Rhode Island

Does Size Matter? Every County In Wyoming Is Bigger Than Rhode Island

Published

1 month ago

February 2, 2025

Does Size Matter? Every County In Wyoming Is Bigger Than Rhode Island

Wyoming is huge, the 10th largest state in the U.S. that feels even larger by being the least populated. Then there’s Rhode Island, which has been the smallest state in the United States since the U.S. was founded.

At 48 miles wide and 37 miles long, it has a total area of 1,545 square miles, but it still has about double the population of the Cowboy State.

At 97,813 square miles, Wyoming is more than 63 times larger. Yellowstone National Park alone is bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Not only that, each of Wyoming’s 23 counties is larger than Rhode Island, one of three states that can claim this, along with Arizona and Alaska.

But who’s keeping track? Rhode Islanders certainly aren’t.

“We view our size as an advantage,” Matthew Touchette, director of Communications for Rhode Island Commerce, told Cowboy State Daily. “You can drive from the southernmost point of the state to the northernmost point in about 45 to 50 minutes. That’s a single tank of gas to see all of Rhode Island.”

Compare that to Wyoming, were it often takes more time driving from town to town, let alone from border to border.

How Many Rhode Islands?

When comparing Rhode Island to every county in Wyoming, the story’s the same: they’re all bigger. Sometimes several times bigger.

Let’s take one from the middle of the list. Campbell County is the seventh-largest county in Wyoming at 4,802 square miles. That’s just over three Rhode Islands.

Even Wyoming’s smallest county, Hot Springs County, is more than 500 square miles larger than Rhode Island. Sweetwater County, the largest in Wyoming, is nearly seven times as big.

According to the 2020 Census, 47,026 people live in Campbell County, compared to 1.1 million in Rhode Island. If the population were correlated to size, there would be 3.3 million people living in Campbell County.

There are nearly two people in Rhode Island for every one in the entire state of Wyoming and more than 23 people for every one person in Campbell County.

Rhode Island has only five counties to Wyoming’s 23. However, Rhode Island’s counties haven’t had any governmental functions since 1846, and there are no local governments on the county level.

But there’s one thing both states have in common. As of 2025, Wyoming and Rhode Island have only one area code, 307 and 401, respectively.

Size Doesn’t Matter – Proximity Does

Touchette said Rhode Islanders don’t see their small size as anything but an advantage. Their state is small but has diversity and proximity in its favor.

“We’re a coastal state, so we have oceanfront communities with ocean access,” he said. “We have major cities and quaint, historic small towns, beaches, forests and state parks. There’s something for everybody here.”

Touchette also noted that anywhere in Rhode Island is less than an hour from Boston, Massachusetts, and less than two hours from New York City. This is attractive to many large employers and employees on the East Coast.

Touchette recommends Rhode Island for anyone who doesn’t want the hustle and bustle of “the big city” but still wants to be close enough to take advantage of opportunities.

“We have a lot of the same history and infrastructure as those big cities without all the traffic and craziness,” he said. “I don’t view our size as a disadvantage by any means.”

County Comparison

Wyoming’s more than a bit more spread out.

Gillette in Campbell County is two hours from Rapid City, South Dakota, three hours from Billings, Montana, and nearly four hours from Cheyenne. That’s not bad, considering the vastness of the Cowboy State.

A Campbell County Sheriff’s deputy couldn’t drive across Wyoming on a single tank of gas. They must top their tanks daily to ensure they complete their patrols without running out.

And those patrols have the agency covering an area the size of three Rhode Islands, meaning they cover triple the territory of their East Coast counterparts.

“Most of our officers fill up every single day when they go on shift and get off shift,” said Campbell County Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds. “We try not to let our vehicles get below half because we’ve had officers run out of fuel on high-speed chases.”

While Rhode Island has five counties, Campbell County has five districts that its deputies patrol. The mileage varies from officer to officer, but there’s a lot of ground to cover.

“We’ve got some mountainous terrain and a lot of flat areas, too,” he said. “We’re not as varied as other counties in our great state, but we’ve got a little bit of everything.”

Compared to Rhode Island, Campbell County might seem like another planet. Reynolds tries to wrap his head around how 1.1 million people fit in a state that’s three times smaller than his entire county.

“We’re the third-most populated county in Wyoming, and you still might only meet one or two vehicles in a 30-minute drive,” he said. “That’s a long way from backup when and where you need it.”

More People, More Problems

Rhode Island gets mocked for its size, while Wyoming gets mocked for its emptiness (and theoretically not existing). But there’s another piece of common ground between the vastly differently states — size is precisely what makes them the perfect places to call home.

“We’re very fortunate in Campbell County,” Reynolds said. “We have a great community, the commissioners ensure we have good vehicles and equipment, and our pay is comparable to other departments. I think many Wyoming communities and sheriff departments feel the same way.”

Rhode Islanders might enjoy being close enough to the big city action while staying close enough to step in as they’d like. Wyomingites are far from everything, which is how Reynolds and many others like it.

