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SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island FC hosted the first match in club history Saturday on the campus of Bryant University, finishing in a 1-1 tie against New Mexico United.
In its sold-out debut, Rhode Island’s newest professional soccer club attracted fans from across the Ocean State.
“This is history in the making. I bought my tickets in November of 2022. It’s really cool to see it come to fruition, finally. Thousands of fans here, it’s a bigger turnout than I expected,” said Eddie Castello.
Rhode Island will play at a temporary home at Bryant University while construction of their permanent home continues.
A sea of blue more than 5,000 members strong gathered to support the Pawtucket-based team.
Local boys Kevin Vang and Nate Silveira are the newest hometown heroes, proving an endless realm of possibilities for the next generation of Rhode Island athletes.
“That’s one of the first things that I looked up, if there was any hometown talent. I hope that we can continue to send kids from our community, from Rhode Island in this pipeline and help them reach their dreams,” Steven Lobby said.
“I think it’s special. I think those guys earned their spot, and I think there is a future star somewhere watching the game here tonight,” said club co-founder Michael Parkhurst.
And so much more than just a game.
“This team was built for all of Rhode Island. This is for all of us,” Brian Maher of Pawtucket said.
Saturday night’s sell out against New Mexico was a culmination of more than five years of unwavering determination to establish America’s smallest state as a force within the world of professional soccer.
“You know, they built it up, this team from the bottom up, talked to the community, listened to us. I was a PawSox fan, so I was sad to see them leave, but to see this team here for Rhode Island today, there’s nothing better than that,” Maher said.
Rhode Island FC heads to California to take on Monterey Bay on March 24.
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
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