Rhode Island

GoLocalProv | News | On Federal Hill Mobsters Used to Kill Mobsters, Now Tourists Get Shot

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1 year ago

August 24, 2023

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GoLocalProv | News | On Federal Hill Mobsters Used to Kill Mobsters, Now Tourists Get Shot

Thursday, August 24, 2023

GoLocalProv News Team

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Raymond Patriarca outside Superior Court building. IMAGE: RI Historical Society. ENLARGE TO WATCH

For about 40 years, Federal Hill was virtually crime-free for “civilians.” From the 1940s through to the 1980s, the “Hill” was under the control of Raymond Patriarca, the head of organized crime in New England

Yes, there were random mob hits from time to time, but the neighborhood was for decades a close-knit, overwhelmingly Italian-American neighborhood under the control of La Cosa Nostra.

Now, Federal Hill is one of Providence’s crime hotbeds and a black eye for the tourism industry.

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On Wednesday, GoLocal broadcast a video of a robbery of a couple who had come to Providence for a night out on “The Hill.”

The video shows the couple who had finished their evening on Atwells Avenue and were walking back to their Bentley bearing Florida plates when they were approached by a man demanding their valuables.

The suspect shot the male driver once before he had time to turn over personal possessions, including a Rolex watch.

The victim was taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment of the gunshot wound.

It was one of the recent violent crimes to hit visitors to Federal Hill.

As GoLocal had reported in July, two men from Massachusetts reported being robbed of their Rolex watches at gunpoint on Federal Hill.

Sadly, these are just some of the latest violent episodes — there were high-profile murders tied to the clubs on Federal Hill.

In 2019 a man was stabbed to death at Nara Lounge, also in 2019, a man was beaten and stabbed to death by a group.

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October Columbus Day celebration draws tens of thousands PHOTO: File

Tale of Two Neighborhoods

State Representative and Chief Justice of the Providence Municipal Court John Lombardi tells GoLocal, “It is the tale of two neighborhoods. From morning until about 9 PM or 10 PM is pretty safe, but after that the neighborhood has its challenges.”

Lombardi grew up on Federal Hill and represented the area on the City Council.

City Council President Rachel Miller said more needs to be done to make the area safe. In July of 2020, Uprise RI reported that Miller was one of six members of the Providence City Council who supported defunding the Providence Police and refused to support the budget that year. “Councilmembers Kat Kerwin (Ward 12) and Rachel Miller (Ward 13) also confirmed that they will not vote for a budget that does not reallocate money from the police,” reported Uprise RI. Kerwin had a stressed relationship with the police. SEE VIDEO

Kerwin did not run for reelection in 2022.

Miller, in an interview with GoLocal on Wednesday, said it is critical to remove guns from Providence Streets. “Any amount of gun violence is unacceptable,” said Miller.

She said her early position on police funding is neither a factor in the crime on Federal Hill nor how the police respond.

“I have a great relationship with police leadership and Chief [Oscar] Perez. I don’t have concerns about the policing and their reaction to headlines of a few years ago,” said Miller.

However, Providence faces a significant police staffing issue.

Years of inaction to properly staff the police force under then-Mayor Jorge Elorza and Providence City Council President Sabina Matos allowed police staffing to plummet.

Today, the police staffing has dropped from a fully staffed 505 officers to under 419 — increasing callbacks, overtime, and stress to department personnel.

Miller said the city needs to be constantly recruiting for new recruitment classes.

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Raymond Partriaca inside the Coin-o-Matic on Atwells Avenue PHOTO: GoLocal File

Federal Hill of Years Gone By

“It is no secret that organized crime was prevalent in Rhode Island, and when Ray Patriarca was the boss he ran all of all New England from his chair outside of ‘The Office’ on Atwells Avenue,” said former State Police Superintendent Col. Brendan Doherty in an interview with GoLocal in 2014.

Doherty served for 24 years in the Rhode Island State Police Intelligence Unit, focusing on organized crime in the 80s and 90s.

“Back then, in the 60s and 70s, there was, shall we say, an ‘arrangement’ between the police and organized crime. And it was an unspoken arrangement. The mafia was expected to keep the lid on [violence pouring out onto the streets]. To keep violence out of their places of business, restaurants on Federal Hill would pay tribute to Patriarca for ‘protection,’ said Providence City the late City Archivist Paul Campbell.

