Washington
Timeline of the Washington Bridge closure: Here’s how it all happened
If you’ve tried to get in and out of the East Bay the past two months, you’ve probably noticed – while in traffic – there’s a problem with the westbound span of the Washington Bridge, which takes Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River.
Understanding what went wrong with the bridge is challenging – the state has an army of engineers and consultants working on that now.
How did it happen? And how has it played out? Here’s a timeline:
Friday Dec. 8: An engineer and a ‘critical finding’
Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, 1:40 p.m.: Andrew Prezioso, a structural engineer and team leader for bridge design contractor VHB, emails Rhode Island Department of Transportation officials with a “critical finding” on the bridge. At least two of the anchor rods securing the concrete spans cantilevered over the river have failed. Another two have narrowed significantly, a sign of stress.
This video led to the shutdown of the Washington Bridge
This video, filmed by an engineer inspecting the bridge, shows the bouncing that led to RIDOT closing the westbound lanes of the Washington Bridge.
2:42 p.m.: RIDOT Managing Engineer Keith Gaulin responds in a group email: “Based on our phone conversation, it seems there are no immediate actions to be taken right at this moment as we try to determine other short and long-term solutions.”
He says it is unclear whether the damage is old or new and asks to set up a meeting Monday to discuss it further.
Monday, Dec. 11: Shutdown of the bridge
Monday, Dec. 11, 11:30 a.m. – noon: Engineers from RIDOT and VHB are invited to a “Washington Bridge Critical Finding Discussion” virtual meeting. Prezioso shares a video of bridge beams “bouncing.” At some point on Monday afternoon RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. is briefed on the bridge and agrees with “the recommendation from the engineers that the bridge should be closed,” according to RIDOT spokesman Charles St. Martin.
2:52 p.m.: Alviti calls Gov. Dan McKee to tell him there is a problem with the bridge’s westbound span. “The director contacted the governor shortly after deciding to close the bridge,” St. Martin has said.
4:40 p.m.: An email alert is sent to Rhode Island news outlets saying Alviti “will host a press conference to discuss the closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge due to the finding of a critical failure of some original bridge components from the 1960s.”
5 p.m.: At the news conference, at RIDOT headquarters on Capitol Hill, Alviti, the only senior official present, tells reporters the potential failure of old parts of the bridge are “such that it could potentially be the cause of a catastrophic failure” and that I-195 West is closed to traffic.
5:30 p.m.: McKee makes previously scheduled visit to Hope High School basketball practice in Providence.
Why Rhode Island closed half of the Washington Bridge
Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. explains why the state shut down half of the primary link between eastern and western Rhode Island.
Tuesday, Dec. 12: Catastrophic traffic
Tuesday, Dec, 12, 4:20 a.m.: Cheyenne Cazeault, policy advisor in McKee’s office, alerts state officials to conference call with municipal leaders that morning about the bridge. Morning commute times double, triple or more with the highway only open heading east.
11:30 a.m.: McKee joins Alviti and other officials for a news conference about the bridge closure. McKee calls it “an event that cannot be avoided and cannot be predicted.” Alviti says “we averted a major catastrophe.” Repairs are estimated to take three months.
4 p.m. – 8 p.m.: The evening commute is worse than the morning, with drivers who crossed the river quickly in the morning now marooned going the other way as East Providence side streets gridlock with motorists trying to get to the Henderson Bridge as an alternative. Some guess it might be faster to drive north to I-95 in Pawtucket; others head south to the Pell Bridge in Newport.
Dec. 13–21: Emergency lanes open
Wednesday, Dec. 13, 5:56 p.m.: Pregnant women are advised not to try to cross the Seekonk to get to the hospital by car and instead to call an ambulance.
Friday Dec. 15, Before dawn: An emergency bypass allows two lanes of westbound traffic to use two lanes of the eastbound span, easing some the worst congestion and spreading it out more evenly to both directions.
Watch reporters race to downtown Providence during bridge closure
Two reporters race to downtown Providence from East Providence City Hall to see what the best commuting option is.
Monday, Dec. 18: RIDOT tasks bridge consultant Michael Baker and its subcontractors to conduct a “forensic analysis” of the bridge’s condition and how it may have deteriorated. Separately, the Department of Administration hires another firm, McNary Bergeron, to review the forensic analysis and come to its own conclusion.
Thursday, Dec. 21, 6 a.m.: Ferry service from Bristol to Providence begins. Ridership is low.
Jan. 20–28: A federal investigation opens
Wednesday, Jan. 20.: Ferry service ends.
Monday, Jan. 22: Alviti says engineers are still trying decide how best to repair the bridge and tearing it down can’t be ruled out.
Friday, Jan. 26, 10:20 a.m.: The U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island informs RIDOT it is investigating allegations of false claims for payment on the Washington Bridge and demands documents going back to January 2015. McKee’s office publicly announces the investigation at 6 p.m. and says he will be receiving direct updates from engineers on the repairs.
More: Feds probe alleged ‘false claims’ of work, inspections on Washington Bridge. What we know.
Earlier that morning, Alviti had told East Bay lawmakers that engineers might not have a plan to repair the bridge until the end of February, early March.
Monday, Jan. 28: McKee announces that he has dispatched top aide Joseph Almond to monitor the DOT’s response to the bridge closure.
Washington
Purdue lands Washington State QB transfers Evans Chuba
Another transfer quarterback has been added into the fold for Purdue heading into 2025, as former Washington State quarterback committed to the Boilermakers today.
Chuba spent one season with the Cougars after being a three-star dual threat quarterback prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, where he chose Washington State over the likes of Virginia, Toledo, Northern Illinois, East Carolina, Bowling Green, Arkansas State, Liberty and others.
