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Should RI rename Victory Day? The suggestion sparks a war of words

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Should RI rename Victory Day? The suggestion sparks a war of words


PROVIDENCE – If you want to ignite a war of words at the State House, suggest changing the name of the Rhode Island-only holiday known as Victory Day.

That’s what happened this week – for the second year in a row – when a public hearing was held on Rep. Jennifer Stewart’s bill to change the name of the holiday that falls on the second Monday of August from “Victory Day” to “Peace and Remembrance Day.”

Despite its official name, the bill [H7326], which sparked this heated exchange, notes that Victory Day is still known to many as “Victory over Japan Day … given the proximity of the holiday’s date” to the use of the atomic bombs on Japan and the announcement, soon after, of Japan’s surrender.

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Changing the name to “Peace & Remembrance Day,” would “recognize that the U.S. engaged in racially discriminatory treatment of first and second generation Japanese Americans residing on its mainland … [and that] historians have cast doubt on the military necessity of using the atomic bombs,” the bill reads.

Acknowledgment of past wrongdoing or insult to veterans?

“We feel this bill is an insult to our WWII veterans and to the history of World War II,” John P. Gallo Sr., representing the United Veterans Council of Rhode Island, wrote legislators about the bill.

“This bill is one more attempt to whitewash our history and erase our past,” wrote Tom Padwa of Warren. “Yes, the atomic bomb attacks on Japan had horrific consequences, but let’s not forget that they happened.”

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From the other side of the debate came letters of support for the legislation that Stewart, a Pawtucket Democrat, proposed, including from Asian-American Rhode Islander Catherine Chung, who wrote:

“Our country’s dark history of the state-sanctioned incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, followed by the prohibition of their return to the West Coast, left a legacy of intergenerational trauma.”

“Renaming ‘Victory Day’ will symbolize an acknowledgment of past wrongdoing and our state’s commitmentto rectifying historical injustices,” she continued.

Added Alex Denisevich of East Greenwich, acknowledging he has lived in Rhode Island for only seven years, but “for all of those years, I am always ashamed to tell friends, family members, whoever, that the reason I have off onthe second Monday of August is because the state I now live in refuses to stop celebrating a holiday thatexists only to celebrate the murder of millions of people.”

What is Victory Day: And why is Rhode Island the only state that observes it?

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Debate spills onto the House floor

In her turn at the microphone before the House Committee on Special Legislation, Stewart, who teaches history and political science at Moses Brown School in Providence, said changing the name would also recognize that “military victories are built on civilian injury and death.”

“This is a fact we need to remember … when we watch the news about Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria and other places,” she said.

But Rep. Patricia Morgan, R-West Warwick, argued back: “This is a victory day and it’s a victory day for America because we had people who were willing to step up for our values.” She called the legislation an “atrocity” tantamount to “taking away the honor and the bravery that those men deserve.”

Stewart responded: “This bill … does not take away anything. There’s Veterans Day and there’s Memorial Day as well [but] we are the only state that has a Victory Day, and as far as I understand, we weren’t the only state in the United States who had people who sacrificed and fought in WWII and subsequent wars.”

Rep. Samuel Azzinaro, D-Westerly, recalling the bombing of Pearl Harbor, said he’s proud “we are the only state that recognizes this day as a ‘Victory Day’ because it was unconscionable what happened to us on that December 7th Sunday morning.”

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The bill was held for further study.



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Rhode Island public school charges mother $117K for records request about teacher who called Charlie Kirk ‘garbage’

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Rhode Island public school charges mother 7K for records request about teacher who called Charlie Kirk ‘garbage’


A Rhode Island public school district reportedly charged a mother roughly $117,000 for records pertaining to a high school teacher who was placed on paid leave after calling slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk a “piece of garbage.”

Benjamin Fillo, a social studies teacher at Barrington High School, was ousted in September shortly after posting a rant on TikTok branding Kirk a “piece of garbage” who “hated” the LGBTQ community, women’s rights, and democracy.

Benjamin Fillo, a social studies teacher at Barrington High School, was placed on paid leave after posting a rant about Charlie Kirk on TikTok. @whawazat18/TikTok

One irate mother submitted a public records request for information related to Fillo’s school email and course materials — but the district pushed back with a steep fee, according to a letter from the law firm representing Barrington Public Schools.

Nicole Solas sought to obtain any emails Fillo sent from Sept. 1 2024 onward referencing “Trump” and a secondary request for more email correspondences sent since Jan 1. 2016 also flagging “Trump.”

