The state representative discusses his qualifications, affordability, public safety and his vision for Providence

Relevant links:

• Newport City Council votes to approve purchase of Flock drones (WJAR via YouTube)
• What towns have terminated Flock cameras and which ones decided to keep them? (WJAR via YouTube -- #geneoffscript)
• McKee orders 60-day review to establish statewide Flock guidelines (WPRI)
• That Drone in the Sky Could Be Tracking Your Car (EFF)
• Flock's fastest-growing business is 60 mph police drones that can read license plates from the sky (TechSpot via /r/technology))
• [Flock CEO says drones are its fastest-growing business as it expands beyond license plate cameras])(https://www.businessinsider.com/flock-ceo-drones-fastest-growing-business-2026-8) (Business Insider)

A gun was found by an employee at top Providence Italian restaurant Al Forno on Tuesday night.

According to police, the owner of the firearm was later arrested for not having a permit to carry in Rhode Island.

Al Forno is Rhode Island's most award-winning restaurant.

About Incident

Shortly before 10 PM on Tuesday, police were called to Al Forno for a report of a gun found in the restaurant bathroom.

An employee reportedly found the firearm and turned it over to the manager, who called the police.

Officers said upon arrival that they seized the gun, which was identified as a Glock with bullets in the magazine as well as the chamber.

Owner Turns Himself In - Police Make Arrest

Police say that the owner of the gun, Anthony Fournier, age 36 of Connecticut, later responded to Central Station regarding the incident.

According to police, Fournier said he had a permit to carry in Connecticut. Police determined he did not have a permit in Rhode Island.

He is being charged in Rhode Island with RIGL 11-47-8: License or permit required for carrying [a] pistol.

A few of my buddies from college and I are trying to plan a guys trip somewhere in Rhode Island or around New England. We’re mostly looking for somewhere we can hang out for a long weekend, play some golf, do some fishing, grab good food and drinks, and have enough stuff around that we’re not bored after a day. Just somewhere fun with a lot to do. Anyone have a spot they’ve been to with a group that they’d recommend?

Hi all,

Curious if anyone has any inside scoop with what is going on with the plug in solar bill and why it's failed and will likely be sat until January now. From my research, it was a bill placed on the senate floor 2 days before sessions ended, which is basically a political way to say they don't want this to pass but don't want to formally vote on it to look like they are paid by big energy.

For anyone curious, this technology allows you to set up a small scale solar system. They define this as a "portable solar generation device" as a movable solar generator with a maximum output of 1,200 watts, designed to plug into a standard 120-volt outlet.

What this will allow us to do is offset 1200W of power from what we currently use. So say it's a hot day like today and your central air is running at 3000W, you will only be paying and using 1800W. To me, this is basically a new technology that can disrupt these energy companies from gouging us. It offsets what we use only, so any savings is purely coming from renewable energies so a pure win from the environment.

It's beyond frustrating to me as a civilian. This bill held for further "study" in March, revived in June, dies in the other chamber, everyone gets to say they supported it. To me, this should be almost one of the top issues for ALL Rhode islanders because who isn't being shafted by RIE? This is something that everyone should be dying to implement because it not only saves us money but literally is taking strain off the grid and offsetting our usage with pure renewable energy.

I just want to let everyone know our political leaders have let us down again. This one just quietly didn't happen. Who benefits? I think we all know.

Recently got the renewal notice for my mild hybrid (non- plug in) and saw the fee was $100 extra on top of regular renewal. What are your thoughts on mild hybrids being included in this? Originally it was only plug ins and Ev's that were going to get the fee. I bought about 658 gallons of fuel for my little car last year and only get 38mpg out of it on the highway meanwhile a regular corolla or civic gets 41mpg on the highway. I see the reasoning behind it but lots of regular cars are on par with the hybrid mpg and pay the same amount for fuel as those cars. California has a similar law but RI charges a overcharged amount due to the flat rate imposed by law makers.

I just received a mailing from a local candidate with the wrong day of the week on it.

This year, primaries fall on Wednesday. See the official Secretary of State website for the relevant dates.

Hi I’m vegan traveling with non vegans looking for a few restaurants that have vegan options within 30 minutes .
Thank you

This was fiery. Good to hear from them both but the attacks were disappointing - I’m not voting for or against anyone based on one relatively small donation to Mitch McConnell 10 years ago. Got juicy with discussion of the high rate of RI snap payment errors and what that will cost us. The budget is what will move the big projects like housing and roads and jobs, and more disagreement on what will actually come to pass.

 Karen Emmes has lived in East Providence her entire life, and has never seen rats scurrying around her neighborhood until this past year.

