Rhode Island
Best things to do in Rhode Island: Jan. 19-26 – The Boston Globe
It may be freezing out, but our calendar is hot this week, my friends. I found an eclectic grab-mag mix of fun in the 401 to cure both your cabin fever and your Frosted Windshield Blues: The Temptations and Bob Dylan tunes, a Joan Baez doc, wire sculpting, yoga, glass-painting, Dinosaur Jr., and more. Let’s roll.
OPENING NIGHTS!
Real Rhody stories make their world premiere with “La Broa’ (Broad Street)” by Orlando Hernandez at Trinity Rep Jan. 18. The show is inspired by “Latino History of Rhode Island: Nuestras Raíces” by Marta V. Martinez and directed by Tatyana-Marie Carlo. Trinity says the play focuses on Doña Rosa’s Market on La Broa’ (Providence’s Broad Street) and is based on real stories of Latina/Latino who have made Rhode Island their home. Watch a behind-the-scenes clip here and meet the costume designer here. Tickets from $24. Through Feb. 18. 201 Washington St. Providence. Details here.
BOB DYLAN, NEIL YOUNG & THE GRATEFUL DEAD
I’m not dreaming. The music of three of my favorites (the Venn diagram overlap of fans for these three are probably one circle) hits Rhody this week. Rock out with “Bob’s Heart of Gold Band: The Music of The Dead, Dylan and Neil Young” at The Met Jan. 21. Tickets $5. Doors 3:30 p.m., show 4 p.m.1005 Main St., Pawtucket. Details here.
LAST BITES
Foodies: the last dinner bell tolls for thee. Providence Restaurant Weeks runs through Jan. 20. Participating area restaurants feature deals and specials. For example: Nasturtium at Agawam Hunt in the Rumford neighborhood of East Providence offers a $40 prix-fixe dinner. You might start with sea bream crudo, then dig into Azorean cheese agnolotti with wild mushrooms, cauliflower and garlicky crumbs, before indulging in brown butter panna cotta with Meyer lemon ice cream. 5 Roger Williams Ave., Rumford. Meanwhile, Diego’s East Side offers a $28 prix fixe two-course lunch or dinner: You might start with Drunken Arrancini — crispy rice and sausage balls cooked in Rejects Beer with poblano queso fundido — before digging into al pastor tacos — al pastor pork, smoked pineapple salsa, ranchero sauce, onions and cilantro on flour tortillas. 195 Wayland Ave., Providence. #PVDEats. All details here.
PRINTMAKING LESSONS
Learn how to screen-print, cyanotype and more with AS220 classes this winter. This week, you might sign up for:
Intro. to Cyanotype Printmaking with Andre Lee Bassuet (aka sun-printing) Jan. 20 and 21, 9 a.m. ($120) or Intro. to Screenprinting: Shirts & Totes with Sin Seven
Jan. 23 and 25 at 7 p.m. ($120) “You’ll walk out with items of your own bearing your very own unique printed designs,” according to billing. I love this. 95 Mathewson Street, Suite 204, Providence. Learn more here.
JUST MY IMAGINATION
Nope, I’m not imagining this: “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” hits PPAC Jan. 23-Jan. 28. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, the musical follows The Temptations “journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” in a “story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal, as the group’s personal and political conflicts threatened to tear them apart during a decade of civil unrest in America.” Get ready to sing “Get Ready,” “My Girl,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and more. Tickets from $45. 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Details here.
DINOSAUR JR.
This is not a drill. Massachusetts-born cult-fave indie-rockers Dinosaur Jr. plays Providence Jan. 25. According to their tour schedule, this show at The Strand is the only show this month — from Seattle to Burlington, Vt., — not yet sold out. Hop on this, Dino fans. They’re currently celebrating 30 years of “Where You Been.” From $35. Doors 8 p.m., show 9 p.m. 79 Washington St., Providence. Details here and here.
