The ultimate target

January 27 session of the Tomaquag Museum book club

Shelter from the storm: resources and tips

 

Current numbers forecast for Charlestown - probably a foot of snow

Lots of snow, high winds and bitter cold

By Will Collette

Tomorrow's storm will hit Charlestown hard. The most optimistic number I have seen for total snow fall is 8." Wind gusts of up to 40 mph are likely. 

Temperatures will determine the nature of the snowfall. In Charlestown, the forecast shows a high of 31 degrees at the storm's start, 22 degrees during the bulk of the storm tomorrow and then a high of 32 degrees as the storm winds down on Monday.

Colder air means lighter snow; temps around freezing could lead to wet snow that would increase the likelihood of power failures especially with the strong winds.

Here's the National Weather Service forecast for Charlestown:

NOAA's advanced winter forecasting site projects these snow accumulations:

NOAA also presents an interesting set of odds for snow accumulation by city and town. They give the odds for Westerly at 81% for 8 inches or more, but those odds drop to 34% for a foot or more and zero for 18 inches plus.

Despite drastic cuts by the Trump regime to NOAA's funding and staff, NOAA is still pretty good at this. The other likely Trump effect to this storm is any havoc it causes will be on us to clean up. FEMA has been gutted and it is unlikely Trump will approve any request for a National Disaster Declaration for any of the Blue states of the northeast.

Charlestown Town Hall will be closed Monday. The scheduled Tow Council meeting will be postponed until Thursday, January 29. CLICK HERE for Charlestown's official storm portal.

From the Charlestown Police: 

Warming Centers Open in Charlestown

With dangerously cold temperatures forecasted, warming centers will be available to provide a safe, heated space for anyone in need.

Warming Center Locations & Hours:

Charlestown Town Hall

Monday–Friday | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Charlestown Senior Community Center

Monday–Thursday | 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Friday | 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Police Department – Community Room

4901 Old Post Road, Charlestown, RI 02813

Daily | 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM

If assistance is needed outside of these hours, please contact the Charlestown Emergency Services Dispatcher at 401-364-1212.

Please check on neighbors, family members, and anyone who may be vulnerable to extreme cold.

Stay warm. Stay safe.

A parking ban for all roads in Charlestown will go into effect Sunday at noon through Tuesday at 7am.

Historical context. 

We've seen and survived worse. The biggest snowstorm Rhode Island has endured was the February 1978. Cathy and I lived in Providence at the time. I remember the snow reached our second-floor window as we waited for emergency equipment to reach us, sent by the city of Buffalo, NY. Accumulations in South County were just under 30 inches.

Upon our return to Rhode Island to live in Charlestown, we went through several more historic snowstorms - in 2003 and 2005. In 2013, we had Winter storm Nemo that knocked out power in Charlestown for days. Nemo dropped 19 inches on Charlestown. The Presidents' Day 2003 storm dropped around 15 inches on South County. 

The blizzard of January 2005 was bad, but it was east of us on the Cape that really got hammered with 40+ inches plus hurricane force winds.

Click here for a NOAA slide show comparing these storms.

And from WPRI's Eli Sherman:

But at least we don't live in Greenland.

Grifter's gotta grift

The Saudis make their latest payment in their purchase of Donald Trump

Judd Legum

A rendering of Trump International Golf Club, Wadi Safar (Dar Global)

On November 18, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) visited Donald Trump at the White House. During his meeting with MBS, Trump agreed to provide Saudi Arabia with unprecedented levels of cooperation and support.

Trump named Saudi Arabia a “major non-NATO ally,” a coveted designation that comes with “defense trade and security cooperation benefits, including access to joint research and development programs with the Pentagon and privileged access to US weaponry, training and loans.”

Further, Trump agreed to sell 300 Abrams tanks and an unspecified number of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Previously, Israel was the only country in the Middle East permitted to buy F-35s. Acquiring the advanced jets has long been a priority for MBS and the Saudi government.

Trump also agreed to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on civilian nuclear energy and to provide Saudi Arabia with access to advanced AI chips.

In addition to the practical benefits to Saudi Arabia, the visit helped burnish the international standing of MBS, who American intelligence concluded directed the murder of a U.S.-based journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Trump called MBS a “very good friend of mine.”

Now, a few weeks later, MBS appears to be returning the favor.

The Trump Organization announced it would be partnering with Dar Global to build a $7 billion “Trump-branded hotel and golf course” in Saudi Arabia. The development in Diriyah “will include 500 mansions, priced between $6.7 million and $24 million.”