“It’s disgusting,” Emmes said. “Where are they coming from?”

Within the past year, Emmes said she’s caught more than 100 rats in her yard, which is situated on the corner of Grassy Plain Road and Ormond Drive.

Emmes said these rats aren’t small, either.

“The traps are 7 inches long, and the rats just as large,” she explained.

Emmes and other residents who live nearby told 12 News the neighborhood is tidy and there does not appear to be a noticeable food source for the rats.

She said the entire neighborhood has set up traps and residents are proactively protecting their homes to keep the vermin out.

East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva told 12 News the city is trying to figure out where the influx of rats is coming from.

“Has something changed in their environment? Is there an open food sources?” DaSilva questioned. “Something that sometimes disrupts rats is construction on roads. We have been doing a lot of construction on some of the main roads.”

“Are those vibrations, or the opening up of the roads, causing the rats to scurry from their homes to more populated places?” he continued. “It could be a number of these factors.”

DaSilva is urging impacted residents to report any rat sightings through the city’s online portal.

“If you have a rat issue, please report it so we know,” DaSilva said. “Posting on social media does not create real data points for us to follow through on or send an inspector to see where the problem is and if we can solve it.”

Skip the paywall: https://archive.is/2026.08.19-132531/https://www.providencejournal.com/story/entertainment/dining/2026/08/19/specialty-coffee-costs-rise-at-ri-coffee-shops-as-budgets-tighten/91058137007/

Looking for recommendations for a fancy, dressy restaurant in Rhode Island with low/dim lighting, a nice upscale atmosphere, and really good food. Somewhere I can wear a nice dress and feel dressed up.

Any cuisine is fine! What are your favorite spots that fit this vibe?

Senator Jack Reed says that he “opposed Trump’s reckless Iran war from the start,” and wants to hold “President Trump accountable.” These are laudable aims—but they are only partial truths.

In fact, Trump could never have waged his illegal and ill-conceived war on Iran without the money Senator Reed personally delivered. Take the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets forth policies and authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense. Senator Reed wrote significant portions of the bill, which authorized the Trump administration to spend a record-breaking $901 billion on the United States military.

Senator Reed subsequently voted that bill into law, joining about half of the Democratic senators, but not progressive stalwarts like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Chris Murphy, who had the courage and foresight to condemn the grotesque level of spending. Senator Ron Wyden said at the time, ‘I cannot support a bill that increases military spending by tens of billions of dollars and fails to include guardrails against Donald Trump and Hegseth’s authoritarian abuses.’ Worse yet, the 2026 NDAA gave Trump $8 billion more than his administration even requested.

If not for the 2026 NDAA, Trump could never have taken the United States into another unconstitutional forever war that has taken the lives of 18 American soldiers and injured hundreds more, cost roughly $40 billion in direct military spending, and cost consumers more than $75 billion in artificially inflated prices.

Rather than learn from the 2026 NDAA catastrophe, Senator Reed has doubled down on his relationship with the military-industrial complex. Reed again played a central role in drafting the 2027 NDAA, a bill which would give Trump roughly $1.15 trillion (that’s trillion with a “T”). The bill, which represents an annual spending increase of over $200 billion, would more than cover the entire cost of the illegal war with Iran. Think about the message that sends to the rogue Trump administration: wage a disastrous war and emerge with an even larger military slush fund.

What is more, the bill would further entangle our military with Israel’s, committing to bilateral “research and development, co-production of weapons, joint ventures, licensing agreements and an unprecedented integration of the US and Israeli weapons industries.” With cratering public support for weapons transfers to Israel, the NDAA seeks to smuggle the weapons to avoid public scrutiny quietly.

Senator Reed voted favorably on this bill out of committee and is likely to support it on the full Senate floor. In the senator’s own words, this bill “strengthens national defense and enhances oversight and accountability.” Senator Reed’s promise to hold Trump accountable, then, is only true if one sees a blank check and integration of our military with Israel’s as accountability.

Most Rhode Islanders do not.

Most Rhode Islanders want to reinvest our bloated military spending into things that matter to our state, like our crumbling infrastructure and primary healthcare crises. They are tired of the forever wars and want a senator who will instead spend that money fighting for Rhode Island values via programs like universal healthcare, an equal education amendment, and a Green New Deal.

I moved to RI from the Rocky Mountains. I really miss the solitude and QUIET of hiking in the mountains. RI is so densely populated that I find it hard to find that feeling anywhere. Any ideas where to go in the state? Would love to feel like I’m away from society.

So far the closest I’ve found is way back in Lincoln woods but that’s hit or miss.