PAINT-YOUR-OWN MARGARITA GLASS
…. Sorry, I’m just looking for my lost shaker of salt. (Free glass idea.) Margarita lovers, and fans of the late great Jimmy Buffet, try your hand at painting your own margarita glass Jan. 25 at NYLO hotel. $25 per glass, includes all materials via Inebri-Art. Parrotheads, go forth! 6-9 p.m. 400 Knight St. Warwick. Details here.
JOAN BAEZ ON SCREEN
Catch “Joan Baez: I Am A Noise” Jan. 25 at The Columbus Theatre. Billed as “an unusually intimate psychological portrait” of the folk singer/activist, it’s “a visual memoir” anchored by “home movies, diaries, artwork, and audio recordings.” (Yes, she talks about her relationship with Bob Dylan.) I interviewed the Newport Folk fave previously here. Advance, $12; door $14.50. 270 Broadway, Providence. Details here; trailer here.
WIRE ART WITH BEER
Tired: Being tired. Wired: Getting wired. Let’s get wired by making wire trees with Byfield, Mass.-based wire artist Ryan Kelley. Kelley will teach us how to wind wires into metal trees at PVD’s Long Live Beerworks Jan. 25 from 6-8 p.m. $75 includes one free beer and all tools and materials. 40R Sprague St., Providence. Love this. Learn more here and here.
YOGA AT COMMON FENCE
Going nuts with cabin fever in this freezing weather? Same. Get your blood flowing and your mind settled with some gentle yoga for all levels at Common Fence Point Jan. 25 at 9:30 a.m. Suggested donation $10. 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. Learn more here.
JAZZ IN A MANSION
Attention, hep cats: Rhode Island Music Hall of Famer Greg Abate brings his jazz to Bristol’s Linden Place mansion Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. The saxophonist/flutist/composer is a 1971 Berklee College of Music alum who went on to play with Ray Charles Orchestra and the Artie Shaw Orchestra, and “ventured out as post hard bop soloist,” according to his website. At Linden Place, Abate will be joined by bassist Paul Del Nero, drummer Gary Johnson and pianist Matt DeChamplain, according to billing. $25. Reservations encouraged. 500 Hope St., Bristol. Learn more here.
HOT TICKETS
I launched this subsection of this column because (hopefully) Globe Rhode Island readers rely on this column to plan weekly fun, and I care that you rock Rhody to the fullest. These are big name or otherwise wicked cool events that I predict will sell out before I get time to alert you to them week-of. These two are coming soon:
FEW FOR BREW: There are few tickets left for the 11th annual Rhode Island Brew Fest — billed as “a celebration of American craft breweries featuring the best brews the Ocean State has to offer” — Jan. 27 at the WaterFire Arts Center. The fest hosts some 55 breweries offering samples of some 175 beers. $65.21. 475 Valley St., Providence. Details here and here.
VEGGIE TIME: OK, veggie fans: Feb. 3 GA tickets are sold out, and few Feb. 4 GA tickets remain for RI VegFest at PVD’s WaterFire Arts Center Feb. 3-4. They’ve now opened “late entry” tickets for both days, meaning you go from 2:30-5 p.m. The fully vegan fest showcases plant-based foods, beverages, artists, makers, and businesses. According to billing, this year’s lineup features some 85 vegan/vegan-friendly brands “from Rhode Island and 10 other states.” Shop vegan products, eat, drink, and learn. From $8. 475 Valley St., Providence. Details here.
ONGOING WINTER FUN
Baby it’s cold outside. That means…
ICE BUMPER CARS AND SKATING: A winter Rhody tradition: Grab your crew, and head to PVD’s BankNewport City Center rink. Bumper cars, from $13 per ride per person. Skating $9; seniors and kids 12-and-under, $6. Skate rental $8.41. Check online for weather notifications, register online. 2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence. Details here.