“More people, more problems,” Reynolds said. “That’s how we look at it. You get a little excitement, but you don’t get daily adrenaline dumps or feel like your life is in danger on a daily basis. There’s just enough people and plenty of space.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.

Source link

Rhode Island

RI Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life winning numbers for March 11, 2025

Published

6 hours ago

March 12, 2025

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at March 11, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 11 drawing

01-19-26-38-69, Mega Ball: 15, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from March 11 drawing

02-07-17-18-28, Lucky Ball: 14

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from March 11 drawing

Midday: 5-8-2-5

Evening: 0-3-4-7

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from March 11 drawing

06-11-18-22-37, Extra: 08

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.

Source link

Rhode Island

Seven women, some from RI, may be called to testify against Nick Alahverdian in Utah. Here’s why.

Published

17 hours ago

March 11, 2025

Press Room

Seven women, some from RI, may be called to testify against Nick Alahverdian in Utah. Here’s why.

Utah prosecutors plan to call other women to testify they were assaulted by Nicholas Alahverdian
Alahverdian admitted to faking his death in 2020 and living under an assumed name in Scotland.
Alahverdian’s case has been an international sensation, spawning several podcasts and true crime documentaries.

Prosecutors in Nicholas Alahverdian’s two Utah rape cases plan to call as witnesses as many as seven other women who claim the Rhode Island con man who faked his death sexually assaulted them.

Alahverdian, 37, was convicted of groping one of the perspective witnesses in Ohio in 2008 and ordered to register as a sex offender. But he was not charged in any of the other six alleged incidents which prosecutors report happened between 2007 and 2016.

His defense lawyers argue in court documents that allowing the seven women to testify, including three who say they were attacked in Rhode Island, would unfairly prejudice the juries in both cases.

“The state seeks to introduce, among other things, seemingly every ‘bad act’ Mr. Rossi is alleged to have committed in his life,” wrote his defense lawyer Samantha Dugan in the Salt Lake City case. (Alahverdian is charged under the last name of his stepfather, Rossi.)

“Admission of most of what the state seeks to introduce would violate Mr. Rossi’s right to a fair trial,” she argued, since Utah law prevents a defendant’s previous acts from being used to establish a defendant’s character.

But prosecutors in the cases argue that such evidence can be used for other purposes, including for establishing a defendant’s modus operandi and to defend against charges that the plaintiffs in the cases fabricated the rapes.

The seven perspective witnesses report meeting Alahverdian online and within short periods of time fell victim to his sexual aggression.

Prosecutors will also talk about Alahverdian faking his death

Prosecutors say they also plan to introduce the history of how Alahverdian faked his death in 2020 and for almost four years, as his discovery in Scotland and extradition case blossomed into an international media spectacle compounded by his farcical claims, Alahverdian insisted he was someone else.

That was until last October when, in a failed attempt to win bail, he confessed to the whole charade, telling a Utah judge he had fled to the United Kingdom, not to avoid any prosecutions (the FBI was also seeking him for alleged credit card fraud) but to escape death threats from unnamed Rhode Island lawmakers, angered over his lobbying efforts to improve the state’s child welfare system.

“Not only did he fake his own death and assume various aliases, but he vehemently denied that he was Nicholas Rossi during the extradition process – when he knew that he was being returned to face this first-degree felony charge of rape,” wrote Deputy Utah County Attorney McKay Lewis.

“Defendant’s extensive scheme to lie about his identity and avoid prosecution is strong evidence of his consciousness of guilt regarding the charged crime and should therefore be admitted,” said Lewis.

Authorities say Alahverdian raped a 21-year-old Orem woman in September 2008. The two met online and had been dating for a few weeks before breaking up over his growing aggressive nature, she told police.

He raped her, police say, after luring her back to his apartment with the promise he would repay her money owed her.

Two months after the alleged Orem rape, police say he raped a 26-year-old woman in Salt Lake City. Again, the couple had met online, dated briefly and even bought wedding rings.

But after a violent argument at a shopping mall – Alahverdian threatened to call the police and report that she had hit him if she didn’t let him back in her car – the two returned to his apartment where he raped her, police say.

Several witnesses are from incidents in Rhode Island

Among the seven perspective witnesses prosecutors reported planning to call is another Utah woman who claims Alahverdian forced intercourse with her in Clearfield, Utah in 2007; two woman who say they had to fight off Alahverdian’s sexual advances in his Pawtucket apartment in 2010; and a woman who lived in Warren who told police Alahverdian forced a sexual encounter upon her.

Alahverdian’s trial in the Salt Lake City case is scheduled to start in May. The Orem case is currently scheduled to go to trial in the fall.

Contact Tom Mooney at: tmooney@providencejournal.com

Source link

Rhode Island

RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for March 10, 2025

Published

1 day ago

March 11, 2025

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at March 10, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 10 drawing

17-40-47-50-55, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from March 10 drawing

07-08-13-21-42, Lucky Ball: 08

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 2-7-6-3

Evening: 1-8-3-3

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from March 10 drawing

04-10-23-24-37, Extra: 27

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.

Source link