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Hit on mobster Rudolph Marfeo PHOTO: Providence Police/GoLocal FILE

Lombardi said the safety of the neighborhood was more complicated than the control of the mob. “It was a stable neighborhood. U.S. Senator John Pastore lived in the neighborhood,” said Lombardi.

Today, Rhode Island’s two U.S. Senators live in multimillion-dollar homes in affluent coastal communities far from the urban corridor — Jack Reed lives in Jamestown and Sheldon Whitehouse in Newport.

“There is a perception that things were less violent on Federal Hill during the Raymond Patriarca era but I disagree since it is only the NATURE of the violence that has changed,” argues former Attorney General Arlene Violet.

To see a brief chronological history of the history of violence on Federal Hill — from the 19th century through the 1990s — check out the slides below.

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Murder of Waterman Irons

1888: Murder of Waterman Irons by Dennis “Spiker” Murphy and “Pete” Hackett

In 1888, an 82 year old leather merchant named Waterman Irons was murdered by Dennis “Spiker” Murphy and “Pete” Hackett. According to a Providence Evening News article from April 27, 1912 Irons’ murder:

“..took place at the man’s little shop on High Street, now Westminster Street and Dean Street.” [1]

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Ethnic Tensions on Rise

Late 19th Century: Tensions Rise Between Irish & Italian Immigrants

Federal Hill was initially settled by English immigrants. Irish immigrants began settling on the Hill during the 1830s and Italian immigrants followed suit later in the 19th century. By the 1880s tensions between the more established Irish and the new Italian arrivals began to erupt on Federal Hill resulting in acts of violence like the “stab and shoot” referenced in the accompanying photo.

Photo Courtesy of Providence City Archives

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Macaroni Riots

1914: The Macaroni Riots

The Macaroni Riots of 1914 began when a local wholesaler on Federal Hill, Frank P. Ventrone raised the price of macaroni by 50 percent. A monthlong series of labor unreset and riots ensued on the Hill. As Tony Marrocco(“Monaleek”) wrote at that time in the Italian Echo:

“It was Sunday afternoon when about 12 immigrants held a rally in Olneyville Square and then marched to Federal Hill. They proceeded to Ventrone’s Grocery on Atwells Avenue to protest the rise in the price of macaroni. They smashed windows and stole cheese, macaroni, salami, capacollo and most anything in sight. Twenty mounted police put a stop to the riot in two hours. The riot made a point and the price of macaroni returned to its pre riot price.” http://www.italianamericanwriter.com/?p=2672″>Source

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Frank P. Ventrone

Frank P. Ventrone: The “Macaroni King” of Federal Hill

Federal Hill shopkeeper Frank P. Ventrone’s wholesale shop was boarded up during the Macaroni riots.

According to Providence City Archivist Paul Campbell:

“At the end of it Ventrone agreed to lower his prices, and things quieted down around the World War I period when the Providence Police Department started to bring in Italian speaking police officers.”

Photo Courtesy of Providence City Archives

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“Daddy” Black Murder

1932: Murder of Arthur “Daddy” Black

From Providence Police Department [Campbell, P., Glancy, J., Pearson, G.(2014), Arcadia Publishing]

“The Jazz Age in Providence produced many great personalities, but none greater than Arthur”Daddy” Black who, during the 1920s, was kingpin of an illegal numbers pool that offered local blacks the long-shot opportunity to win big. A 20-year Navy veteran who was cited twice foil bravery during World War I, Daddy Black’s investments included sponsorship of black and white professional baseball and basketball teams. His entrepreneurial skills earned him the accolade “Providence’s Richest Negro,” but his success in the numbers racket earned the attention of a new generation of violent gangsters. On September 24,1932, Black was shot to death in his office on 160 Cranston Street by a group of black assassins working under the direction of Italian mobsters. An estimated 3,000 mourners attended his funeral.”

Photo Courtesy of Providence Police Archives

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Raymond Patriarca

1954: Raymond Patriarca Becomes Mob Boss

Excerpt from Rhode Island Monthly Federal Hill Timeline

1954 Organized crime boss Philip Buccola flees New England for Sicily, leaving Raymond Patriarca in control. Patriarca becomes a notoriously ruthless mob overlord and is ultimately arrested twenty-eight times.

