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Rhode Island School of Design Votes Against Israel Divestment 

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Rhode Island School of Design Votes Against Israel Divestment 


Rhode Island School of Design’s (RISD) board of trustees announced last week that it has voted against a proposal to divest from Israel presented by the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter (RSJP). The board’s rejection comes in the wake of the group’s three-day occupation of a campus building last May, when it called for the nonprofit college and museum to divest as part of a larger movement across academic institutions in the United States. 

Five RSJP representatives met with the board’s Investment Subcommittee and administrators including President Crystal Williams in October, a spokesperson for RSJP told Hyperallergic. During the meeting, the representatives proposed the institution sever its financial ties to companies linked to Israel’s war on Gaza and other anti-Palestinian violence and discrimination, according to a divestment proposal document shared with Hyperallergic. 

As of June 2023, RISD’s endowment stood at $396 million. A spokesperson for the school declined to comment on the institution’s endowment or disclose what percentage is invested in companies linked to Israeli interests. 

“The reason why we create art and seek to understand it in a thoughtful and complex way is because we collectively believe that it holds a real bearing on global society,” RSJP’s divestment proposal reads. 

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“If we as an institution do not put into practice our ability to effect influence as global changemakers, we render hollow RISD’s fundamental value of the power of art and design and the power of an art institution to do good in the world,” the proposal continues.

In a statement emailed to RISD community members and posted on the art school’s website, the board of trustees said RSJP’s proposal did not meet the criteria outlined in its Statement on Divestment. Those criteria, adopted in May 2015, stipulate that while its duty is to “achieve the maximum possible return” on investment, “in rare circumstances … the Board of Trustees may also in its sole discretion take political and social considerations into account.” 

For divestment to occur under these guidelines, a proposal would need to “implicat[e] an issue of importance to RISD as an institution and to its constituents as a whole, and not solely to a segment of its constituents,” and “would be likely to have a meaningful impact on the resolution of that issue.” 

According to the RSJP’s divestment proposal, 800 of the school’s over 2,000 students signed in favor of their demands, including disclosure and divestment, in a petition in fall 2023. The group also called for a third-party student referendum vote. Some universities, including Columbia University and Pomona College, rejected disclosure and divestment demands from students, despite referendum votes indicating that most of them were in favor of such actions. 

In May, the SJP chapter of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and Faculty for Justice in Palestine were successful in pushing the school to commit to a full disclosure of its investments. The school also vowed to create a student-led Ethical Investment Workgroup that would work with the board of trustees to divest from entities connected to human rights abuses. 

During the occupation of the second floor of RISD’s Providence Washington (Prov-Wash) building last May, which RSJP renamed “Fathi Ghaben Place” in honor of the Gazan artist who died after Israeli authorities blocked his travel for medical treatment, students held art-making sessions and teach-ins. The action was disbanded following expulsion warnings. 

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RISD’s board of trustees has divested before: Nearly a decade ago, the board unanimously voted to withdraw its investments in fossil fuel industries, two years after, students from the group Divest RISD staged a sit-in, the Portland Press Herald reported.

RSJP’s divestment proposal also calls for the institution to back out of any investment in the “exploitation of natural resources,” referencing the Hague Regulations of 1907, which limits an “occupying state” from using the resources of the “occupied population,” according to Amnesty International. The student organization additionally called for RISD’s divestment from weapons manufacturers, military contractors, and companies tied to Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank.

In an Instagram post this week, RSJP alleged the administration did not engage with them in good faith, claiming that “several trustees” did not attend on short notice. 

“As long as the administration refuses to divest, they are participants in the violence,” RSJP told Hyperallergic. “We will not rest until our demands are met.”

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RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 12, 2026

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The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 12, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

05-27-45-56-59, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

21-23-24-28-39, Lucky Ball: 01

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

Midday: 3-5-2-8

Evening: 4-3-6-1

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

05-08-09-22-30, Extra: 11

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Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

  • Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
  • Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
  • Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
  • Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Vincent “Vinnie” Medeiros – Newport This Week

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Vincent “Vinnie” Medeiros – Newport This Week


Vincent “Vinnie” Medeiros, 72, of Newport, RI, completed his final round and stepped off the green on January 4, 2026, at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center after a month-long illness surrounded by his family.

