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Rhode Island
Rhode Island wind farm forum gets heated; police seek person of interest
A wind farm forum in Newport, Rhode Island, got a little heated last week when a man intervened after attendees raised concerns about offshore wind turbine structures, one of which recently fell apart and left debris in the ocean.
In a video shared on Facebook by the Newport Police Department, a woman is seen standing in front of the crowd wearing a pair of gloves and holding what she claimed to be a fiberglass shard that washed ashore from the damaged turbine.
As she was showing the item, a man walked up and grabbed a bag belonging to the woman. He also grabbed at a flat box containing other items before walking away with the bag and throwing it on the ground and returning to his seat.
People in the crowd could be heard saying, “Wow” and “This is a democracy.”
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Newport, Rhode Island, police shared a video of a man at a wind turbine hearing disrupting people as they spoke. (Newport Police Department)
The same man is then seen getting up out of his chair again holding what appeared to be an index card and leaning toward the same woman, who was still speaking.
When the woman refused to take the card, the man reached for the fiberglass shard she was holding, missed and inserted the index card between the frame of the woman’s glasses and her face.
“Disrespect, sir,” a person in the crowd is heard saying.
In another clip, as a different woman attempted to stand at a podium and speak, the man walked over and snatched the microphone, unplugged it and placed it behind the panel of speakers in the front of the room.
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Newport, Rhode Island, police shared a video of a man at a wind turbine forum disrupting people as they spoke. (Newport Police Department)
The Newport Energy and Environment Commission’s video of the hearing showed a slide that listed the panelists as state Sen. Dawn Euer, Brown University professor Stephen Porder and Save The Bay Executive Director Topher Hamblett.
At the end of the clip shared by police, one of the panelists told one of the women, “You guys set us back a half-hour after your outburst, and you’re leaving early?”
The video was taken down from the police department’s Facebook page Wednesday. Police told Fox News Digital the man in the video has been identified, though no arrests have been made.
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Newport, Rhode Island, police shared a video of a man at a wind turbine forum disrupting people as they spoke. (Newport Police Department)
When asked what, if any, charges the man would face, police said there was no further information to add, noting it’s an ongoing investigation.
The Newport Buzz, a local blog, shared on X that less than 12 hours after it discovered the man from the meeting was “featured prominently” on the campaign website of U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., changes were made to the site.
The current photo on the senator’s campaign site shows Whitehouse shaking hands with a woman, though the internet archive shows a different picture.
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The snapshot taken from the senator’s campaign site Wednesday shows Whitehouse bumping fists with a woman wearing a hard hat and a person standing behind the senator also wearing a hard hat. Three people were not wearing hard hats in the photo, including Whitehouse and the man from the meeting, who is looking at the camera.
A photo since scrubbed from the campaign website of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., shows a man of interest allegedly involved in an incident during a wind turbine forum last week in Newport, R.I. (Sen. Whitehouse campaign website)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Whitehouse’s office seeking information about why the image was swapped and what the man’s connection is to the senator. Whitehouse’s office did not immediately respond to the inquiries.
Last month, large chunks of a damaged wind turbine blade from Vineyard Wind continued to wash up on Nantucket’s south shore beaches.
Vineyard Wind said in a statement the blade was damaged, and it was conducting a cleanup effort on the southern-facing shores of the island as hundreds of pieces of large and small debris washed up.
The Nantucket Harbormaster closed all south shore beaches because of the debris, though walking was permitted under caution.
Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between foreign entities Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, which built wind farms off the coast of Massachusetts. The company is a beneficiary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the signature domestic policy achievement of the Biden-Harris administration.
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In October, Vineyard Wind boasted of a $1.2 billion “first-of-its-kind tax equity package” for commercial scale offshore wind with three U.S.-based banks, calling it “the largest single asset tax equity financing and the first for a commercial scale offshore wind project.”
Vineyard Wind 1 began on-site construction in late 2021 and completed the nation’s first offshore substation in July 2023. It is an 800 MW project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and is the first commercial scale offshore wind project in the U.S.
FOX Weather contributed to this report.
Why is the flag at half staff? These are possible reasons
The flag of the United States of America is flown at half-staff on several occasions, generally marking that the country is in mourning
On Friday, May 15, flags will be flown at half-staff across the United States to commemorate Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Recognized each year since 1962 as part of May’s National Police Week, the national observance pays tribute to United States law enforcement officials who gave their lives in the line of duty, whether at the local, state or federal level.
