Taylor Swift’s Wedding Guests Don’t Know Ceremony Location — Yet
Rhode Island
Providence poised to raise city tax levy by 7 percent – The Boston Globe
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s administration is one step closer to getting legislative approval to raise the city’s tax levy by more than 7 percent, but there are still two state senators who are going to have a major say over how the city’s legislative agenda takes shape over the next month.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill last night that allows the city to exceed the state’s 4 percent cap on tax levy increases, a proposal Smiley says is largely necessary because of the city’s settlement last year to increase funding for the school department.
That bill still needs Senate approval, and the two senators to watch are newly elected Majority Leader Frank Ciccone and Senator Jake Bissaillon.
Ciccone and Bissaillon are both viewed as supporters of Smiley, but their neighborhoods are poised to see some of the largest property tax increases, which they fear will substantially drive up rents for their constituents.
Start with the obvious: Ciccone is suddenly much more powerful than he was three months ago. As majority leader, he likely has the ability to singlehandedly push through or kill Smiley’s tax bill.
As Channel 12’s Alexandra Leslie reported on Tuesday, the Smiley administration is warning that not passing the tax levy bill could result in massive layoffs and other cuts in the city. With state leaders facing their own budget challenges, the last thing they want is a Providence budget crisis that, in some ways, the Senate would be creating.
Then again, Ciccone doesn’t want to be a one-term majority leader (unless he gets a promotion). A vote for the levy increase could add to the likelihood that he’ll face a challenger in the Democratic primary next year.
Bissaillon’s bet: Bissaillon has been much more direct with the Smiley administration: He maintains that he won’t support a tax levy increase unless it agrees to an obscure tax change related to industrial properties in the city – his argument is that he doesn’t want properties like the Manchester Street Power Station to see a tax decrease when his constituents are going to see large increases.
In some ways, Smiley’s team took Bissaillon for granted. They were dismissive of his proposal, and assumed he’d be a good team player and support their levy increase anyway. But he has made it clear that he isn’t bluffing, and the administration has indicated it will support a version of his bill.
“I won’t support it unless I feel like I’ve done everything I can to help my constituents,” Bissaillon said Tuesday.
What to watch: The tax levy bill isn’t the only one the Smiley administration is seeking. Lawmakers seem poised to support an event parking tax that could help the city, and there appears to be momentum on a new tax breaklargely aimed at the “Superman” building.
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 e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.
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Rhode Island
Video: Massive great white shark feeds on dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island
SEE IT: A great white shark feeds on a dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island, as the large creature comes across a whale carcass floating in the ocean.
RHODE ISLAND – It’s not often you can get so close to such a dangerous beast like a great white shark, but that is exactly what one boater was able to do in Rhode Island.
A large 15-foot great white shark was spotted feasting on a dead whale in the ocean off the coast of Rhode Island.
STAY SHARK SMART: WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU HEAD INTO THE WATER
Despite a reputation for inhabiting waters in Australia and South Africa, great white sharks can be found in temperate waters around the world, as their habitat preferences can change as they age, according to National Geographic.
Mexico, Great White Shark (Carcharodon Carcharias); Guadalupe Island.
(Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Video footage shared by Ian Shilosky shows many birds hovering around the whale carcass, trying to get a nibble without getting too close to the 15-foot beast.
SEE IT: SPERM WHALE CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN RARE ENCOUNTER OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST
The shark shows off its brutal strength, ripping large chunks from the whale with its 2 to 3-inch razor-sharp teeth, before diving underwater to consume its meal.
“White shark sightings are few and far between until a whale dies and then they seem to appear out of nowhere as this one did,” the Atlantic Shark Institute said on social media.
Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), attacking tuna bait. Neptune islands, South Australia. (Photo by Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
(Auscape/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
The great white shark grows slowly, with males maturing at around 26 years and females at around 33, according to NOAA.
These creatures range in age from 30 to over 70 years old, and they can weigh up to 4,500 pounds.
DEEP-SEA DISCOVERY UNCOVERS ONE OF THE LARGEST KNOWN WHALE GRAVEYARDS ON THE FLOOR OF THE INDIAN OCEAN
Great White Shark breaching at Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa
( Chris Brunskill Ltd/Corbis / Getty Images)
Adult great whites usually swim along shorelines where there is a known food source, such as seals or sea lions.
12-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN BOY ATTACKED BY SHARK WHILE VACATIONING IN THE BAHAMAS
As the largest predatory fish in the world, great white sharks tend to eat a variety of fish, rays, squid, seabirds, sea turtles, dolphins and more.
Rhode Island
Lego convention returns to Warwick
WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island’s Lego Fan Convention Returned to the West Warwick Civic Center.
Professional Lego artists from around the country displayed their creations and connect with fans.
There are meet and greet opportunities with Lego celebrities too.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (2)
Fans can also show off their own skills in the event’s Brick Pits.
Rhode Island
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce initially had their sights set on a marvelous coastal wedding, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly.
“Taylor and Travis really wanted their wedding in Rhode Island, and June 13 was the date, but security wouldn’t have worked because it could get out of hand with that kind of scale of an event,” an insider says.
Though everything was initially being planned in Rhode Island — where Swift, 36, has a mansion in the lavish Watch Hill neighborhood of Westerly — the insider notes the pop star had booked multiple venues from coast to coast on different dates.
According to the source, “Ocean House [in Westerly] was planned at one point, and then plans changed to New York.”
The insider, meanwhile, tells Us that Swift’s security “had to assess all the venues to see what made sense.”
“Rhode Island wasn’t great because the nature of the access and the perimeters were too difficult to secure,” the source explains. “So the main issue with Rhode Island ended up being security.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Getty Images
“Everything was being planned in Rhode Island,” added a source. “And so many people wanted to come that plans had to change because it became bigger.”
Swift and Kelce, 36, are now rumored to be tying the knot at Madison Square Garden in New York City over the July 4 holiday weekend. While the exact location and date of the nuptials have not yet been confirmed, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to hint at the wedding taking place in the city during a June 15 press conference earlier this month.
“I am fully confident in the work of the NYPD, as well as our state partners, in delivering that safe experience,” he told reporters. “We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events, and we are incredibly excited for the [World Cup]. We know it coincides with the Knicks’ [NBA] Finals run. We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”
Additionally, a permit was filed with NYC in June, the mayor’s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed to Us after The New York Times reported on a permit to close the streets surrounding MSG from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3.
City sources also confirmed to Us that the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO), which issues the permits, is in touch with the NYPD regarding a possible influx of street and pedestrian traffic.
Though Swift and Kelce’s Rhode Island wedding plans fell through, the “I Knew It, I Knew You” singer’s Watch Hill mansion had an uptick in action last week when security was spotted swarming the area. A group of unidentified women were reportedly seen on the balcony wearing matching robes — three in black and one in white — sparking speculation about a bachelorette party.
A woman who appeared to be Swift’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson Berard was also seen on the property with her 2-year-old son.
Meanwhile, Travis celebrated what was perceived as his bachelor party in Los Angeles and San Diego. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, Jason Kelce, as well as Travis’ teammate Patrick Mahomes and others, were spotted at a Chris Lake concert, a Dave Chappelle comedy show, a night out at the members-only Bird Street Club and more.
Swift and Kelce began dating in the summer of 2023 and got engaged in August 2025.
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