Rhode Island issues alert after 20 non-fatal overdoses reported in Providence in one week - The Boston Globe Providence has an overdose rate that is “up to two times higher than the statewide average,” officials said.

The Rhode Island Department of Health issued an overdose spike alert for Providence on Monday after 20 city residents were treated for drug overdoses during the previous week.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/21/m...

‘The eureka moment’: Paul McCartney on ‘Man on the Run’ documentary, a new album and his enduring love of songwriting - The Boston Globe “I didn’t do it as a job, I still would do it as a hobby because it’s just, it’s in me. I love to do it,” the former Beatle said at a private Brown University event with filmmaker Morgan Neville.

NEW: Paul McCartney was in Providence last night and spoke at a private screening of "Man on the Run" hosted by Brown University at The VETS.

McCartney and filmmaker Morgan Neville spoke about the movie with Brown President Christina Paxson:

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/21/m...

R.I. grandparents visitation trial resumes, with a witness dismissed and a state law affirmed - The Boston Globe The judge decided that a state law allowing grandparents to sue for visitation was not unconstitutional, but excluded a witness after she broke the court’s sequestration order.

R.I. grandparents visitation trial resumes, with a witness dismissed and a state law affirmed www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/20/m...

Independent Ken Block, a new entrant in the R.I. governor’s race, says he’s in second place in early polling - The Boston Globe “I like the way I stack up,” said Block, an independent, who said he will definitely run after seeing the poll results.

NEW: Independent gov candidate Ken Block's poll is out, and puts him in second place behind either Democrat in November, though he fares better against McKee

He's now fully in the race, he says: "I like the way I stack up." www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/20/m...

Providence lawmakers, looking to cash in on the World Cup, consider letting bars stay open all night - The Boston Globe In an effort to compete with Boston, officials in Rhode Island are considering letting bars stay open 24/7. But not all bar owners are fans of the idea.

More than 2 million visitors from around the world are expected to descend on New England during the World Cup. Providence wants a share of their business, and officials believe they might have an irresistible lure: late-night boozing.

@bostonglobe.com
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/18/m...

Federal court in Rhode Island allows out-of-state attorneys to represent immigrants challenging ICE detentions - The Boston Globe “We thought of this as a way to basically increase access to justice,” Amy R. Romero, of the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, one of the groups that requested the change.

For the next year, Rhode Island’s federal court will allow out-of-state attorneys to represent immigrants who are challenging their detention pro bono as the number of habeas corpus petitions filed against the Trump administration has drastically increased.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/17/m...

R.I. school district failed to respond appropriately to antisemitic hazing of football player, AG concludes - The Boston Globe Smithfield public schools agree to a five-part set of corrective actions intended to “foster a better, safer environment for students and prevent something like this from happening again.”

R.I. school district failed to respond appropriately to antisemitic hazing of football player, @peterneronha.bsky.social's office concludes. Smithfield public schools agree to a corrective actions intended to “prevent something like this from happening again.”
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/16/m...

The housing battle that could make or break the Providence mayor’s political career - The Boston Globe Mayor Brett Smiley wants to build more housing and kill a rent control proposal. Will it work?

NEW: Mayor Smiley's stance on rent control could be make-or-break for his political future

Tonight, he laid out his own housing plans in a public address to the City Council. Tomorrow, the council sends rent control to his desk, where he'll veto it

Brown University plans permanent campus memorial to honor students killed in shooting - The Boston Globe The university is also developing plans for renovating the Barus and Holley building lecture hall where the Dec. 13 shooting took place, President Christina H. Paxson wrote in a letter.

Brown University plans to create a permanent memorial on campus honoring the lives of Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, the two students killed in the mass shooting in December.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/15/m...

House passes ALERT Act air safety bill, setting up clash with Senate - The Boston Globe A separate aviation safety bill that had the backing of the families of those who died in 2025, when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a commercial jet over Washington, D.C., failed in Febru...

The House overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan aviation safety bill Tuesday, setting up a showdown with the Senate, where leaders have declared that key provisions fall short of what is necessary to prevent aircraft from midair collisions.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/15/m...

California man pleads guilty to making hundreds of calls harassing and threatening women in R.I., Mass. - The Boston Globe Justin Glauthier, 30, called more than 50 people between 2022 and 2025, court filings state.

A California man pleaded guilty in federal court after he made hundreds of “obscene and threatening” telephone calls to women in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and other states, prosecutors said Monday.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/14/m...

A controversial mural depicting a slain Ukrainian refugee is now on a Lebanese restaurant in Providence’s Federal Hill - The Boston Globe “I saw a lot of myself, honestly, in Iryna,” said the owner of Opa, a restaurant owned by a Lebanese family who have welcomed the mural. Her story “really spoke to us.”

NEW: The artist behind a controversial mural of a Ukrainian refugee killed on a N.C. train last year — the partially completed piece outside a Providence LGBT+ club that was abruptly canceled last week — is painting a new mural of the woman. @bostonglobe.com
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/06/m...

With energy-efficient homes, moisture can be a challenge. But a New England company has a simple solution: Paint - The Boston Globe Founded by a Brown University physicist, Adept Materials launched its first commercial product, a humidity-regulating paint called Lilypad, earlier this year.

Former Brown University professor's Adept Materials challenges building norms for health, efficiency -- Ocean State Q&A by @chrisgavin.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/06/m...

