Rhode Island
‘Status quo roadmap’: Critics say new RI transportation plan fails climate, transit goals
Helena Foulkes announces run for governor.
The former CVS Pharmacy executive whose near-miss three years ago and prolific fundraising make her the 2026 favorite in some quarters, officially kicked off her second campaign for governor Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Rhode Island planners have approved a new version of the state’s 10-year transportation funding plan over objections that it is too focused on automobiles and will not do enough to meet the state’s climate goals.
The State Transportation Improvement Plan for 2026-2025 lays out $11.5 billion worth of spending over that period, including construction, maintenance, highways, streets, sidewalks, bridges, buses and ferries.
It was approved by the State Planning Council 18-1 on Thursday, Sept. 11, with only Scott Wolf of Grow Smart RI opposed. The Planning Council includes many state employees, including members of Gov. Dan McKee’s Cabinet.
But outside the Planning Council members, there were loud objections to the plan.
AG: Plan fails to address targets set by Act on Climate
Attorney General Peter Neronha wrote to the Planning Council saying the transportation plan “fails to take a forward-looking approach to achieving the state’s long-term goals, and falls far short of meaningfully furthering compliance with the Act on Climate.”
The Act on Climate requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030 (from 1990 levels) and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or be subject to legal action.
It is not clear how close Rhode Island is to being on track to meet its Act on Climate goals, but President Donald Trump’s orders to halt incentives for electric vehicles and carbon-free power projects have created new challenges.
“While the importance of safely maintained roads and improved roads and bridges throughout the state cannot be stressed enough, steps should also be taken to further investments that expand public options, promote mode shift away from single vehicle travel and reduce emissions,” Neronha wrote.
Federal law requires all states to have an approved plan, by the start of October, for the next four years of transportation spending, and later years of the plan are more tentative.
Criticism of RIPTA service cuts
In explaining why he would vote against the plan, Wolf said that “although there are some excellent projects, looking at this as a whole … we think this [plan] is mostly a status quo roadmap.
“At a time that for multiple compelling reasons we believe we need to move in a more transit and bike and pedestrian friendly direction,” Wolf said. “And instead we’re still facing proposed transit service cutbacks … service cutbacks which could be completely avoided, through a reallocation of 1 tenth of 1% of the current state budget.”
The vote comes after the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority earlier this month approved a reworked spending plan that reduces trip frequency across the statewide bus network to close a budget gap.
The new 10-year plan also includes, at best, modest funding to execute RIPTA’s 2020 Transit Master Plan, including a planned “metro connector” or high frequency and capacity rapid transit line from Central Falls to Warwick. (RIPTA was expected to release the results of a planning study for the corridor in “summer 2025.”)
Meredith Brady, secretary of the Division of Statewide Planning, said if more money was going to be spent on non-highway projects the money would need to be taken from something specific that it is currently budgeted for.
“But given our need to meet this deadline, unless there are specific proposals that we can consider … we would need to have very specific information about what was going to be removed,” she said.
Of the $11.5 billion in the plan, 76% is ticketed for roads and bridges, 4% for transit and 6% for bicycle and pedestrian projects, which are often incorporated into road projects.
Bright spots in the transportation plan
Despite his big-picture opposition, Wolf said positive projects in the new 10-year plan included the Kingston Station Mobility Hub, Westerly Train Station platform upgrades, Mount Hope Bay Greenway and Wakefield Main Street improvements.
Grow Smart RI is part of a dozen-group coalition, including the Acadia Center, Save RIPTA and the Conservation Law Foundation, that wrote with a series of requests to the Planning Council including:
- A detailed account of how the state DOT plans to reduce carbon emissions and take steps to reduce driving instead of relying on a transition to electric cars
- A separate plan section on how the state intends to execute the Transit Master Plan
- Shift some flexible federal transportation funding toward RIPTA
- Put funding behind plans to electrify the MBTA’s Providence Line
- Build dedicated bus lanes on existing highway lanes and include a carpool lane on the new westbound Washington Bridge.

Rhode Island
Does Taylor Swift mention Rhode Island in her new album? Lyrics hint at Fourth of July party
TikTok can’t stop dancing to Taylor Swift’s ‘The Fate of Ophelia’
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” music video dropped, and TikTok creators are recreating the viral dance with their own flair.
Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album “The Life of a Showgirl” talks a lot about Swift’s journey in the spotlight, but unfortunately, there is no behind-the-scenes look at the showgirl’s downtime at her Watch Hill mansion.
However, in a recent interview with SiriusXM, Swift discussed how certain lines in “The Fate of Ophelia,” the opening track and lead single from her new album, reference one of her many Rhode Island Fourth of July parties.
While the song overall says that fiance Travis Kelce coming into Swift’s life saved her from the fate of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” in the first verse, Swift talks about exactly when Kelce came into her life: “I swore my loyalty to me, myself and I / Right before you lit my sky up.”
In a recent interview with “Morning Mash Up” on SiriusXM Hits 1, host Nicole Ryan tells Swift she noticed the connection between her Instagram post and “The Fate of Ophelia” lyrics, with Swift responding “Oh my god, right?”.
Swift went on to talk about the irony in the timing of the caption, saying “how deranged is that post? I think back on that, I’m like that’s – there’s no way.”
“The fact that it was right before the Kansas City show, where like, I’d been like, ‘Happy Independence Day from your local, single girlies’ or something like that. And then I the next day go and play in Kansas City – not knowing that Travis was gonna come to the show,” Swift added. “It’s unreal.”
Here’s a breakdown of this reference, and how it involves Rhode Island.
Reference to Rhode Island party in ‘The Fate of Ophelia’
Kelce first entered Swift’s life – or “lit her sky up” – by attending an Eras Tour concert in Kansas City, Missouri on July 8, 2023. Famously, Kelce brought a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it for the singer, and while he did not get to give it to Swift during the concert, the gesture launched their romance.
Where was Taylor Swift “right before” Kelce attended her concert? She was celebrating the Fourth of July with friends at her Rhode Island mansion. On July 7, 2023 – just one day before Kelce went to The Eras Tour – Swift posted on Instagram about the Ocean State celebration, sharing pictures posing in front of the water, laughing in the kitchen and enjoying red, white and blue popsicles with friends Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, as well as Selena Gomez, Ashley Avignone and Sydney Ness.
More interestingly, Swift’s caption for the post declared the single status of herself and her friends: “Happy belated Independence Day from your local neighborhood independent girlies.”
Swift directly references this declaration of her independence with the line “I swore my loyalty to me, myself and I.”
As if the callback to the specific caption is not enough, Swift solidifies the reference to her Rhode Island Taymerica bash with other clever references to Independence Day throughout “The Fate of Ophelia,” such as repetitions of “I pledge allegiance” in the chorus of the song and the image of a firework exploding with the line “you lit my sky up.”
Rhode Island
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.
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.”
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.
Rhode Island
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.
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
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.
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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