Rhode Island

Young farmers; pot changes; NK island for sale; VA cuts; tiny trucks: Top stories this week

Published

2 years ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

Young farmers; pot changes; NK island for sale; VA cuts; tiny trucks: Top stories this week

Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of May 5, supported by your subscriptions.

Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:

Maggie Cole rises to feed her cows at 6 a.m. each day.

For two hours, she tends to them at her Exeter farm, EMMA Acres – an acronym for Cole and her three older siblings, Elizabeth, Matthew and Alex.

By 8 a.m., she’s at her job as a receptionist at the Rhode Island Farm Bureau, where she puts in enough hours to pull in a paycheck.

Weekends aren’t about putting her feet up – that’s when she moves the cows and mucks the stalls. On a recent Saturday, she was called in to judge a cattle show at the University of Connecticut, eyeing body widths, udders and leg placement.

At 25 years old, Cole is part of a rising tide of young farmers in the state who, despite the challenges of modern farming, are making a go of it.

Farming in RI: Long hours. No time off. Little money. RI’s young farmers have to adapt to survive. Here’s how.

When the 2025 budget submissions came out in early in March, the VA announced it was cutting 10,000 jobs nationwide – while at the same time going to great pains to assure everyone that these cuts would not have an adverse effect on veteran care. That sounded like spin to Veterans Voice columnist Frank Lennon, an attempt to push back against an anticipated negative reaction.

A March 12 Military Times article confirmed that VA leaders plan to trim about 10,000 full-time jobs “… after last year’s hiring focus led to a larger than expected workforce.” The cuts represent about 2% of the 458,000 VA employees nationwide.

Laura Duke, VA chief financial officer, said the reduction will largely come through attrition – not filling vacant positions – and likely will primarily affect supervisory and support staff.

Lennon reached out to the Providence VA Medical Center in an attempt to learn more about what impact these cuts were expected to have on local operations.

Veterans: VA announced it was cutting 10,000 jobs. How will it affect Rhode Island veterans?

Imagine this: You import a mini-truck from Japan after calling the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles and being assured that you’ll be able to register it here.

Several years later, you receive a notice from the DMV: The Japanese mini-truck’s registration has been revoked, and you’ll need to hand over the license plates.

That’s exactly what happened to one of Sen. Louis DiPalma’s constituents, the Middletown Democrat told The Providence Journal. And other Rhode Islanders who’ve owned so-called “kei cars” and “kei trucks” for years have faced the same confounding scenario.

Legislation introduced by DiPalma and Rep. Michelle McGaw, D-Portsmouth, which would grant them a reprieve, cleared its first hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday.

But some mini-truck enthusiasts may be disappointed: The bill would ensure that roughly several dozen people who’ve already registered kei vehicles can keep driving them, but it wouldn’t legalize new ones.

Politics: They’re tiny, cheap and have a cult following. Why doesn’t the DMV want kei trucks on the road?

For the 10 years the Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center has operated, it, like other marijuana dispensaries, has confronted a significant economic challenge: the federal government considers cannabis on par with society’s most dangerous drugs.

Being classified as a “Schedule 1” substance – in the same category as heroin and LSD – has meant that dispensaries are prohibited from taking ordinary business tax deductions. And most banks have been unwilling to do business with dispensaries, afraid they’ll be charged with illicit drug activity.

But now the Justice Department is considering reclassifying marijuana as a “Schedule 3” drug, a category shared by less-dangerous drugs like Tylenol with codeine, although marijuana would remain illegal on the federal level.

A rescheduling would provide dispensaries federal tax relief and affirm to the wider public that the product they sell indeed has medicinal benefits, says Chris Reilly, a Slater spokesman.

“It’s a great development,” he said. “We’ve known for a while at the Slater center that patients have gotten a medical benefit from the use of cannabis for a whole host of conditions. Now with a move to Schedule 3, the government could allow for actual research to take place to affirm things we’ve known for a long time.”

Marijuana: The feds may reclassify marijuana. That could be a big deal for RI businesses.

NORTH KINGSTOWN – In 1638, two years after being convicted of heresy and banished from Massachusetts, Rhode Island founder Roger Williams found himself the recipient of an unusual gift.

But it came with an ulterior motive that involved a herd of pesky goats that were known for eating every plant in sight.

In 2024, Williams’ gift can be yours, although you’ll have to pay almost a million dollars for it. And it still comes with an ulterior motive, though the specifics of that detail have changed in the last 396 years.

What was this gift given to Roger Williams?

A small island off the coast of North Kingstown, in part of Wickford Harbor.

While Williams got it for free, today’s asking price is $899,000.

Rhode Island: This North Kingstown island helped secure religious liberty in RI. Now, you can buy it.

To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.

Source link

Click to comment

Rhode Island

RI school superintendent resigns amid antisemitic hazing investigation

Published

52 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

RI school superintendent resigns amid antisemitic hazing investigation

A Rhode Island school superintendent has resigned amid an investigation into alleged antisemitic hazing in the district, NBC affiliate WJAR-TV reports.

Smithfield Superintendent Dr. Dawn Bartz announced her resignation in a letter addressed to the school community. Bartz has been on leave since November after a report of hazing at Smithfield High School.