Source

Photo Courtesy of Providence Police Archives

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Tiger Balletto Murder

1955: Mob Hit on George “Tiger” Balleto at Bella Napoli Cafe

From Providence Police Department [Campbell, P., Glancy, J., Pearson, G.(2014), Arcadia Publishing]

“A victim of a period of mob violence in the 1950s in Providence under the consolidated power of crime boss Raymond Patriarca, George “Tiger” Balletto was shot in the back several times on the night of August 10, 1955 while drinking an orangeade and vodka at the end of the bar at Bella Napoli Cafe on 93 Atwells Avenue. Police reported that a dozen witnesses of the shooting “had been sticken with total loss of memory.”

Photo Courtesy of Providence City Archives

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Marfeo & Malei Murder

1968: Mob Hit on Rudolph Marfeo and Anthony Melei inside Pocasset Avenue Grocery Store

Marfeo and Melei were gunned down inside grocery store on Pocasset Avenue on April 20, 1968.

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RI v. Raymond Patriarca

1973: State v. Raymond Patriarca

Excerpt from STATE v. Raymond L.S. PATRIARCA. No. 1566-Ex. &c. Supreme Court of Rhode Island. July 20, 1973:

“It appears that at about 2:30 on the afternoon of Saturday, April 20, 1968, Rudolph Marfeo and Anthony Melei were shot to death while shopping in a market on Pocasset Avenue in the city of Providence. Apparently, it was Marfeo’s custom to shop for groceries in that market on Saturday afternoons, and while he and Melei were in the market two masked gunmen entered and shot them both.

Thereafter, on June 2, 1969, as a result of these homicides three indictments were returned by the grand jury. Indictment No. 69-769 charged the appellant here, Raymond L.S. Patriarca, with conspiring to murder Rudolph Marfeo. Others named in that indictment were Maurice R. Lerner, Robert E. Fairbrothers, John Rossi, and Rudolpho G. Sciarra. In Indictment No. 69-767 the appellant here and Sciarra were charged with being accessories to the murder of Marfeo, while Lerner, Fairbrothers, and Rossi were charged with the murder of Marfeo. In Indictment No. 69-768 the appellant here and Sciarra were charged with being accessories to the murder of Anthony Melei, while Lerner, Fairbrothers, and Rossi were charged with Melei’s murder.”

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Dickie Callei Murder

1975: Mob Hit on Dickie Callei at the Acorn Social Club

From a Providence Journal article on March 15, 1975.

“Police say Callei was killed sometime overnight and his body driven into the woods and buried between 1:30 and 6:30 yesterday morning. Rehoboth Police Chief Raymond McKearney said snow lined the bottom of the grave, leading police to conclude that the grave might have been dug hours or even days before Callei was buried in it. Police said Callei was clad in a blood-soaked white shirt and green tie and buckskin shoes. A green and white sports coat was buried beside him. He was wearing a watch and two rings with initials on them.

Chief McKearney said it appeared from the marks and blood stains in the snow that he was dragged from the car by more than two persons, but wouldn’t say how. There were blood stains between the tire marks at the end of the trail, indicating the body probably was taken from a car trunk. Chief McKearney called the slaying “brutal” and said it appeared to be a gangland killing. Dr. Shamey said Callei suffered three skull fractures caused by blunt instruments, stab wounds in the face, chest and abdomen and several bullet wounds in the back, the bullets going through the heart and lungs. He said shots were fired from close range.”

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Joe “Onions” Murder

1978: Mob Hit on Joe “Onions” Scanlon at Andrew Merola’s night club.

From the New York Times (In Rhode Island, an Old Mobster Lets Go of a Long-Kept Secret, 21 December 2008)

Thirty years ago, organized crime in Rhode Island was still like a rogue public utility. Raymond L. S. Patriarca, the old man with bullet tips for eyes, still ran the New England rackets from a squat building on Federal Hill. And men, from the merely dishonest to the profoundly psychopathic, still followed his rules.

Among them was Nicky Pari, who supposedly declined the honor to join the Mafia because he preferred the freelance life. If not made, he was known, in part because he had done time for helping a Patriarca lieutenant hijack a truck with a $50,000 load of dresses.

