Rhode Island
U.S. DOJ launches domestic-violence initiative in three RI cities
Bodycam footage: Joseph Francis arrested by Hopkinton police on May 20
Partially redacted body-camera footage provided by the Hopkinton police shows Joseph Francis being subdued and taken into custody outside his home.
PROVIDENCE – The U.S. Department of Justice has selected three Rhode Island communities – Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket – to join with their federal partners in an initiative aimed at reducing intimate partner firearm violence.
Federal prosecutors and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will work with the police departments to develop a strategy to reduce domestic-violence firearms cases and prioritize prosecutions of known offenders for possible prosecution.
More: SWAT team responds after domestic violence incident in West Warwick; suspect found dead
“Domestic violence takes a devastating toll on families and communities across Rhode Island,” U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha said in a news release. “And when combined with illegal firearms, the consequences can be deadly. This Office is proud to partner with the cities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket to bring targeted federal prosecutions that keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and help keep our communities, our friends, and our neighbors safe.”
Now in its infancy, the effort will focus on repeat offenders and look at ways to reduce the risk through the federal system to their victims – who are often plagued by fears about money, children and housing that can make them reluctant to come forward.
It is modeled, in part, on “Operation 922,” which targets domestic violence offenders for federal prosecution in western Oklahoma. Launched in 2018, that program gives state and tribal police access to federal authorities to vet cases for whether federal charges could be pursued.
“Operation 922 prioritizes prosecutions of federal firearms offenses that arise in domestic violence settings,” according to a news release.
Federal prosecutors to provide resources, training
The three Rhode Island cities are among 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia that Attorney General Merrick B. Garland approved for the special designation under the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, according to a news release.
The U.S. Attorney Cunha’s office intends to provide resources and training to law enforcement agencies to help identify firearms cases that may be investigated and charged as federal crimes, with a focus on perpetrators of intimate partner violence. They will work hand in hand with the ATF.
“ATF is dedicated to reducing domestic violence, with a special focus on cases involving firearms. By working closely with our law enforcement partners, we are determined to end these violent crimes and safeguard our communities,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division. “Together, we will protect victims and hold offenders accountable, ensuring a safer future for all.”
Domestic violence resources providers decry cuts
The new initiative comes as the nonprofit organizations that provide services and support to domestic violence victims decry federal spending cuts.
The system to support survivors of domestic violence in our state is in crisis. There is no other way to put it. A massive 40% cut in the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) this year left Rhode Island with a nearly $2-million gap in victim services funding, risking an interruption of life-saving services impacting nearly 50,000 residents who rely on services and programming funded by VOCA,” Jim Berson, board president of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, wrote in a recent op-ed.
Domestic violence murder highlights need
The piece was written not long after the death of Stephanie Francis, the Hopkinton mother fatally shot by her husband, Joseph Francis, on July 5. The police had been called to the house weeks earlier, an encounter during which Francis, 44, appeared “visibly upset” with a red bump on her head. The report described her husband as “aggressive” and “uncooperative” and detailed his cache of weapons, including illegal high-capacity magazines for pistols and rifles.
The day after the shooting, the police spotted the 45-year-old Joseph Francis’s SUV and pursued him until he lost control and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nonprofits’ ask goes unanswered
More than 20 nonprofit organizations urged state lawmakers last session to provide emergency funding for support services for victims based on the 40% cuts in federal funding nationwide. The cuts will take effect Oct. 1.
More: Police reports detail domestic abuse weeks before Hopkinton mother’s killing
A total of $700 million is being slashed from Victims of Crime Act funding across the country, including Rhode Island.
Created in the mid-1980s, the Crime Victims Fund is a federal program that relies on fines and penalties imposed on federal defendants convicted at trial. The money is used to provide social services and compensation to crime victims at no taxpayer cost.
Locally, the money has been used to provide grief counseling, protective services, safety planning, and a confidential 24-hour statewide helpline, among other services.
“It threatens really essential programs,” Lucy Rios, executive director for the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, warned at the time.
“[T]he domestic violence movement is still struggling with serious underfunding. We experienced significant cuts to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding earlier this year. The loss of VOCA funding, and the lack of action of the General Assembly to provide the necessary state-based backfill funding, has led to a $715k gap in the RICADV’s budget alone,” Rios said in an email.
Twenty-plus organizations have been impacted by the cuts, Rios said.
