So Driscoll, who was on jury duty Tuesday, agreed to provide a scouting report on Harris’s vice presidential pick.

”He’s your Midwestern uncle,” Driscoll said of Walz. “There is plainspokenness to him, but dedication. He has been the real deal for a long time.”Harris clearly saw Walz as an effective communicator, he said, noting Walz went viral after describing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, as “weird.”

He said Harris must have been impressed with Walz’s “working family agenda,” which has included signing legislation to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to all students regardless of income, and legislation providing paid family and medical leave for Minnesotans.

Also, he said Harris must have seen Walz as a governing partner who has executive experience and is now chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

Republicans have criticized Walz’s handling of the 2020 protests following the police killing of George Floyd. But Driscoll said, “The governor was operating under extraordinary conditions between the pandemic and civil unrest, and he provided calm and steady leadership.”

Some had expected Harris to choose a vice president from a swing state, such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. But Driscoll noted Obama picked Joe Biden although he represented Delaware, which is far from a swing state.

While Republicans are casting Walz as far left, Driscoll said the “authentic” and “avuncular” governor will help win over Midwestern voters while combatting attempts to paint the ticket as too liberal. He said Walz never seems more at home than when he’s taking part in the opening of the fishing and hunting seasons in Minnesota.

But Driscoll joked that Walz gives off a “different vibe” than former Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun, who made headlines for shooting three racoons on his waterfront estate in Newport in 1993. “He is not going to be shooting raccoons on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion,” he said of Walz.

And that brings us back to the story of why Driscoll still uses the handle @short_pants on X (formerly Twitter).

In 2008, Driscoll was a field organizer for Obama’s Rhode Island campaign when an elderly man stopped by campaign headquarters as Driscoll was charging a woman $3 for an Obama bumper sticker. A man stepped forward, saying, “Do you know who I am?” Driscoll said, “Sorry, sir, I don’t.” “I’m Bruce Sundlun!” the man boomed. Driscoll jumped out of his seat. “Do you know why I’m here?” Sundlun asked. Driscoll said, “No, sir.” Sundlun told him, “I’m here to kick your (butt)!” Sundlun, who lived in Jamestown, said he’d counted 18 John McCain signs on Aquidneck Island and not a single Obama sign. Raymond J. Sullivan Jr., then the Obama campaign’s state director, said they didn’t have signs yet but he gave him Obama T-shirts and bumper stickers. “Are they free?” Sundlun asked. Sullivan said, “Of course, governor.””Well, (expletive) short pants here is hustling bumper stickers at $3 a pop,” Sundlun said, pointing at Driscoll, who was wearing shorts.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.

NEWPORT – Dozens of nonprofit organizations serving Newport County residents will share nearly $340,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation. The funding will support work ranging from educational programs for school children and disaster recovery preparation to food pantries and arts activities.    

“We are grateful to be able to help these organizations carry out their crucial work. We are fortunate to partner with passionate donors who make it possible for us to support nonprofits that are on the frontlines of serving the needs of their communities,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO, in a statement.   

Bike Newport, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County, the Jamestown Community Food Pantry and the St. Lucy’s Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Middletown are among the organizations that received funding through the Foundation’s Newport County Fund.  

Bike Newport received $5,000 to launch an e-bike safety training initiative. The program will train riders to safely use e-bikes. The organization expects 150-200 residents to participate in the full multi-session curriculum with on-bike training. 

“The exploding popularity of e-bikes underscores the importance for communities everywhere to take timely and effective measures to promote their safe operation. Their increasing use is easy to observe on Aquidneck Island, and indeed everywhere. E-Bikes are dependable, comfortable, and easy to use. E-Bikes are prevalent, growing ever more so, and by all indications they are here to stay,” said Bari Freeman, executive director. 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County received $3,000 to support its new Teen Dance Program, which was conceived by participants in the Club’s SMART Girls program to provide an alternative to wrestling, which is the only other organized physical activity.  

“By providing participants with a physical activity in performance art, an opportunity to develop confidence and teamwork and the experience of giving back and supporting the community by performing at community events, we keep them returning to the Club to benefit not only from this program and our other activities will help keep them on the path to success and give them a safe place to go,” said Joe Pratt, executive director and CEO. 

The Jamestown Community Food Pantry received $10,000 to support the increased costs of purchasing food and personal care and pet items. The organization provides clients with meat, fish, juice, cheese, yogurt, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to non-perishables. 

“People often think that a town like ours can’t possibly have a need for an emergency food pantry. We have witnessed the exact opposite of that. The beneficiaries of our program are those individuals and families in Jamestown who need emergency food help when their budgets are tight. Many of our clients are shut-ins, or without reliable transportation, and our services offer them what they need without having to travel across one of the bridges to get help,” said Deb Nordstrom, executive director.  

