Rhode Island
Utility bill revolt; Social Security anxiety; March Madness in RI: Top stories this week
Frank Tillinghast’s goal in 3rd overtime seals state title for Hendricken
Bishop Hendricken wins the RIIL Boys Hockey State Championship outlasting Prout in a three-overtime thriller at PC’s Schneider Arena on Sunday night.
Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of March 9, supported by your subscriptions.
Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:
A hearing Monday night in Warwick was supposed to be about proposals that would see a net decrease in energy bills for most Rhode Islanders, but it sure didn’t feel like it.
Beforehand, protesters rallied outside the offices of state utilities regulators to complain about Rhode Island Energy’s prices, and during the standing-room-only hearing, speaker after speaker aimed criticism at the state’s largest gas and electric utility.
Joyce Fiore was one of several customers who brought their bills up to the podium to read off the skyrocketing numbers. Her electric bill jumped from $164 in December to $580 in February, she said.
“I’ve lived in Cranston for close to 50 years now, and I’ve never seen bills like this,” she told the two members of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission who were present at the hearing.
Read the full story to see what Rhode Island is proposing to bring relief from high utility bills
Local news: ‘I can’t afford it anymore.’ Rhode Islanders slam utility and high costs of energy
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, the ex-administrator of the Social Security Administration, said he knows why President Donald Trump is letting Elon Musk’s minions at the Department of Government Efficiency “break” Social Security from the inside out – and he hopes people “wake up, rise up” before it’s too late.
Appearing with U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on a virtual “town hall” on Tuesday night, O’Malley ‒ who has predicted benefit interruptions within 90 days ‒ told the audience:
“They’re gutting it. They’re breaking it from the inside to make it incapable of serving the American people who paid for it and who paid for the customer service. I do believe they want to break it so they can liquidate it, because they want those trust fund dollars … the $2.7 trillion that is built up in that trust fund reserve, intentionally.”
The full story offers details about O’Malley’s prediction of benefit interruptions and Whitehouse’s proposed fix to indefinitely extend the solvency of Social Security.
Government: Martin O’Malley joined Sheldon Whitehouse to raise the alarm on Social Security.
Maybe Rhode Island’s state auditors should take a cue from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and start loudly crowing about all the government waste they’ve found.
It might get people to pay attention, or even just realize they exist.
Last year, the Office of Internal Audit saved the state $3.7 million by finding a coding error that the Department of Human Services had overlooked. But most Rhode Islanders probably never heard about that.
Or how about the fact that 1,640 people were still on Rhode Island’s Medicaid rolls a year or more after their deaths?
That’s just one of the eyebrow-raising items on the long list of problems that the Office of the Auditor General (yes, there are two separate offices dedicated to audits) highlighted in the most recent report summarizing its annual review of the state’s finances.
Political Scene explores what each of the auditor offices do, whom they report to, and whether either one is truly independent and immune from political pressures.
Political Scene: RI’s two state auditor offices routinely find waste and problems. But is anyone listening?
PROVIDENCE − Aiden Craft set the table. Mason Crain faked a shot and unselfishly surrendered the moment. And Frank Tillinghast graduates as a hero and a four-time hockey champion.
All three Hendricken skaters touched the puck in the game-winning sequence in triple overtime against Prout. Crain sliced the puck through the slot, to Tillinghast on the right wing, and the senior didn’t hesitate. Tillinghast guided the forehand shot and Hendricken, to its fourth straight boys hockey State Championship at Providence College’s Schneider Arena.
The, 3-2, triple overtime triumph is Hendricken’s 11th title overall. The Journal’s Jacob Rousseau breaks down the thrilling overtime win.
High school sports: In 3rd overtime, Hendricken wins RIIL Boys Hockey State Championship. Here’s how
PROVIDENCE – Cracked sidewalks are an ordinary part of city life, but one local artist sees them as an opportunity to start dialogues about environmental threats to the community.
Providence-based artist Linda Ford is an avid cyclist and walker who spends a lot of time outside. A few years ago, as she was learning more about pollution and contamination issues in Rhode Island, she started noticing how cracked sidewalks looked a bit like waterways and how relevant that felt to living in the Ocean State.
