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She was a suffragist, stage and screen actor, and RI’s first female lawmaker | Opinion

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She was a suffragist, stage and screen actor, and RI’s first female lawmaker | Opinion


Ken Dooley is a member of the board of directors of the Heritage Harbor Foundation.

Her Irish friends would agree that Isabelle Ahearn O’Neill, a stage and screen actor of the silent film era, a suffragist, and the first woman elected to the Rhode Island legislature, died most appropriately on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1975. The resolution passed by the state House of Representatives recognizing March 8, 2007, as Women’s History Day mentioned O’Neill’s accomplishment in becoming the state’s first woman legislator “just two short years after women gained the right to vote.” To call her a pioneer would be an understatement.

Born in Woonsocket in 1880, Isabelle was the youngest of 13 children and moved to Providence in 1892 with her family. She attended the Boston College of Drama and Oratory. Marrying John O’Neill in 1907, she had one child, who died at age 3. Her marriage ended later in divorce, and she never remarried.

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A powerful speaker, Isabelle was an actress on the vaudeville stage and in silent films, establishing the Ahearn School of Elocution in 1900 when she was 20 years old. Her students gave recitals at the Providence Opera House. She also worked as an actor for nearly two decades (1900–1918), taking both lead and supporting roles in primarily summer stock and vaudeville shows in Rhode Island and New York. In 1915, she began to take roles in silent films such as Joe Lincoln’s “Cape Cod Stories,” made by the Providence-based Eastern Film Corporation. O’Neill became a suffragist and began campaigning for Democratic candidates in Rhode Island. 

More: Hope & Main’s Lisa Raiola is USA TODAY Woman of the Year RI honoree. Here’s why

Perhaps inspired by her father, a former councilman, she entered politics and made history in 1922 as the first woman elected to the General Assembly. O’Neill’s acting career and divorced status made her a somewhat risqué choice, but her solid Catholic background and maternalistic agenda affirmed her respectability. In that election year, she also chaired the women’s committee for the gubernatorial campaign of William S. Flynn.

Like other female politicians of her day, she built a career on “women’s” issues, such as pensions for widowed mothers, better teacher pay and protections for female workers. On June 18, 1923, she steered a maternity bill through the House, the first of its kind in the nation, only to see it killed in Senate Committee. Not content with the support of her middle-class Irish American peers, she courted the state’s polyglot electorate by delivering speeches in French and Italian. After eight years in the House of Representatives, the popular Smith Hill legislator moved to the Senate and served as deputy Democratic floor leader, the first woman in the nation to hold this position. Another career highlight came in 1924 when she was temporarily Chair of the Democratic National Convention.

More: Peace in the streets: Arkansas and RI settle world’s shortest St. Patrick’s parade battle

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Throughout her career, O’Neill was known for her outspoken and principled stands. Despite, or perhaps, because of her unconventional life, some seized on her as a model of activist Catholic womanhood, frequently inviting her to speak to parish groups on such topics as “Women in Politics.” At the request of President Franklin Roosevelt, she left the state Senate after only two years to serve as the president’s legislative liaison to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. In 1943, she resigned and returned to her home state, where she took an executive position at the Rhode Island Labor Department to work on the cost-of-living index. She retired from government service in 1954 and passed away in 1975 at the age of 94.

In 2011, the YWCA of Rhode Island created the Isabelle Ahearn O’Neill Award in her memory to honor the state’s women leaders. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2014.



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Providence man arrested in connection to narcotics and firearms investigation | ABC6

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Providence man arrested in connection to narcotics and firearms investigation | ABC6


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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island State Police said a Providence man was arrested after police allegedly discovered multiple narcotics and a gun inside two residences on Sept. 23.

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47-year-old Joel Garcia was charged with possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver one ounce to one kilogram of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while committing a controlled substance violation, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and distribution of a controlled substance in a school zone.

According to RISP, police received court-authorized search warrants for two residences in Providence in connection to a narcotics and firearms investigation.

Inside an apartment on Dresser Street, police allegedly seized 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.3 kilograms of cocaine, and 147 grams of methamphetamine.

