WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island DUI Task Force is out in full force looking for impaired drivers ahead of Thanksgiving.
The Rhode Island DUI Task Force’s sole purpose is to arrest impaired drivers, according to North Kingstown Lt. Don Barrington, and is typically deployed ahead of holidays and long weekends.
Officers will typically pull cars over for driving too fast, too slow, swerving or driving in a reckless manner, according to Barrington. He said the officers then conduct a series of field sobriety tests to determine whether the driver is impaired before taking them into custody.
Barrington said the DUI Task Force arrested 32 drivers last year the night before Thanksgiving. He also stressed that every single crash involving an impaired driver is preventable.
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“The DUI Task Force would like to remind everyone that they have options and don’t need to drive impaired,” Barrington said. “There is no excuse for getting behind the wheel.”
The Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association also reminds drivers to be socially responsible and take the following into consideration:
If you plan to drink, make a plan ahead of time for a sober ride home.
Even if you’ve had only one drink, let someone who hasn’t been drinking take you home. A sober driver is one who does not drink at all, not the one who’s had the least to drink.
If you’re hosting a Thanksgiving gathering, help designated drivers out by making sure there are plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available.
Have a friend who is about to drive impaired? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.
If you see an impaired driver on the road, safely pull over and call 911.
Always wear your seat belt — and wear it correctly. It should go over your shoulder and across your lap.
Drive the speed limit. It’s unsafe to drive too fast or too slow.
Never eat, drink or use a cell phone while driving.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — David Green scored 20 points as Rhode Island beat Detroit Mercy 81-75 on Wednesday.
Green also contributed eight rebounds for the Rams (6-0). Cam Estevez scored 15 points, shooting 5 for 6 from beyond the arc. Jamarques Lawrence shot 4 for 9, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points. The Rams picked up their sixth straight victory.
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Orlando Lovejoy finished with 28 points, seven assists and two steals for the Titans (3-5). Legend Geeter added 11 points, six rebounds and four steals for Detroit Mercy. Jared Lary also had 10 points and six rebounds.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
NEW LONDON — An off-duty officer helped an 18-month-old child in medical distress earlier this month, according to police.
“Without hesitation and knowing the situation, Officer Northup stopped to offer assistance,” the Police Department said.
He discovered that an 18-month-old girl in the vehicle was in medical distress. He immediately rendered aid and ensured emergency services were on their way, according to police.
Additionally, he provided comfort to the woman and the child “during a terrifying moment for them both,” police said.
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“Officer Northup’s dedication to duty, even while off duty, reflects the professionalism and commitment we strive for within the New London Police Department,” the department said in the post. “Thank you for your extraordinary service and for going above and beyond to ensure the safety and well-being of that family.”
The land was the ancestral home site of a historic leader of the Pokanoket Tribe who died during King Philip’s War in 1676.
Members of the Pokanoket Indian Tribe, led by Sachem Dancing Star, opened the gate to a 255-acre site in Bristol, R.I., on Sunday after Brown University transferred the land to a tribal trust. Courtesy of Sachem Dancing Star
Brown University transferred 225 acres in Bristol, Rhode Island to a preservation trust established by the Pokanoket Tribe, an Indigenous tribe with historic and cultural ties to the property.
Brown acquired a 375-acre property in 1955 at Mount Hope, where the university has its Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology and an outing center. The museum will be moved to Providence, the Ivy League university said.
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Mount Hope is also the ancestral home of Metacom, a leader of the Pokanoket also known as King Philip who died there during King Philip’s War in 1676. Metacom was the chief sachem of the Wampanoag when the English purchased their land in the 1670s.
The transfer comes after a 2017 agreement that ended a month-long Pokanoket encampment at the site.
The Pokanoket Tribe’s sachem (or chief), Tracey “Dancing Star” Trezvant Guy told The Boston Globe that the tribe plans to get an assessment of the land, which is known as Potumtuk, meaning “the lookout of the Pokanoket.”
“The significance of this land goes back to time immemorial for our people,” she said in a statement to the Globe. “For the first time in over 340 years, we unlocked the gates to the property for ourselves and walked onto our land. That is significant. It is historical.”
The land transfer, which can’t be amended, says the Pokanoket “shall at all times and in perpetuity provide and maintain access to the lands and waters of the Property to all members of all Tribes historically part of the Pokanoket Nation/Confederacy, and to all members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Assonet Band of the Wampanoag Nation, the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe and the Pocasset Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation.”
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Russell Carey, executive vice president for planning and policy at Brown, said the original donation to the university asked for the university to be mindful of “the property’s great natural beauty, its historical background or the best interests of the Bristol community.”
“Those words remain as true and relevant today as when they were written nearly 70 years ago, and the steps we are taking to preserve the land in perpetuity are, we believe, fully consistent with that vision,” Carey said.
Brown is selling the rest of the property to the Town of Bristol for preservation and conversation. The sale will be finalized in early 2025.
Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.
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