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What is causing erosion at the Charlestown breachway? Here’s an explanation.
Jon Lyons from Ocean House Marina explains what is happening at the Charlestown Breachway with erosion.
CHARLESTOWN – With a population of 7,997, this seaside town doesn’t have a lot going for it in terms of industry.
It is among the smallest employers – both as a town and in the private sector – in Rhode Island, according to the Department of Labor and Training. But it somehow manages to also have one of the lowest tax rates in the state.
“If you drive around town, we don’t have a lot of industry,” said Stephen McCandless. “We don’t have the big box stores. We don’t have a lot of business. And we are still the third or fourth lowest tax rate in the state.”
McCandless, who is Charlestown’s coastal geologist and GIS coordinator, reckons there is an easy explanation for this.
“It comes to the environment,” he said. “People come here for nature.”
Charlestown is home to Ninigret Pond, a popular boating, fishing and swimming spot. In fact, the town’s population more than triples during the summer due to tourists coming to enjoy its recreational offerings.
The pond is also an aquaculture engine for the state. About 40% of the oysters harvested in Rhode Island come from it.
But Ninigret Pond’s – and Charlestown’s – ecological and economic health has been under threat after winter storms from 2023-2024 eroded the breachway that connects the pond to the ocean.
The storms left a gaping hole in the breachway’s western wall, allowing water to pour out and sand to build up in the channel. This created navigational hazards for boaters, impacting businesses in the pond, erased 135 feet of valuable beach real estate and affected the water quality, endangering the health of shellfish in the pond.
A $500,000 emergency repair, performed last October, stymied the leak and stabilized the breachway, but a longer-term fix has been needed.
On Wednesday, Oct. 8, the Town of Charlestown, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Coastal Resources Management Council announced a plan to repair the breachway.
The project will cost $8.4 million, with the lion’s share – $5 million – coming from the state through a DEM budget allocation through CRMC, $2 million from CRMC’s dredging budget and $1.4 million from Charlestown.
McCandless, who has spent over two decades studying the pond and spearheaded the work to restore the breachway, said that the project came together quickly thanks to efficient collaboration between the town and the state. Usually, between permitting from state agencies and funding, a project like this can take between two to three years, he estimated, but Charlestown and state officials were able to turn it around in a year.
“Trying to get that money in one year, it just doesn’t happen. I mean, it was a feat to get that accomplished that quickly,” McCandless said.
The project will be done in two main phases: first, rebuilding the breachway’s western stone wall to a height of eight feet, and second, dredging the channel and using the sand to rebuild the beach and its dunes
Work will begin Oct. 20 and run through Feb. 26, according to McCandless, though a press release from the state indicates it is expected to be completed by April 2026.
The breachway will remain open during construction, though access to the Blue Shutters Town Parking Lot may be restricted. The state encourages visitors to use the East Beach parking lot.
The breachway was originally constructed in 1952, though some structures dated back to 1890. Once completed, the renovated structure’s projected lifetime will be 100 years. That includes climate change scenarios.
“We designed it to last 100 years, and we hope it works. All the math says it will,” McCandless said.
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.
The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.
Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.
Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)
“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”
The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.
Local News
A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.
Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.
The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.
That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said.
When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.
First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.
The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.
Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.
Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.
The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.
“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.
Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.
Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.
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