The Jewish Alliance of Rhode Island said five high school football players locked a freshman student in a bathroom, sprayed Lysol at the student and yelled antisemitic slurs.

In her resignation letter, Bartz focused on her successes surrounding academic outcomes, special education and STEM opportunities and other positives for the district, and thanked the community.

“As Smithfield moves forward, I am confident the district will continue to build on this progress
and momentum. I wish all our students, staff, and families continued success in the years ahead,” she wrote.

The letter did not specify a reason for the resignation.

WJAR-TV first reported on the situation on October, when the Bartz released a statement on its investigation.

“The investigation confirmed inappropriate conduct among a small number of students,” Superintendent Dawn Bartz said in a provided statement. “Disciplinary action has been taken in accordance with district policy, and several student-athletes will not participate for the remainder of the season.”

The statement went on to say that there would be mandated training and education in response. However, the involved players were back at practice, which didn’t sit well with the victim’s family. His parents said his son walked into practice and found himself face-to-face with his alleged assailants.

Five football players were initially removed from the team for the remainder of the season but were later reinstated. When asked about the reversal in October, Bartz issued a one-sentence statement saying, “The disciplinary process has concluded and we will not be discussing details involving students.”

Smithfield Town Council President John Tassoni said the situation has deeply divided the community.

“It’s a long time coming,” Tassoni said of Bartz’s resignation. “A lot of people are angry about what happened. A lot of people don’t know the truth of what happened, nor do I.”

An investigation is underway by the school committee’s attorney and a report is expected to be delivered to the school committee sometime next year, Tassoni added. However, some people have concerns about transparency and have floated the possibility of hiring an independent investigator.

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island said they want the focus to be on student safety.

“While we can’t speculate on the specific reasons behind the superintendent’s decision to resign, we remain focused on what matters most: that Smithfield schools become a place where Jewish students and all students feel safe, valued, and protected from bias and harassment,” President and CEO Adam Greenman wrote in an email.

Source link

Rhode Island

Prosecutors in Rhode Island drop charge against former Bay View athletic director

Published

13 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Prosecutors in Rhode Island drop charge against former Bay View athletic director

Prosecutors in Rhode Island dropped a fugitive from justice charge against a former Catholic school athletic director.

John Sung was arrested in East Providence last month. He was wanted in Florida for a non-violent felony.

After his arrest, he was fired from his position at St. Mary Academy Bay View in Riverside.

Broward County court records show Sung was taken into custody last week. He posted bond.

Source link

Rhode Island

The top returning girls wrestlers? Here are 10 to watch this season

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

The top returning girls wrestlers? Here are 10 to watch this season

Girls wrestling took off last winter in its second year of state championships.

Exactly 50 participants, across a dozen weight classes, competed in the March extravaganza at the Providence Career and Technical Academy. Each weight class was contested, unlike the first year of the tournaments, and new title winners were crowned.

Pilgrim’s Allison Patten was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for her win at 107. The Patriots’ star also finished runner-up at the New England Championships and is among this year’s returnees. But who else should we be keeping an eye on this winter?

Here are 10 standouts who we think might shine this year.

Enjoy!

Athletes listed in alphabetical order.

Yasmin Bido, Hope

Senior

Bido snagged her first individual crown with a 16-0 decision at 152 pounds. The Blue Wave grappler also finished runner-up at 165 in Year 1 of the tournament.

Irie Byers, North Kingstown

Sophomore

Byers stormed onto the scene with a title in her first year on the mat. She captured the 120-pound championship with an 11-1 win in the finals. The Skipper returnee is one of a few wrestlers who could repeat.

Jolene Cole, Scituate

Sophomore

Cole helped Scituate to the team title in the first year that the award was handed out. Scituate is a bit of a girls wrestling factory, and Cole added to that lineage with her pin at 114 pounds.

Alei Fautua, North Providence

Sophomore

Fautua breezed to the title at 235 pounds with a pin in just 25 seconds. She led the Cougars to a runner-up finish as a team as Scituate edged the Cougars by just seven points. Fautua then finished fourth at the New England championships.

Kamie Hawkins, Exeter-West Greenwich

Junior

This year is all about redemption for Hawkins. She was one of the first state champions and came back last year looking to defend her 120-pound title. It wasn’t meant to be, but make no mistake, Hawkins is one of the state’s best.

Abigail Otte, Exeter-West Greenwich

Junior

Otte was a repeat champion at 138 pounds as she seized the title with a pin in 24 seconds. It’s likely a safe bet that Otte might capture her third crown in three years.

Allison Patten, Pilgrim

Junior

A repeat season isn’t out of the question for Patten. She won the 107 pound title with a pin in 49 seconds. What’s next for the junior? End the season with a New England title, too.

Chloe Ross, Scituate

Sophomore

It was quite the debut for Ross. The state crown was a breeze as the freshman won via pin in 1:16. But then came the New England tournament where the Spartan star snagged second place. Might there be a different ending to her season this year?

Meili Shao, La Salle

Senior

Shao was one of the first wrestling champions when she captured the 132 title two seasons ago. A repeat crown wasn’t in the cards as she finished runner-up in the class. But the Ram has returned and could be out to avenge last year’s finish.