“United in gratitude, we recommit ourselves to supporting those who keep the peace in our neighborhoods, and we offer our heartfelt appreciation for the service they render to community and country,” reads a proclamation from President Trump. “Their steady presence brings calm to our streets, their dedication preserves the order that allows our Nation to flourish, and their unwavering vigilance is the reason families across America can rest under the promise of a safer tomorrow.”
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the flag of the United States at all public buildings and grounds across the country and its territories – including in Rhode Island – will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, May 15.
Why are flags flown at half-staff?
According to the official website of the U.S. General Services Administration, flags typically fly at half-staff when the country or specific state is in mourning. Observances include national tragedies, days of remembrance and deaths of government or military personnel.
The president, the state governor or the mayor of Washington, D.C., can order flags to fly at half-staff.
Half-staff vs. half-mast
While half-staff refers to lowered flags on land, half-mast refers to those at sea. Both refer to a flag being flown beneath the top of its staff as a sign of respect.
RI’s Verdi Productions films ‘Bad News On The Doorstep’ in Providence
Verdi Productions wrapped filming of Tom DeNucci’s “Bad News On The Doorstep” early on May 23 in Providence.
Verdi Productions’ secret horror movie, “My Boyfriend is a Demon,” now filming in Rhode Island, is no longer a secret as Chad A. Verdi, the East Greenwich production company’s president, has announced the cast and given an outline of the movie’s plot.
The ensemble cast comprises veteran actors and rising young talents. The story follows Mary, a lonely, small-town girl who creates a fake Instagram account that pretends to be boyfriend, a guy too perfect to be real. Mary puts so much effort into making him “real” that he shows up at her door one day.
The cast includes:
- Mattias Ferrell, son of comic actor Will Ferrell and known for “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
- Coco Arquette, daughter of Courteney Cox and David Arquette and known for “Cougar Town.”
- David Arquette, known for his work in the “Scream” film franchise.
- Rosanna Arquette, David’s sister and Coco’s aunt, known for “The Moment.”
- Bailey Sloan, known for “Ragamuffin.”
- Jack Champion, known for “Avatar.”
- Ever Anderson, known for “Peter Pan & Wendy.”
- Vinnie Hacker, known for “Euphoria.”
- Josephine Reitman, known for “Juno.”
- Savannah Lee Smith, kown for “Tunsel Town.”
- Lisa Yamada, known for “Elle.”
- Ty Law, known for “Friday Night Lights.”
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is written and directed by first-time director mishka.
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is filming in Providence
The movie began filming in Rhode Island in April and has rented Providence’s Cranston Street Armory for the month of May to use as a studio.
The producing team for Verdi Productions includes Chad A. Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, Michelle Verdi and Sera Verdi. Executive producers include Ketchup Entertainment and Kinolime.
Good morning! Happy Thursday! Today will be pretty unsettled with the chance for showers and t’storms. Friday will still be damp with showers and drizzle, but the weekend still looks amazing!
The one good thing with the rain, for allergy sufferers at least, the pollen levels will be lower. In fact, both today and tomorrow, the tree pollen counts will be low locally. Do expect a spike in the pollen count for Saturday and Sunday with the dry weather.
INTERACTIVE RADAR: Live Pinpoint Weather 12 Radar »
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” FLIGHT TRACKER
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” POWER OUTAGES
TODAY
Hour-by-hour forecast for today…
We’ll have some showers around during the morning commute today, but the greatest chance for showers and t’storms will be after 9AM and before 5PM.
Showers and thunderstorms could slow travel around mid-day. Rain could fall heavily at times.
A line of showers and t’storms will be sweeping across the area through the afternoon as a slow-moving weather systems moves through the region.
Highs today will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s with southeast to east winds of 5-15mph.
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” BEACH AND BOATING FORECASTS
TONIGHT
Showers are still possible this evening; although they won’t be as numerous.
TOMORROW
That low center will be nearby Friday morning, and we’ll be stuck with a damp, cool windflow. Expect drizzle and showers in the morning and possibly some lingering showers in the afternoon.
Highs Friday will only be in the 50s. The average high this time of year is in the upper 60s.
LOOKING AHEAD
Then…there’s the weekend. Saturday looks amazing with lots of sunshine and dry weather. It’ll be warmer, too, with highs in the 70s.
-Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo
T.J. Del Santo (tdelsanto@wpri.com) is the weekday morning and noon meteorologist for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Threads and BlueSky.
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