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'Biggest comedy festival that's ever come to Rhode Island' set for March

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'Biggest comedy festival that's ever come to Rhode Island' set for March


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Kevin Hart, Leslie Jones, Aziz Ansari, SNL and Daily Show stars, and more will be at the 4-day Lil Rhody Laugh Riot.

Chris Rock, Melissa Villaseñor, Leslie Jones, and Aziz Ansari will all be at the new comedy festival coming to Providence. Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP; Will Heath/NBC via AP; Bill Gray/Netflix; AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

What do Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Leslie Jones, and Melissa Villaseñor have in common? 

Sure, sure — they’re all comics, wise guy … But the real answer: They’re all A-list comics headed Providence in March to take part in what looks to be the biggest comedy fest lil’ Rhody has ever seen.

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The Veterans Memorial Auditorium Providence, aka The VETS,  announced Thursday the Lil Rhody Laugh Riot, a four-day comedy festival running March 27- March 30. According to event billing, the fest will be anchored at The Vets and “spill over into satellite venues” around Providence, including the larger Providence Performing Arts Center, and the RI Comedy Connection.

More names will be announced soon, but as of Dec. 12, the line-up includes:

  • Kevin Hart: March 27 at 7:30 p.m., Providence Performing Arts Center
  • Michael Blaustein: March 28 at 7 p.m., The VETS 
  • Leslie Jones: March 29 at 4 p.m., The VETS 
  • Aziz Ansari: March 29 at 7 p.m., Providence Performing Arts Center
  • Hannah Berner:  March 30 at 7 p.m., The VETS
  • Chris Distefano:  March 30 at 9:45 p.m., The VETS

Also on the docket: SNL alum Melissa Villaseñor, Tone Bell, Sophie Buddle, Alec Flynn, Andy Woodhull, and “The Daily Show” correspondent and podcaster Josh Johnson, named “the funniest guy on the internet” by WIRED.

Tickets are on sale for the comedy fest that’s already made Variety headlines — and a Ken Burns account tweet.

“This is absolutely the biggest comedy festival that’s ever come to Rhode Island. We’re super excited,” VETS Marketing Director Michael Gravison said.

… But that’s not all. 

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Dovetailing with PVD’s inaugural comedy fest is the city’s inaugural PVD food and wine fest: the Providence Culinary Collective, presented by the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, aims to be a “first-of-its-kind food and wine festival” that will take over the city that same weekend.

Talk about bread and circus. You might want to book a hotel room now — you can get discounted rates through the comedy fest site.

Any southern New Englander knows Providence is a foodie destination. (Maybe Kevin Hart will hit up The District again.) Events will include the Rhode Island Wine Experience, “an upscale, educational” pairing event; Taste Community Made, featuring Hope & Main makers; Chef’s Choice classes at Johnson & Wales University; specialty dinners, food trucks and more, according to event billing.

 “This comedy festival, paired with the debut of the Providence Culinary Collective, will showcase the best of what our city has to offer,” said Mayor of Providence Brett P. Smiley in a statement. 

Below, here’s what Marketing Director Michael Gravison had to say about the festival.

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Boston.com: So how did this comedy fest come together?

Michael Gravison: It was the brainchild of our programming office and the general management here at the VETS. Basically coming out of COVID we discovered that comedy was really popular, more so than ever before. People wanted to come together. People really wanted to laugh. They were looking for those shared experiences. The comedy scene exploded in Providence. After years of planning, we decided to create a festival that would bring as many people as possible to downtown Providence over the course of one weekend.

The comics span generations, too.

That’s what we’re going for. The whole point  is to reach a number of people, multi-generational, to really bring everybody together.

At the same time, there’s a huge wine and food fest going on.

That was serendipitous. We partner very closely with the Providence, Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau. When we told them this was happening, they said, “Oh, we’re doing this culinary festival the same weekend.” We thought it was a great idea to partner. We’re taking care of the entertainment, they’re taking care of the food. And really just adds to that total package.

You’ve got big headliners. What can you tell us about some of the others people may not know immediately?

