Rhode Island

These are the 10 General Assembly races to watch on election night

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

These are the 10 General Assembly races to watch on election night

To find the most compelling Rhode Island General Assembly elections this year, follow Interstate 295.

The House and Senate races in large chunks of the state may be barely contested, but there’s a swath of competitive campaigns in Providence’s western suburbs that roughly trace the path of the highway. Start in Warwick (including some West Warwick) and head north to Cranston (cut through on Route 37 to save some time) up into Johnston and finally Smithfield.

These communities feature moderate to right-of-center electorates and a number of incumbent-free seats opened up by retirements plus one primary upset.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will probably claim all four of Rhode Island’s Electoral College votes, but whether voter enthusiasm favors her or Republican Donald Trump will have a knock-on effect for down-ballot races often decided by a few hundred, or as little as a few dozen, votes.

Of the 113 seats in the General Assembly, 43 are contested on Nov. 5.

Could Republicans gain a foothold in the General Assembly?

The results of those will not shift the House or Senate out of Democratic control, due to the party’s overwhelming majorities.

Republicans are hoping turnout for Trump will help to grow their nine-member House caucus and five-member Senate caucus.

But three GOP House incumbents are not running for reelection, making it likely that Republicans will have to flip a seat or two just to maintain the current head count.

Of course, not all of the close races this year touch I-295.

The House District 39 rematch between Democrat Megan Cotter and Republican Justin Price is taking place in the western woodlands of Exeter, Richmond and Hopkinton.

In Pawtucket, Lori Urso is the favorite and Democratic nominee to replace Sen. Sandra Cano, but being placed on the ballot by allies of Mayor Donald Grebien rubbed some the wrong way. She faces independent Cathyann Palocsik in Senate District 8.

Here are 10 races to watch on Tuesday.

Johnston

Kelsey Coletta (D) vs. Richard Fascia (R) in House District 42

Coletta was the only candidate to oust a General Assembly incumbent in the September primary but she faces a tough battle against Fascia in this fairly conservative district, which narrowly favored Trump in the 2020 presidential race. (It includes a slice of northern Cranston.)

Fascia is a former Providence police sergeant who has served on the Johnston Zoning Board and says his opposition to a 55,000-panel solar farm was “perhaps my proudest moment.”

The top issue on his website is “repealing legislation that has taken all oversight away from local zoning boards.”

Coletta is the daughter of Tiverton Rep. John Edwards and is backed by the progressive Working Families Party and several labor unions, including the Service Employees International Union.

She has not received much help from the town Democratic machine led by Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr., who leans further right.

Policing issues have been central in the race, particularly after Coletta received an early endorsement from the International Brotherhood of Police Officers.

When it was pulled back Fascia argued in a door hanger it was because of her support for safe injection sites.

Coletta noted that the union, now neutral, is still not endorsing Fascia despite him being a former police officer.

Deborah Fellela (D) vs. Nick Grasso (R) in House 43

This neighboring district just to the north is even more Republican-leaning, which could put it in play if there is a big night for Trump.

Fellela, who has been in the House since 2007, is on the conservative side of the Democratic caucus and pro-life.

She beat Grasso by 180 votes two years ago.

Andrew Dimitri (D) vs. Karin Gorman (R) in Senate District 25

The death of former Sen. Frank Lombardo opened this seat, and Dimitri, a lawyer, won a hard-fought three-way primary to get the Democratic nomination.

Gorman is vice president of Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement (RIILE), “an organization that helps raise the awareness of the general public and public officials about the financial and social impact of illegal aliens on our state.”

Cranston

Jennifer Caputi (R) vs. Todd Patalano (D) in Senate District 26

Criminal justice policy was a flashpoint in the legislature last session, particularly around the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, and several candidates in key 2024 races come from policing backgrounds.

Patalano is second in command of the Cranston Police Department, a position he has held since 2014, when the department, riven by factional infighting and a ticketing scandal, was briefly taken over by the Rhode Island State Police and the previous leadership regime forced out.

Patalano, who spent nearly two years on paid leave on accusations from the old chief that he’d doctored civilian complaints statistics, later sued the city for mistreatment and won a $300,000 settlement, plus the promotion.

The Senate 26 seat is open due to the retirement of Sen. Frank Lombardi, who contributed to Patalano’s campaign along with Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. Patalano attended a gathering in Ruggerio’s office the week before the election held to show support for his leadership.

Caputi is a lawyer and newcomer to politics.

