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I read that state legislators are considering implementing a bottle deposit system in Rhode Island (“Could this be the year of a bottle bill in RI?” News, March 7) and I have real concerns about what the increased costs of this idea would do to working families and small businesses like mine.
I care about reducing litter and protecting our environment. But a bottle bill would force small businesses like mine to spend more up front and take on the administrative burdens of running this program. Small businesses are having a tough time dealing with high prices. We cannot afford to take on more costs.
I hope that lawmakers stand with small businesses, our employees and customers who need relief from higher prices and costs and will reconsider moving forward with a bottle bill. It would be better if lawmakers focus on ways to protect our environment that do not add financial burdens on business owners.
One of these ways that’s been proposed by state leaders is an Extended Producer Responsibility program that boosts recycling for all recyclables, not just bottles and cans. This modern system has been used successfully elsewhere to increase recycling rates. And the cost is covered by the producers of packaging materials, not by consumers or small businesses. I hope that leaders will consider this more cost-effective and less burdensome approach instead of adding more costs to Rhode Island’s working families and small businesses.
Reyes Galindo, Providence
A couple of things were glaringly missing from the article about the attorney general’s report on gun crime in Rhode Island (“AG releases report on gun crime in RI,” News, April 5).
First, not a single word about any arrests involving so-called ”assault weapons.” Arrests for possession of large-capacity magazines were mentioned, but nothing about arrests for possession or use of “assault weapons.” Yet, our legislators want to ban possession of these rifles by law-abiding citizens? Apparently, they want to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
Second, the AG says the report is meant to show how successful his office has been in enforcing current gun laws. If he has been so successful, why does he need additional gun laws?
Most bothersome is the AG’s statement that “hundreds if not thousands” of older gun cases are still pending, one dating back to 1978. Doesn’t this statement prove that he’s not enforcing current gun laws? Yet, he wants to add more gun laws to the books.
Unbelievable!
Lonnie Barham, Warwick
In response to the column by John J. Tassoni Jr. (“State’s cannabis profits should fund drug treatment, prevention,” Commentary, April 8), I say ditto. The chemicals in marijuana, particularly THC, can pass from the mother to the baby through the placenta during pregnancy and through breast milk after birth.
Repeated research has shown that cannibis use while pregnant or breastfeeding will lead to several complications that include lower birth weight, premature birth, and brain developmental problems for the baby.
It is crucial for all people to understand these risks and make informed decisions. It is critically important that pregnant or breastfeeding women avoid using cannabis in any form ‒ whether by smoking, vaping, edibles, or oils.
Might I suggest requiring an escrow of cannabis profits to fund the extra resources and special education services required by these newborns.
Dr. John Concannon, Cranston
Rhode Islanders should be deeply concerned about the latest efforts by DOGE to dismantle the very institutions that enrich our communities and preserve our shared history. By targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities, DOGE is threatening to substantially reduce staff, cut grant programs, and even rescind funding that has already been awarded.
The consequences of these cuts would be devastating. NEH funding supports vital programs in education, public history, libraries, and cultural institutions across Rhode Island. It helps teachers bring history to life in classrooms, sustains museums that showcase our local heritage, and funds research that deepens our understanding of the world. Without NEH support, many of these programs will disappear, leaving a void that will be difficult ‒ if not impossible ‒ to fill.
Rhode Islanders have long understood the value of the humanities in shaping our communities, fostering civic engagement, and driving economic development through arts and cultural tourism. The attack on the NEH is an attack on the very fabric of our state’s cultural and educational institutions.
We must not allow this to happen. Congress must take action to prevent these reckless cuts and protect the NEH’s critical role in supporting education and the humanities. The people of Rhode Island ‒ and the nation ‒ deserve better.
William Stark, Newport
Looking at the front page of The Journal I see the headline “Trump’s cuts have cost RI $91.6M” (News, April 2).
Well, maybe our political leaders, who are constantly voting themselves more raises, should have waited instead of tripping over themselves grabbing for more pay and more benefits! How about cutting back on the number of politicians in this state.