In April 1978, he and another freelancer, Andrew Merola, decided to address the delicate matter of a police informant within their ranks, a droopy-eyed young man from Hartford named Joseph Scanlon. The theories behind his nickname, “Joe Onions,” are that he made the girls cry or, more prosaically, that his surname sounded like scallion.

One morning Mr. Pari lured Mr. Scanlon and his girlfriend, who was holding their infant daughter, into Mr. Merola’s social club, in a Federal Hill building now long gone. Mr. Pari struck Mr. Scanlon in the face. Then Mr. Merola fired a bullet that shot through the man’s head and caught the tip of one of Mr. Pari’s fingers.

The girlfriend was ordered to leave the room. When she came back, her child’s father was wrapped in plastic near the door, his jewelry gone, his boots placed beside his body. A package, awaiting delivery.

The girlfriend, once described as a “stand-up girl” who wouldn’t talk, did, and the two men were convicted of murder in a case lacking a central piece of evidence: the body. They successfully appealed their convictions, but in 1982 they pleaded no contest to reduced charges in a deal that required them to say where the body was.

Dumped in Narragansett Bay, they said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/us/22land.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0″>Source

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“Bobo” Marrapese

1987: “Bobo” Marrapese Charged With Slaying Callei 12 Years After Murder

According to a March 13, 2005 Sun Chronicle article:

“Frank L. “Bobo” Marrapese, who reputedly ran gambling and loan sharking operations in Providence, was charged with Callei’s slaying 12 years after the murder. Despite the age of the evidence, a 29-year-old Rhode Island prosecutor named Michael Burns was able to convince a jury that Marrapese had stabbed, bludgeoned and shot Callei in Providence’s Acorn Social Club.”

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Keven Hanrahan Murder

1992: Mob Hit on Kevin Hanrahan Under the Arch on Atwells Avenue

Allan May writes:

“On September 18, 1992, after having dinner with Buehne, Paulie Calenda, a millionaire businessman and mob associate, and others, Hanrahan went to a North Providence bar called The Arch, where he told several people he was expecting a “big score.” After leaving the restaurant Hanrahan was walking down Atwells Avenue when two men confronted him. One pulled a .38 and fired three bullets into his face ending the life of the Irish tough guy.”