“I will be a strong conservative voice against progressive policies and one-party control. I proudly support small businesses, law enforcement, the pro-life movement, and the Second Amendment, reflecting the majority of voters in my district,” Caputi wrote in an email.

Maria Bucci (D) vs. Christopher Paplauskas (R) in House District 15

For many State House watchers, this district in Oaklawn and western Cranston will long be connected to former Democratic speaker Nicholas Mattiello and his travails holding a seat in GOP territory.

Of course, the dam broke in 2020 when Mattiello fell to Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung in a year when 46% of the House 15 electorate voted for Biden.

After Fenton-Fung ran unsuccessfully for Cranston mayor, the seat is back up for grabs.

Republican Paplauskas is the Ward 5 city councilman and hoping that turnout for fellow Republican Ken Hopkins, whom he backed in the primary against Fenton-Fung in the mayoral primary, will spill over into the House race.

Bucci ran for mayor herself four years ago and lost to Hopkins by eight points. In 2021 she was elected chair of the Cranston Democratic City Committee and earlier this year was involved in the controversial replacement of a Democratic council member.

West Warwick and Coventry

Jeffrey Fisher (R) vs. Vincent Marzullo (I) vs. Earl Read III (D) in House District 26

Longtime Republican Rep. Patricia Morgan’s bid for the U.S. Senate against Sheldon Whitehouse has created an opening in this boomerang-shaped district split between West Warwick, Coventry and a small chunk of western Warwick.

Despite being held by the GOP for years, the district was narrowly carried by Biden in 2020, making this a potential Democratic opportunity. Former House speaker and now uber lobbyist William Murphy represented the district for years.

Democrat Read is a former Warwick police officer who lives in Coventry.

But independent Marzullo, who has run for the seat twice before and is perhaps best known for volunteer work at Hasbro Children’s Hospital entertaining children as the “Monopoly Man,” is the only candidate endorsed by a gubernatorial candidate.

Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who is expected to run again for governor in 2026, was shown smiling beside the mustachioed Marzullo “encouraging you to consider my good friend, Vin Marzullo, as your next RI State Rep,” in a post from Marzullo’s social media. “For more than 50 years, Vin has worked tirelessly in federal/state government with integrity.”

Republican Fisher is from West Warwick, the largest part of the district, and running for office for the first time. He admitted to reckless driving in a 2012 crash on Interstate 495 in Massachusetts while driving a dump truck for National Grid.

Warwick

James McElroy (D) vs. Marie Hopkins (R) in House 21

Republican Hopkins is taking a second crack at winning this House seat in the shadow of Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, and the Airport Road Trump Store location that was a popular site for rallies four years ago.

In 2022, Hopkins looked like one of the GOP’s best prospects for flipping a non-open House seat, but incumbent Democratic Rep. Camille Vella-Wilkinson pulled out a 38-vote squeaker.

Vella-Wilkinson decided not to run again, and Hopkins, a nurse whose yard signs feature a stethoscope shaped into a heart, hopes this year she’ll break through.

Democrat McElroy is leaving the City Council to run for state representative.

Among his eight donors this year are House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, the Warwick fire and police unions and former Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld.

Anthony DeLuca II (R) vs. Peter Appollonio Jr. (D) Senate 29

The glass-half-full side of being a small legislative minority for Republicans is they don’t have many seats for Democrats to target.

One that could be in play is this seat the GOP flipped in 2022 after former Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey retired.

That year, Senate Democrats’ hand-picked candidate lost in the primary after questions emerged about whether he lived in the district.

But party leadership didn’t lift a finger to help progressive Democrat Jennifer Rourke, and DeLuca won by 5 points.

The Democratic establishment is fully behind Appollonio, a retired West Warwick police officer.

Smithfield

Bernie Hawkins (D) vs. Paul Santucci (R) in House District 53

Hawkins lost this House seat by 89 votes to GOP Rep. Brian Rea in 2022, but Rea decided not to go for a second term.

Santucci, the GOP nominee to replace Rea, ran for state Senate in 2022 and lost a fairly close race to Sen. David Tikoian.

Warren

June Speakman (D) vs. John Hanley (I) in House District 68

This race appears to be all about housing policy.

Speakman chairs the House Affordable Housing study commission from which a number of Shekarchi’s pro-homebuilding bills have emerged.