The St. Lucy’s Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Middletown received $10,000 to provide emergency financial assistance to people facing eviction, utility shut-offs, prescription drugs and clothing among other needs. Last year, the organization helped 137 households with 157 adults and 167 children. 

“In Newport County, there simply is not enough affordable housing to meet the demand. The populations in Newport County who benefit from our mission are the poor, the marginalized, children, the elderly and people who are disabled. The assistance we are able to provide varies according to circumstance and needs, but our most common outcome is keeping individuals or families sheltered in their homes with utilities,” said Judy Weston, president. 

Aquidneck Community Table in Newport, the American Red Cross, Conexion Latina Newport, East Bay Community Action Program, FabNewport, Girl Scouts of Southeast New England, the Jamestown Arts Center, the Katie Brown Educational Program, the Little Compton Community Center, Live and Learn in Jamestown, Lucy’s Hearth in Middletown, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, Meals on Wheels, Newport Contemporary Ballet, newportFILM, the Newport County YMCA, the Newport String Project, Rhode Island Black Storytellers, Rhode Island Slave History Medallions in Newport, Sail Newport, St. John’s Lodge Food Bank in Portsmouth, Turning Around Ministries in Newport and the Washington Square Services Corporation in Newport are among the nonprofits that also received grants.  

The Newport County Fund awards grants of up $10,000 to strengthen or expand established programs, to support policy or advocacy efforts on behalf of community concerns, to fund new projects that focus on significant problems or opportunities, and to leverage strategic collaborations and partnerships.   

In making the funding decisions, the Foundation worked with an advisory committee comprised of residents from every community in Newport County.  

Established in 2002, the Fund has awarded more than $6 million in grants for programs and services for residents of Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton over the years.   

It is just one of the grant programs that enable the Foundation to serve Newport County communities. Since 2022, the Foundation has awarded more than $10.9 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits.  

It’s roughly a month until the 2024-25 academic year begins and the University of Rhode Island is still filling men’s basketball scholarships. 

The Rams received a commitment on Tuesday afternoon from 2025 point guard Damone King. He’s a Louisville native who will bypass a planned prep year at Hargrave Military Academy and enroll immediately at URI this fall. 

King plans to redshirt and will debut alongside fellow 2025 backcourt commit Barrett Loer. They’ll serve as reinforcements at the outset of the 2025-26 season with the Rams set to lose Albany transfer Sebastian Thomas, Jaden House and, pending a possible medical redshirt, East Carolina transfer Quentin Diboundje. 

More: Rhode Island basketball lands 6-4 guard from Mass. to fill void in backcourt. Who is he?

King is a Louisville native who took an official visit to campus last week. The 6-foot-3 prospect attended a private practice at the Ryan Center organized for the school’s name, image and likeness donors. King announced he would forego his admission to Hargrave on social media and pledged to URI on his Instagram account a couple of days later. 

King claimed recent offers from the likes of Atlantic 10-rival Saint Louis, Youngstown State, Charlotte, North Alabama and Stetson. He earned earlier offers in his recruiting process from Illinois State, Northern Kentucky, Ohio and more. King could have seen his stock rise by reclassifying and following through on a prep year — Louisville, BYU, Murray State and Western Kentucky had all been in contact at some point. 

King played his final high school season at DeSales, an all-boys power in his native city. The Colts finished 24-10 overall, captured a 22nd District title and reached the Region 6 playoffs. King posted a team-high 20.0 points per game, ranked second at 5.6 rebounds and compiled an elite shooting line — 50.6% from the field, 40.9% from 3-point range and 87.1% from the foul line. 

King played his grassroots basketball on the Adidas circuit with Wildcat Select. He returned in July after a late-season injury with the Colts and impressed at the organization’s showcase event in South Carolina. King hit for double figures in each of his five games, averaging 12.0 points on 21-for-46 shooting. 

King and Loer were among several backcourt targets prioritized by URI through the July live evaluation periods. Arness Lawson, Gabe Tanner, Jalen Harper, KJ Cochran, Adriel Nyorha and Kai Shinholster were among the other guards who claimed offers from the Rams after July 1. URI could now turn its attention to the frontcourt, with 2025 forwards like Javon Perry, James Turner, JJ Kelly, Abdou Yadd — King’s grassroots teammate — and Spencer Ahrens among the new names connected with the program. 

The Rams are currently on a week-long trip to the Bahamas and opened with a Monday night win over Calgary. URI breezed, 93-66, at Baha Mar, putting five players in double figures. Western Michigan transfer Javonte Brown hit for 16 points and nine rebounds while St. John’s transfer Drissa Traore collected 15 points and nine boards.  

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25