Yes, President Trump has a responsibility to balance the budget, not give away the house like Joe Biden. Yes, we must pull up our bootstraps and be efficient as well as cost effective in government, to clean up the Biden Hole in our nation’s bank account.
Donald Trump will be the first POTUS to balance the budget. Get some tough skin for the sake of others!
Arthur Russo, Cranston
I am a retired Air Force veteran and a lifelong Rhode Island resident. I consider myself an independent voter who believes our political leaders past and present have not always done what was best for Rhode Islanders.
If the people of Rhode Island want to spend their time protesting like in the recent “Hands Off!” rally, here are some valid and true concerns that should reflect in the chants and signs. Why do we have a higher cost for taxes, utilities, medical care, and automobile insurance in Rhode Island? Why does a small state like ours spend more dollars per resident than states that are larger in population?
No matter what political preference, we need to begin electing local and congressional politicians that are going to support policies that are best for Rhode Islanders no matter who the president happens to be.
David Zinno, Wakefield
Which ‘Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ stars want to do Season 2?
Reporter Paul Edward Parker asks cast members of the “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” if they’re up for another season of the Bravo TV show.
Paul Edward Parker
Enjoying “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” so far? Buckle up – it’s about to get even juicier.
On Friday, May 1, Bravo posted a mid-season preview to YouTube, giving fans a glimpse at the drama still to come during the franchise’s first season in the Ocean State. As expected, the season will continue to follow major developing plotlines, including the fallout from Rulla Pontarelli’s reported husband’s affair and the strained relationship between Rosie DiMare and Kelsey Swanson.
However, the trailer also hints that the season will take some unexpected twists and turns, with new arguments rising between friendly cast members and personal issues coming to a head for many of the women.
Here’s a sneak peek at the rest of Season 1 of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.”
According to the mid-season preview, the rest of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” Season 1 will include many more fights between the cast members. Swanson and DiMare’s screaming matches will continue, with the trailer showing DiMare telling Swanson “Everyone in f***ing Rhode Island knows you f*** married men.”
Surprisingly, disagreements will also rise between LizMcGraw and Alicia Carmody, as well as McGraw and Jo-Ellen Tiberi. McGraw is shown telling Tiberi to get out of her face, with Tiberi storming after her yelling “what did I do?”
Meanwhile, Ashley Iaconetti will continue to struggle under the financial and emotional burden of Audrey’s, with her and husband Jared Haibon discussing their decision to renew the lease or not. After her breakup, Swanson will have to decide if her new man is worth giving up her financial comfort, while Tiberi will finally have a tough conversation with her mother.
As for Pontarelli, it seems that Tiberi will make good on her episode five promise of finding concrete proof of Brian Pontarelli’s reported affair, with multiple housewives discussing video proof in the trailer. After Pontarelli reveals to the group that Brian was arrested for tracking her, the trailer ends with the question looming over everyone’s heads: “Rulla, what are you gonna do?”.
Want to see how all the drama unfolds? “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” will air every Sunday at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
Watch ‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ on Peacock
Episodes will be available for next-day streaming each Monday on Peacock.
Local News
Police in Rhode Island say they’ve confirmed that videos of a person walking around a town in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood were part of a hoax for social media, not the work of an organized group.
Social media videos appeared to show the person walking around West Warwick while dressed in white robes and a pointed hood. The incident happened on Main Street at around 2 a.m. Monday, according to West Warwick police.
Detectives have since learned that the event was a stunt orchestrated by two brothers “to generate attention on social media and in the news,” police said on Facebook. The perpetrators admitted their involvement to police and “provided conclusive evidence” that they were the only ones responsible for the hoax.
The individuals “explicitly denounced” affiliation with hate groups, and police said that the investigation has yielded “no evidence to suggest otherwise.” For now, the investigation has been closed.
“The West Warwick Police Department would like to thank members of the community who came forward with information,” police said. “Thorough investigations such as this often rely on community involvement, and we appreciate the public’s cooperation and assistance.”
