• A Cranston woman is suing the husband of a “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” cast member for slander.
• The lawsuit is a countersuit to one filed by Brian Pontarelli, who accused Beth Walker of violating a confidentiality agreement.
• Walker claims Pontarelli made defamatory comments about her on the show and related broadcasts.
• The dispute centers around an affair Pontarelli had, which is a storyline on the reality show.

It was in a Rhode Island court that “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” heated up as a Cranston woman sued the husband of one of the cast members for slander.

The legal fireworks started April 13, when Brian Pontarelli, husband of “Real Housewife” star Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, sued Beth Walker of Cranston in Superior Court, alleging that she violated a confidentiality agreement in another lawsuit by “making public statements and social media posts” about facts related to the earlier lawsuit.

On Tuesday, May 5, Walker fired back, calling the confidentiality agreement illegal and unenforceable, saying that Pontarelli broke it first by talking on “Real Housewives,” and filing a countersuit saying that he made false, “defamatory and disparaging” comments on the “Real Housewives” main show, as well as during a podcast and an after-show live broadcast. She is seeking unspecified damages.

A past affair, current speculation and a national audience feed lawsuit

(WPRI) — The last few weeks have been lucky for Rhode Island lottery players, including a Cranston man who won a $50,000 Powerball prize.

The Rhode Island Lottery said the lucky winner bought his ticket at the Shaw’s Supermarket on Chapel View Boulevard in Cranston for the drawing on April 25.

In that same drawing, someone won a $2 million Powerball prize, but no one has come forward to claim the money yet. That winning ticket was purchased at the Seasons Corner Market on Old Louisquisset Pike in Lincoln.

In Providence, a man won $30,000 through the Mega Multiplier Instant Game after he had a dream about playing the lottery and decided to buy a ticket. He bought that winning ticket at Three Ring Liquors on Plainfield Street. The man said he is planning to share his winnings with his family.

Another lucky lottery player won $25,000 playing The Numbers on April 27. The Lincoln man bought his ticket at the Twin River Mini Mart on Douglas Pike in Smithfield.

A North Providence woman also won big, claiming a $17,760 prize after playing the RI 250 Instant Game. She told lottery officials that she plans to use her winnings to take a trip. She bought her ticket at the Shaw’s Supermarket on Smithfield Road in North Providence.

Whoever won the $2 million Powerball Prize will have until April 29, 2027, to claim their winnings. You can check the winning Powerball numbers here.

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Rhode Island officials are refusing to turn over private medical records for trans youth to the Trump administration.

The Ocean State’s Office of Child Advocate has filed an emergency motion in federal court to quash a demand from the Justice Department seeking medical information for minors treated for gender dysphoria.

“The medical records of these children contain private information that is protected under the law, which exists to safeguard confidentiality, privacy, and the dignity of every patient,” said Child Advocate Katelyn Medeiros in a statement reported by the Rhode Island Current.

“When those protections are disregarded — especially for children — it is not merely a violation of the law but a breach of trust that could have profound lifelong consequences.”

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In this case, the Justice Department is seeking to enforce a court order from a federal judge in Texas that requests records from Rhode Island Hospital. That order is part of an investigation into possible violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act involving puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

The federal agency said Rhode Island must release “the identities and complete medical histories of every minor patient who received medical care for gender dysphoria at RI Hospital over more than five years.”

Rhode Island officials said the release of information on patients there would not only violate medical privacy but could expose a marginalized population to humiliation at the hands of the government.

Related: Texas AG Ken Paxton won’t leave trans people alone, again requests data from out of state

Related: ‘Retaliation’: Texas AG Paxton demands PFLAG provide names, addresses of trans members

“In other words, for a population of children that already lacks trust in the legal and medical systems, DOJ now seeks unfettered access to everything from their Social Security numbers and addresses to the intimate details about their state of mind, their sexual orientation and gender identity, and the course of treatment they chose with their physician and custodians,” attorneys wrote in a court filing.

The demand is part of a broader effort by the Justice Department under President Donald Trump to obtain private medical information on patients receiving gender-affirming care nationwide.

Under since-fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Justice Department had demanded private medical information on patients under the age of 19 through a series of broad subpoenas issued last year.

Courts in some states have blocked that pursuit. A federal judge in Maryland denied access in January to records from Children’s National Hospital. Similarly, a federal court in Pennsylvania stopped the administration from obtaining patient records from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in November.