Hannah Berner is a younger comedian, really big online, she’s had some specials. Michael Blaustein has a really popular podcast, he’s a comic touring with his podcast now. Chris Distefano is another big name in the comedy world; he was at the VETS last season.

Leslie Jones and Kevin Hart have never done the VETS or PPAC before. Aziz played the VETS twice, you said.

He sold out both times he played the Vets in 2016 and 2018. So he’s going to be performat PPAC, which is a larger venue.

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What are you hoping this fest does?

We want to turn this into an annual event. We want to bring as many people as we can —  from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey. We have hotel partners, where you can book hotel rooms at a festival rate so that you can stay for the weekend. You know, we’re really trying to turn this into an annual event. We’re hoping the last weekend of March, Providence becomes the place to go. 

Lauren Daley is a freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.





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Bodycam footage shows moments police respond to Pawtucket shooting

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Bodycam footage shows moments police respond to Pawtucket shooting


Police bodycam footage shows the moments officers arrived to the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The shooting on Feb. 16 at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena killed Rhonda Dorgan and Aidan Dorgan, the ex-wife and son of the shooter, who died by suicide.

Gerald Dorgan, Rhonda’s father, died from his injuries this week. His wife, Linda Dorgan, and family friend Thomas Geruso remain hospitalized.

Around five minutes after the first officer arrives, he beings helping paramedics with a man who identifies himself as Aidan. Twelve minutes in, Aidan Dorgan is transported to the hospital, where he would later die from his injuries.

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For the last 10 minutes of the footage, the officer then begins helping paramedics transport the other three gunshot victims.

The video ends with police prepping witness interviews.

The shooting rocked the Pawtucket community. Chris Librizzi, head coach of the Blackstone Valley Schools hockey team impacted by the shooting, said the players and coaching staff “are devastated over the events that took place at Lynch Arena on Monday and intimately affected one of our teammates.”

As authorities continue investigating the shooting in Pawtucket, three patients remain in critical condition.

“We will lean on each other and support one another, as we have always done as a team,” he added.

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Pawtucket police said two handguns were found at the scene after the shooting, a Sig Sauer P226 and Glock. Other weapons have been seized at the suspect’s storage unit in Maine.

Investigators continue reviewing all video evidence from before, during and after the shooting, including surveillance footage from the Dennis M. Lynch Arena, police body-worn camera footage and other records — a high school sports livestream captured the shooting from a distance — police said.



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Man killed in RI shooting; suspect involved in Mass. car crash that killed 2 others

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Man killed in RI shooting; suspect involved in Mass. car crash that killed 2 others


A man has died after a shooting in Cranston, Rhode Island, and investigators say a suspect was later involved in a car crash in Swansea, Massachusetts, that killed two other people.

The shooting victim was found Thursday on Legion Way, shot multiple times in the chest, Cranston police told NBC affiliate WJAR-TV. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital where he later died. His name has not been released.

The suspect initially fled on foot, setting off a shelter-in-place order while investigators searched the area.

Police said Friday that investigators identified a suspect vehicle, which was later spotted by Massachusetts State Police. A trooper followed the car down Route 6 and Interstate 195, but stopped when it crossed back into Rhode Island. The car was later involved in a crash on Route 136 in Swansea, Mass.

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Swansea police say that crash on Route 136 (James Reynolds Road) resulted in the deaths of two other people.

According to the Swansea Police Department, two officers saw a white Infinity G37 speed past them around 12:18 a.m. Friday on Route 6, otherwise known as Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Moments later, officers observed that the vehicle had crashed into the side of a blue Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136.

Both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage, police said.

The vehicle that was struck was fully engulfed in flames. First responders and bystanders tried to extinguish the fire, but both occupants — a man and a woman — were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Their names have not been released.

The 28-year-old Infinity driver, who struck the victims’ Subaru, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries and later into custody by Cranston Police. They have not been publicly identified at this time.

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Swansea police said they are aware that the Infinity was the subject of a police pursuit, and know the driver was wanted in connection to the Rhode Island homicide investigation. While Swansea police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect’s vehicle, however, they say they were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the deadly crash.