Video captured by Ryan Fitzgerald showed the hooded figure wandering around the Arctic Gazebo before heading down the street. Fitzgerald told The Boston Globe that he thought the person was “just messing around” but noted that it was indicative of broader issues.
“There’s a lot of undisclosed racism that goes on here. I hear about it all the time,” Fitzgerald told the Globe. “So it wouldn’t be shocking to me if it wasn’t a prank, and it wasn’t a hoax, and it was really somebody that really was about that kind of life.”
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Rhode Island House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi visited Newport on April 27 as the keynote speaker at a panel discussion about the need to develop more housing on Aquidneck Island.
Shekarchi was joined by Middletown Town Administrator Shawn Brown, Raytheon government relations and site executive Tim DelGuidice, and NOAA relocation project manager Matthew Hill.
On an island where the largest employers are Naval Station Newport and the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and over 20,000 people work in defense-related jobs, the need for workforce housing is a particularly acute component of the crisis. A report published by the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce said Newport and the surrounding region need to build 6,000 to 9,000 housing units to keep up with workforce demand.
NOAA broke ground in 2024 at the future home of its Marine Operations Center-Atlantic base on a five-acre site on Naval Station Newport, and the $150 million project is scheduled to be completed in 2027. Hill said upwards of 250 federal employees and their families will be relocating to Rhode Island after their current base in Norfolk, Virginia, is closed and NOAA’s new facility at Naval Station Newport is completed.
“That provides justification for these developers to go out and secure funds,” said Hill. “You have 250 people coming here for certain, with stable incomes, so these developments can start to move forward.”
Shekarchi spoke about the adaptive reuse bill signed into law by the state legislature three years ago, which was intended to make it easier for municipalities to convert old hospitals, factories and schools into housing.
“There’s a lot of municipal land, a lot of municipal buildings that could be converted into housing, that for whatever reason has been resisted by local communities,” he said.
The Oliphant and Green End proposals voted down by the Middletown Town Council in 2024 would have been such adaptive reuse projects. Shekarchi did not explicitly mention those proposals, but he suggested the Newport Jai Alai site, which he described as “desolate” in its current state, could be ideal for mixed-use commercial and residential development.
“There is so much opposition in all of our communities,” Rep. Michelle McGaw told Newport This Week. “I don’t think people recognize that it’s their children, it’s their grandchildren, people who grew up here and want to stay here and raise their families here but cannot afford to do so.”
“We’re not only looking at people at 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI); there is a huge gap between what people are earning and what they can afford.”
Rhode Island AMI is approximately $112,000. So, a one-person household earning about $65,000, 80 precent AMI, would qualify for affordable housing.
DelGuidice said Raytheon’s workforce, especially its younger employees, would benefit from new development on the island.
“In five years, I’d love to see that we’ve closed that gap of 9,000 units, and we’ve got more of our employees able to live closer to work and not have a 45-minute or hour-long commute,” he said.
Stressing Aquidneck Island’s need for housing across all income levels, Brown highlighted Middletown’s approach of purchasing 6.2 acres of land in order to develop 36 middle-income housing units across the street from town hall. However, he said 36 planned new homes is a fraction of the island’s collective need, and he highlighted the importance of the island’s municipalities, the Navy, and private industry cooperatively maintaining and improving the island’s infrastructure in order to be able to build new housing developments.
He pointed to Middletown and Newport’s cooperative efforts on wastewater management as an example of the unseen infrastructure work necessary to maintain and expand the island’s housing supply. He cited shared island infrastructure as a critical area where state support is necessary in order to create new housing stock.
“We’re land-restricted, and we have a lot of conservation easements on Aquidneck Island, which is another challenge,” Brown said. “It is going to be these areas that are either infilled or redeveloped. That is where additional housing is going to come from, and we are going to need that wastewater management capacity in order to do a lot of these developments.”
“The speakers today were very strong on the fact that we need all kinds of housing, not just higher income or middle income,” Rep. Lauren Carson told Newport This Week following the meeting. “We really need to address the broader issues here. I have confidence that policymakers, myself, the speaker and city leaders across the island know what has to happen.”
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