Rhode Island

Celebrity real estate RI: Which famous names bought homes in Rhode Island in 2024?

Published

1 year ago

December 28, 2024

Celebrity real estate RI: Which famous names bought homes in Rhode Island in 2024?

As the birthplace of celebrities like Olivia Culpo and Debra Messing, Rhode Island is known to breed talent. But it also attracts it — Rhode Island’s real estate market is historically known for its A-list buyers.

Many big names have moved to Rhode Island over the years. Perhaps most notably, singer Taylor Swift bought a $17 million waterfront mansion in Westerly in 2013, which she later wrote the song “the last great american dynasty” about.

And of course, the state was home to a swath of rich and famous families who moved to Newport during the Gilded Age.

Here’s what to know about this year’s biggest celebrity real estate stories in Rhode Island.

Comedian Matt Rife buys 80-acre property in Rhode Island

Earlier this year, comedian Matt Rife bought an 80-acre property in Rhode Island, he said on a podcast in August.

In an interview with comedians H. Foley and Kevin Ryan on their “Are You Garbage?” podcast, Rife said he wasn’t initially considering buying a home in Rhode Island – “it wasn’t even in the top 10 states I looked at,” he said – but ended up finding a property that matched what he was looking for.

Rife said he chose the Ocean State in part due to its convenience for traveling, and also because he was looking for a home in an area near a good comedy scene.

“I got all that for probably the price of a 2 bedroom with no yard in LA,” Rife said.

Other celebrities who own homes in Rhode Island

While there weren’t any other celebrities reported to have bought homes in Rhode Island this year, several other big names already call the state home.

Here’s a list of some of the celebrities who already own homes in Rhode Island:

Taylor Swift owns a mansion dubbed “Holiday House” in Westerly’s Watch Hill neighborhood.
Christopher Walken has owned a home on Block Island since 1999.
Conan O’Brien owns a vacation home in Westerly, which his family bought in 1997.
Jay Leno has a mansion on Ocean Drive in Newport that dates back to the Gilded Age.
Judge Judy Sheindlin owns a Newport mansion dubbed “Bird House.”

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island GOP chairman Joe Powers to step down Jan. 15

Published

1 hour ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island GOP chairman Joe Powers to step down Jan. 15

Journal Staff
| Providence Journal

Rhode Island Republican Party chairman Joe Powers will resign effective Jan. 15, the party announced on Saturday, Jan. 3.

“Chairman Powers is stepping down due to the increased demands of his professional workload and an extensive travel schedule that no longer allow him to give the Chairmanship the full attention the position requires,” the party said in a news release. “The role of Chairman demands constant focus, and daily engagement especially moving into an election year, neither of which Chairman Powers can provide at this time.”

Powers a, real estate agent and unsuccessful 2022 candidate for a Cranston Senate seat, was elected to lead the state’s Republican Party in March 2023. He was reelected to a second two-year term in March.

During his tenure, Powers “oversaw meaningful organizational progress, including the successful update of the Party’s ByLaws and the full staffing of Party committees for the first time in over 20 years, establishing a strong and durable foundation heading into the next election cycle,” the GOP news release said.

Powers will remain on the GOP’s state Central Committee as chairman emeritus and will “continue to support Rhode Island Republicans in a smaller capacity,” the release said, thanking him “for his leadership and service.”

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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Lucky For Life, Numbers Midday winning numbers for Dec. 28, 2025

Published

6 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

12-17-25-34-42, Lucky Ball: 09

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

Midday: 5-2-7-6

Evening: 9-5-9-8

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

01-13-20-24-34, Extra: 16

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Rhode Island

Will RI’s housing stock improve by 2050? Claudia Wack is optimistic.

Published

7 days ago

December 28, 2025

Press Room

Will RI’s housing stock improve by 2050? Claudia Wack is optimistic.

Predicting the future isn’t easy. Back in 2000, who would have thought that by 2025 the Pawtucket Red Sox would no longer exist, or Rhode Island’s first female governor would be telling people to “knock it off” as a pandemic shut down the state?

Now, as we embark on the second quarter of the 21st century, what could Rhode Island look like in 2050? The staff at The Providence Journal asked leaders in their field for their thoughts on what Rhode Island will look like in 2050. Here’s what they had to say.

Name: Claudia Wack

Hometown: Providence

Title: President, Neighbors Welcome! RI, a housing advocacy group

What will Rhode Island look like in 2050?

“My optimistic vision is I think Rhode Island will actually do a good job, eventually over the next 25 years, of getting back to our roots and really allowing more housing and more vibrant walkable neighborhoods in village centers and city centers,” she said.

“I think we will actually infill some of the city and village centers that maybe people don’t realize the extent to which some of these areas have actually been depopulated compared to what they used to be. You know, the city of Providence has a smaller population now than it did historically.”

“There’s neighborhoods that, when you think about zoning, you couldn’t replicate today under modern zoning,” she continued. “And so to some extent, I think the 2050 vision that is possible is actually a return to our roots in some ways of allowing that infill in central areas.”

On a slightly more “pessimistic note,” Wack said that she anticipates the state having to grapple with a “managed retreat” in coastal areas that will be affected by sea level rise, erosion and increased hurricane risks.

“I think we will see less housing being built in certain coastal areas, if only because it’s going to be harder and harder to insure housing in those areas,” she said. “I think in certain communities we will see shifts in where housing is being built and seeing housing production sort of migrate away from at-risk areas and toward areas where it’s going to be more sustainable.”

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