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Rhode Island officials ask government for flexibility while residents renew services by paper | ABC6

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Rhode Island officials ask government for flexibility while residents renew services by paper | ABC6


(courtesy: Senator Jack Reed’s Facebook)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island officials sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday for assistance to ensure residents are able to stay enrolled in essential services in response to the RIBridges cyberattack.

In the letter, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo asked the federal government to work with the state of Rhode Island to help residents stay enrolled in Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

On Dec. 5, the RIBridges system was hacked by international ransomware group Brain Ciper, which put the personal data of about 500,000 Rhode Island residents at risk, according to officials.

In the letter, officials said RIBridges was shut down, and as a result Rhode Island residents must submit paper applications, rather than online applications, to enroll for their benefits.

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Officials said this time period is when people apply to renew coverage, and ask for the government to “grant the state of Rhode Island any assistance and flexibility it requires within all application rules and regulations.”

In the letter, the Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation said:

Dear Secretaries Becerra and Vilsack:

In light of a major cyberattack, we write to urge your Departments to grant the State of Rhode Island flexibility and time to comply with administrative requirements related to its public benefits programs and to provide any additional support to ensure that eligible individuals do not lose access to needed benefits.

On December 5, 2024, RI Bridges, the State of Rhode Island’s integrated online platform for social services, was hacked and the personal data (including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank information) of approximately 500,000 people was stolen and has been held for ransom. The State directed the vendor responsible for administering the platform to shut down RI Bridges in order to remove all malicious code and remediate the threat. Individuals now must submit paper applications to secure their benefits. The impact could be large since RI Bridges manages enrollment and eligibility verifications for programs, including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and more. HealthSource RI, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace was also affected by this hack, which comes during the annual open-enrollment period for health insurance, when people apply for or renew coverage.

We appreciate everything your Departments have done already to assist Rhode Island with this situation, but given the scope of this hack and that it has targeted our most vulnerable constituents, we ask that you grant the State of Rhode Island any assistance and flexibility it requires within all application rules and regulations.

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Thank you for your attention to this request, and we look forward to your prompt reply.

In the meantime, Rhode Island officials advise residents to protect their data, freeze your credit, monitor your credit, request a free fraud alert on your files, use two-factor authentication for accounts, and be aware.

For more information, call the RIBridges call center at 833-918-6603 or visit cyberaltert.ri.gov.





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Rhode Island

Firefighter Burns Legs Battling House Fire: PM Patch RI

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Firefighter Burns Legs Battling House Fire: PM Patch RI


RHODE ISLAND — Here are some share-worthy stories from the Rhode Island Patch network to discuss this afternoon and evening.

This post features stories and information published in the last 24 hours.

Thank you for reading Patch.com in Rhode Island.

Here are some more Rhode Island Patch headlines you may have missed:

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Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.



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Rhode Island

Firefighters in R.I. called to help camel stand up

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Firefighters in R.I. called to help camel stand up


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The camel weighs about 2,000 pounds, according to its owner.

Firefighters responded to a Rhode Island farm to help Harley the camel stand back up. Courtesy of Henry Cabrera

Rhode Island firefighters responded to quite an unusual call on Sunday.

Henry Cabrera, owner of Lavender Waves Farm, called to report that his Arabian camel, Harley, was having trouble standing up. 

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Union Fire District of South Kingston

Cabrera said he noticed that Harley, who was lying on an incline, looked unwell, so he tried to help him stand up, but to no avail. Harley weighs about 2,000 pounds. 

“I think it was pure mechanics and physics because his hump was on the downward side of the hill, so his legs were kind of facing up the hill,” Cabrera, who owns five of the six privately held camels in all of Rhode Island, told Boston.com. “It was just mechanically impossible for him to get his 2,000 pound body up.”

It quickly became apparent to Cabrera that he was going to need to call for help. He tried calling some of his crafty friends for ideas, but none of them seemed to know what to do.

That’s when he called the fire department.

“He made me repeat myself several times,” Cabrera said of his phone call with the Union Fire District of South Kingston. “It took him a couple minutes to sort of believe me, but ultimately they did.”

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Soon after, Cabrera said several firefighters arrived with four different vehicles.

“Lo and behold. Now they believed me,” he said. “The camel was down.”

Cabrera said it took over an hour for him and the firefighters to figure out how to lift Harley. Finally, the group put a strap around the camel’s hump to sit him up.

Union Fire District of South Kingston
Union Fire District of South Kingston

“He was kind of wobbly at first,” Cabrera said. “He got up and he was fine after that.”

After Harvey was back on his feet, Cabrera gave the firefighters a tour of his farm. Lavender Waves Farm has over 4,000 lavender plants and a luxury Airbnb farm suite, according to its website. In addition to camels, Cabrera’s farm has alpacas, llamas, chickens, ducks, guinea hens, geese, and white peacocks.

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For the fire department, the incident was “one of their top five calls,” but for Cabrera, not so much.

“It was clearly a call that they enjoyed,” Cabrera said. “I wasn’t too happy about the whole thing. I was a little bit embarrassed, but I didn’t know who else to call.”

Profile image for Lindsay Shachnow

 

Lindsay Shachnow covers general assignment news for Boston.com, reporting on breaking news, crime, and politics across New England.





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High School Roundup: Scores and recaps from Monday’s games across RI

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High School Roundup: Scores and recaps from Monday’s games across RI


Coaches are asked to send in game results by email – pjsports@providencejournal.com – or by calling the Sports desk between 6 and 10 p.m. on weeknights, at (401) 277-7340.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Division I

Central 79, Smithfield 63

John Ramos scored 20 points, Jonathan Ramos and Jilliandro Joseph each had 16 and Lester Rodriguez added 14 as the Knights won their third straight game without a loss. Shaun Dwyer led the Sentinels, now 1-2, with 19 points.

