Rhode Island

Native American inmate secures right to wear religious Apache headband in settlement with R.I. prisons – The Boston Globe

Published

11 months ago

May 7, 2025

Native American inmate secures right to wear religious Apache headband in settlement with R.I. prisons – The Boston Globe

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Corrections has agreed to allow a Native American inmate to wear an religious, Apache headband in a state prison, after reaching a settlement in a federal lawsuit filed last year.

Under the agreement, Wolf Pawochawog-Mequinosh will be permitted to wear the headband at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, R.I., and was awarded $40,000 for attorneys’ fees, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and the Roger Williams University Law School Prisoners’ Rights Litigation Clinic, which filed the lawsuit on his behalf in January 2024.

The Department of Corrections is also required to adopt a process within 120 days that allows “all prisoners whose religion is not specifically recognized by the agency to seek approval to obtain religious items and attend religious services consistent with their religion,” the ACLU said in a statement.

“This case reflects a fundamental principle: People in prison may lose their liberty but they cannot be deprived of their humanity, and the free exercise of religion is a basic human right,” Jared Goldstein, director of the litigation clinic, said in a statement.

According to the lawsuit, Pawochawog-Mequinosh was raised in the spiritual tradition of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and the headband “expresses his sincere religious beliefs arising from the Apache tradition.”

While Muslim and Jewish prisoners were allowed to wear kufis and yarmulkes, the Department of Corrections “had repeatedly denied Wolf‘s requests for a headband on the grounds that his religion was designated as ‘Pagan/Wiccan’ in RIDOC’s data management system,” the ACLU said.

”RIDOC’s system does not include a religious designation for adherents of Native American religious traditions,” the ACLU said.

The lawsuit was filed under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, “which bars states from imposing any substantial burden on a prisoner’s exercise of religion unless it furthers a compelling interest and is the least restrictive means available,” the ACLU said.

In a statement, the state Department of Corrections said the settlement “will result in the dismissal” of the lawsuit with “no fault attributed to RIDOC.”

“The wearing of headbands and access to various religious items without reasonable and legally permissible limitations raises several security concerns with RIDOC’s facilities, as these items can be repurposed in ways that could present a safety risk to staff and the incarcerated population,” the department said. “However, an agreement was reached which allows RIDOC to maintain security and minimize safety risks while permitting the Plaintiff to wear an approved headband and access approved items in accordance with his religious beliefs and applicable policies.”

Department of Corrections Director Wayne T. Salisbury Jr. said the agency believes in “maintaining a constitutional and balanced approach to security when enacting protocols and procedures.”

“I am pleased we were able to work with our counterparts to resolve this matter in a way that both acknowledges the constitutional rights of our population and preserves our efforts to maintain safety in our secure facilities,” Salisbury said in a statement.

Pawochawog-Mequinosh was formerly known as Brian Brownell and legally changed his name in 2022, according to the ACLU.

Pawochawog-Mequinosh received his name from an Apache elder when he was a child, and “changing his legal name was important to him because it connected him to his ‘spirituality, religion, and history,’” the organization said.

Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.

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Rhode Island

Release of rescued bobcats by the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island

Published

5 hours ago

April 3, 2026

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Release of rescued bobcats by the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island

The Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island rehabilitated two orphaned kitten bobcats starting last July and continuing through Monday, March 30, when the bobcats were released into the wild. Video from the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island and URI’s Quest Lab.

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Rhode Island

Crash closes Route 146 north in Lincoln

Published

17 hours ago

April 2, 2026

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The Rhode Island Department of Transportation reported a crash blocking all travel lanes on Route 146 north.

RIDOT posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the crash cleared shortly before 8 p.m.

Officials said the crash happened at the exit to Route 99 in Lincoln.

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Rhode Island

Who is Dolores Catania? What to know about ‘The Real Housewives’ of RI guest

Published

1 day ago

April 2, 2026

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Who is Dolores Catania? What to know about ‘The Real Housewives’ of RI guest

With the premiere of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island”, you may be wondering exactly who you will be seeing on the screen.

Premiering on Thursday, April 2, Rhode Island’s debut in “The Real Housewives” franchise will focus on seven women from all across the Ocean State. The series will also include appearances from a franchise-familiar face: “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Dolores Catania.

Never seen “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”? Here’s what to know about Dolores Catania ahead of Rhode Island’s series premiere.

Who is Dolores Catania?

Born and raised in New Jersey, Dolores Catania quickly became a franchise fan-favorite after joining “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” in Season 7. While “The Real Housewives” is known for drama, Catania herself is known as a mediator on the show, often helping to keep the peace rather than choosing sides in an argument.

The 55-year-old Bravo celebrity shares two children with her ex-husband Frank Catania, who she maintains a close friendship and business partnership with. Catania is now engaged to Paul “Paulie” Connell, and she recently told Us Weekly that she plans to take wedding inspiration from another part-time Rhode Islander: Taylor Swift.

A TV personality and multi-faceted entrepeneur, Dolores Catania is most well-known for her charitable work with women’s shelters and animal rescue organizations. In 2018, fans voted her as “Miss Congeniality” across the entire “Real Housewives” franchise. Her efforts have also been recognized with honors such as the key to the city of Paterson and the Ambassador of Hope Award by Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, according to Bravo.

How is Dolores Catania connected to Rhode Island?

While Dolores Catania will be featured throughout “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” she is not trading her Jersey housewife life for the Ocean State. Rather, Catania joins the new series as a friend and mentor.

Specifically, Catania comes into the show as a close friend of Rhode Island “Real Housewife” Liz McGraw, a well-known Rhode Island dispensary owner whom Catania met at a cannabis convention. Together, the pair has plans to launch a line of gummies for menopausal women.

“It was a dream to have her by my side. I couldn’t imagine anything cooler than to have her here on my home turf with me,” McGraw told Bravo about filming alongside Catania. “Dolores is just an amazing friend. She understands me and I understand her. I trust her with my life.”

Although Catania did not know any of the other cast members prior to filming, she told Bravo that she became close with the entire cast.

“In a really crazy way, I felt like I knew them forever. They’re all very relatable to me. Each person, in their own way, I very much understood and felt that I fit in,” Catania said in a release.

While Catania said no state could ever come close to New Jersey, she did admit that she enjoyed filming in the “calmer” state of Rhode Island. She added that she does not feel too different from the Rhode Island housewives, saying that viewers will love them for their relatability in the same way they loved the relatability of the New Jersey housewives.

How to watch ‘The Real Houswives of Rhode Island’

The debut season of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” will premiere Thursday, April 2 at 9 p.m. on Bravo. After the first episode, new episodes will air weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m.

Episodes will be available for next-day streaming on Peacock. This means that the first episode will be available to stream on Friday, April 3, with new episodes available to stream on Mondays each week after that.

Watch ‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ on Peacock

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