Rhode Island
Man killed in RI shooting; suspect involved in Mass. car crash that killed 2 others
A man has died after a shooting in Cranston, Rhode Island, and investigators say a suspect was later involved in a car crash in Swansea, Massachusetts, that killed two other people.
The shooting victim was found Thursday on Legion Way, shot multiple times in the chest, Cranston police told NBC affiliate WJAR-TV. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital where he later died. His name has not been released.
The suspect initially fled on foot, setting off a shelter-in-place order while investigators searched the area.
Police said Friday that investigators identified a suspect vehicle, which was later spotted by Massachusetts State Police. A trooper followed the car down Route 6 and Interstate 195, but stopped when it crossed back into Rhode Island. The car was later involved in a crash on Route 136 in Swansea, Mass.
Swansea police say that crash on Route 136 (James Reynolds Road) resulted in the deaths of two other people.
According to the Swansea Police Department, two officers saw a white Infinity G37 speed past them around 12:18 a.m. Friday on Route 6, otherwise known as Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Moments later, officers observed that the vehicle had crashed into the side of a blue Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136.
Both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage, police said.
The vehicle that was struck was fully engulfed in flames. First responders and bystanders tried to extinguish the fire, but both occupants — a man and a woman — were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Their names have not been released.
The 28-year-old Infinity driver, who struck the victims’ Subaru, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries and later into custody by Cranston Police. They have not been publicly identified at this time.
Swansea police said they are aware that the Infinity was the subject of a police pursuit, and know the driver was wanted in connection to the Rhode Island homicide investigation. While Swansea police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect’s vehicle, however, they say they were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the deadly crash.
The crash in Swansea is under investigation by Massachusetts authorities, including state police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Meanwhile, Cranston police said they would give an update on their investigation around 1 p.m.
Rhode Island
RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know
House Speaker Shekarchi unveils 2026 RI housing legislative package
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s nine-bill package for 2026 seeks to cut red tape and relax rules on parking, dividing lots and staircases.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is once again taking aim at the regulations he says are stifling new homebuilding.
The Warwick Democrat unveiled his sixth annual suite of housing legislation on Thursday, Feb. 26, a few weeks after announcing he would not be running for governor this year.
“We are still trying to play catch-up for all the years that Rhode Island was dead last in the country for new housing starts,” Shekarchi said. “While Rhode Island remains a relatively affordable option for people moving here from other states, our own residents are too often priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.”
The legislative text of the nine-bill housing package, and with it the specifics of how it would work, were not available for Thursday’s news conference.
But highlights of the package, according to summaries, include:
- Infill housing. Allow property owners to divide lots in single-family zoning districts, creating multiple dwellings instead of one, provided they have water and sewer service.
- Parking maximums. Put new limits on how much off-street parking communities require for new apartment buildings.
- Homeless Bill of Rights. Expand the state’s Homeless Bill of Rights to require 15-day notice to the occupants of encampments before local authorities clear them.
- Emergency shelters. Let communities build temporary shelters, such as the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence, during a state of emergency.
- Stairs. Legalize the construction of four-story apartment buildings with a single staircase.
- Affordable housing taxes. Overhaul the tax system for income-restricted housing covered by the state’s “8 Law.”
Is land-use reform working?
Since Shekarchi was elected speaker in 2021, the General Assembly has passed dozens of bills he backed that tweaked state land-use statutes or streamlined the process for building.
How successful this approach has been is subject to debate.
Many local elected officials wary of development in their communities continue to rail against efforts to erode their power over construction.
Others in the growing Yes In My Back Yard movement see Rhode Island’s piecemeal approach as inadequate in comparison with the scale of the affordability problem and what other states are doing.
As evidence that his changes are making a difference, Shekarchi said Rhode Island saw a 70% increase in building permits in 2023 and a more modest increase in 2024. (Statistics for last year were not immediately available.)
Gov. Dan McKee’s 2030 plan calls for 15,000 new housing units built by that year.
Democratic primary challenger Helena Foulkes is slated to roll out her housing plan on Monday.
It is expected to include a millionaires tax to fund affordable housing, a revolving fund and target of 20,000 new homes.
What would the new laws do?
Letting property owners put multiple homes on a plot of land is one of the most direct ways that lawmakers can encourage the construction of more homes, but it is also one of the most controversial.
That’s especially true in areas zoned for large lots and single-family homes.
How far the new bill allowing lots to be subdivided in single-family zones goes is unclear. It is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Casey, D-Woonsocket.
Legislation setting maximum parking requirements for new developments, introduced by Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would apply to areas accessible by public transit.
