Taylor Swift’s Wedding Guests Don’t Know Ceremony Location — Yet
Rhode Island
Rhode Islanders Smell Something Fishy with New Tourism Campaign
The latest Rhode Island tourism campaign continues to have a bumpy start to 2024.
In an effort to highlight the beauty and culture of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Tourism launched a new marketing campaign, accompanied by a new slogan and new initiatives to highlight the beauty and culture of the state.
The only problem is that the “local initiative” seems to be run by an out-of-towner.
Crawfish Raises Eyebrows
In a since-deleted social media post, Rhode Island tourism promoted a certain kind of seafood that is not typically associated with Rhode Island and the community was quick to call it out.
What’s Going On in Rhode Island shared the “blunder by the RI tourism campaign,” where the campaign promotes crawfish as local Rhode Island seafood.
Yes, Rhode Island is home to restaurants that serve seafood boils and offer crawfish, but it is rarely seen among other local offerings like clam cakes and chowder.
“When you hire out-of-state agencies to promote Rhode Island, this is what happens,” said the popular outlet.
The post has locals wondering if Rhode Islanders even run the new tourism initiative.
“This is what happens when you don’t hire folks that live here and know our resources,” said one online user.
“So many talented in-state agencies…use them!!!” said another.
The Crawfish Post, Explained
Fun 107 contacted RI Tourism to inquire about the photo and see if the campaign is being run by a third party outside of Rhode Island.
Matthew Touchette, the Rhode Island Director of Public Affairs, provided helpful information.
“That picture was taken from the Charlestown Seafood Festival, a popular seafood festival in South County” he said. “Rhode Island is so much more than stuffies and lobsters, clam cakes and chowder…we have a very diverse seafood chain, and crawfish is one of them.”
In regards to using a third-party agency, Touchette was transparent in saying the state works very closely with an agency based in Florida, but any posts created by the agency must be approved by the Rhode Island team.
In the case of the crawfish post, it was solely created by the RI Tourism team.
Why Not Use a Local Marketing Agency?
“I understand that there are local companies that offer marketing and advertising and public relations services, but we don’t just hire a company,” he explained. “We are a government agency, we have to do an RFP.”
An RFP, or a request for proposal, is a project announcement posted publicly by an organization indicating that bids for contractors to complete the project are sought.
“When that goes out, anyone can apply,” he said. “In this case, the agency (in Florida) scored the highest and they got the contract.”
Many Rhode Islanders were steamed about the crawfish post, but truthfully, crawfish can be found in 43 locations across the state, according to the DEM.
Food for thought: While we may typically be paired with clam cakes and chowder, the new RI Tourism initiative is here to show the diversity of the cuisine and culture.
20 SouthCoast Massachusetts and Rhode Island Dishes That Deserve to Be Featured on the Food Network
Take a dive into the freshest seafood dishes, Italian specialties, Portuguese favorites and much more for these signature SouthCoast dishes that are so good, they deserve to be featured on the Food Network.
Gallery Credit: Gazelle
See the Stars Who Own Homes in Rhode Island
There are plenty of celebrities who once called Rhode Island home, but how many still do? Here’s the list of stars who own homes across the Ocean State.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
20 Stars Who Hail From Rhode Island
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the nation, but it has been home to many celebrities. Though some have moved here, filmed here or attended school here, only a handful were actually born here. These are those celebrities.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Continue Reading
Rhode Island
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce initially had their sights set on a marvelous coastal wedding, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly.
“Taylor and Travis really wanted their wedding in Rhode Island, and June 13 was the date, but security wouldn’t have worked because it could get out of hand with that kind of scale of an event,” an insider says.
Though everything was initially being planned in Rhode Island — where Swift, 36, has a mansion in the lavish Watch Hill neighborhood of Westerly — the insider notes the pop star had booked multiple venues from coast to coast on different dates.
According to the source, “Ocean House [in Westerly] was planned at one point, and then plans changed to New York.”
The insider, meanwhile, tells Us that Swift’s security “had to assess all the venues to see what made sense.”
“Rhode Island wasn’t great because the nature of the access and the perimeters were too difficult to secure,” the source explains. “So the main issue with Rhode Island ended up being security.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Getty Images
“Everything was being planned in Rhode Island,” added a source. “And so many people wanted to come that plans had to change because it became bigger.”
Swift and Kelce, 36, are now rumored to be tying the knot at Madison Square Garden in New York City over the July 4 holiday weekend. While the exact location and date of the nuptials have not yet been confirmed, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to hint at the wedding taking place in the city during a June 15 press conference earlier this month.
“I am fully confident in the work of the NYPD, as well as our state partners, in delivering that safe experience,” he told reporters. “We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events, and we are incredibly excited for the [World Cup]. We know it coincides with the Knicks’ [NBA] Finals run. We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”
Additionally, a permit was filed with NYC in June, the mayor’s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed to Us after The New York Times reported on a permit to close the streets surrounding MSG from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3.
City sources also confirmed to Us that the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO), which issues the permits, is in touch with the NYPD regarding a possible influx of street and pedestrian traffic.
