WEST BAY
Chrome carnival coming to Warwick
A carnival is coming to Warwick. But, instead of cotton candy, kids will be walking out with Chromebooks. As the Warwick Beacon reports, it’s all part of an effort to combine learning and technology.
Library offers home delivery
Thanks to a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation, the Warwick Public Library will offer services to homebound residents with the home delivery of books, movies, and other library items. The Warwick Beacon has the details on the program.
Wheelbarrow filled with memories
The next time you drive by the intersection of Sandy Lane and West Shore Road you may notice the well-manicured island. But, as The Warwick Beacon reports, the wheelbarrow that serves as the island’s centerpiece is filled with more than flowers. Read more about the woman who’s the inspiration behind the project.
Senior project aimed at working with special needs students
For her senior project, Toll Gate student Jasmine Gallo-Fuscio worked with Thomas Hanke, a member of the Toll Gate Vocation Transitional Program, to paint the fence at Unique Fitness and Massage Therapy in West Warwick. The Warwick Beacon has more.
Mattiello defends legislative grants
The state’s legislative grants program has re-emerged as an issue in one of this election season’s highest-profile campaigns. Amid criticism from a local editorial, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello (D-15) has forcefully defended the provision of grants to Cranston community organizations and pushed back against assertions the program is used for political purposes. “I will never apologize for delivering much-needed resources for Cranston and I’m not about to start because the media attacks me for it,” the speaker said in a statement. The Cranston Herald has more.
Local girls use power of press to help animals
When Abigail and Michaiah Kojoian put their minds to something, they don’t back down, and the animals at the Cranston Animal Shelter on Phenix Avenue are benefiting from the girls’ tireless effort and determination. Adoptions at the shelter have gone up significantly since the sisters – who are now 15 and 17, respectively – started printing, publishing and distributing both paper and digital copies of the shelter’s newsletter, “The PawPrint Press.” The Cranston Herald has more on this special mission.
SOUTH COUNTY
Family sails the world for 8 years
The Giffords had a tiny house long before it was hip and trendy. The difference is their 200-plus-square-foot home floats. About eight years ago, the Giffords sold all their possession to sail around the world with their three children. Fast forward to today and they are still sailing and are docked in Mystic for about a month. The Westerly Sun has more on the family’s worldwide journies.
Petition objects to assignment of Westerly teacher
Dozens of parents are signing a petition protesting the possible assignment of a teacher to Dunn’s Corners Elementary School for the upcoming school year. The petition, which began online, has drawn signatures from across Westerly and even from Connecticut. The Westerly Sun has more on the controversy.
New RYSE building in the works
The RYSE School Building Committee met to discuss the progress on the new addition being built at the middle school to house the alternative high school. RYSE is an acronym for Reaching Youth through Support and Education. The school’s purpose is to provide a safe learning environment for at-risk middle and high school students by providing individualized educational and mental health support. The Westerly Sun has more on the program and why a new building is needed.
Westerly professor’s surf therapy program heads down under
Surf’s up, mate. A few weeks ago, Kelli Hingerton started teaching children with disabilities how to hang 10 in Australia. Hingerton, a 21-year-old graduate student at the University of Rhode Island, has launched a surf therapy program for students at the Darnanup Primary School and three other nearby schools in South Bunbury, a coastal town in the western part of the country. The Westerly Sun has more on the local professor who developed the program.
Sculptor lends hand fixing Mary statue
For years a statue of Mary on the grounds of the Church of the Immaculate Conception had been slightly marred by a thumb missing from one of its hands. That’s until a local sculptor and parishioner of the church stepped in. The Westerly Sun has more on how he made the statue whole again.
E-cig regulations affect local businesses
The FDA’s regulations that effectively deem electronic cigarettes as tobacco products under the Tobacco Control Act went into full effect on Monday, changing the way local vape shops such as Sunshine Vape in the South County Commons and Coastal Vapes in Narragansett operate. The Narragansett Times has more on the new regulations.
Radical changes coming to RIIL football
With the release of the football schedules from the Rhode Island Interscholastic League online, gridiron fans and coaches get an on paper look at the new divisional landscape that begins this year. As The Chariho Times reports, the news of the realignment brought gripes from all angles, but there is also intrigue and positives for many teams.