Critics of off-street parking requirements say they make it harder to build new apartments and make the units that are built more expensive.
Shekarchi proposed the emergency shelter bill last year. It passed the House and died in the Senate.
It was the result of how long it took state officials to navigate Rhode Island’s building code and open the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence.
The staircase bill, sponsored by Rep. June Speakman, a Warren Democrat and chair of the House’s home affordability study commission, follows a wave of cities and states relaxing rules on how many exits are required in new construction.
Currently, the state building code requires two stairways in buildings with more than three stories, and fire officials have opposed all efforts to change that.
Speakman’s bill would allow four-story buildings with a maximum of 16 units with a single staircase.
Supporters of single-stair buildings say they allow development of small sites that would otherwise sit vacant and allow family-sized units with more light and better ventilation.
A previous Rhode Island single-stair bill would have allowed six stories, but it died in committee.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order in mid-February to study the idea.
Rhode Island
One of Africa’s soccer giants will be based in Rhode Island for the World Cup – The Boston Globe
Providence has positioned itself as an alternative to Boston, one of the official host cities for the 2026 competition. Located just 30 miles away from Gillette Stadium — or “Boston Stadium” as it will be known during the World Cup — Rhode Island’s leaders have been touting the tiny state as more-affordable for fans and closer to the action. Seven matches, including a quarterfinal, are scheduled to be played in Foxborough.
“Today we announce that Ghana will be staying in Providence and we’d also like to extend an invitation to the fans and families to come to our city,” said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley in a statement on Thursday. “We are committed to being a festive destination for soccer fans from around the world.”
The news has created excitement among the local Ghanaian community in the state.
Kwame Larbi, the president of the Ghana Association of Rhode Island, said Ghana’s decision will be a chance for people to celebrate the West African country’s culture through its soccer team and an opportunity to see what successful Africans look like on a grand stage.
“The Black Stars represent everything Ghanaian. They are Ghana’s pride and joy, our strength, perseverance, and freedom,” he said. “Hosting the Black Stars at Bryant would mean so much for our community. More specifically, our youth. Representation is everything.”
Larbi said the local community plans to show out for the team with traditional Ghanaian dances at Foxborough when they face England on June 23.
“We will all be in our Ghana T-shirts, Ghana flags and our drums,” he said. “I just came from Ghana. My shirts are ready.”
This is the fifth time that Ghana has qualified for the World Cup. Their best showing was in 2010, when they reached the quarterfinal after defeating Team USA only to be eliminated when Uruguay prevented them from scoring in extra time with an intentional handball on the goal line. The team boasts some world-class talent who compete in top leagues around the world, such as star players Mohammed Kudus, who plays for the English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur, and Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City.
Larbi is bullish about Ghana’s chances at this year’s tournament.
“We are going to beat England. It’s a big name, but we have hope. We are going to surprise everyone, and with the spirit of brotherhood and all, we are going to be successful,” he said.

Rhode Island Congressman Gabe Amo said his father, who hails from Ghana, is excited about the team being based in the state.
“The first thing he texted back to me upon the announcement was ‘Nice. Exclamation point. Buy me a ticket,‘” he said. “There’s a lot of immigrants and immigrant kids who are going to feel some special feelings across the weeks that Ghana has us as their home base.”
Amo said he hopes Ghanaian fans from places such as Worcester, Mass., and New York City will join their compatriots in Rhode Island and create a vibrant atmosphere in the state.
“This is a big deal for our state. We get to showcase all the things that make us special — our food, our amazing Rhode Island summer and our people — to Ghana,” he said. “So it’s going to be great soccer … and it’s going to be a great setting for the World Cup.”
State officials say that the team’s training sessions will be closed to the public, but the country’s football association was planning some events with young players in the state.
“We’re working hard to ensure that the FIFA World Cup leaves behind a legacy of passion for the sport and a commitment to growing the game of soccer in Rhode Island. Partnering with the Black Stars will fuel these young players’ passion,” said Jonathan Walker, executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission.
For Larbi, he said Rhode Island’s Ghanaian community is ready to prepare some jollof rice for the team. He has lived in Rhode Island for more than 40 years and he never thought that he would see his country’s national team be based in the state for such a huge tournament.
“It has never occurred to us that one day the Ghana Black Stars will be based in Rhode Island…competing for the World Cup,” he said. “It’s not only Ghanaians, but it’s for the whole of Africa.”
Omar Mohammed can be reached at omar.mohammed@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter (X) @shurufu.
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