. The series has had a lot of incredible moments thus far, but this one is what is most promising about its longevity as a Housewives show. The secret sauce of these shows is resilience — the ability to be as angry at someone as humanly possible, and move on like nothing happened so they can do it all over again. Long, drawn-out grudges make for bad television (as RHOBH proves), so this cast’s ability to reconcile and move on will be the thing that makes it great.
New East Bay Bike Path bridges are open and ready for bikes
What’s it like to ride over the new East Bay Bike Path bridges? We sent a reporter to try them out.
I’ve long thought bike paths are among Rhode Island’s premier attractions, up there with the beaches, the mansions and the bay.
We like to knock government, but credit where it’s due, the state has done an amazing job building out an incredible pedaling network.
It’s clearly a priority.
At least I thought it was.
But they’ve just dropped the ball on what should have been a beautiful new stretch.
The plan was to finish a mile-long connector from the East Providence end of the Henderson Bridge all the way to the East Bay Bike Path.
There was even $25 million set aside to get it done.
Except WPRI recently reported that it’s now been canceled.
The main fault lies with the Trump administration, which is no friend of bike paths, and moved to kill that $25 million.
But it gets complicated, as government funding always does.
To try to rescue that money, the state DOT reportedly worked with the administration to refunnel it into a road project. Specifically, the $25 million will now be spent helping upgrade the mile-long highway between the Henderson Bridge and North Broadway in East Providence, turning it into a more pleasant boulevard.
That totally sounds worthy.
But it’s insane to throw away the bike path plan.
Especially for a particular reason in this case.
They’d already put a ton of money into starting it.
When state planners designed the new Henderson Bridge between the East Side and East Providence, they included a bike path.
It’s a beauty – well protected from traffic by a barrier, a great asset for safely riding over the Seekonk River.
The plan was to continue it another mile or so along East Providence’s Waterfront Drive, ultimately connecting with the East Bay Bike Path, which runs all the way to Bristol. Which, by the way, is one of the nicest bike paths you’ll find anywhere.
But alas, that connector plan has been canceled.
So the expensive stretch over the Henderson Bridge to East Providence is now a bike path to nowhere. Once the bridge ends, the path on it continues a few hundred yards or so and then, just … ends.
Too bad.
We were so close.
Most of the stories on the issue have been about the complex negotiation to rescue the $25 million by rerouting it to that nearby highway-to-boulevard project. But I don’t want to get lost in the weeds of that bureaucratic process here because it loses sight of the heart of this story.
Which is that an amazing new addition to one of the nation’s best state bike path systems has just been scrapped.
You can knock the Rhode Island government for blowing a lot of things.
The PawSox.
The Washington Bridge.
But they’ve done great with bike paths.
And especially, linking many of them together.
Example: not too many years ago, Providence bikers had to risk dicey traffic on the East Side to get to the more pleasant paths in India Point Park and on the 195 bridge to the East Bay Path.
But the state fixed that by adding an amazing connector that starts behind the Salvation Army building and beautifully winds along the water of the Seekonk River for a mile or so.
That makes a huge difference – and no doubt has avoided some bike-car accidents.
We were close to a comparable stretch on the other side of the river – that’s what the $25 million would have done.
But it’s now apparently dead.
Online commenters aren’t happy about it.
On a Reddit string, “Toadscoper” accused the state of being “complicit” with the feds in rerouting the money from bikes to cars.
And there was this fascinating post from FineLobster 5322, who apparently is a disappointed planner who worked on the project: “Mind you money has already been spent on phase one so rejecting it at this point is wasting money and also against the public interest … but what do I know? I only worked on the project as an engineer … I didn’t get into this to build more highways. I do it … to give back to communities and give them more access to their environment.”
Wow. One can imagine the state planning team is devastated. That’s not a small consideration. Good people go into government to make life better in Rhode Island, and it’s a bad play to take the spirit out of the job by first assigning a great human-scale project and then, after a ton of work, trashing it.
A poster named Homosapiens simply said, “We just accept this?”
Hopefully not.
The first stretch of the path over the Henderson Bridge is done, money already sunk.
What a shame to leave that as a path to nowhere.
It doesn’t have to happen.
Between Governor McKee and our Washington delegation, there’s got to be a way to get this done.
There’s got to be.
mpatinki@providencejournal.com
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.
-
Vermont5 minutes ago74-year-old woman fulfills childhood dream as EMT at fair in Vermont
-
Virginia11 minutes agoVirginia Sen. Mark Warner’s daughter has died: ‘Heartbroken beyond words’
-
Washington17 minutes agoA look at the roots (and routes) of immigration to Washington
-
Wisconsin23 minutes agoRubber bullet carnage as 1,000 animal welfare activists storm beagle breeding lab in Wisconsin | Fortune
-
West Virginia29 minutes agoWest Virginia’s Underrated State Park Is A Serene Getaway With Picturesque Trails And A Unique Hemlock Forest – Islands
-
Wyoming35 minutes agoFormer House Speaker Albert Sommers seeks to win back Wyoming legislative seat
-
Crypto41 minutes agoCentral Banks Say US Stablecoins Threaten Financial Integrity | PYMNTS.com
-
Finance47 minutes agoHow much will Social Security go up next year? See latest forecast