“New England is surrounded by water of all different kinds,” Ford said. “I started to fill them with blue cement and became interested in them as these miniature riverscapes.”
A grant allowed her to expand the project into a citywide public art installation that beautifies an eyesore while raising awareness of environmental issues.
Good news: ‘They might be a surprise’: Why a Providence artist is turning sidewalk cracks into art
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.
Rhode Island
Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than $500K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Scott-Naso-022526-1-079e2e33c43a473590695ebdb06147b3.jpg?ssl=1 "Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than 0K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe")
It is one of my all-time favorite places for exploring the outdoors with my kids and this weekend you can go for free.
A Free Day at One of Rhode Island’s Best Nature Spots
On Saturday, April 18, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI) is once again hosting their Free Family Fun Day at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol thanks to Bank of America. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. visitors can enjoy the trails, aquarium, and animals of this nearly 10,000 acre natural habitat near Narragansett Bay.
Exclusive to this weekend’s event will be the official opening of a new art exhibit.
New Woodpecker Art Exhibit Debuts This Weekend
Since last fall, work has been underway on the “Wings Unfurled: Downy Woodpeckers Define Their Space” art exhibit with Brown University and RISD. Visitors were even able to help with the painting of giant woodpecker wings that have now been installed along the nature trails.
READ MORE: Hike Rhode Island’s Hidden Coastal Gem Sachuest Point
Those attending this weekend’s Free Family Fun Day event will be among the first to walk the trail and see these giant wings on display. Guided walks of the wing exhibit are just one of the many activities happening throughout the day, taking place at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Nancy Hall/Townsquare Media
There will also be a welcoming talk from the installation’s creators: scientist Nico Moody and artist Stephanie Van Riet, at 10 a.m. and a woodpecker story time at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.
READ MORE: Best Rhode Island and SouthCoast Bird Watching Spots
Yet even if you skip the new exhibit altogether, there is plenty to enjoy at this waterside nature center along Narragansett Bay.
Family Activities Happening Throughout the Day
Throughout the day, crafts, coloring, and DIY pinecone birdfeeder activities will be happening around the property. You can explore the indoor aquarium, featuring a 33-foot life-size model of a North Atlantic Right Whale. Plus, at the back of the nature trails is a wooden bridge path that will eventually lead you to an overlook of Narragansett Bay, with great views and possibly even an osprey sighting.
Nancy Hall/Townsquare Media
With spring weather here and school vacation week kicking off, Saturday may be the perfect time to adventure outdoors for some free family fun at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol. It’s definitely on my to-do list this weekend.
Explore Land and Sea at Bristol’s Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium
Need a day of hiking, biking and seeing a 33-foot North Atlantic Right Whale replica? Then you need to head to the Rhode Island Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol.
You can hike through various habitats, enjoy a peaceful pondside picnic and even enjoy an interactive aquarium full of native fish and sea creatures.
Fun for the whole family can be found at this hidden gem of Rhode Island.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Simmons Mill Pond Trail in Little Compton Is the Perfect Excuse to Get Outside
Take a walk through the quiet woods of Little Compton, Rhode Island and hit the reset button on life. Simmons Mill Pond Management Area can be accessed via Colebrook and John Dyer roads.
Gallery Credit: Gazelle
See Inside Gorgeous Gardens Hidden Away in Little Compton
For nearly 50 years the grounds of Sakonnet Garden have been growing in what might be the most private garden along the coast.
On certain days, at certain times you can make a reservation to walk among the hundreds of flowers and plants growing in hidden “rooms” on the grounds, or take a sneak peek right now.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Rhode Island
URI to award honorary degrees to entrepreneurs Marc Randolph and Dan Harple, and anti-poverty advocate Kate Brewster
KINGSTON, R.I.—April 16, 2026—Marc Randolph, co-founder and first CEO of streaming giant Netflix; Daniel L. Harple Jr., chair and CEO of Context Labs; and Katherine Angell Brewster, CEO of the Jonnycake Center for Hope in South Kingstown, will be awarded honorary degrees by the University of Rhode Island next month.