Police also searched Garcia’s residence on Portland Street and allegedly seized one fully loaded pistol.

According to police, Garcia had allegedly used the apartment on Dresser Street to “store, package, and distribute large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.”

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Garcia was arrested and charged.

RISP, Providence police, Cranston police, North Providence police, Johnston police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Rhode Island National Guard Counterdrug Program assisted in the investigation.





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The Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford

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The Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford


Millions have been mourning the death of a cinematic icon over the last week with the passing of Robert Redford at age 89.

The award-winning actor is arguably one of the most famous of all time. With over 70 films to his credit on screen and nine he directed throughout his career, Redford’s work in cinema stands out as some of the greatest.

Though only two of Redford’s movies were ever filmed in Rhode Island, the Oscar-winning actor has a deep connection with the Ocean State.

Redford’s Family Roots Near Rhode Island

Though no Redfords actually lived in Rhode Island, Robert’s family was longtime residents of Stonington, CT and several members were born in nearby Westerly, RI.

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READ MORE: ‘Sopranos’ Star Officially Becomes a Rhode Island Resident

Throughout Robert Redford’s childhood there were visits to his grandparents in Stonington, where his grandfather worked as a milkman.

Presumably this time in Stonington meant crossing the state line into Westerly on more than one occasion in his youth and perhaps led to his love of the Rhode Island seaside in later years.

Filming The Great Gatsby in Newport

During his career, Redford came to Newport in the 1970s to film The Great Gatsby at the historic Rosecliff Mansion. Decades later he returned to Rhode Island with the science fiction film The Discovery and even wrote a thank you letter to Newport,  praising their preservation efforts in the city.

READ MORE: HGTV Says You Need to Drive This Road in Newport

Though when he did ultimately settle in New England, Redford chose Weston, CT as his home for almost two decades. He purchased a home not too far from his close friend and fellow actor, Paul Newman.

Evan Agostini/Getty Images

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Rhode Island Honors Robert Redford

Rhode Island never forgot its ties to the beloved actor however. In 2002 Redford was asked to be the commencement speaker at Brown University and that same year Trinity Repertory Company awarded him a Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.

Just one of the many lifetime achievement awards Robert Redford would go on to accumulate during his illustrious career.

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

Academy Award and Golden Globe Winners from Massachusetts

These Massachusetts natives have taken home some of Hollywood’s top honors.

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Gallery Credit: Michaela Johnson

30 Things To Do in Newport Any Time of Year

Newport has always been seen as a summer destination. Wealthy New Yorkers used to escape the city in the hotter months for this picturesque seaside spot and the label as a summer vacation destination began.

There are, however, plenty of things to do in this historic town in any season and we’ve found a few that you may want to try the next time you head to Newport.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall





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GoLocalProv | Sports | VIDEO: Providence’s Lassiter Scores 44-Yard TD in Vanderbilt’s Upset Over #11 South Carolina

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GoLocalProv | Sports | VIDEO: Providence’s Lassiter Scores 44-Yard TD in Vanderbilt’s Upset Over #11 South Carolina


Sunday, September 14, 2025

 

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Zell Lassiter
PHOTO: Via Vanderbilt

Providence’s Jamezell Lassiter had a big play on a huge stage on Saturday when Vanderbilt football upset #11 South Carolina. SEE 7:25 MARK.

Lassiter, who played for the Edgewood Eagles and the Mount Hope Cowboys and attended the San Miguel School in Providence, smoked the Gamecocks on a 44-yard touchdown score.

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Vanderbilt won 31-7 over No. 11 South Carolina, snapping a 16-game losing streak between the two programs. 

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Zell Lassiter PHOTO: Vanderbilt Athletics

In 2024, GoLocal sports columnist Robert McMahon wrote about Lassiter’s journey to the top Division I program:

His athletic skills impressed his San Miguel classmates. Flag football, soccer, basketball—Jamezell could do it all. He was a natural athlete.

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But the transformation of Zell, as he likes to be called, happened in the San Miguel classroom. 

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