Rhode Island
NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce nearly $2 million for Rhode Island project as part of Investing in America Agenda
Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended nearly $2 million for a project in Rhode Island to make the state’s coast more resilient to climate change and other coastal hazards. The awards are being made under the Biden Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a competitive, $575 million program funded through the nearly $6 billion total investment under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
“As part of President Biden’s commitment to combating the climate crisis, we are investing $575 million to help make sure America’s coastal communities are more resilient to the effects of climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of this historic investment in our nation’s climate resilience the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $2 million to help underserved communities in Rhode Island develop and implement new strategies to protect themselves from increased flooding, storm surge, and extreme weather events.”
Administered by the Department of Commerce and NOAA, the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative is focused on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon; building resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restoring coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; building the capacity of underserved communities and support community-driven restoration; and providing employment opportunities.
“This historic funding is vital for helping Rhode Island communities confront the unique coastal challenges posed by a changing climate,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “The recommended project will empower Rhode Islanders to better prepare for climate change, fostering a more resilient, equitable future for these coastal communities.”
The recommended project in Rhode Island includes $1,999,777 for work with the Aquidneck Land Trust in partnership with the municipalities of Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth and Naval Station Newport. The project, Growing Regional Resilience Coordination on Aquidneck Island, capitalizes on the momentum of resilience initiatives already underway on the island. Committed to conserving the island’s open spaces and building on prior successful projects (including the conservation of over 2,800 acres), the land trust will use this opportunity to grow their island-wide approach to resilience, offering technical assistance, capacity building, and actionable strategies for responding to climate change. Implemented projects will include nature-based solutions to address threats from flooding, increasing storms, extreme temperatures, drought, sea level rise and water pollution.
“Coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change and face unique climate challenges – from flooding to water pollution to sea level rise. This federal funding will help the Aquidneck Land Trust and its partners work collaboratively to strengthen their collective resiliency to the impacts of climate change. I applaud their cooperative approach to mitigating the impacts of climate change for future generations and look forward to seeing the results of their work in these Rhode Island communities,” said Senator Jack Reed.
“Thanks to our Inflation Reduction Act, we’re accelerating climate resiliency across the Ocean State,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who helped shape major climate provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act. “This federal funding will provide a big boost to resiliency and conservation projects on Aquidneck Island and help strengthen our defenses against climate change.”
“As the Ocean State, coastal management is essential to protecting our communities and our way of life from the existential threat of climate change,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01). “That is why I am proud to have joined my colleagues in supporting the Aquidneck Land Trust in their quest to receive more than $2 million in federal funding. This federal investment will help expand their island-wide approach to resilience and leverage nature-based solutions to fight the climate crisis.”
Additional information is available on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge website.
Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Special Olympics Rhode Island and Topgolf Rhode Island launched a unified sports program.
The 12 week program features 16 teams practicing weekly at the Topgolf facility in Cranston, and will end with a tournament on Aug. 22.
“Thanks to incredible businesses such as Topgolf, who share our commitment to inclusion and believe in the limitless power of sports and play, the hopes and dreams of our athletes become a reality,” President and CEO of Special Olympics Rhode Island Ed Pacheco said.
More information of Special Olympics R.I. can be found here.
RHODE ISLAND — Great teachers matter. In Rhode Island, we’re fortunate to have teachers like Melanie Rivera.
Patch has partnered with T-Mobile to recognize teachers and show them how much they’re valued and appreciated.
This submission comes from an anonymous co-worker who nominated Melanie Rivera.
How do you know the teacher?
I’ve known her for more than 15 years
What does this person teach?
Teaches pre-school
Why do you believe the teacher should be recognized or honored?
She goes above and beyond in her teaching, her care for the children, and is her passion to work with children other than her own. She’s a role model. She teaches with a caring heart. And I have seen all this throughout the years.
What’s one thing you want everyone to know about the teacher?
In our center we have two sides of preschools we have a Headstart side and a preschool/pre-k side, she teaches at the/K side. Her work is spectacular, she prepares the children for their journey to kindergarten learning, with knowledge of what will be expected for them to succeed.
This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.
BRISTOL, Conn. — Cranston Western Little League Softball was down to its last six outs.
The Rhode Island team stomped its way through the New England Regional tournament until Massachusetts carried a lead into the fifth inning of the winner’s bracket final on Wednesday night. But this Ocean State team is making waves this summer and has something to prove.
Rhode Island commandeered a lead in the bottom half of the frame on Alexa Okolowitcz’s blistering line-drive double that capped a stunning comeback. Cranston Western closed the door on Massachusetts returning the favor and walked away with a 6-5 win and a spot in Friday’s winner-take-all championship at A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Training Center in Bristol, Connecticut.
“It feels really good just knowing that was the game-winning hit,” Okolowitcz said. “Our team did a really good job with rallying in the dugout and that really got me motivated to go out there and just hit and do my best.”
Okolowitcz’s double, with two outs, was nearly snagged by the Massachusetts’ shortstop, but the two-hole hitter found the gap and scored Isabella Marcano from first. Okolowitcz’s winner was the biggest hit of the game – and of the season to date – but Rhode Island’s four-run fifth inning was a team effort.
The Ocean State, stocked with 11- and 12-year-old all-stars, sent eight batters to the plate in the decisive fifth frame. As the rally started to swell, there was a feeling of a special night in the making for the Rhode Island fans in attendance. Laila Murphy, in the eight-hole, started the rally by looping a single into left field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Lylah Riley returned with a bunt back to the circle that went for a hit and RI had runners on the corners.
“I think as a team, we just started a rally,” Marcano said. “I think that once one person does something to get us all going, I think we just all follow.”
How they got there: Cranston Western does what it does best and earns Little League softball state title
Rhode Island plated its first two runs on Audriana Garcia’s sacrifice bunt. Garcia reached on an error to keep Cranston Western unscathed in the frame as they trailed just 5-4. Then with one out in the stanza, Juliana Borges, out of the 12-hole, laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Garcia to third and sent the lineup back to the top of the order.
And from there, Marcano and Okolowitcz took care of business with a single up-the-middle to knot the game and then Okolowitcz ended it on the first pitch of her at-bat.
“This week has been something that I never would have imagined would have happened, especially us making it this far,” Marcano said.
“I just appreciate [friends and family] and them watching because it is important,” Okolowitcz said. “And their support has been really big to our team and we’re very grateful for that.”
Craig Stinson has his Little League memories, but wants daughter Hailee to create her own
Massachusetts scored a pair of runs in the third and fourth innings to recover from a 2-1 deficit after the first. But Marcano, who picked up the win and went 3-for-3 at the plate, sat them down in order in the fifth to stage the rally.
Rhode Island awaits the winner of Massachusetts and Connecticut in Thursday’s losers’ bracket final before playing on Friday at noon in Bristol. The championship game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
“Everybody put a little bit into it,” Rhode Island coach, Lalo Marcano said of the comeback. “Once the hits came together, the pitching came together, defense came together, it was an all-team effort and I love that. It was not just one or two, it was everybody that made this win happen.”
Rhode Island at New England Regionals
Sunday, July 21: Rhode Island 13, Connecticut 3.
Monday, July 22: Rhode Island 11, Maine 0.
Wednesday, July 24: Rhode Island 6, Massachusetts 5.
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
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