Rhode Island
Let’s change the way we look at our food scraps in Rhode Island – The Boston Globe

When you eat an apple, you can do one of two things with the core. You can put it in your garbage can and it will likely end up in Johnston, at Rhode Island’s Central Landfill. There, it will be buried among tons of other organic and non-organic waste. It will break down in the absence of oxygen to release methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 times as damaging to the climate as carbon dioxide.
Or, you can compost that apple core. Instead of filling up the landfill, it will be converted into a nutrient-rich and valuable product. Instead of contributing to climate change, it can be used to enrich your local soils.
Every day we are mostly choosing that first option here in Rhode Island. And it’s not just an apple core — we are paying millions to haul and dump thousands of pounds of food scraps in our quickly filling landfill.
Compostable material including food scraps accounts for 33 percent of the waste we dump in the landfill. If we keep doing what we’re doing, our landfill will reach capacity and be forced to close by 2046. When that happens, the price we all pay to throw out our trash will increase exponentially as we are forced to ship our waste out of state.
Our neighbors in Massachusetts have already had to go this route, at significant taxpayer cost. Rhode Islanders enjoy the lowest costs in New England to throw out our trash and we want to keep it that way. Extending the life of the landfill is the best way to keep our costs down – and investing in composting is an essential part of that.
That’s why we recently proposed new legislation that aims to fund composting and organic waste diversion programs with just a $2 per ton surcharge on the trash we send to the landfill, a strategy that is already working in 12 other states. The money generated from that small fee will go right back into our cities and towns through a grant program, funding things like compost facility builds, curbside service for residents, and organic waste diversion education.
Reducing food waste dumped in the landfill will bring down waste hauling costs on our cities and towns, and that small surcharge will quickly result in savings. Composting is an affordable, scalable solution to our waste crisis that we should be implementing in every community, and this program will put us on the right track.
In 2023, municipalities in Rhode Island spent over $23 million to landfill over 350,000 tons of waste. Imagine if we removed a third of those totals from the equation!
Cutting down on waste not only extends the life of our only landfill, it’s also good climate and economic policy. Let’s change the way we look at our food scraps. Instead of turning them into polluting garbage, let’s give them a second life enriching our soils. Let’s provide our communities with common-sense, long-term solutions that are cost effective and sustainable in every sense of the word. The action we take now will pay dividends for decades to come.
Senator Bridget Valverde, a Democrat representing parts of East Greenwich, North Kingstown and South Kingstown, and Representative Terri Cortvriend, a Democrat representing parts of Portsmouth and Middletown, are the sponsors of the Composting and Organic Waste Diversion Act (S 2753 / H 7856).

Rhode Island
Providence man arrested in connection to narcotics and firearms investigation | ABC6

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island State Police said a Providence man was arrested after police allegedly discovered multiple narcotics and a gun inside two residences on Sept. 23.
47-year-old Joel Garcia was charged with possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver one ounce to one kilogram of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while committing a controlled substance violation, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and distribution of a controlled substance in a school zone.
According to RISP, police received court-authorized search warrants for two residences in Providence in connection to a narcotics and firearms investigation.
Inside an apartment on Dresser Street, police allegedly seized 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.3 kilograms of cocaine, and 147 grams of methamphetamine.
Police also searched Garcia’s residence on Portland Street and allegedly seized one fully loaded pistol.
According to police, Garcia had allegedly used the apartment on Dresser Street to “store, package, and distribute large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.”
Garcia was arrested and charged.
RISP, Providence police, Cranston police, North Providence police, Johnston police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Rhode Island National Guard Counterdrug Program assisted in the investigation.
Rhode Island
The Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford

Millions have been mourning the death of a cinematic icon over the last week with the passing of Robert Redford at age 89.
The award-winning actor is arguably one of the most famous of all time. With over 70 films to his credit on screen and nine he directed throughout his career, Redford’s work in cinema stands out as some of the greatest.
Though only two of Redford’s movies were ever filmed in Rhode Island, the Oscar-winning actor has a deep connection with the Ocean State.
Redford’s Family Roots Near Rhode Island
Though no Redfords actually lived in Rhode Island, Robert’s family was longtime residents of Stonington, CT and several members were born in nearby Westerly, RI.
READ MORE: ‘Sopranos’ Star Officially Becomes a Rhode Island Resident
Throughout Robert Redford’s childhood there were visits to his grandparents in Stonington, where his grandfather worked as a milkman.
Presumably this time in Stonington meant crossing the state line into Westerly on more than one occasion in his youth and perhaps led to his love of the Rhode Island seaside in later years.
Filming The Great Gatsby in Newport
During his career, Redford came to Newport in the 1970s to film The Great Gatsby at the historic Rosecliff Mansion. Decades later he returned to Rhode Island with the science fiction film The Discovery and even wrote a thank you letter to Newport, praising their preservation efforts in the city.
READ MORE: HGTV Says You Need to Drive This Road in Newport
Though when he did ultimately settle in New England, Redford chose Weston, CT as his home for almost two decades. He purchased a home not too far from his close friend and fellow actor, Paul Newman.
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Rhode Island Honors Robert Redford
Rhode Island never forgot its ties to the beloved actor however. In 2002 Redford was asked to be the commencement speaker at Brown University and that same year Trinity Repertory Company awarded him a Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.
Just one of the many lifetime achievement awards Robert Redford would go on to accumulate during his illustrious career.
20 Stars Who Hail From Rhode Island
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the nation, but it has been home to many celebrities. Though some have moved here, filmed here or attended school here, only a handful were actually born here. These are those celebrities.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Academy Award and Golden Globe Winners from Massachusetts
These Massachusetts natives have taken home some of Hollywood’s top honors.
Gallery Credit: Michaela Johnson
30 Things To Do in Newport Any Time of Year
Newport has always been seen as a summer destination. Wealthy New Yorkers used to escape the city in the hotter months for this picturesque seaside spot and the label as a summer vacation destination began.
There are, however, plenty of things to do in this historic town in any season and we’ve found a few that you may want to try the next time you head to Newport.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Rhode Island
GoLocalProv | Sports | VIDEO: Providence’s Lassiter Scores 44-Yard TD in Vanderbilt’s Upset Over #11 South Carolina

Sunday, September 14, 2025
Zell Lassiter
PHOTO: Via Vanderbilt
Providence’s Jamezell Lassiter had a big play on a huge stage on Saturday when Vanderbilt football upset #11 South Carolina. SEE 7:25 MARK.
Lassiter, who played for the Edgewood Eagles and the Mount Hope Cowboys and attended the San Miguel School in Providence, smoked the Gamecocks on a 44-yard touchdown score.
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Vanderbilt won 31-7 over No. 11 South Carolina, snapping a 16-game losing streak between the two programs.
Zell Lassiter PHOTO: Vanderbilt Athletics
In 2024, GoLocal sports columnist Robert McMahon wrote about Lassiter’s journey to the top Division I program:
His athletic skills impressed his San Miguel classmates. Flag football, soccer, basketball—Jamezell could do it all. He was a natural athlete.
But the transformation of Zell, as he likes to be called, happened in the San Miguel classroom.
READ MORE HERE
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