Follow us on social media:
Rhode Island
Shekarchi for governor?; Taylor Swift house; Giovanni’s back on air: Top stories this week
The first all-female chess tournament held Saturday in East Providence.
Students Aanya Ritesh Tichkule and Nina Yang participate in RI Open Girl’s Championship at St. Mary’s Academy, Bay View
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of Jan. 12,supported by your subscriptions.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
A funny thing happened on the way to the 2026 rematch between Gov. Dan McKee and Helena Foulkes:
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi entered the chat.
Shekarchi, tacit head of the state Democratic Party and keeper of the largest campaign war chest in Rhode Island, is not publicly saying he wants to be governor. He’s also not saying that he doesn’t want to be governor.
And so when lawmakers and lobbyists returned to the State House last week for the start of this year’s General Assembly session, the most whispered-about political variable on their minds − besides Senate President Dominick Ruggerio‘s health − is whether Shekarchi might turn the 2026 field on its head.
Read this edition of Political Scene to see how the Shekarchi X factor is affecting the gubernatorial calculations.
Political Scene: How Shekarchi’s shadow looms large in the 2026 RI governor’s race
Taylor Swift’s house in Rhode Island is being renovated. See what she’s having done.
Taylor Swift is expanding her famous waterfront home in Westerly’s Watch Hill neighborhood, town records show.
According to a building permit issued by the town of Westerly last month, contractors are building an addition to Swift’s home that will include a new bedroom and bathrooms. An existing kitchen will also undergo renovations.
Recently, some eagle-eyed fans have spotted the beginning stages of construction on the property, including a crane and wood framing off the side of the house.
The home, which Swift has owned since 2013, is the subject of her 2020 song “The Last Great American Dynasty” and has been the site of many star-studded Fourth of July parties over the years.
Celebrities: Taylor Swift’s house in Rhode Island is being renovated. See what she’s having done.
Nicholas Schorsch has made a $100 million investment in restaurants in Newport. In less than a year, he’s contracted to buy or purchased the iconic Flo’s Clam Shack, the popular Brick Alley Pub and Red Parrot, the waterfront restaurant The Reef, Broadway’s Caleb & Broad and the historic Vanderbilt hotel.
The volume of purchases by his Heritage Hospitality Group has made some people uncomfortable and questioning the businessman’s motives. The local owners who’ve sold their restaurants say many people ask them why they sold to him.
With Schorsch and his hospitality group committed to adding still more restaurants, it seems fair to ask – Why is he buying so many restaurants?
How does Schorsch react to this skepticism about his intentions? And what do people who’ve done business with him say about the experience? Journal food editor Gail Ciampa has the story.
Dining: Nick Schorsch keeps expanding restaurant portfolio. Behind the scenes of Audrain’s growth.
Another iconic Thayer Street store is moving on.
The Berk family, which has run Berk’s shoes for 50 years, decided it’s time. One of Rhode Island’s renowned commercial strips has lost another mainstay.
Nevertheless, Journal columnist Mark Patinkin is pleased to report that Thayer is still going strong, with a shift toward food more so than retail outlets. Join him on a nostalgic stroll back to some of the places he loved best that are no longer with us, from IHOP to the Army/Navy Surplus.
Mark Patinkin: There’s lots to miss on an ever-changing Thayer Street, but it’s still hopping
PROVIDENCE – Longtime Rhode Island radio host Giovanni has returned to the airwaves less than a year after he signed off following a 50-year career with WPRO.
Giovanni started Monday and is hosting weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. at B101 (WWBB-FM).
“Giovanni is a Rhode Island legend,” Adam Rivers, program director for B101, said when announcing Giovanni’s addition to the iHeart Media station. “To have him back on the airwaves entertaining commuters during their ride home across Southern New England is nothing short of tremendous. We’re thrilled to have him on the B101 team.”
Media: Back ‘On Air’: Longtime radio host Giovanni heads to RI’s B101. Here’s when to listen.
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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.
A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Rhode Island
Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than $500K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Scott-Naso-022526-1-079e2e33c43a473590695ebdb06147b3.jpg?ssl=1 "Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than 0K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe")
As the two-year anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, widowed single father Scott Naso is sounding an alarm to fellow parents across the country — and especially in Rhode Island, where he lives with his now 4-year-old daughter, Laila.
-
Cleveland, OH4 seconds agoWinners and Losers From Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Playoffs Game 1
-
Austin, TX6 minutes agoStorms dump small hail throughout Austin area Saturday
-
Alabama12 minutes agoYMCA of South Alabama holds Healthy Kids Day in Spanish Fort
-
Alaska18 minutes ago
Bear injures two US soldiers during military training in Alaska | The Jerusalem Post
-
Arizona24 minutes agoNFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
-
Arkansas30 minutes agoNo. 6 Arkansas ends top-ranked OU’s 31-game home winning streak with 3-2 decision
-
California36 minutes ago
Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race
-
Colorado42 minutes agoLandeskog – April 18 | Colorado Avalanche