Each honoree will be recognized for their considerable professional and personal achievements during commencement ceremonies, May 15-17, at the Thomas M. Ryan Center on the Kingston Campus. Randolph will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws and serve as keynote speaker during commencement ceremonies for URI’s College of Business on Friday, May 15, at 4 p.m. Harple will receive an honorary Doctor of Science during commencement ceremonies for the College of Engineering on Saturday, May 16, at 5 p.m. Brewster will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during ceremonies for URI’s Feinstein College of Education on Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m.
“Each of this year’s honorary degree recipients has made a profound and lasting impact on the communities they serve,” said URI President Marc Parlange. “Through their groundbreaking work in technology, business, AI, mentorship, and social welfare, they have continually expanded the horizons of what is possible—always guided by a commitment to leave the world and their communities better than they found them. These are the values we strive to cultivate in our students every day, and I am honored to recognize their extraordinary achievements during our commencement celebrations next month.”
“It is a privilege to welcome this year’s honorary degree recipients, who have demonstrated such dedication to their work, their values, and their communities,” said Barbara Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Their impact serves as a powerful example to our students of what they too can achieve, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at this year’s commencement ceremonies.”
Marc Randolph
Randolph is best known as the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has built a reputation as a serial entrepreneur, founding or co-founding more than half a dozen successful startups. He has also mentored countless early-stage entrepreneurs and invested in a wide range of successful technology ventures.
Most recently, Randolph co-founded Looker Data Sciences, which was acquired by Google in 2019 for $2.6 billion. He currently serves on the board of the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, Wyoming; the Truckee Donner Land Trust; and Cheeze Technologies.
Randolph is the author of the international bestselling memoir “That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea.” He is the entrepreneur-in-residence at High Point University, an entrepreneurship leadership fellow at MIT, and a featured investor on Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Elevator Pitch” web series.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology from Hamilton College.
Daniel L. Harple Jr.
A technology entrepreneur and CEO for more than 30 years, Daniel L. Harple Jr. is considered an internet pioneer who has founded and built technologies, companies, and products used by billions of internet users. He has founded, grown, and merged companies with Netscape Communications, Oracle, and Sina, among others, driving at-scale global innovation and impacting users the world over. These innovations established foundational standards for internet collaboration, media streaming, and VoIP, used daily by billions across platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and YouTube.
Harple is chair and CEO of Context Labs BV, a company he founded based on his MIT research. The company delivers AI‑driven, auditable intelligence for industrial data, carbon management, and compliance. It provides AI-ready data infrastructure for global energy markets, creating context for the world’s most challenging persistent problems.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year, the Red Herring Watch Award, the Upside Hot Startup Award, the University of Rhode Island’s Alumni Excellence Award for Contributions to Science and Technology, and the NEA (New Enterprise Associates) President’s Award.
Harple holds an advanced degree from MIT and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and psychology from the University of Rhode Island.
Katherine Angell Brewster
Brewster has served as CEO of South Kingstown’s Jonnycake Center for Hope for more than a decade, leading the organization through a period of significant growth to become a cornerstone of support for residents facing economic hardship and providing food, financial assistance, housing and youth programming to more than 2,000 individuals.
During her tenure, Brewster has led the organization’s expansion into new initiatives, including the development of affordable housing and the creation of the Jonnycake Youth Center. Her career has spanned direct service and public policy, giving her a deep understanding of the systemic challenges facing families and the practical solutions that help communities thrive.
Prior to the Jonnycake Center, Brewster was executive director of the Economic Progress Institute, Rhode Island’s leading anti-poverty research and advocacy organization. She has also served on the boards of several prominent organizations, including the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and Thundermist Health Center.
In 2022, she was honored with the Murray Family Prize in recognition of her commitment to improving the lives of Rhode Islanders in need. Brewster holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Social Work from Rhode Island College.
To learn more or to view a full schedule of ceremonies over URI’s Spring 2026 Commencement Weekend, visit: uri.edu/commencement/.
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