Monday: RISP Surveillance – Federal Hill Toscan Social Club’s Visitors Include State House Insiders
Angelo’s on Federal Hill Unveils New Dishes — and Drinks — For Summer
Loaded Gun Seized on Federal Hill by Providence Police
Federal Hill’s Toscan Social Club: A Hub for Crime and State House Insiders, According to RISP
New Restaurant Opens on Federal Hill — Featuring Breakfast and Brunch
Shots Fired Outside Club on Atwells Ave on Federal Hill – Incident Results in 72-Hour Closure
Old Canteen – Federal Hill Icon – For Sale: Hosted Mobsters, Hollywood Stars & 1,000s of Engagements
Massachusetts Seafood Chain Slated to Open in Former Siena Location on Federal Hill
From the ICU to Now Growing His Federal Hill Restaurant — An Inspirational Story of Recovery
Speed Humps Have Arrived on Atwells Avenue on Federal Hill
Road Rage on Federal Hill: Man Says Gun Pointed at Him on Atwells Avenue
Juvenile Driving Stolen Car on Federal Hill Crashes Into Police Cruisers, Parked Cars
Pedestrian Hit on Federal Hill, Hospitalized With Severe Injuries
Investigation: Search for Stolen $500K From Federal Hill Bank Goes Statewide
Victims Robbed at Gunpoint After Dinner on Federal Hill – Say Rolexes Valued at Over $100,000 Stolen
Man Shot as Couple Robbed on Federal Hill in Providence
Possible Connection Between Recent Armed Robberies of Rolexes on Federal Hill, Say Police
Providence Police: Two Arrested in $500,000 Federal Hill Bank Heist UPDATED
FBI Now on Federal Hill: Bank Heist Reported to Be Close to $500K
“Large Amount of Cash” Stolen in Bank Heist on Federal Hill
Man Shot on Federal Hill in Providence
Actress & Jeopardy Host Mayim Bialik Calls Federal Hill’s Old Canteen “Best Italian Food” Ever
40-50 People Involved in Brawl on Atwells Avenue on Federal Hill — Multiple Arrests Made
A New Restaurant and Lounge is Coming to Federal Hill
VIDEO: Robbery and Shooting of Couple in Bentley on Federal Hill
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 55 Col. Stone Protecting a Source
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 54
PHOTOS: Patriarca’s Crime Family
PHOTOS: Murders Tied to Patriarca Family (Warning Graphic)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 56 (Quonset Robbery)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 53, Informant Wanted $140,000 Payment
Cheat Sheet 52, FBI Files: Federal Courts Battle Over Indictments of Coia and Patriarca
Cheat Sheet 50, FBI Files: Winter Hill Gang, Bonded Vault, Bevilacqua’s Relationship with Patriarca
Cheat Sheet 51, FBI Files: Indictment of Patriarca, Coia, & Other Laborers International
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 51 (Patriarca Is Too Sick to Stand Trial)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – The Battle Between the Feds and Coia, Laborers, and Patriarca
Cheat Sheet 56, FBI Files: Raymond Patriarca Dies
Cheat Sheet 57, FBI Files: Did Patriarca Run Laborers’ International
Curious Case of Patriarca Crime Family and American Nazi Party – Both Led By Providence Men
25 Interesting Americans Tied to Raymond Patriarca
What Do FBI’s Files on Ray Patriarca Tell Us About the Bonded Vault Robbery
Was Federal Hill Safer When Raymond Patriarca Was in Charge?
Bates, DePetro, and Patriarca Are Just Some of RI’s Biggest Media Controversies
A Key Player in the Patriarca Era Retires – Vespia Steps Down
Cheat Sheet 61, FBI Files: Coia Called Patriarca a “Saint,” RI Country Club & Breeding Rottweilers
Cheat Sheet 58, FBI Files: Patriarca and Coia, the Massive Effort to Prosecute
Cheat Sheet 59, FBI Files: Coia’s Relationship with Patriarca, FBI and the Clintons
Old School Patriarca Boss “Cadillac Frank” Salemme Dies in Prison
Cheat Sheet 42 The Patriarca Papers – Nazis, Negroes and Buying a Chevy Dealership
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 41 (The Mafia Rules About Bombings)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 42 (Nazis, “Negroes” and La Cosa Nostra)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 43 (Patriarca on Blacks, Jews and Education)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 44 (Hoover’s Memo to Attorney General on Patriarca)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 40: Funneling Money to the MA Governor’s Race
Cheat Sheet 39 – The Patriarca Papers (Patriarca’s Ongoing Hatred for Robert Kennedy)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 37, Did Patriarca’s Organization Own The Warwick Tent?
Cheat Sheet 38 – The Patriarca Papers (Helen Patriarca Dies of Cancer, Numerous Hits Ordered)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 38: Ordering the Murder of Willie Marfeo
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 39
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 45 (How Murders Are Approved)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 46 (Secret Indictments Against Patriarca and Tameleo)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 47 (Mob Radio Ad Infuriates Raymond Patriarca)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 48 (Memo from Hoover to AG Mitchell)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 49 (Bonded Vault Robbery Okayed By Patriarca)
FBI Files – The Patriarca Papers – Entry 50 (Patriarca and Bevilacqua’s Relationship)
Cheat Sheet 53, FBI Files: Key Witness is Killed
Cheat Sheet 48, FBI Files: Patriarca Asks to Appear on CBS News with Cronkite
Cheat Sheet 49, FBI Files: Las Vegas Casinos, RI Corruption, Callei Murder, Bonded Vault
Cheat Sheet 54, FBI Files: FBI Track Alleged Bribes to NJ Governor Brendan Byrne
Cheat Sheet 60, FBI Files: Is Coia Son Like Father?
Cheat Sheet 55, FBI Files: FBI Source is Marked for Death, Col. Stone and Maj. Benjamin
Cheat Sheet 62, FBI Files: Good Eating and Betting at the Chalet Restaurant

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island man accused of asking teenager for directions while completely naked

Published

1 hour ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Rhode Island man accused of asking teenager for directions while completely naked

North Kingstown, R.I. – A Rhode Island man is facing a disturbing charge.

