Rhode Island
Here are the latest comings and goings on the local college basketball scene
No additional entries are allowed, but there is still plenty of college basketball business left to resolve in the transfer portal.
Brown’s men, the University of Rhode Island’s men and Bryant’s men all saw noteworthy player movement over the last week. The Rams women made a coaching staff addition while bidding to contend again in the Atlantic 10 in 2024-25.
The Bears mined the Division II ranks for fresh talent while URI’s men saw four players who could have suited up in 2024-25 find homes elsewhere. The Bulldogs retained a standout and lost another to a team they upset on the road in December 2020. The Rams women brought in a replacement for Megan Shoniker, who was hired away by New Hampshire to begin her first stint as a head coach.
Here’s a more in-depth look at each development over the last week:
Brown men: Malachi Ndur, Jacob Dar
Ndur will join the William & Mary Tribe as a graduate transfer. He exhausted his eligibility with the Bears after helping them reach the Ivy Madness title game in March. Ndur closed with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in that tight defeat against Yale.
Dar will join Brown from Emory & Henry (Va.) with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He’s a 6-foot-7-inch wing who averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 28 games with the Wasps in 2023-24. Dar is a Nebraska native who will compete for a role replacing Kalu Anya, a two-year lineup staple who transferred to Saint Louis.
Rhode Island men: Ben Hammond, Connor Dubsky, Rory Stewart, Luis Kortright
Hammond committed to Virginia Tech after asking the Rams for a release from his letter of intent and reopening his recruitment. He selected the Hokies ahead of Tennessee and a host of other high-profile suitors.
More: With college basketball’s transfer portal now closed, here’s the latest RI update.
Dubsky (UNC Asheville), Stewart (Florida Gulf Coast) and Kortright (Washington) have all announced commitments after entering the portal at the close of the 2023-24 season. Kortright was the only member of that trio to play meaningful minutes for URI, averaging 10 points and collecting a team-high 117 assists.
Tyson Brown (Georgia Southern), Jeremy Foumena (High Point), Zek Montgomery (Bradley) and Brandon Weston (Tennessee State) previously announced departures from the Rams after a 12-20 season. URI has added commitments from Albany guard and Rhode Island native Sebastian Thomas, Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence and St. John’s forward Drissa Traore.
Bryant men: Rafael Pinzon, Daniel Rivera
Pinzon will return to what should be a primary role for the Bulldogs. He played in all 33 games last year and averaged 13 points despite making just four starts. Pinzon netted at least 19 points in each of his last four games and hit double figures in five of his last eight.
Rivera announced a commitment to Massachusetts and will resume what was initially a path toward the Atlantic 10. He missed all of the 2022-23 season with Saint Louis after undergoing foot surgery and will join a rival after averaging 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in a lone year with Bryant.
Rhode Island women: Ali Jaques
The Rams hired Jaques away from league rival George Washington, where she served as associate head coach in 2023-24. Jaques is a previous head coach at Siena and counts other stops at Seton Hall, Northwestern, Dayton, Furman, Sacred Heart and Rider.
“I’ve known Ali a long time and she is extremely competitive, a tireless worker and a relentless recruiter,” URI coach Tammi Reiss said in a statement. “She has had success as both an assistant coach and as a head coach, and her experience will be invaluable to our program.”
Jaques coached in a Sweet 16 with the Wildcats and the title game of the WBI with the Saints in 2014-15. She was a standout basketball and soccer player at New York University in the late 1990s, including a Division III national championship with the Violets on the hardwood in 1996-97.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
Rhode Island
RI Lottery Powerball, Numbers Midday winning numbers for May 9, 2026
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 9, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 9 drawing
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from May 9 drawing
Midday: 0-8-9-5
Evening: 0-9-4-7
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from May 9 drawing
08-13-24-27-34, Extra: 32
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 9 drawing
08-11-17-29-49, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life 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 Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 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.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 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
Proposed tax hike would hurt small businesses and our communities | Opinion
RI House speaker answers why RI won’t ‘pause’ millionaires tax push
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi fielded a question on whether lawmakers might pause efforts to pass a millionaires tax.
Rhode Island is built on the strength of small, family-owned businesses. They are the backbone of our economy, the employers of our neighbors, and the reason our communities have character and opportunity. I know this not just as a legislator, but as someone who works every day in a family business alongside the people I care about most. That’s why I am concerned about the impact of the proposed “millionaires tax” on businesses and our communities.
While it may sound like a measure aimed at a narrow group of high earners, the reality is far different. Many family-owned businesses – especially those structured as pass-through entities – report their business income on personal tax returns. That means this tax doesn’t just target “millionaires” in the traditional sense; it directly impacts small and mid-sized businesses that reinvest their earnings into payroll, equipment, expansion and employee benefits.
In my case, our family business is a private ambulance service. Every day, we are responsible for delivering critical care to Rhode Islanders, particularly seniors and our most medically fragile neighbors. That responsibility comes with significant costs. Ambulances, lifesaving medical equipment, and the technology needed to support our crews are expensive, and they must be maintained and updated regularly to meet the highest standards of care.
Tax increases like this directly impact our ability to make those investments. These are not abstract tradeoffs – they have real consequences for the level of care we can provide. For businesses like mine, margins matter. Every dollar that goes out the door in taxes is a dollar that can’t be used to hire another worker, increase wages, buy new equipment or sponsor the local Little League team. These are real decisions that affect real people.
Supporters of this proposal often frame it as a fairness issue. But fairness should also mean recognizing the role that employers play in creating opportunity. When government makes it more expensive to operate a business in Rhode Island, we risk pushing investment – and jobs – elsewhere. Policies like this don’t exist in a vacuum; they shape decisions about where businesses grow and where families choose to put down roots.
We don’t have to guess what would happen if we raised taxes here – we can just look to Massachusetts. They passed a millionaires tax and the latest data shows a steady stream of high earners leaving for lower-tax states like New Hampshire and, you guessed it, Rhode Island. We could take advantage of Massachusetts’ mistake and build on the momentum we have built in recent years. We’ve seen the benefits of thoughtful policy decisions that encourage investment and support job creation and tax revenues are up. But progress is fragile. Policies like the millionaires tax risk undoing that work by sending the message that success will be penalized rather than encouraged.
As both a business owner and a legislator, I believe strongly that we can – and must – strike a better balance.
We can support public services, invest in our communities, and maintain fiscal responsibility without resorting to policies that put our local businesses at a disadvantage. We can grow our economy by creating an environment where businesses want to stay, expand and hire.
Let’s focus on solutions that strengthen our economy, support our workforce, and ensure that family-owned businesses like mine and so many others across our state continue to thrive.
Rhode Island’s future depends on it.
Jacquelyn Baginski is a state representative from Cranston.
Rhode Island
RI Lottery Mega Millions, Numbers Midday winning numbers for May 8, 2026
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from May 8 drawing
Midday: 9-8-9-7
Evening: 7-9-8-9
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from May 8 drawing
10-13-15-16-30, Extra: 09
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life 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 Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 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.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 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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