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Rhode Island
When I die, compost me? Massachusetts, Rhode Island could legalize human composting
Local News
The practices are more environmentally friendly by using less fuel and releasing no carbon emissions compared to cremation, proponents say.
When you die, it’s your choice. There’s cremation, embalming, caskets and coffins, or you could just go in ground. In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, a few new choices could soon be legalized.
If you want your remains to join your family garden or even your favorite house plant: legislators are moving to legalize human composting.
Since 2020, seven states have legalized “natural organic reduction,” which essentially means composting a human body. The composting is part of an accelerated process to make a nutrient-rich soil from human remains, which takes about four to six weeks.
The human body is placed in a large tank with warm air and wood chips, and — much like a regular compost — the material is turned until a soil is formed. According to Earth Funeral, which has human composting facilities on the West Coast, the process yields a cubic yard of soil.
Washington was the first state to legalize human composting, in 2020. The practice is also legal in Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California, New York, and Nevada.
Earth Funeral calls human composting the most sustainable urban funeral process, noting its relies on renewable energy and releases no CO2 emissions.
Rhode Island, Mass. could legalize ‘burial alternatives’
Rhode Island’s state legislature is hearing the bill to allow human composting for the second year in a row, the Providence Journal reported. In Massachusetts, where the idea is also on its second try in the chamber, lawmakers want to take it a step further to legalize water cremation.
In addition to composting, Massachusetts’s “environmentally-friendly burial alternatives” bill would also legalize alkaline hydrolysis, which is defined as the reduction of human remains to bone fragments using heat, pressure, water and base chemical agents.
Alkaline hydrolysis is more widely practiced than human composting, but it’s still not legal in every state.
This “water cremation” is more environmentally friendly than traditional cremation and burial by using less fuel and reducing its carbon footprint, according to the Cremation Association. Family members can receive pure white remains after the process.
The bill in the Massachusetts State Senate was sent to committee this week, meaning it may not see session this year.
While the practices are environmentally friendly, some religions don’t approve. The Catholic Church, for example, said last year that both practices do not align with their doctrines, meaning “they fail to manifest the respect for last remains that Catholic faith requires.”
Rhode Island
Man and woman arrested in Baltimore County after chase connected to Rhode Island kidnapping
BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — A man and woman have been arrested in Baltimore County in connection to a kidnapping out of Rhode Island on Sunday.
According to authorities, around 3:50 p.m., Maryland State Police informed Baltimore County Police that the two wanted suspects from Rhode Island were in the Essex area.
Officers, along with Maryland State Police Aviation, found the vehicle the suspects were driving.
Officials say the suspects refused to stop after police turned on and activated their lights and sirens.
Police followed the vehicle and later used stop sticks, deflating multiple tires on the suspect’s vehicle.
The vehicle then hit a curb, and the suspects tried to run away on foot with two children.
The man was bitten by a Baltimore County Police dog and was arrested.
The woman was arrested without resistance.
The two children were taken to a local hospital for observation; they were not hurt.
No officers were hurt during this chase and arrest. County police will be charging the man and woman with traffic charges and assault on an officer.
No police or civilian cars were damaged during this incident.
The Maryland State Police is assisting the Rhode Island State Police with their investigation.
Olivia Culpo is all smiles while showing off her growing baby bump.
Taking to her Instagram Story on Saturday, July 18, Culpo, 34, shared a snap showing the model laying on her side in a chair and lounging at a beach in Ocean House, Rhode Island.
Culpo stunned in a white and red floral printed Alexandra Miro bikini, which she paired with black sunglasses. Her hair was styled down and slightly tousled as she placed a hand on her hip and smiled for the camera.
In another image, Culpo rested her hand across her stomach as she gazed out at the water.
Culpo and husband Christian McCaffrey announced in May that they are expecting their second baby. The pair, who began dating in 2019, tied the knot in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, in 2024. Culpo and the NFL player welcomed daughter Colette in 2025.
“Best birthday gift ❤️ Baby #2 coming soon 🥹,” Culpo captioned an Instagram post of her giving McCaffrey a kiss as Colette sat in her lap beside a sonogram photo.
Months prior, Culpo reflected on how motherhood has altered her sense of style.
“When you’re a mom, you really do have to find ways to streamline your life,” Culpo exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2025. “You don’t have enough time to go through piles and piles of clothes, and you don’t want to — you want to spend time with your baby.”
Olivia Culpo celebrated her 34th birthday with her growing family by her side. “This birthday!!!” Culpo wrote via Instagram Stories on Friday, May 8, sharing a maternity photo. In the snapshot, the model wore a bump-hugging floral sundress with cap sleeves. Culpo and her husband, Christian McCaffrey, announced earlier on Friday that they are expecting […]
She continued, “I find myself reaching for the same things — having more uniforms, if you will. It’s been a really great way to just simplify getting dressed. As a new mom, I definitely like to take the guesswork out of what to wear.”
McCaffrey, for his part, has been his wife’s most enthusiastic cheerleader since they entered parenthood.
“Watching Olivia become a mom has been so cool,” he exclusively told Us in February. “We had [Colette] in July, which was right before training camp so I was kind of in go-mode and went through the whole season. There’s challenges that come with that. So, to now take a breath and be able to be a dad has been really, really fun.”
“We have the same values in life, there’s never really any conflict when it comes to that stuff,” he continued. “Obviously, I can’t be there for most of the day, and she really does love it. As a girl dad, you definitely get softer. I don’t care what anyone says.”
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect and if you happen to come across some this summer, there are some steps that environmental officials want you to take.
The most important step, they say, is right onto the insects themselves.
“The best way to help is to learn what they look like, check vehicles and outdoor items before traveling, and squash any you find,” Kimberly Keough from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management told 12 News in an email.
Story continues below slideshow.
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A mature spotted lanternfly found in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The bug is in this stage between July and December. (Getty) -
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is focused on the spotted lanternfly and how it can damage the state’s agriculture. (USDA) -
Spotted lanternfly adult found on a tree in Fitchburg, Mass. (Courtesy: MDAR) -
This Sept. 19, 2019, file photo, shows a spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in Kutztown, Pa. State agriculture officials have added 12 counties to the quarantine list, raising the total number of counties under quarantine to 26. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) -
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Close-up of Spotted Lanternfly egg mass, Berks County, Pennsylvaniad (Getty) -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 26: Dead spotted lanternflies perch on a tree at Inwood Hill Park on September 26, 2022 in New York City. Spotted lanternflies, an insect native to Southeast Asia that scientists say arrived in the U.S. seven years ago and in New York City in 2020, feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species, leaving them susceptible to disease and destruction from other pests. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The spotted lanternfly first showed up in Rhode Island in 2021 and the species is now established statewide, according to the DEM.
Keough said Rhode Islanders can expect to see more of them as nymphs emerge this time of year.
The insects don’t pose a risk to people or pets, but they feed on a variety of plants and trees and can seriously damage nursery crops, orchards and vineyards.
Before you squish any spotted lanternflies, you can also help the DEM monitor the species by reporting the sighting here.
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