Rhode Island
GoLocalProv | News | 5 Big Stories in Rhode Island This Week – December 2, 2023
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EXCLUSIVE: Brown University Has Received Over $11M in Funding From Palestine
Brown University has received millions in funding from sources in “Palestinian Territories,” according to a review of federal data by GoLocal.
The United States Department of Education “requires institutions of higher education that receive Federal financial assistance to disclose semiannually to the U.S. Department of Education any gifts received from and contracts with a foreign source that, alone or combined, are valued at $250,000 or more in a calendar year.”
According to the “College Foreign Gift and Contract Report” — Brown University has received $11,692,251 from sources in “Palestinian Territories” over an indeterminate amount of time.
Federal records show that the biggest gifts include separate $2,000,000 donations — including one to “support an assistant professorship at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, with preference for Security Studies.”
In addition, records show two entries from “Palestinian Territories” of $643,000 which state “the purpose of the Fund is to provide support for a Professorship in Palestinian Studies within Middle East Studies.”
The professor who those gifts supported is Beshara B Doumani, the Mahmoud Darwish Professor of Palestinian Studies at Brown. He also simultaneously has served as the President of Birzeit University from 2021 to 2023, located in the Palestinian West Bank territory. His Brown University bio does not mention his role heading the Palestinian University, but his Birzeit bio features his role at Brown.
When Doumani was named to the Presidency at Birzeit, the American conservation publication the American Spectator wrote, “Palestine’s ‘Terrorist University’ Picks Ivy League Prof as New President.”
The Birzeit University was raided in September of 2023, and eight students were arrested by Israeli Defense Forces for suspected ties to a terror plot.
The Times of Israel reported in September, “The students, from Birzeit University near Ramallah, were nabbed following an investigation into Hamas cells in Palestinian educational institutions, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet said. They were allegedly recruited by Hamas operatives in Gaza, receiving weaponry intended for the attack.”
Doumani was the featured speaker at the Brown University vigil on Tuesday — an event closed to the press.
According to the federal database, Brown reported gifts and contracts from countries including England, Spain, Thailand, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and more.
It did not report any donations from Israel to Brown.
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Rhode Island
RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 18, 2025
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 18, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 18 drawing
14-31-35-64-69, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 18 drawing
04-12-13-32-43, Lucky Ball: 17
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from Jan. 18 drawing
Midday: 7-3-2-6
Evening: 3-1-7-0
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from Jan. 18 drawing
05-14-25-29-33, Extra: 22
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.
Rhode Island
Snow and bitter cold are on the way. Here’s where to find emergency warming sites in RI
Frigid cold in Northeast, next winter storm threat
Next week the Northeast region of the U.S. will remain cold and dry. Break down the next winter storm threat from Jan. 17-20.
With snow predicted on Sunday night and frigid temperatures in the forecast for the week ahead, authorities are once again opening emergency winter hubs.
Hundreds of people are currently on the state’s shelter intake waitlist, and the lack of shelter beds combined with bitter cold has pushed homelessness to the forefront of Rhode Island politics this winter.
In Providence, the City Council and mayor’s office are organizing a temporary warming center at the DaVinci Center at 470 Charles St., which will be open on Monday and Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The city is seeking volunteers and donations for hygiene items, blankets and snacks.
People interested in volunteering or donating supplies can fill out this form.
At the state level, the Department of Housing has activated additional overnight capacity at several warming sites. The Emergency Management Agency will update its website at riema.ri.gov with the latest details. These emergency hubs and existing drop-in shelters are open for walk-ins and do not require referrals from the Coordinated Entry System the way standard shelters do:
- West Warwick: West Warwick Civic Center, 100 Factory St. – Open Monday at 4:30 p.m. to Thursday at 10 a.m.
- Westerly: WARM Center, 56 Spruce St. – Open 24/7
- Woonsocket: 356 Clinton St. – Opens Monday at 5 p.m.