ZOO CREW: Beat the winter blues by hanging with the crew at the zoo. Roger Williams Park Zoo offers half-off admission now through Feb. 28. You can’t not smile when hanging with Keweng the tree kangaroo, or mom-and-son sloths Fiona and lil’ Jeffrey. I mean… c’mon. PSA: Providence residents score free admission to the zoo the first Saturday of each month. (If you have a Rhody library card, you might also be eligible for a discount.) See here for all details. Discount applied at checkout. 1000 Elmwood Ave.
HORSING AROUND: Liberty Farm & Carriage Company in Burrillville is a working farm that offers private horse carriage (or sleigh rides) year-round. As you might imagine, this is their busy season. As of this writing, they still have various private ride time slots available this week, according to their website. Prices vary. 60 Ironmine Road, Burrillville. Details, video and live schedule here.
WINTER WINE TASTING: Who says wine tasting is just for summer? West Greenwich’s Leyden Farm Vineyard & Winery invites guests to taste five wines and learn about each. Post-tasting, you might purchase a glass or bottle and stroll the vineyard, according to event billing — and keep the tasting glass. Ongoing, closed Wednesdays. Tasting for two $12. Tasting for four $22. 160 Plain Meeting House Road. Details here.
Until next week, Rhody: Keep rockin’.
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.
Here are five ways how you can save some money when food shopping.
Here are five ways how you can save some money when food shopping.
Your household can earn more than $160,000 a year and still be considered part of the “middle class” in Rhode Island, according to a recent study by SmartAsset.
Rhode Island is the state with the 17th-highest income range for households to be considered middle class, based on SmartAsset’s analysis using 2024 income data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households earning roughly two-thirds to twice the national median household income.
According to a 2022 Gallup survey, about half of U.S. adults consider themselves middle class, with 38% identifying as “middle class” and 14% as “upper-middle class.” Higher-income Americans and college graduates were most likely to identify with the “middle class” or “upper-middle class,” while lower-income Americans and those without a college education generally identified as “working class” or “lower class.”
Here’s how much money your household would need to bring in annually to be considered middle class in Rhode Island.
How much money would you need to make to be considered middle class in RI?
In Rhode Island, households would need to earn between $55,669 and $167,008 annually to be considered middle class, according to SmartAsset. The Ocean State has the 17th-highest income range in the country for middle-class households.
The state’s median household income is $83,504.
How do other New England states compare?
Rhode Island has the fourth-highest income range for middle-class households in New England. Here’s what households would have to earn in neighboring states:
- Massachusetts (#1 nationally) – $69,885 to $209,656 annually; median household income of $104,828
- New Hampshire (#6 nationally) – $66,521 to $199,564 annually; median household income of $99,782
- Connecticut (#10 nationally) – $64,033 to $192,098 annually; median household income of $96,049
- Rhode Island (#17 nationally) – $55,669 to $167,008 annually; median household income of $83,504
- Vermont (#19 nationally) – $55,153 to $165,460 annually; median household income of $82,730
- Maine (#30 nationally) – $50,961 to $152,884 annually; median household income of $76,442
Which state has the highest middle-class income range?
Massachusetts ranks as the state with the highest income range to be considered middle class, according to SmartAsset. Households there would need to earn between $69,900 and $209,656 annually. The state’s median household income is $104,828.
Which state has the lowest middle-class income range?
Mississippi ranks last for the income range needed to be considered middle class, according to SmartAsset. Households there would need to earn between $39,418 and $118,254 annually. The state’s median household income is $59,127.
“Nationally there are 59 million Americans who are providing care for a loved one and that is 49.5 billion hours of care annually. It’s valued at a trillion dollars,” said Catherine Taylor, the director of AARP Rhode Island; AARP, the nation’s largest non- profit, dedicated to empowering people 50 and older.
In Rhode Island, the report shows 155,000 people serve as caregivers, providing 111 million hours of care.
Barbara Morse reports on unpaid caregivers. (WJAR)
“The total impact is $2.8 billion a year,” said Taylor.
It’s not just babysitting a loved one.