In his one-year stint in the Pac-2, Chuba did not appear in a game, as Washington State’s quarterback John Mateer became one of the top signal callers in college football for then head coach Jake Dickert.
Chuba now joins three other incoming signal callers as Purdue revamps its entire quarterback room from a year ago, where its lost Hudson Card, Ryan Browne and Marcos Davila. The Boilermakers have responded by landing Arkansas transfer Malachi Singleton as the presumptive starter, along with true freshmen EJ Colson and now Chuba, not to mention 2025 three-star quarterback Garyt Odom. The lone holdover in the group is Bennett Meredith, who have served as a backup to Hudson Card over the last two years.
Washington
Will Micah Parsons play against the Washington Commanders? Latest injury update on the Dallas Cowboys star player | NFL News – Times of India
Cowboys’ yet another tough season is about to end. Having won four in a row, the Washington Commanders (11-5) will face the Dallas Cowboys (7-9) at AT&T Stadium. Cowboys is eliminated from playoff race from a 41-7 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, while the Commanders are pumped up after securing their first playoff berth since 2020 with a 30-24 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Now, the question is, will Dallas star player Micah Parsons play the match against Washington?
Will Micah Parsons play against the Washington Commanders?
Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy expects star pass-rusher Micah Parsons to play in the season finale against the Washington Commanders, despite the ongoing wrist injury. Parsons missed four games earlier this year with a high ankle sprain but has had the wrist issue for more than several weeks. His being in the game reflects his toughness and the necessity of what this means to the team as they prepare for postseason run.
Parsons does not carry any game status designation and is expected to play in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders.
Parsons, who was added to Thursday’s practice report with a wrist injury, was upgraded to a full participant in Friday’s practice. “When it comes to how are we going to finish … strong,” Parsons said earlier in the week. “I’m still going to give my best fight to the Commanders. This is who I am. I love this game.”
Micah Parsons Emphasizes Health as Key to Cowboys’ 2025 Success
Parsons reflected on the team’s struggles during a season marred by injuries to key players, including himself. Despite missing games, Parsons returned to deliver his usual high-level performances but acknowledged that health is critical for the Cowboys to reclaim their dominance in the NFC.
“One, we’re gonna have to get healthy. I mean, we got 3 or 4 starters who aren’t coming back until mid next season. We got to plan for that. We got to get healthy. We got to keep coming together,” Parsons said.
His focus on health and unity highlights the foundation needed for the Cowboys’ competitive resurgence.
Cowboys-Commanders: How to Watch, Listen, Stream
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Also Read: Will Saquon Barkley play against the New York Giants? Latest injury update on the Philadelphia Eagles star player
Additionally, the NFL+ app provides a mobile-friendly alternative for $14.99 per month, allowing fans to stream on devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Android TV. Don’t miss a moment of the game!
Washington
Washington Post Editorial Cartoonist Says She Quit After Brass Rejected Her Donald Trump Sketch
It appears that another high-profile member of The Washington Post‘s editorial staff has left the paper: Cartoonist Ann Telnaes, who’s been at the outlet for 16 years, announced via Substack Friday that she was quitting after the brass killed her latest illustration featuring president-elect Donald Trump.
“The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media chief executives who have been doing their best to curry favor with incoming President-elect Trump,” the Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist wrote on Substack under the title “Why I Quit The Washington Post.”
“There have been multiple articles recently about these men with lucrative government contracts and an interest in eliminating regulations making their way to Mar-a-lago,” she wrote. “The group in the cartoon included Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook & Meta founder and CEO, Sam Altman/AI CEO, Patrick Soon-Shiong/LA Times publisher, the Walt Disney Company/ABC News, and Jeff Bezos/Washington Post owner.”
Telnaes wrote that she first joined the Post in 2008 as an editorial cartoonist and has had “editorial feedback and productive conversations—and some differences—about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. Until now.”
“While it isn’t uncommon for editorial page editors to object to visual metaphors within a cartoon if it strikes that editor as unclear or isn’t correctly conveying the message intended by the cartoonist, such editorial criticism was not the case regarding this cartoon,” she continued. “To be clear, there have been instances where sketches have been rejected or revisions requested, but never because of the point of view inherent in the cartoon’s commentary. That’s a game changer…and dangerous for a free press.”
She included a “rough of the cartoon killed” in her Substack column. You can read her full column here.
Telnaes is the latest journo to depart the Bezos-owned newspaper. Before the election, three Post journalists stepped down from the editorial board in protest over the publication’s controversial decision not to endorse a presidential candidate, with concerns that it was a way for Bezos to placate Trump. More than 200,000 readers also canceled their digital subscriptions.
Several more staffers have since departed, including managing editor Matea Gold, who’s set to become second-highest ranking leader of the New York Times Washington bureau.
At the New York Times DealBook Summit in NYC last month, Bezos said he may not be the best owner for the paper from the perspective of “the appearance” of conflict of interest, but defended the decision not to support a candidate in the Post’s editorial pages.
“The pluses of doing this were very small and [endorsements] added to the perceptions of bias if news media are going to try to be objective and independent,” Bezos said, adding that media “is suffering from a crisis of trust.”
It should behave like a “voting machine. They have to count the votes accurately and people have to believe that they count the votes accurately.”
“Not all of it is the media’s fault,” he continued. “But where we can do something we should … We made this decision. I am proud of this decision.”
Bezos then went on to acknowledge that “I am a terrible owner for the Post from the point of view of the appearance of conflict … Probably not a single day goes by where some Amazon executive or Blue Origin executive or some Bezos Earth Fund leader isn’t meeting with a government official somewhere. And so there are always going to be appearances of conflict.”
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