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Solas additionally asked for all of Fillo’s “curriculum materials” he used “to teach the young and impressionable minds of other people’s children who are entitled to an education free from indoctrination,” according to the letter.

Nicole Solas, a parent who doesn’t have children in the Barrington School District, sought to obtain Fillo’s curriculum and emails.

The law firm wrote that Solas clarified she was looking for all material Fillo used since he started teaching at the school in 2010, which came out to thousands of documents from 157 courses stored in three different learning management systems, according to the letter.

The records request flagged a staggering 789 emails Fillo sent containing the word “Trump” since Sept. 1 2024, according to the letter.

Solas’ request, though, wasn’t cheap.

If she wanted to obtain all the requested materials, she would have to fork over $117,130.50 — with the 15-year curriculum alone costing roughly $116,000, according to the letter.

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Fillo called Kirk a “piece of garbage” who “hated” democracy. AP

“This estimate that we received is exorbitant, completely unreasonable, just to get the curriculum materials,” Solas told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday.

Solas told the outlet that she insisted on reviewing the curriculum materials in full because that is “the only way that you can see what kids are [doing] in public schools.”

Solas noted that she does not live in the Barrington School District and sent her children to private school.

She’s now pushing the school to release the materials free of charge.

“I just don’t see how this can stand if we file a lawsuit on it,” Solas said.

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Parents and students went to a school board meeting pushing for Fillo to be permanently removed from the school in September. Barrington Public Schools

Shortly after Fillo was placed on leave, a group of outraged students and parents stormed into a school board meeting to push for Fillo’s permanent removal.

“No matter what anyone says to me, I will never stand for violence, especially of a man who was publicly murdered in front of his wife, one of his children and thousands of students and other bystanders,” Jakari, one of Fillo’s students, said during the meeting.

Kirk was assassinated during a stop on his Turning Point USA American Comeback tour at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. His alleged gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.



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RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Oct. 29, 2025

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The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Oct. 29, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Oct. 29 drawing

04-24-49-60-65, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Oct. 29 drawing

03-04-33-36-43, Lucky Ball: 02

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Oct. 29 drawing

Midday: 3-2-7-5

Evening: 4-7-2-4

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Oct. 29 drawing

09-10-14-20-25, Extra: 08

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Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

  • Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
  • Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
  • Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
  • Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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ACLU of RI sues McKee alleging denial of access to regularly used State House rally area | ABC6

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ACLU of RI sues McKee alleging denial of access to regularly used State House rally area | ABC6


PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorneys for the ACLU of Rhode Island have filed a lawsuit against RI Governor Dan McKee, alleging the governor’s office explicitly told state and capitol police to bar protesters from accessing the State House rotunda and upper floors.

The rally was planned to take place in the rotunda an hour before McKee’s January 2025 State of the State address.

The event was to be attended by local groups including Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project and by activist Harrison Tuttle.

Tuttle was the President of the now dissolved Rhode Island Black Lives Matter PAC at the time.

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The suit claims that Tuttle and fellow protesters arrived to be told that McKee’s office instructed police from letting them enter.

Tuttle was told by police that he in particular was not allowed to enter the areas, according to the suit.

The suit also claims that other people were allowed to access those areas of the State House.

The suit states that the rotunda is commonly used by protesters, and that its entrance was blocked off by capitol and state police.

A sign accompanied the officers that said the rotunda was reserved from 4:30-10 p.m., and the governor’s office didn’t reserve the area until 4:39 p.m., according to records cited by the ACLU of RI.

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The protesters were directed by police to the “Bell Room” for their event, which is a less visible area in the back of the State House’s first floor, according to the suit.

The ACLU of RI statement reads in part:

In any event, despite being ‘reserved,’ the rotunda was not used for any purpose during that timeframe. The lawsuit argues that the Governor’s reservation of the space and the Capitol and State Police’s actions were undertaken to stifle the protesters’ exercise of their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Executive director of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project Eric Hirsch, a participant in the suit stated:

I’ve been advocating for an end to homelessness in Rhode Island for a long time. I was shocked to see the Rotunda at the Statehouse roped off when I arrived for the People’s State of the State rally. I had attended dozens of rallies there over the years. To make matters worse, we were also prevented from getting anywhere near the Governor’s address. We were confined to a lower floor of the Statehouse. This is unacceptable. We have a right to express our view of the Governor’s policies toward people experiencing homelessness.

ABC6 has reached out to the office of Governor Dan McKee for comment in this matter but has not yet heard back.





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