Catherine Taylor, the director of AARP Rhode Island, spoke with NBC 10’s Barbara Morse about the value of caregiving. (WJAR)
“People are doing a lot more nursing tasks, you know–wound care, injections and things like that and they’re doing a lot more intensive daily care, like bathing, and dressing and feeding than we used to,” she said.
Its latest report–“Valuing the Invaluable.”
“The whole point of this report is to draw attention to how many family care givers there are and what the magnitude of what the need is for their support,” said Taylor.
That includes financial support and respite care.
AARP wants you to know this:
An older man using equipment in a gym. (FILE)
In Rhode Island, temporary caregiver insurance or TCI is available to folks who qualify, for up to eight weeks.
There are federal tax credits you may qualify for. There is help.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
“All you have to do is call 211 and say you’re a family caregiver and they will connect you to all of AARP’S trusted information, including a Rhode Island specific guide on resources for caregivers,” she said.
Rhode Island
A new safety role at Rhode Island College comes into sharper focus after Brown shooting – The Boston Globe
Lawrence was recently named RIC’s first emergency management director, a role college leaders had been planning before the December mass shooting across town at Brown University, but which took on new urgency after the tragedy.
Few resumes are better suited to the job.
A 20-year career in the New York Police Department. Commanding officer of the NYPD’s Employee Assistance Unit. A master’s degree from Harvard.
Lawrence got to Rhode Island the way a lot of people do: through someone who grew up here and never really left, at least not in spirit. Her husband, Brooke Lawrence, grew up in West Greenwich, and is director of the town’s emergency management agency.
“I couldn’t imagine retiring in my 40s,” Lawrence told me. “And I couldn’t imagine not giving back to my community.”
Public service has been part of Lawrence’s life for as long as she can remember. A New Jersey native, she dreamed of following in the footsteps of her mentor, a longtime FBI agent. She graduated from Monmouth University and earned a master’s degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College in 2001, shortly before the Sept. 11 attacks.
There was high demand for police in New York at the time, so Lawrence raised her hand to serve. She worked her way up the ranks from patrol to lieutenant, eventually taking charge of the department’s Employee Assistance Unit, a peer support program that helps rank-and-file officers navigate the most traumatic parts of the job. She later earned a second master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School.
“It’s making sure our officers are getting through their career in the same mental capacity as they came on the job,” Lawrence said.
There’s a version of Lawrence’s new job that feels routine, especially at a quiet commuter campus like Rhode Island College. And when Lawrence was initially hired part-time last fall, it probably was.
Then the shooting at Brown University changed the stakes almost overnight.
On Dec. 13, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese national and one-time student at Brown, opened fire inside the Barus and Holley building, killing two students and injuring nine others. Neves Valente also killed an MIT professor before he was found dead in a New Hampshire storage unit of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In eerie videos recorded in the storage unit, Neves Valente admitted that he stalked the Brown campus for weeks prior to his attack. He largely went unnoticed by campus security, which led the university’s police chief to be placed on leave and essentially replaced by former Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh Clements.
Lawrence assisted with the response at Brown. She leads the trauma response team for the Rhode Island Behavioral Health Medical Reserve Corps, which staffed the family reunification center in the hours after the shooting.
RIC’s campus is more enclosed than Brown’s — there are only two major entryways to the college — but there are unique challenges.
For one, it’s technically located in both Providence and North Providence, which requires coordination between multiple public safety departments in both communities.
More specifically, Lawrence noted that every building on campus has the same address, which can present a challenge in an emergency. Lawrence has worked with RIC leadership and local public safety to assign an address to each building.
Lawrence stressed that she doesn’t want RIC to overreact to the tragedy at Brown, and she said campus leaders are committed to keeping the tight-knit community intact.
But she admits that the shooting remains top of mind.
“Every campus community sees what happened at Brown and says ‘please don’t let that happen to us,’” Lawrence said.
Lawrence said everyone at RIC feels a deep sense of responsibility to keep students safe during their time on campus.
And she already feels right at home.
“I want to come home from work every day and feel like I made a difference,” she said.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.
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