Though Swift and Kelce’s Rhode Island wedding plans fell through, the “I Knew It, I Knew You” singer’s Watch Hill mansion had an uptick in action last week when security was spotted swarming the area. A group of unidentified women were reportedly seen on the balcony wearing matching robes — three in black and one in white — sparking speculation about a bachelorette party.
A woman who appeared to be Swift’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson Berard was also seen on the property with her 2-year-old son.
Meanwhile, Travis celebrated what was perceived as his bachelor party in Los Angeles and San Diego. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, Jason Kelce, as well as Travis’ teammate Patrick Mahomes and others, were spotted at a Chris Lake concert, a Dave Chappelle comedy show, a night out at the members-only Bird Street Club and more.
Swift and Kelce began dating in the summer of 2023 and got engaged in August 2025.
Rhode Island
When will RI see promised Time-Varying Rates on electric bills? | Opinion
Here’s how to submit a letter to the editor to the Providence Journal
Community opinions matter to us and we make sure there’s a space to hear what your neighbors are thinking. Here’s how to submit your own.
Journal Staff
Rhode Island Energy is currently installing advanced smart meters for all electricity customers. Clean energy and environmental advocates have championed advanced metering for decades because the systems enable incentives for conservation, solar integration and energy storage. The primary vehicle for realizing these benefits is Time-Varying Rates (TVR).
Unlike legacy meters, advanced meters track when electricity is used, not just how much is used. TVR encourages customers to shift heavy usage, like running a clothes dryer or charging an electric vehicle, to off-peak overnight hours when wholesale power is cheap and cleaner. This flattens the grid’s peak demand, brings down wholesale energy costs for everyone and reduces our reliance on polluting “peaker” power plants.
The Rhode Island Public Utility Commission (PUC) is charged with balancing the interests of utility customers with value to utility shareholders. It sets the formulas by which the utility is compensated.
The primary means the utility is compensated is based on a Return on Equity invested (ROE) that is predetermined by the PUC and currently set at 9.275%. Rhode Island Energy’s capital investments are funded through roughly 51% equity (shareholder capital) and 49% debt. For every $100 million the utility spends on infrastructure, about $51 million is financed via equity, allowing shareholders to collect an annual pre-tax profit of 9.275% on that portion, or roughly $4.73 million. The more the utility spends, the more their shareholders earn.
At a cost of over $188 million for the new meters, Rhode Island Energy shareholders will collect nearly $9 million a year in profit for 20 years from the equity portion of that investment alone, while also saving money on labor by eliminating the need for truck based drive-by meter readers.
But advanced metering was supposed to benefit ratepayers as well as the utility. Though the meter expenditures were approved by the PUC in 2023 and the meters installations are expected to be completed by the end of this year, it is expected to take until at least 18 months after the meter rollout is completed to implement the billing system infrastructure needed to enable Time-Varying Rates.
The upgrades that deliver more profit to the utility bottom line was fast tracked, while the investment needed to implement the primary benefits to ratepayers is being slow walked. Why weren’t the software upgrades and hardware deployment run in parallel?
Right now, the PUC is weighing a huge general rate case (Docket No. 25-45-GE). Rhode Island Energy has proposed aggressively hiking its profit margin, seeking to raise its ROE from 9.275% to 10.75% and expand its equity share from 51% to 57%.
In their 2022 advanced metering filing, Rhode Island Energy suggested the new infrastructure would yield $729 million in benefits over 20 years. So far, the utility is seeing plenty of that benefit on its bottom line, while ratepayers have mostly seen higher costs. The PUC should reject the utility’s requested rate increases, preserve the current rate structure, and insist that Time-Varying Rates be fully operational before any further rate changes are considered.
Fred Unger is a retired energy project developer and clean energy advocate based in Providence.
Rhode Island
Target 12: State of RI’s fire hoses
With wildfires becoming more frequent in Rhode Island, the state’s stockpile of specialty hoses to battle these blazes is being stretched thin.
Target 12 investigator Tim White got a firsthand look at the condition of the critical firefighting tools in Rhode Island and learned what’s being done to repair or replace them.
Watch the Target 12 exclusive Tuesday at 5 p.m. on WPRI 12.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
Follow us on social media:
-
New York3 minutes agoMetropolitan Diary Challenge Day 1: What Is Your N.Y. Story?
-
Los Angeles, Ca10 minutes agoLASD releases video of man shot by deputy after allegedly charging them with knife
-
Detroit, MI28 minutes agoRick Mahorn returns to coaching Detroit basketball with BIG3 Amps
-
San Francisco, CA40 minutes agoSuspect arrested after shooting near San Francisco Pride events, police say
-
Dallas, TX42 minutes agoDallas shooting injures 2 as police search for suspect
-
Miami, FL48 minutes agoColombia wins Group K after 0-0 draw with Portugal in Miami Stadium; both teams advance to World Cup knockouts
-
Boston, MA55 minutes agoBeyond the frame: ‘Where’s Boston?’ revisited through new oral histories – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
-
Denver, CO57 minutes agoArizona Cardinals will face Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix for 1st time