The crash in Swansea is under investigation by Massachusetts authorities, including state police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Meanwhile, Cranston police said they would give an update on their investigation around 1 p.m.



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RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know

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RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know


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  • Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has introduced a new package of housing legislation.
  • Highlights include allowing property owners to divide single-family lots and legalizing single-staircase, four-story apartment buildings.
  • The package also seeks to expand the Homeless Bill of Rights and streamline the creation of emergency shelters.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is once again taking aim at the regulations he says are stifling new homebuilding.

The Warwick Democrat unveiled his sixth annual suite of housing legislation on Thursday, Feb. 26, a few weeks after announcing he would not be running for governor this year.

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“We are still trying to play catch-up for all the years that Rhode Island was dead last in the country for new housing starts,” Shekarchi said. “While Rhode Island remains a relatively affordable option for people moving here from other states, our own residents are too often priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.”

The legislative text of the nine-bill housing package, and with it the specifics of how it would work, were not available for Thursday’s news conference.

But highlights of the package, according to summaries, include:

  • Infill housing. Allow property owners to divide lots in single-family zoning districts, creating multiple dwellings instead of one, provided they have water and sewer service.
  • Parking maximums. Put new limits on how much off-street parking communities require for new apartment buildings.
  • Homeless Bill of Rights. Expand the state’s Homeless Bill of Rights to require 15-day notice to the occupants of encampments before local authorities clear them.
  • Emergency shelters. Let communities build temporary shelters, such as the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence, during a state of emergency.
  • Stairs. Legalize the construction of four-story apartment buildings with a single staircase.
  • Affordable housing taxes. Overhaul the tax system for income-restricted housing covered by the state’s “8 Law.”

Is land-use reform working?

Since Shekarchi was elected speaker in 2021, the General Assembly has passed dozens of bills he backed that tweaked state land-use statutes or streamlined the process for building.

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How successful this approach has been is subject to debate.

Many local elected officials wary of development in their communities continue to rail against efforts to erode their power over construction.

Others in the growing Yes In My Back Yard movement see Rhode Island’s piecemeal approach as inadequate in comparison with the scale of the affordability problem and what other states are doing.

As evidence that his changes are making a difference, Shekarchi said Rhode Island saw a 70% increase in building permits in 2023 and a more modest increase in 2024. (Statistics for last year were not immediately available.)

Gov. Dan McKee’s 2030 plan calls for 15,000 new housing units built by that year.

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Democratic primary challenger Helena Foulkes is slated to roll out her housing plan on Monday.

It is expected to include a millionaires tax to fund affordable housing, a revolving fund and target of 20,000 new homes.

What would the new laws do?

Letting property owners put multiple homes on a plot of land is one of the most direct ways that lawmakers can encourage the construction of more homes, but it is also one of the most controversial.

That’s especially true in areas zoned for large lots and single-family homes.

How far the new bill allowing lots to be subdivided in single-family zones goes is unclear. It is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Casey, D-Woonsocket.

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Legislation setting maximum parking requirements for new developments, introduced by Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would apply to areas accessible by public transit.

Critics of off-street parking requirements say they make it harder to build new apartments and make the units that are built more expensive.

Shekarchi proposed the emergency shelter bill last year. It passed the House and died in the Senate.

It was the result of how long it took state officials to navigate Rhode Island’s building code and open the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence.

The staircase bill, sponsored by Rep. June Speakman, a Warren Democrat and chair of the House’s home affordability study commission, follows a wave of cities and states relaxing rules on how many exits are required in new construction.

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Currently, the state building code requires two stairways in buildings with more than three stories, and fire officials have opposed all efforts to change that.

Speakman’s bill would allow four-story buildings with a maximum of 16 units with a single staircase.

Supporters of single-stair buildings say they allow development of small sites that would otherwise sit vacant and allow family-sized units with more light and better ventilation.

A previous Rhode Island single-stair bill would have allowed six stories, but it died in committee.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order in mid-February to study the idea.

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