According to police, on Friday at approximately 4:00 p.m., the North Kingstown Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting an incident of indecent exposure. The caller, a 17-year-old, reported that a male subject drove up her on Prospect Avenue, asking for directions to the North Kingstown High School while completely naked. The suspect was driving a silver Subaru, registered in New Hampshire. The vehicle was last seen traveling towards Fairway Drive.

Officers immediately responded to the area from different directions to contain the vehicle and investigate the report. The vehicle was located and stopped on Lantern Lane. The driver/sole occupant was identified as David C. Palmer of East Providence. After further investigation, Palmer was taken into custody and charged with Disorderly Conduct – Indecent Exposure.

Palmer was later arraigned at the station before a Justice of the Peace and released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bail. He is scheduled for formal arraignment at the 3rd Division District Court on December 6th.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island FC falls 3-0 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in USL Championship final – What's Up Newp

Published

10 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Rhode Island FC falls 3-0 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in USL Championship final – What's Up Newp

Rhode Island FC’s historic inaugural season came to an end in the USL Championship Final on Saturday when it fell 3-0 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field. Becoming the first Eastern Conference team in league history to advance to the final match in its first season, the Ocean State club will return to Rhode Island proud after making the farthest run by an expansion side in eight years.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC had a golden chance to take the lead less than a minute into the match when Yosuke Hanya was on the receiving end of a central pass as he cut behind the Rhode Island FC defense. Sprinting into a one-on-one opportunity with Koke Vegas, the midfielder dragged his shot just wide of the right post.

Holding just 30 percent of possession throughout the first 15 minutes, RIFC got its first real chance of the match when it won a dangerous free kick at the corner of the 18-yard-box in the 14th minute. JJ Williams stepped up to take the free kick, and curled it narrowly over the bar as the match stayed scoreless.

Colorado Springs eventually broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when Hanya broke free on the right wing, sending a cross into the six-yard box for Juan Tejada. Making a run into the open space, Tejada side-footed the ball into the back of the net from close range to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

In the 42nd minute, Colorado Springs doubled its lead with a powerful strike from the top of the box. It happened when Jairo Henriquez tore down the left flank, cut inside and took a shot that was blocked by RIFC. Unfortunately for the Ocean State club, the rebound fell kindly to Haneriquez, who made no mistake on his second effort and picked out the top-left corner to make it 2-0.

The Switchbacks nearly took complete control with a third goal in first-half stoppage time when Quenzi Huerman unleashed yet another shot from distance, but Vegas punched the effort over the bar and took care of the resulting corner to keep the match 2-0 at the break.

Nine minutes into the second half, RIFC nearly cut the deficit in half when Clay Holstad connected on a corner kick from the top of the box. Instead, Colorado Springs blocked the shot and quickly broke out on the counter-attack, where Roaldo Damus finished with a low, one-on-one effort to make it 3-0.

RIFC came within inches of getting one back in the 64th minute when Frank Nodarse headed a corner towards the bottom-right corner, but Colorado Springs goalkeeper Christian Herrera produced a sharp diving save to deny the Ocean State club. Minutes later, Jack Panayotou forced another save out of Herrera, and Morris Duggan couldn’t keep the close-range rebound on frame.

The opportunities were as close as RIFC could get to finding the back of the net in the match as the USL Championship Final ended 3-0.

After the match, the visitors walked over to thank the over 400 Rhode Island FC faithful who made the trip out west. The fanbase’s incredible support during the record-breaking inaugural season fueled the team to a memorable finish. The Ocean club will now look forward to its launch of season two from The Stadium at Tidewater Landing in downtown Pawtucket.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

COS – Juan Tejada (Youke Hanya), 22nd minute: Tejada connects with Hanya’s right-wing cross from inside the six-yard box. COS 1, RI 0

COS – Jairo Henriquez, 42nd minute: Henriquez picks out the top-left corner with a powerful strike from the top of the 18-yard box. COS 2, RI 0

COS – Ronaldo Damus (Matt Real), 53rd minute: Damus finishes a one-on-one counter-attack with a low finish into the bottom corner. COS 3, RI 0

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Saturday’s match was the first-ever USL Championship Final to air nationally on network television (CBS).
The opening goal for Colorado Springs in the 22nd minute marked the first time RIFC trailed during the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs.
The 2-0 halftime deficit marked the first time RIFC has trailed by multiple goals at halftime since April 26.
RIFC will return to the Ocean State after making the furthest playoff run by any Eastern Conference expansion team in league history, and becoming the first expansion club in eight years to advance to the final.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Clay Holstad

Match stats and information available here.

