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Rhode Island
Taylor Swift is renovating her mansion in Westerly, R.I. These are the planned upgrades. – The Boston Globe
In all, the work is expected to cost $1.7 million, the records show.
A video posted on TikTok earlier this week showed workers at the home loading wood into an area of the home that was already under construction.
A few commenters offered guesses about what Swift may be doing with the extra space.
“She’s installing the Eras Tour stage, per my request,” quipped one.
Wrote another: “She’s finally getting my guest room ready!”
Property records show the 12,657-square-foot, 1904 mansion, which has sweeping views of the Block Island Sound and a private pool, already boasts seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
Swift snagged the mansion in 2013 for approximately $17.75 million – reportedly paying for the property in cash. Records show the home now has an assessed value of about $20.67 million.
Over the years, Swift has hosted numerous summer parties and getaways for her circle of celebrity friends at the home. She welcomed Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, to name a few, this past summer.
Swift has also given Holiday House her signature songwriting treatment.
For 2020’s “Folklore,” she penned, “The Last Great American Dynasty,” which details the home’s storied past with previous owner Rebekah Harkness, a mid-century heiress who married William Hale Harkness, a Standard Oil heir.
Not unlike Swift, Harkness was known for throwing lavish parties, sometimes drawing the ire of locals. It’s a comparison Swift – who faced some criticism herself, such as when she posted “No Tressing” signs around her property and some beach barricades after moving in – invites in the song.
“Fifty years is a long time/ Holiday House sat quietly on that beach/ Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits/ And then it was bought by me,” she sings. “Who knows, if I never showed up, what could’ve been/ There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen/ I had a marvelous time ruining everything.”
Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island State Police are investigating a crash that happened on I-295 North in Cumberland Tuesday night.
The crash happened in the right lane near Exit 22 just before 9 p.m.
It’s unclear exactly what caused the crash or if anyone was injured.
12 News has reached out to Rhode Island State Police for more information but has not heard back.
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Scandals shake up Capitol Hill ahead of midterm elections
Congressional reporter Zachary Schermele dives into the latest scandals on Capitol Hill and how they’re shaking up politics ahead of midterms.
Rhode Island’s Democrat and Republican primary elections will officially be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9 this year, instead of the usual Tuesday election day.
Lawmakers passed the bill at the urging of state and local officials, who were concerned that an election day falling the day after Labor Day would not give them enough time to set up polls for the arrival of voters.
Gov. Dan McKee signed the bill on April 20, officially moving the primary day for 2026.
Which races will be on the ballot? The Republican and Democrat nominees for a swath of local offices – most notably governor but also lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Why was RI’s primary day moved?
At a hearing on the bill earlier this year, Randy Rossi, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns explained the “significant logistical and financial challenges” municipalities otherwise would have faced having an election the day after Labor Day.
“Beyond cost, municipalities face serious logistical challenges accessing and setting up more than 430 polling locations on a major federal holiday, a process that often requires many hours and access to facilities that are typically closed and unstaffed on Labor Day,” he said.
“Compounding these challenges, many municipalities conduct early voting in city or town halls that must also serve as primary day polling locations,” Rossi noted.
Without changes to current law, he said, “municipalities would be required to conduct early voting and primary day polling simultaneously, often in the same limited space and with the same poll workers, requiring additional staffing and facilities.”
By the time this legislative hearing took place in January, other states facing similar issues, including Massachusetts, had already adjusted their primary dates, “and Rhode Island itself has demonstrated that alternative scheduling can be successful, as occurred during the statewide Wednesday primary in 2018,” Rossi said.
EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) — If you’re looking to satisfy you’re sweet tooth, look no further than Division Street.
Nothing Bundt Cakes opened its first Rhode Island bakery in East Greenwich earlier this month. The new bakery is situated within East Greenwich Square, which is also home to the Ocean State’s first Crumbl.
The bakery is known for its handcrafted specialty Bundt cakes, as well as smaller “Bundtlets,” and bite-sized “Bundtinis,” that come in a variety of flavors.
“There’s a strong sense of local pride, creativity, and community here that aligns perfectly with our values,” said Jake Williams, who owns the East Greenwich bakery. “We were drawn to the area’s vibrant small business culture and the opportunity to contribute something special.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes is also expected to open another bakery at Chapel View in Cranston later this year.
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