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R.I. Senate leaders receive bomb threats one day after shooting of Charlie Kirk – The Boston Globe

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R.I. Senate leaders receive bomb threats one day after shooting of Charlie Kirk – The Boston Globe


PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Senate’s top Democratic leaders received bomb threats on Thursday, one day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot to death in Utah, a spokesman said.

Senate President Valarie J. Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Frank A. Ciccone III, a Providence Democrat, received the threats at their homes, but no bombs were found, Senate spokesman Greg Pare said. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said the department’s bomb-sniffing K-9 assisted the state police with checking Ciccone’s home.

“I am grateful for the prompt and thorough response of law enforcement and the fire marshal’s office,” Lawson said in a statement Thursday evening. “Political violence in any form has no place in our democracy. … I strongly condemn all violence, including the violence against Charlie Kirk, and my deepest condolences go out to his family. Let us all remember that we are Americans first, and we settle our differences at the ballot box.”

Spokespeople for Governor Dan McKee and US Congressman Seth Magaziner told the Globe that they had not received bomb threats as of Thursday evening.

The Rhode Island State Police issued a statement saying, “We are aware of several hoax e-mails that contained bomb threats directed at local officials. We take all threats seriously and these incidents are under investigation.”

Pare said, “The Senate president wants to express her gratitude to law enforcement and to the fire marshal for their prompt and thorough response.”

The threats come one day after a gunman shot and killed Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, at an event at a Utah college.

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And they come less than three months after a gunman killed Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife while he was allegedly disguised as a police officer.

The Rhode Island Senate elected Lawson, a teachers union leader, as the new Senate president and Democrats picked Senator Frank A. Ciccone III as their new Senate majority leader on April 29. The vote came one day after the funeral for the late Senate president Dominick J. Ruggerio, who died on April 21 at age 76 after battling cancer.

This story has been updated with a statement from Lawson.

With reports from staff writer Amanda Milkovits


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

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Carjacking suspect hits cruisers during chase across 3 RI towns

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Carjacking suspect hits cruisers during chase across 3 RI towns


BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) — A man is facing charges in three Rhode Island towns after a carjacking investigation led to a police chase Tuesday morning.

Cranston police said Jacob Zhawred, 32, of Johnston, allegedly assaulted a woman in the Stop & Shop parking lot off Garfield Avenue just before 7 a.m., then stole her car and fled.

Jacob Zhawred, 32 (March 2026 booking photo, courtesy Cranston Police Dept.)

Using the victim’s phone that was left inside the vehicle, officers tracked it heading north. Glocester police later attempted to stop the car in the area of Route 44 at St. Eugene’s Church, but authorities said Zhawred took off, crossing multiple residential lawns to evade officers.

Burrillville officers deployed stop sticks on Camp Dixie Road, flattening the car’s tires, but police said Zhawred continued driving on the rims.

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During the pursuit, police said he struck multiple cruisers from Cranston, Glocester and Burrillville. He appeared to be under the influence of drugs at the time, according to police.

The chase extended onto Eagle Peak Road and Wallum Lake Road, where police said Zhawred again hit cruisers and tried to cut across a lawn before crashing into a telephone pole.

Zhawred was arrested around 9:40 a.m. and taken to Landmark Medical Center for treatment of his “extensive impairment issues,” police said. He’s since been released from the hospital and is now being held without bail at the ACI.

In Burrillville, he is charged with:

  • Assault with a deadly weapon (6 counts)
  • Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in property damage (2 counts)
  • Vandalism (2 counts)
  • Possession of a stolen motor vehicle
  • DUI
  • Eluding/reckless driving
  • Resisting arrest

He also faces an eluding/reckless driving charge out of Glocester.

In Cranston, Zhawred is charged with second-degree robbery and shoplifting for allegedly stealing $100 worth of items from a Lowe’s before the carjacking.

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Police said the woman he allegedly assaulted is OK, and no one was hurt during the chase.

Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist also told 12 News that Zhawred was “recently released from prison.”

“He has multiple assault charges, shoplifting charges, breaking and entering, a lengthy criminal history, he has drug charges,” Winquist said. “This is somebody that’s dangerous to the community. I’m happy the officers were able to use teamwork to get this person off the streets.”

Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.

Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.

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Severe Tick-Borne Meat, Dairy Allergy Disease On Rise Across RI: What You Need To Know

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Severe Tick-Borne Meat, Dairy Allergy Disease On Rise Across RI: What You Need To Know


The tick-borne illness that causes those infected to become severely allergic to meat and dairy products is emerging as an increasing concern in Rhode Island.

The Centers for Disease Control said nearly a half-million people are affected by the condition nationwide — with symptoms that can vary in severity with each exposure to meat or dairy.

See also: Cranston Man Killed In Paramotor Aircraft Crash

The CDC said symptoms include the acute onset of any one or more of the following allergic and/or gastrointestinal symptoms that occur 2–10 hours after ingestion of pork, beef, lamb, any other mammalian meat, or any mammalian-derived product (e.g. gelatin), or within two hours after intramuscular, intravenous, or subcutaneous administration of alpha-gal containing vaccination or medication:

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  • Abdominal pain
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Heartburn/indigestion
  • Hives
  • Itching
  • Anaphylaxis as diagnosed by a provider
  • Swelling of one or more of the following: lips, tongue, throat, face, eyelids, or other associated structures
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cough
  • Wheezing
  • Acute episode of hypotension

See also: Greenville Man Sentenced to 28 Months In Federal Prison For Bank Fraud





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2 injured, 1 in custody after stabbing at home near Oakland Beach

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2 injured, 1 in custody after stabbing at home near Oakland Beach


WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — A portion of Ottawa Avenue in Warwick was blocked off by crime scene tape Monday afternoon as police investigated a double stabbing.

According to Warwick police, the initial call they received around 3:30 p.m. indicated someone with a knife was trying to break into an Ottawa Avenue home as part of an ongoing domestic incident. As they headed to the scene, police said, additional calls came in letting them know that people had been stabbed.

Capt. Matthew Higgins said officers arrived at the scene and took 29-year-old Caleb Brown into custody immediately. They reportedly found two stabbing victims with critical injuries, one inside an Ottawa Avenue home, while another was found outside in a front yard.

The stabbing victims — a woman who was stabbed in the abdomen and a man who was stabbed in the neck — were both rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery, and both are expected to survive, according to police.

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Brown is also being treated at the hospital for minor injuries to his hands, police said.

Police tell 12 News they are still interviewing eyewitnesses, but are not looking for any other suspects, as this was an isolated incident. They say the suspect will be facing felony charges.

Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.

Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.

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