Ryan Belmore is the Owner and Publisher of What’sUpNewp, an award-winning local news website he has been involved with since shortly after its launch in 2012. Under his leadership, What’sUpNewp was named Best Local News Blog in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly readers in 2018, 2019, and 2020, and has been awarded several grants and awards from national news organizations.

A native Rhode Islander, Ryan spent 38 years living in the state and made Newport his home for over a decade. In 2021, he moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to support his wife’s career in Washington D.C., but continues to travel to Newport every month, overseeing What’sUpNewp’s team of 12+ on-the-ground contributors and ensuring it remains a trusted local news source.

Ryan has served on the boards of several prominent local organizations, including the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County, Fort Adams Trust, Lucy’s Hearth, and Potter League for Animals. An award-winning journalist and editor, he continues to build What’sUpNewp as a nonpartisan, independent news outlet that adheres to the highest ethical standards, including those of the Society of Professional Journalists, Online News Association, and Local Independent Online News Publishers.

Contact Ryan at ryan@whatsupnewp.com or 401-662-1653.

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Rhode Island

An appreciation of Joe Biden; RI’s underpaid doctors | Letters

Published

18 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

An appreciation of Joe Biden; RI’s underpaid doctors | Letters

Thank you, Joe Biden

Trump has learned that if he tells lies often enough and loudly enough, they will be believed. He keeps repeating that Joe Biden has been a terrible president.

In fact, President Biden has accomplished much. He tackled the COVID crisis by helping hospitals get supplies, getting COVID vaccines distributed, making free testing kits available, sending checks to all Americans, and helping people return to work and students return to school.

He revitalized the U.S. participation in NATO and supported Ukraine vs. Putin.

He recognized climate change and rejoined the rest of the world in battling its effects.

He appointed the first Black female Supreme Court justice.

He initiated projects to improve the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

He oversaw the U.S. economy’s rebound from the pandemic.

The list goes on.

But, best of all, he stopped the daily flow of lies that had been streaming from the White House.

Cindy Kaplan, West Warwick

Better compensation for doctors

What is happening to the health-care system in America? The quality of care seems to be diminishing. One of the reasons is the abysmally poor salaries we pay to our medical residents and fellows, doctors who have already spent years in medical school and are now honing their skills in hospitals throughout the country.

The problem is especially acute in Rhode Island where these young doctors are paid an average of less than $70,000 per year at our hospitals (“Resident doctors make union bid,” News, Nov. 21).

How can these doctors’ patients and hospital management expect them to excel while trying to survive on such meager wages for four to seven years of residency and fellowship, especially with the high cost of housing in Rhode Island and with their average quarter-million-dollar student loan debts?

The only thing that keeps at bay the hounds who are constantly calling for the nationalization of our health-care system is that our country provides the best medical care in the world. Nationalization would destroy our system as it has done in the UK and Canada.

Poor pay and overly arduous working conditions foisted upon residents and fellows in the U.S. will lead to fewer quality doctors entering the profession. Nationalization will eventually follow.

I have opposed unions in the past, but when we pay our young doctors less than what we pay electrical and plumbing apprentices, something is terribly wrong.

If we want our citizens to continue receiving the world’s best medical care, we better start properly compensating residents and fellows and allowing them a bit of time off. Otherwise, they will enter other professions and the quality of medical care in America will deteriorate to that provided by nationalized health systems.

Lonnie Barham, Warwick

Saving RI’s forests

Many environmentalists are concerned about the upcoming administration being filled with individuals who do not take climate change seriously. While, unfortunately, these next four years will probably take us backwards in the fight against climate change, we can still protect the environment here in Rhode Island.

Currently, Rhode Island is the only state in New England with no protected forests on state-owned land. Rare and endangered species are threatened due to their habitats being destroyed by DEM and solar developers through forest clear-cutting.

By joining the Save Rhode Island’s Forests Campaign, you can help in the effort to get legislation passed to create laws to finally protect our state forests and endangered species. In Rhode Island, you can save the environment.

Nathan Cornell, Warwick

The writer is president of the Rhode Island Old Growth Tree Society.

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