Judge rules against R.I. coastal regulator, vacating approval of contested shellfish farm - The Boston Globe Providence County Superior Court Associate Justice Joseph A. Montalbano ordered the matter be returned to the CRMC, with a public hearing to be held on the modifications.

A Rhode Island judge ruled against the state’s Coastal Resources Management Council, finding the regulatory agency failed to follow proper procedures when it signed off on plans for an aquaculture farm by the owner of the popular Matunuck Oyster Bar.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/03/m...

Providence City Council approves rent control, but without enough votes to overcome mayor’s promised veto - The Boston Globe A tense two-hour debate Thursday night ended in passage of the ordinance. But the council will need another vote if they want to overcome an expected veto.

NEW: The Providence City Council approved a rent control measure for the first time, but was one vote short of the 10 they'll eventually need to override the mayor's promised veto

“The conversation’s very much alive," said Council President Miller

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/02/m...

The friend crew is really coming through with a few RI essentials for #realhousewives. (Coffee milk espresso martinis not pictured).

Joined @wpri12.bsky.social to talk about this story.

You can watch the segment here:

youtu.be/Pusrrfyaeso?...

Providence man charged in alleged ax attack had been accused of the same crime previously, records show - The Boston Globe Jehvine Quaweay, 28, allegedly attacked a person with an ax in Providence in September – and then again this week, according to police and court records.

By @chrisgavin.bsky.social -- Providence man charged in alleged ax attack had been accused of the same crime previously, records show
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/02/m...

Morales campaign says he’s leading incumbent Smiley in Providence’s mayoral race - The Boston Globe The internal poll conducted by Data for Progress has Morales with an 11 percentage point lead over Smiley, with a 6 percentage point margin of error.

NEW: David Morales's campaign says he's leading incumbent Brett Smiley in the Providence mayor's race, per an internal poll conducted by @dataforprogress.org last month. The poll put Morales at 45% to Smiley's 34%, with a +/- 6 point margin of error. 19% were undecided

Read more:

R.I. teacher’s aide arrested after allegedly hitting a student with ‘significant developmental impairments’ - The Boston Globe The private Ocean State Academy immediately fired Timesha Harley, 32, of Providence, who allegedly recorded the incident on camera-equipped glasses, according to a police report.

A former employee of a Cranston private school that serves students with psychiatric and social-emotional needs was fired and then arrested, after she allegedly hit a 6-year-old student who has “significant developmental impairments” multiple times, police said.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/01/m...

Judge dismisses lawsuits in which adult businesses in Providence allege the city profiled and targeted patrons - The Boston Globe Judge McElroy found operators of The Mega-Plex and the former Silhouettes strip club failed to provide adequate evidence of their claims, including proof they were treated differently than others.

A federal judge has tossed lawsuits filed by adult businesses in Providence that alleged the City of Providence and its police department had profiled and targeted them and their patrons.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/01/m...

Providence police arrest man in alleged ax attack - The Boston Globe Jehvine Quaweay, 28, allegedly struck a person in the head three times with the weapon.

A man was arrested in Providence on Monday after he allegedly attacked a person with an ax, according to authorities.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/31/m...

New: PC's president has now confirmed these changes in a letter to campus.

"Providence College will consolidate the efforts of IDEI under the care of the Division of Mission and Ministry to continue the work of advancing justice, love, and truth while building the Beloved Community on campus."

Rhode Island-based Newport Creamery restaurant chain sold to Cape Cod entrepreneur - The Boston Globe The sale of the chain’s eight locations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts closed on Monday for an undisclosed sum.

New: The Jan Companies tells me the sale of Newport Creamery to a Cape Cod entrepreneur closed on Monday for an undisclosed sum.

“He has some great visions for the concept,” VP Janice Mathews said of new owner, Mark Bogosian.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/31/m...

‘Our students are worth investment’: Central Falls, R.I., replaces 100-year-old high school with new building - The Boston Globe “For too long, Central Falls was defined by what we lacked,” Mayor Maria Rivera said. “I hope that today we can be redefined by what we built and accomplished.”

Central Falls, R.I., celebrates new high school that replaces 100-year-old building. “For too long, Central Falls was defined by what we lacked,” Mayor Maria Rivera said. “I hope that today we can be redefined by what we built and accomplished.”
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/31/m...

Controversial mural outside Providence LGBTQ+ club depicting slain Ukrainian refugee is cancelled, artist says - The Boston Globe The mural was one of several in cities around the US, a project partially funded by Elon Musk and Andrew Tate – and slammed as far-right propaganda.

SCOOP: The controversial mural outside a Providence LGBTQ+ nightclub depicting Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee killed in North Carolina last year, is cancelled, artist says.

“We’re going to have to find a new home for it," the artist told me.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/30/m...

Letting the days go by in Providence this morning….

Police investigating suspicious death at R.I. salon as a homicide, authorities say - The Boston Globe Authorities are asking for the public’s help in the investigation in Central Falls.

Authorities are investigating a “suspicious death” at a salon in Central Falls, R.I. as a homicide, police said Thursday night.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/27/m...

Fugitive on R.I.’s ‘Most Wanted’ list arrested in Guatemala - The Boston Globe John E. Nunez, 36, will be charged in connection with the 2017 killing of 22-year-old Devin Burney, officials said.

A fugitive on Rhode Island’s “Most Wanted” list in a 2017 Providence murder case was arrested Tuesday in Guatemala, according to the US Marshals Service.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/26/m...

Authorities are investigating a “suspicious death that occurred” at a salon in Central Falls, R.I., police said Thursday. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/26/m...