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Billionaire status calls for a bigger home and Taylor Swift isn’t wasting any time. The singer’s oceanfront estate in Westerly’s Watch Hill neighborhood—affectionately dubbed Holiday House—is about to become even more impressive with a $1.7 million expansion project. The historic property, once home to the eccentric socialite Rebekah Harkness (whose antics inspired Swift’s song The Last Great American Dynasty) maintains its status as Watch Hill’s most talked-about residence.
The palatial property, which Swift acquired in 2013 for $17.75 million (in cash, reportedly), is already stunning. Perched dramatically on a cliff with 700 feet of private beachfront, the 11,000-square-foot manor currently holds eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and enough fire places (eight, to be exact) to keep every corner cozy during those New England winters.
The property has become legendary for hosting Swift’s star-studded soirées, including her famous “Taymerica” Fourth of July celebrations. Most recently, the mansion and stunning pool area hosted a gathering including Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, NFL star Patrick Mahomes, and A-List friends like Gigi Hadid and Blake Lively.
But what’s a coastal kingdom without a proper expansion? According to recently issued building permits—first reported by The Providence Journal—Swift is adding a generously proportioned 16-by-24-foot bedroom suite and additional bathrooms to her already expansive floor plan. The existing kitchen—presumably where she whips up those famous Fourth of July party treats—is also getting a complete makeover. The labor and materials for this latest enhancement are expected to cost $1.7 million, according to the permits.
Eagle-eyed fans have already spotted construction underway, with cranes and wood framing visible at the estate. While Harkness may have filled her swimming pool with Dom Pérignon, Swift’s enhancements are more practical—though equally luxurious.
Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor (and resident witch) at ELLE DECOR, where she manages the brand’s social media presence and covers trends, lifestyle, and culture in the design world. Her eye for emerging styles helps bring the latest in interior design to ELLE Decor’s audience across platforms. Julia built her background at Inked magazine, where she grew their social media audiences by two million, conducted interviews with A-list celebrities, and penned feature articles focusing on pop culture, design, and lifestyle. Over her five years of digital media experience, Julia has written about numerous topics, from fashion to astrology.
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.
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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.
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