 

One of Vinnie’s greatest joys in life was golf, which teed off his education and early career. At 15, he began work as a caddy at Wanumetonomy Country Club in Middletown, later moving to the Pro Shop. As a result of his time there, he was awarded a full scholarship and attended Roger Williams College in Bristol, RI, with a major in History. He also attended the PGA Business School I in Florida and continued his career in the Pro Shop at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, RI, for five years.

 

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After leaving the golf world, Vinnie began a long and dedicated career as a defense contractor supporting the US Navy at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC). Over a span of 43 years, he worked for four different contractors. Before his retirement in July 2025, he worked with MIKEL, Inc. as a System Engineer/Data Manager in the Acoustic Data Center (ADC) Library, where he supported information and data for Virginia and Seawolf class submarines.

 

Vinnie was beloved by family and friends for his sense of humor; he was a jokester, known for silly antics and his “commitment to the bit.” Those who called his landline were often greeted by his answering machine saying, “This is A1 Pizza; leave a message.” When accepting an invitation to family events, he always followed up with, “I’ll bring the chouriço pizza.”

 

He was an active member of his community, particularly within his neighborhood, the Fifth Ward. After 47 years of calling it home, he had woven himself into the fabric of the neighborhood. Alongside a group of fellow fifth-warder friends, he designed baseball caps for the residents of “5W” to proudly don.

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Vinnie was a devoted son, brother, uncle, and friend. He embodied what it means to give the shirt off his back to anyone in need without expecting or wanting recognition for his generosity. He quietly took care of the people in his life when they needed him simply because that was his nature. Vinnie was also known for his deep love and compassion for animals, especially his dogs. He could often be found strolling around King Park, enjoying the view and fresh ocean breeze with his loyal canine companion, Molly. He cherished each of his dogs and honored them through regular donations to various charities for the wellbeing of animals.

 

Vinnie is survived by his siblings, Virginia Dobson (Charles) of Coventry, RI; Margaret Elliott (Edward) of Portsmouth, RI; and Diane Larson (Nels) of Goose Creek, SC. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews, Jeffrey Dobson, Danielle Beagen, Nicolas Medeiros, Jessica DeMello, Tara Ecenarro, Sunny-Dae Larson, and Lilly Larson-Daniels, as well as 7 great-nieces and -nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Manuel P. Medeiros; his mother, Anna M. Medeiros; and his brother, Manuel V. Medeiros.

 

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Visiting hours will be held Friday, January 9 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, 465 Spring St, Newport. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, January 10 at St. Augustin’s Church, corner of Carroll & Harrison Ave, Newport at 10:00 am. Burial will be private.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Vincent’s name to the Potter League for Animals, 87 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842, potterleague.org/donate/ or to HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center, 1085 N. Main St, Providence, RI 02904, hopehealthco.org/ways-to-give/donatenow/.

 

For online tributes, please visit oneillhayes.com.

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Will the environment be a big topic during the legislative session? What to expect

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Will the environment be a big topic during the legislative session? What to expect


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  • Rhode Island lawmakers are expected to reintroduce the Building Decarbonization Act to reduce emissions from heating and cooling.
  • Environmental advocates are concerned about a lack of legislative action needed to meet the state’s 2030 climate goals.
  • Other potential environmental legislation includes bills to increase public transit funding and improve recycling through a bottle bill.

Two years ago, the state Senate approved legislation that aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating and cooling buildings in Rhode Island, but the measure was held up in the House.

Last year, roles were reversed, and with the Senate demurring, it was the House’s turn to pass a version of the bill that advocates say is necessary to meet the net-zero by 2050 mandate of the Act on Climate.

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The Building Decarbonization Act is set to be reintroduced again this year in the General Assembly and once again, it will most likely be on the list of legislative priorities for the coalition that represents leading environmental groups across the state.

“I could see that getting a lot of support,” said James Crowley, president of the Environment Council of Rhode Island. “We haven’t taken much action yet on the heating sector despite it accounting for a third of emissions.”

As the new legislative session kicked off last week, Crowley and other advocates have measured hopes for environmental action in the General Assembly. Many believe this is a pivotal time for Rhode Island, just four years out from the Act on Climate’s next interim target, a 45% reduction of planet-warming emissions from 1990 levels by 2030.