Hanley is the Warren Town Council president and Pawtucket building inspector who says he wants to roll back at least some of the state’s affordable-housing laws.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island men’s basketball extends slide with loss to St. Joseph’s

Published

3 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island men’s basketball extends slide with loss to St. Joseph’s

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Whatever hopes the University of Rhode Island harbored for a men’s basketball Senior Day upset of Saint Joseph’s disappeared on a rare made 3-pointer.

Jaiden Glover-Toscano connected on just one of his eight attempts from deep, and it turned out to be a backbreaker. The Hawks mustered just enough offense to hold off the Rams at the Ryan Center in an Atlantic 10 rock fight that went to the visitors.

Glover-Toscano hit from the left wing with 3:37 left, restoring a two-possession lead. Saint Joseph’s did just enough from there to finish a 61-55 victory on Feb. 28 and extend URI’s late-season slide.

“We needed to get that stop,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “It was in the balance. Those last three minutes, whoever was going to make the play or get the stop was going to win.

“They made a big shot right there.”

The Rams cut a 13-point deficit all the way to 56-55 when Tyler Cochran knocked down both ends of a 1-and-1 at the line with 3:54 left. The Hawks overloaded the right side on the ensuing possession, and Derek Simpson got a step on his man toward the paint. He fired a crosscourt pass to Glover-Toscano that caught URI’s defense rotating, and the air came out of the announced 6,391 fans in the building when the net rippled in front of the visiting bench.

“We weren’t able to convert,” Miller said. “That’s kind of the name of the game. You’ve got to have some plays go your way.”

Myles Corey missed a 3-pointer at the other end, and Simpson played facilitator again to give Saint Joseph’s more of a cushion. He found Justice Ajogbor rolling to the rim for a slam with 2:36 left and it was a six-point game. Neither team scored again on an afternoon where they both shot under 40% from the field and went a combined 10-for-61 from deep.

“The bottom line for our team today – and let’s just keep it simple – is we didn’t make a shot,” Miller said. “We really struggled to shoot the ball.”

The Hawks built their largest lead with 13:53 to play, thanks to what was a major sore spot on the afternoon for the Rams. URI couldn’t inbound the ball after an Ajogbor free throw, and Jonah Hinton was called for an offensive foul. Simpson drove for a two-hand slam on the ensuing possession, part of a 13-0 shutout for the visitors on points off turnovers.

“We have no room for error,” Miller said. “That plays a big role.”

The Rams (15-14, 6-10 Atlantic 10) enjoyed their best stretch of the day after falling into that 44-31 hole. Alex Crawford offered some life with a couple of 3-pointers, and Jahmere Tripp buried another from the left corner to make it a 54-51 game with 5:10 left. Crawford’s hard drive down the right kept it a three-point game, and Cochran’s successful trip to the line put URI in position to steal it late.

“I feel like we had open shots,” Crawford said. “We had a lot of good looks – shots we usually make.”

Saint Joseph’s (19-10, 11-5) won its fourth straight and continued an impressive rally from an 0-2 start in league play. The Hawks are on course for a double bye in the upcoming conference tournament, while the Rams look increasingly likely to play on the opening day in Pittsburgh. A home date with Duquesne and a road trip to Fordham wrap the regular season this week, and URI hopes guard RJ Johnson (concussion protocol) will be able to return at some point.

“It did hurt a little bit,” Crawford said. “You face adversity, you’ve got to find a way to make up for missed players.”

SAINT JOSEPH’S (61): Dasear Haskins 5-11 4-5 14, Justice Ajogbor 4-5 1-3 9, Derek Simpson 4-10 4-4 13, Jaiden Glover-Toscano 3-14 0-1 7, Austin Williford 2-9 0-0 5, Khaafiq Myers 4-7 0-0 9, Jaden Smith 1-2 1-3 3, Anthony Finkley 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 23-60 11-18 61.

RHODE ISLAND (55): Tyler Cochran 2-13 8-8 13, Keeyan Itejere 4-5 2-2 10, Jahmere Tripp 4-12 2-3 11, Jonah Hinton 2-11 0-0 5, Myles Corey 1-8 1-4 4, Alex Crawford 4-6 2-4 12, Jalen Harper 0-6 0-0 0, Drissa Traore 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-62 15-21 55.