East Providence 67, Westerly 54

The balanced scoring of Tyler Gomez (17 points), Franklin Lopez (16) and Antonio Varela (14) lifted the Townies to a win in their first game of the season. Lucas Pennell led all scorers with 21 points for the Bulldogs, now 1-1.

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Division II

Narragansett 62, Woonsocket 28

Hayden Dewey scored a game-high 23 points, with 5 buckets from beyond the arc, helping the Mariners roll over the Villanovans. Also reaching double figures in scoring for Narragansett were Aidan Clancey with 12 points and with 10. Angel Hernandez topped Woonsocket with a dozen points in the loss.

Division III

Prout 71, Scituate 50

What had been a 2-point game at the half became a 21-point win for the Crusaders in their first league contest of the season. Prout’s Ryan Antonucci led all scorers with 18 points and Lawson O’Hearn netted 15, as Prout scored 43 second-half points. For the Spartans, Ryan Larsh had a team-high 15 points in the loss. 

Toll Gate 61, Achievement First 53

Brayden Healey led the Titans with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and teammate Damola Oremosu added 12 points and 10 rebounds, as Toll Gate notched its second win of the year. For the Falcons, Malachi Stone and Steven Rodriguez had 14 points each in the loss.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL

Division I

Barrington 50, Westerly 42, OT

The Eagles were led by Ella Martin, who finished with 15 points, and her 8-for-10 performance from the free-throw line down the stretch helped secure the win. Barrington (2-0) held Westerly to just 2 points in the overtime period. Olivia Morrissette added 12 points and Lauren Kilpatrick chipped in with 8. The Bulldogs (0-1) were led by Ella Reyes’ 17 points and Danica Jarrett had 8.

Crossover

Narragansett 46, Davies 24

The play of Grace Blessing (10 points, 8 boards, 6 steals and 7 assists) helped lead the D-II Mariners to victory over the D-III Patriots. Narragansett also got a strong performance from Delaney Bonneau, who had a game-high 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Aniya Gomes had a team-high 12 points for Davies in the loss.

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Lincoln School 57, Smithfield 27

Reign Whiteing scored a game-high 26 points and teammate Sarah Berube netted 22 — including four 3-pointers — as the Lynx (2-0) remained unbeaten on the young season with a victory over the Sentinels. After scoring 19 points in the opening half, Lincoln School (Div. III) found its offensive rhythm in the second, pouring in 48. Ava Lopez and Annabelle Lally each scored 6 for Smithfield (Div. II) in the loss.

Exeter-West Greenwich 41, Toll Gate 16

Kate Hebert led the way with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists and Nini Olawuyi contributed 11 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists as the D-III Scarlet Knights, now 1-1, dominated the D-II Titans, 0-2. Addison Eddy had 7 points for TG.

Burrillville 33, Lincoln 24

Mackenzie Stone scored a game-high 11 points, including a pair of threes, and Olivia Ferraro added 9 as the Broncos (Div. III) improved to 2-0 on the season. For Lions (Div. II), Carly Fraize, Brielle Lambert and Charlotte Labossiere each netted 6 points in the loss. Lincoln slips to 1-1.

Middletown 51, Times2 22

Abby DeSantis led the Islanders (Div. II) with 13 points, Lamaya Gonsalves had 8 and Nour Chamseddine added 6 as Middletown (Div. III) improved to 2-0 on the season. With the loss, Times2 slips to 0-2.

East Providence 33, South Kingstown 24

Zarae Hall led the Townies (Div. II) with 10 points and Audrey Bernard added 8 in the win. For the Rebels (Div. I), Abigail O’Rourke scored a team-high 10 points in the loss.

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▶Tuesday’s schedule

BOYS BASKETBALL

La Salle at Hendricken, 6:30 p.m.

Paul Cuffee at Davies, 6:45 p.m.

Rogers at North Providence, 7 p.m.

North Smithfield at Central Falls, 7 p.m.

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Times2 at Exeter/West Greenwich, 7 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Prout at Lincoln School, 4:15 p.m.

Narragansett at Mt. Hope, 6 p.m.

CF/BVP at North Smithfield, 6:30 p.m.

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Pilgrim at Woonsocket, 7 p.m.

BOYS ICE HOCKEY

Mount St. Charles vs. Ponaganset at Levy Arena, 4 p.m.

St. John’s Prep vs. La Salle at Smithfield Rink, 5 p.m.

BOYS SWIMMING

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North Kingstown vs. Prout/SK/Cha/Nar at Tootell Aquatic Center, 4 p.m.

Pilgrim/Toll Gate vs. Middletown/Rogers at Newport YMCA, 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS SWIMMING

North Kingstown vs. Prout at Tootell Aquatic Center, 4 p.m.

Burrillville vs. Toll Gate at McDermott Pool, 5:30 p.m.

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Pilgrim vs. Middletown/Rogers at Newport YMCA, 7:30 p.m.

BOYS INDOOR TRACK

RIIL Meet at PCTA, 5:30 p.m.

GIRLS INDOOR TRACK

RIIL Meet at PCTA, 5:30 p.m.

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WRESTLING

Hendricken at Central,, 5 p.m.

Mt. Hope, Scituate at Coventry, 5 p.m.

EWG at Juanita Sanchez, 5:30 p.m.

Davies at Narragansett, 5:30 p.m.

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North Providence at Cranston West, 6 p.m.

North Kingstown at Cumberland, 6 p.m.

East Greenwich vs. Chariho at Chariho Middle School, 6 p.m.

Toll Gate at South Kingstown, 6 p.m.

Midd/Rogers/Port at West Warwick, 6 p.m.

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CF/BVP at Burrillville, 6 p.m.



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