But they also know that the lack of support for anything climate-related from the Trump administration will complicate state efforts. And with a gubernatorial race on the cards, state leaders will be wary of doing anything that potentially raises costs for Rhode Islanders, especially as they look for ways to fill gaps in federal funding for things like health care and education.

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“We have to be mindful of the moment that we’re operating in,” said Jed Thorp, director of advocacy for Save The Bay. “That will make it relatively hard for environmental issues to break through.”

Session follows approval of new state climate action plan

After years of inaction on environmental priorities, the General Assembly appeared to turn a corner in 2021 with the passage of the Act on Climate, a law that underpins all policymaking in the state around transitioning away from fossil fuels. It was followed a year later with a commitment to offset all electric usage in the state with wind, solar and other renewable sources by 2033.

But there’s been little movement since then in the legislature to address emissions from buildings, transportation and other sectors of the Rhode Island economy, leading to questions about the state’s commitment to its climate goals.

At a meeting last month of the state Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council, Emily Koo, Rhode Island director of the Acadia Center, a clean energy advocacy group, spoke of a “vacuum of climate leadership” across state government.

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Meg Kerr, vice chair of the climate council’s advisory board, urged greater urgency.

“We really need a whole-of-government approach and a whole-of-economy approach to achieve the Act on Climate,” she said. “We need state leadership and state vision.”

They spoke at a Dec. 18 meeting of the council, which is made up of agency directors and staff and directs the state government’s climate policy. Its members were meeting to approve a strategy that had been in the works for more than a year and is supposed to lay out the ways the state could meet the Act on Climate’s goals.

But some critics said the plan fell short of expectations, with too much focus on the federal government’s hostility to climate policy. Bill Ibelle, a member of Climate Action Rhode Island, described the tone of the report as “defeatist.”

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While the report assumed big upticks in the adoption of heat pumps and electric cars and projected the state would reach the 2030 target, it didn’t lay out a plan to get to later goals, he and others complained.

“It’s really important that these are things that we should push hard on,” Ibelle said. “What I’d like to see this group do is do more then mention them, but endorse them.”

In a statement, Terry Gray, director of the state Department of Environmental Management and chair of the climate council, said that state agencies are “fully committed to action” and that they are already implementing parts of the strategy while also looking at alternatives in the absence of federal backing.

“Recent federal rollbacks of clean-energy initiatives, disruptions to offshore wind, and the loss of critical federal funding have significantly altered the policy and financing landscape that many states, including Rhode Island, have relied on,” he said. “As those impacts continue to unfold, states must reassess how best to advance their climate goals under these new conditions.” 

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Measures to reduce reliance on fossil fuels are expected

Amid the uncertainty, Sen. Meghan Kallman said she believes the General Assembly needs to do more on climate issues.

The Pawtucket Democrat was the lead sponsor in the Senate of the Building Decarbonization Act in 2024 and 2025 and plans to introduce it again this year. Last year’s version required that new buildings be constructed so that they’re able to switch from heating systems that burn fossil fuels to electric heat pumps. (The House version that won passage, introduced by Rep. Rebecca Kislak, was amended so that it required only that large buildings track and report their energy usage.)

Kallman said she’s also working on a separate bill focused on new hospital construction and electrification, as well as other measures.

“My expectation is that the Senate will continue to lead on these issues,” Kallman said. “The federal landscape is challenging, but that’s a reason why the state needs to take leadership.”

While Crowley, a staff attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, said that the Environment Council won’t vote on its priorities for several more weeks, he thinks Kallman’s bill would almost certainly be on the list again. So, too, would a move to reduce reliance on cars by finding more funds for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. A bottle bill aimed at improving recycling would also be a priority if it’s proposed again.

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On the latter, the legislature voted last year to study the costs of implementing the redemption system for used bottles and cans that the bill calls for. The report is due by the end of the year, so Thorp doesn’t expect approval of the new recycling program in the meantime but he expects a bill to be filed to keep discussions going.

Koo said she’s hoping for more attention in the General Assembly on reducing the state’s reliance on natural gas. She mentioned a proposal to limit new spending on the gas delivery system. She also said that reduced electric rates for heat pump users and variable rates that could make it cheaper to charge electric cars would also help.

Crowley said there’s hope that with a new Congress after the mid-term elections and a new president in three years, the political landscape could change once again.

“Even in this difficult climate we can still do the work,” he said.



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