Halftime – SJ, 30-27. 3-point FG – SJ 4-28 (Haskins 0-3, Simpson 1-5, Glover-Toscano 1-8, Williford 1-8, Myers 1-2, Finkley 0-2), RI 6-33 (Cochran 1-9, Tripp 1-4, Hinton 1-7, Corey 1-4, Crawford 2-3, Harper 0-5, Traore 0-1). Rebounds – SJ 45 (Myers 8), RI 46 (Cochran 15). Assists – SJ 14 (Simpson 5), RI 12 (Corey 4). Turnovers – SJ 13 (Simpson 3, Myers 3), RI 13 (Corey 5). Blocked shots – SJ 7 (Ajogbor 3), RI 4 (Itejere 2, Tripp 2). Steals – SJ 8 (Simpson 3), RI 4 (Tripp 2). Attendance – 6,391.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island women’s basketball wins A-10 regular-season championship

Published

15 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island women’s basketball wins A-10 regular-season championship

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – What was a peerless achievement in University of Rhode Island women’s basketball history now has some company just four short years later.

The Rams are Atlantic 10 regular-season champions again after a special Saturday afternoon in Kingston, a coronation more than a contest against visiting George Washington.

The Revolutionaries never had a chance after the hosts got off to a sharp start at the Ryan Center. URI left no doubt in front of its best crowd of the season, and a significant portion of that gathering stuck around long after the final whistle to see the nets cut down again.

It was all Rams in this 72-48 cruise, a result that matched what was a first in 2022-23 and handed URI a No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. George Mason dropped to the No. 2 spot despite posting the same 16-2 league record as the Rams, and that came thanks to a comprehensive 79-63 defeat in a Valentine’s Day matchup.

“There’s nothing more satisfying as a coach than to have the confetti fall and to cut down nets with this group of young women,” URI coach Tammi Reiss said. “I’ve never been prouder.”

URI scored on each of its first five offensive possessions and authored a masterpiece through the opening three quarters. It was only in the fourth when Reiss emptied her bench that George Washington showed any semblance of being able to keep pace. Palmire Mbu led three in double figures with 23 points, and Sophia Vital played yet another complete all-around game to help the Rams run roughshod.

“We were just extra motivated today,” Mbu said. “We wanted to do great for our crowd.

“Just trying my best. Trying to be aggressive and to give solutions on offense and defense. It felt good.”

URI owned a 21-point lead entering the final 10 minutes, thanks to 18 assists, just two turnovers and 63.4% shooting from the field. The Rams buried the offensive struggles they experienced in road losses to La Salle and Richmond with what had been a typical display of crisp execution. URI closed 26-for-35 from 2-point range, collected 48 points in the paint and racked up another 17 off Revolutionaries turnovers.

“I do believe the last four years we had talented teams – we had talented players,” URI guard Ines Debroise said. “But I think it’s also how we can put all the pieces of the puzzle together. This year that’s what we were going to do from day one.”

Mbu’s bucket off a Vanessa Harris steal gave the Rams a 25-10 lead and forced a George Washington timeout with 6:38 left in the second quarter. It seemed just a matter of time before this one was out of reach, and Brooklyn Gray followed a Debroise 3-pointer with a pair of layups to make it a 32-12 cushion. URI’s lead never dipped under 12 points again, and Mbu’s hook in the lane capped an 8-0 run that took it back to 58-38 with 1:00 left in the third.

Video of URI coach Tammi Reiss speaking postgame on Feb. 28

URI women’s basketball beats George Washington to win the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship

“They were sharing the ball in a championship game,” Reiss said. “It wasn’t 1-on-1. That’s what makes this team special.”

The Rams (25-4, 16-2 Atlantic 10) set a new program best for conference wins in a season and are now one shy from a new overall mark – they collected 26 while making a run to the WNIT Round of 16 in 2022-23. URI shared the league crown with rival Massachusetts that year before suffering a semifinal upset against Saint Louis and missing out on a third meeting with the Minutewomen.

“Their job is to show up and be us,” Reiss said. “Execute our game plan with discipline and ferocity for 40 minutes. Our job is to manage them – their health, their minutes.”

The Revolutionaries (15-16, 7-11 Atlantic 10) dropped to the No. 10 seed in the upcoming conference tournament and will play No. 7 Saint Louis in the second round on Thursday, March 5. The Rams will open Friday’s quarterfinals in an 11 a.m. tip on the USA Network against either No. 8 Loyola Chicago or No. 9 St. Bonaventure. No. 4 Davidson and No. 5 Saint Joseph’s are in URI’s half of the bracket, while the second-seeded Patriots and third-seeded Spiders could be on a semifinal collision course in the other half at Henrico Sports & Events Center.

“It’s going to be tough for everybody – probably three games in three days,” Mbu said. “We’ve got to push to the end and play like we’ve been doing.”

