Rhode Island
New laws in 2025; Pacino arrest; 2024’s dining highlights: Top stories this week
Providence rings in the new year
Illuminate PVD: New Year’s Eve Celebration and Fireworks at 195 District Park and the Van Leesen Pedestrian bridge
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of Dec. 29, supported by your subscriptions.
- We’re now several days into 2025, but forgive us for still taking some backward glances to make sense of all that happened in 2024, which was … a lot. Who better to put things in perspective with tongue firmly in cheek than columnist Mark Patinkin – from the evolving mess of the Washington Bridge, to the weddings of Olivia Culpo and Elizabeth Beisel, to the arrival of giant trolls in Charlestown and elephants in Newport, not to mention all the celebrity sightings during the filming of “Ella McCay” and the Watch Hill visits by Taylor Swift and her A-List posse.
- You might not expect newsworthy stories to spring from the real estate listings, but again, Rhode Island did not disappoint. We even had a historic island for sale.
- In sports, Jacob Rousseau reflects on his first year with The Journal, including that rookie mistake he made in the Fenway Park press box. His colleague Bill Koch looks ahead with predictions on what 2025 will bring for the college hoops scene in Rhode Island. For those stories and other college, high school and Patriots action, go to providencejournal.com/sports.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
PROVIDENCE – New Year’s Day ushers in a raft of new state laws, and the final step in a years-long march to a $15-an-hour minimum wage for Rhode Island.
Some of these laws were debated and passed during the legislative session that ended in June, and others years earlier with phased-in effective dates, as was true with the minimum wage law passed in 2021 that raised the rate from $11.50 to $15 an hour over four years.
Other laws taking effect on Jan. 1 include one of the most popular to emerge from the 2024 session, benefiting those age 65 and older. Read the full story for a rundown of changes affecting Rhode Islanders in 2025.
Politics: Minimum wage hike, flavored vape ban and more: These new RI laws go into effect Jan. 1
PROVIDENCE – As feared, the hackers who breached Rhode Island’s expansive, Deloitte-run public benefits computer system RIBridges have released “at least some” files to a site on the dark web, the governor’s office disclosed on Monday.
“Right now, IT teams are working diligently to analyze the released files,” the governor’s office reported in a news release that went out at 11:52 a.m.
“We do not yet know the scope of the data that is included in those files, but as we’ve been saying for several weeks, we should assume that data contained in the RIBridges system has been compromised,” the statement said of the benefits system formerly known as UHIP.
The system contains the records of roughly 650,000 people who are receiving – or have previously received – Medicaid and SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps), or who enrolled in private health insurance through HealthSourceRI.
Data breach: Stolen info from RIBridges hack being posted to the dark web. What to know.
In 2018, Timothy and Anne-Marie Corbett paid $2.2 million for a four-bedroom home near Sandy Point Beach in Portsmouth. The real estate listing featured photographs of a lush, green lawn with panoramic Sakonnet River views and gushingly described it as “one of the most spectacular waterfront sites available.”
Over the years, that lawn has grown smaller as the ocean has gotten closer. According to the Corbetts’ lawyer, Michael A. Kelly, approximately 30 feet of the couple’s property washed away in storms during the last two winters.
He blames the Coastal Resources Management Council, which prohibited the Corbetts from using heavy boulders to fortify the crumbling bluffs at the edge of their backyard – a defense mechanism that can help stave off erosion but often at the expense of neighboring properties and nearby beaches.
In December, Kelly filed a class action lawsuit that alleges it’s unconstitutional for the CRMC to stop homeowners from taking such steps to reduce erosion. He expects dozens of other waterfront property owners to join in.
Read on to learn more about the latest chapter in Rhode Island’s tug of war between public shoreline access and private property rights.
Political Scene: RI couple’s lawsuit challenges whether CRMC has say over homeowners’ seawalls. Why it matters.
It has the ring of an urban legend.
So it’s easy to understand why one What and Why RI reader wrote in to ask, “Was Al Pacino really arrested in Rhode Island?”
But it’s true.
Years before he made his movie debut, Pacino was briefly inmate #48634 at the Adult Correctional Institutions, which listed his occupation as “unemployed.” He’d been picked up by the Woonsocket Police Department early on the morning of Jan. 7, 1961, and charged with possession of a concealed weapon.
What happened next? Read the full story to find out.
What and Why RI: Was Al Pacino really arrested in Rhode Island? Here’s the story
As 2024 drew to a close, Journal food editor Gail Ciampa declared that it was one delicious year.
Restaurants and chefs in Rhode Island put on a remarkable show. Ten were honored with James Beard Foundation nominations, widely considered the Oscars of the dining world. Many were noted for excellence by Yelp, the crowd-sourcing platform and Open Table, the reservation company. National media including the New York Times and USA Today cited several for excellence.
Here are five experiences that topped Gail’s list. Will they be on your menu of dining destinations for 2025?
Dining: Five memorable meals across RI made 2024 a delicious year. The places to try in 2025
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.

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.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE — SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
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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