Town council looks to buy old Bostitch building
After a brief discussion last Thursday, the North Kingstown Town Council voted unanimously to put approximately $1.4 million to the voters in order to purchase the former Bostitch building off Callahan Road. Taxpayers will have the opportunity to decide in this November’s elections whether or not to fund a general obligation bond for the structure, which is currently being used for document storage and fire maintenance activities, among other uses. The NK Standard Times has more.
BLACKSTONE VALLEY
Opening doors to Hollywood
In recent years, Pawtucket has seen its reflection on the silver screen, as locations across the city have served as settings and backdrops for television shows and major motion pictures, from Showtime’s “Brotherhood” to Woody Allen’s “Irrational Man” and “The Polka King,” a comedy starring Jack Black, that is presently filming in Rhode Island. Now, Herb Weiss, the economic and cultural affairs officer for the City of Pawtucket, is being honored for helping attract production companies to the city. Read more in The Times.
Swan boats docked at Slater Park
The continued unauthorized feeding of geese at Slater Memorial State Park in Pawtucket has forced officials of the Parks and Recreation Department to stop offering people the use of swan and dragon paddle boats. Get to the bottom of the matter in The Times.
Ironman in training
Tim McMahon of Cumberland is in the midst of a six-month training program for his first Ironman triathlon in Maryland on Oct. 1. as part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Finish MS Campaign. Learn more about the dedicated advocate in The Call and The Times.
Wind project draws ire of residents
Wind and Energy Development Chief Executive Officer Mark DePasquale planned a question and answer session about the firm’s wind turbine proposal in North Smithfield to provide factual information about the project and wind energy technology and to create “an open form of communication between developers and residents. What he got was attendees walking out in disgust. See more in The Call.
NORTHWEST
Citizens site prep nears completion
Mountains are being moved in Johnston – at least in a figurative sense. Initial site work for the proposed Citizens Bank campus near the intersection of Greenville Avenue and Route 295 is approaching completion, and, as The Johnston Sun Rise reports, the scope of the project is on a level rarely, if ever, seen in town.
School committee taps new Ferri principal
Matthew Stephen Tsonos has been named principal at Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School. The Johnston School Committee recently approved his appointment on a 4-1 vote. He succeeds Dennis Morrell, who was recently named the new principal at Johnston High School. The Johnston Sun Rise has more on Tsonos’ resume.
Police nab 3 in high-end sunglass heist
Police are crediting the use of social media and assistance from the public with helping to quickly identify and apprehend three suspects in the theft of thousands of dollars worth of sunglasses from OPTX Rhode Island late last month. The Johnston Sun Rise details how police made the arrests.
EAST BAY
K-Rob takes record-breaking jump
Threats of severe thunderstorms didn’t stop Barrington resident and former professional BMX rider Kevin “K-Rob” Robinson from setting a new world record for longest power-assisted backflip jump Saturday in the middle of Kennedy Plaza. But the stunt didn’t go off without a hitch. The Providence Journal’s Alisha Pina has more.
PROVIDENCE
Cupping craze hits Rhode Island
The ancient form of alternative Eastern medicine has attracted a lot of attention since Rio Olympic Games started, particularly when Michael Phelps hit the pool with red and purple circular marks on his back and along his shoulders. Now, as The Providence Journal reports, businesses that offer the service in Rhode Island have seen a boost in interest.
Colleges build RI’s engineering future
A symbol of Rhode Island’s emergence as an engineering hub can be found at the corner of Chestnut and Friendship streets, where a striking new building has risen from land where a decrepit old highway once was. The Providence Journal has more on how Rhode Island universities are leading the way toward an important piece of the economic future.
SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS
Ambulances being rerouted after Charlton A/C troubles
No air conditioning in this recent stretch of oppressive heat would be an inconvenience for most of us, but when the air-conditioning is on the fritz at a hospital, that can be a downright dangerous situation. That’s why ambulances were being rerouted away from Charlton Memorial Hospital Friday and Saturday. The Fall River Herald News has more on what cause the problems and what’s being done to keep patients cool.
Feds help fund new equipment for Fall River F.D.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved a federal loan application of $4.9 million to purchase fire equipment, including six new fire trucks, to update the Fall River Fire Department’s aging fleet. The Fall River Herald News details where the new equipment will go.