- Pawtucket: OpenDoors, 1139 Main St. – Open 24/7
- Providence: Crossroads Rhode Island, 160 Broad St. – Open 24/7
- Providence: Emmanuel House, 239 Public St. – Open 24/7
- South Kingstown (Peace Dale): Welcome House of South County, 8 North Road – Open 24/7
Rhode Island
Shekarchi for governor?; Taylor Swift house; Giovanni’s back on air: Top stories this week
The first all-female chess tournament held Saturday in East Providence.
Students Aanya Ritesh Tichkule and Nina Yang participate in RI Open Girl’s Championship at St. Mary’s Academy, Bay View
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of Jan. 12,supported by your subscriptions.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
A funny thing happened on the way to the 2026 rematch between Gov. Dan McKee and Helena Foulkes:
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi entered the chat.
Shekarchi, tacit head of the state Democratic Party and keeper of the largest campaign war chest in Rhode Island, is not publicly saying he wants to be governor. He’s also not saying that he doesn’t want to be governor.
And so when lawmakers and lobbyists returned to the State House last week for the start of this year’s General Assembly session, the most whispered-about political variable on their minds − besides Senate President Dominick Ruggerio‘s health − is whether Shekarchi might turn the 2026 field on its head.
Read this edition of Political Scene to see how the Shekarchi X factor is affecting the gubernatorial calculations.
Political Scene: How Shekarchi’s shadow looms large in the 2026 RI governor’s race
Taylor Swift’s house in Rhode Island is being renovated. See what she’s having done.
Taylor Swift is expanding her famous waterfront home in Westerly’s Watch Hill neighborhood, town records show.
According to a building permit issued by the town of Westerly last month, contractors are building an addition to Swift’s home that will include a new bedroom and bathrooms. An existing kitchen will also undergo renovations.
Recently, some eagle-eyed fans have spotted the beginning stages of construction on the property, including a crane and wood framing off the side of the house.
The home, which Swift has owned since 2013, is the subject of her 2020 song “The Last Great American Dynasty” and has been the site of many star-studded Fourth of July parties over the years.
Celebrities: Taylor Swift’s house in Rhode Island is being renovated. See what she’s having done.
Nicholas Schorsch has made a $100 million investment in restaurants in Newport. In less than a year, he’s contracted to buy or purchased the iconic Flo’s Clam Shack, the popular Brick Alley Pub and Red Parrot, the waterfront restaurant The Reef, Broadway’s Caleb & Broad and the historic Vanderbilt hotel.
The volume of purchases by his Heritage Hospitality Group has made some people uncomfortable and questioning the businessman’s motives. The local owners who’ve sold their restaurants say many people ask them why they sold to him.
With Schorsch and his hospitality group committed to adding still more restaurants, it seems fair to ask – Why is he buying so many restaurants?
How does Schorsch react to this skepticism about his intentions? And what do people who’ve done business with him say about the experience? Journal food editor Gail Ciampa has the story.
Dining: Nick Schorsch keeps expanding restaurant portfolio. Behind the scenes of Audrain’s growth.
Another iconic Thayer Street store is moving on.
The Berk family, which has run Berk’s shoes for 50 years, decided it’s time. One of Rhode Island’s renowned commercial strips has lost another mainstay.
Nevertheless, Journal columnist Mark Patinkin is pleased to report that Thayer is still going strong, with a shift toward food more so than retail outlets. Join him on a nostalgic stroll back to some of the places he loved best that are no longer with us, from IHOP to the Army/Navy Surplus.
Mark Patinkin: There’s lots to miss on an ever-changing Thayer Street, but it’s still hopping
PROVIDENCE – Longtime Rhode Island radio host Giovanni has returned to the airwaves less than a year after he signed off following a 50-year career with WPRO.
Giovanni started Monday and is hosting weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. at B101 (WWBB-FM).
“Giovanni is a Rhode Island legend,” Adam Rivers, program director for B101, said when announcing Giovanni’s addition to the iHeart Media station. “To have him back on the airwaves entertaining commuters during their ride home across Southern New England is nothing short of tremendous. We’re thrilled to have him on the B101 team.”
Media: Back ‘On Air’: Longtime radio host Giovanni heads to RI’s B101. Here’s when to listen.
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.
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