GEORGE WASHINGTON (48): Sara Lewis 2-10 2-2 6, Gabby Reynolds 7-13 2-2 17, Tanah Becker 1-2 1-1 3, Mia James 2-6 0-0 4, Kamari Sims 2-4 0-0 4, Emma Theodorsson 0-6 2-2 2, Jaeda Wilson 1-2 0-0 2, Filipa Calisto 2-2 0-0 4, Colleen Phiri 0-0 0-0 0, Caia Loving 2-2 0-0 4, Payton Dulin 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 20-48 7-9 48.

RHODE ISLAND (72): Palmire Mbu 9-14 3-4 23, Albina Syla 5-6 0-0 10, Brooklyn Gray 5-6 0-0 11, Sophia Vital 3-6 1-2 7, Ines Debroise 4-7 0-0 9, Vanessa Harris 3-7 0-0 7, Aimee Michel 2-2 0-0 4, Valentina Ojeda 0-2 0-0 0, Ta’Viyanna Habib 0-0 0-0 0, Eva Agba 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 31-51 5-8 72.

Halftime – RI, 40-25. 3-point FG – GW 1-8 (Reynolds 1-2, Becker 0-1, James 0-2, Sims 0-1, Theodorsson 0-2), RI 5-16 (Mbu 2-4, Gray 1-1, Vital 0-2, Debroise 1-4, Harris 1-2, Ojeda 0-2, Agba 0-1). Rebounds – GW 23 (Sims 5), RI 26 (Vital 6). Assists – GW 7 (Sims 2, Loving 2), RI 21 (Vital 7). Turnovers – GW 13 (Sims 4), RI 7 (Gray 2, Harris 2). Blocked shots – GW 2 (James 1, Loving 1), RI 3 (Mbu 2). Steals – GW 3 (Lewis 1, James 1, Sims 1), RI 6 (Vital 3). Attendance – 6,580.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

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Rhode Island

Frostbitten lizard found in Rhode Island is healing

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Frostbitten lizard found in Rhode Island is healing

While shoveling his driveway during yet another winter storm, a man in Providence, Rhode Island found something rather unexpected—a very cold giant lizard. Fortunately, the animal rehabilitation experts at the New England Wildlife Center found that besides being very dehydrated and having frostbite on its tongue and toes, the female tegu named Frankie was doing okay.

Tegus are large South American reptiles, so how did Frankie end up in the middle of a snowstorm in New England? Tess Gannaway, a veterinarian at the wildlife center who treated Frankie, tells Popular Science that she was probably someone’s pet.

“Given their size they often roam folk’s homes like dogs or cats and there is a chance that in warmer months Frankie escaped and was surviving on her own outside until the weather got too cold for her to manage,” Gannaway explains. There’s also the more unfortunate possibility that the lizard was recently abandoned.

The black on the tip of Frankie’s tongue are the dead tissue as a result of the frostbite. Image: New England Wildlife Center Staff.

Either way, Frankie was likely unable to pull her tongue back into her mouth at the start of the storm, which caused the frostbite on both her tongue and her toes. The tongue frostbite is particularly notable because known cases of animals with mucus membrane related frostbite are exceedingly unusual. Because of the frostbite, Frankie no longer has the iconic reptilian V-shape in her tongue.

In fact, veterinary medicine as a whole didn’t have any published accounts of such an affliction. As such, Gannaway and her veterinary student turned to human medical literature to decide on Frankie’s best treatment option, and ultimately identified what they were looking for.

This “is really cool and an example of something in veterinary medicine and other fields we call one health, so the intersection between human and animal health,” Gannaway explained in a New England Wildlife Center video.

In the human report, a portion of a patient’s tongue had unintentionally frozen because of a medical intervention in the mouth. Doctors then removed the dead external tissue a number of times, healing the injury within three weeks.

Similarly, the team at the New England Wildlife Center aims to remove part of Frankie’s dead tongue tissue every two or three weeks. Hopefully, the tongue will heal on its own, but the good news is that tongues are rapid healers.

Gannaway says that the team is “cautiously optimistic” about Frankie’s future.

“She did great during her first debridement [the tissue removal] and has moved on from liquid to solid food. New England Wildlife Centers’ Veterinarians will keep checking her tongue every 2 weeks to see if she needs further sedation to remove more superficial tissue,” she adds.“Until then she is on pain medications and an antibiotic. Tegus can live normal lives with only part of their tongue so as long as we can get her tongue to stabilize she should be ready to live a warmer although slightly less adventurous life.”