As Trump’s descent into insanity accelerates, here is the ultimate cause for concern

Trump has sole authority to launch nuclear weapons on a whim

By Jon Letman , Truthout

The global security landscape has changed dramatically since Donald Trump’s first term, but one thing that remains constant is U.S. presidential authority to use nuclear weapons. From the moment he took the oath of office until the moment his successor assumes the presidency, Trump has the authority and the means to order a nuclear attack at any moment and for any reason if he chooses to do so.

Dating back to the Eisenhower administration, the system that gives U.S. presidents the ability to launch a nuclear strike at a moment’s notice revolves around what is known as the “nuclear football.” The “football” (formally called the presidential emergency satchel) is carried by a military aide who accompanies the president wherever he goes. As a backup, a second aide carrying another “football” follows the vice president.

The bulky, black, leather-bound 45-lb.-aluminum satchel is believed to contain laminated sheets printed with dozens of nuclear war plans and options, instructions on communicating with the public during a national emergency, and a secure satellite phone — all intentionally low-tech and offline to avoid vulnerability to hacking or technical glitches.

At all times, the president and vice president also carry sealed plastic cards, roughly the size of credit cards, informally called “biscuits” for their resemblance to cookies in a foil wrapper. Officially called the sealed authenticator system, the “biscuit” contains alphanumeric authentication codes to be used by the president to verify their identity.

Fun in the snow. This will be us on Sunday

Every Sunday....

Come and support Sam Wilcox, the best candidate for Senate District 34

Cold Water, Hot Bites - Winter Trout & Salmon Stocking

DEM - thanks for the fish

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will stock trout and Sebago salmon from Tuesday, Jan. 27, to Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 in the following areas:

• Barber Pond, South Kingstown – Rainbow Trout, Salmon
• Round Top Ponds, Burrillville – Brook Trout
• Olney Pond, Lincoln Woods State Park, Lincoln – Rainbow Trout, Salmon
• Carbuncle Pond, Coventry – Rainbow Trout, Salmon
• Meadow Brook Pond, Richmond – Rainbow Trout, Salmon
• Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown – Rainbow Trout, Salmon
• Simmons Mill Pond, Little Compton – Rainbow Trout, Salmon
• Stafford Pond, Tiverton – Rainbow Trout
• Watchaug Pond, Charlestown – Rainbow Trout
• Willet Pond, East Providence – Rainbow Trout
• Wyoming Pond, Hope Valley – Rainbow Trout
• Peck Pond, Burrillville – Rainbow Trout
• Upper Melville Pond (Thurston Gray) – Golden Rainbow Trout, Salmon

Hidden Chemicals in Food Linked to Testicular Damage and Lower Sperm Counts

Big Ag kicking you in the nuts

By George Mason University

A new review finds that widely used farm pesticides may reduce sperm quality and cause testicular damage in animal studies. Researchers warn that because these chemicals remain inside many foods, everyday exposure could pose an underrecognized fertility risk. Credit: Shutterstock

Modern farming relies heavily on chemical treatments, making it increasingly difficult to avoid ingesting trace amounts of substances that may pose risks to human health over time. These exposures often occur without consumers realizing it, through everyday foods produced using conventional agricultural methods.

Serious snowstorm on Sunday - current prediction for Charlestown

Rough going - be prepared and stay safe. 

Here is the outlook from NOAA and the National Weather Service:

Time change for protest at Citizens Bank

Save now, pay later: Critics warn McKee’s plan to ease energy bills comes with a tab

McKee plays the energy card to boost his re-election chances

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

Gov. Dan McKee framed his proposed rollbacks of green energy incentives around affordability — saving Rhode Island ratepayers $1 billion in their energy bills over the next five years, according to analysis by the state budget office.

Tina Munter, Rhode Island policy advocate for Green Energy Consumers Alliance, offered a different summation of the governor’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal on energy bill charges.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Munter said in a recent interview. “Rhode Island’s reliance on natural gas for heating and electricity is what keeps the region in flux with energy prices. The longer we rely on natural gas, the longer we’re stuck in a cycle of seeing [energy] bills spike, seeing ratepayers be confused and shocked and surprised, versus having more stability.”

This logic persuaded lawmakers in 2022 to enact the most ambitious renewable electricity timeline of any state in the nation. The Renewable Energy Standard law, heralded by McKee at the time of its passage, required Rhode Island to gradually transition to entirely renewable energy sources for its electricity needs, reaching 100% by 2033. 

Now, McKee wants to push the deadline to 2050, which is the same deadline for the state to achieve net-zero emissions overall under the separate Act on Climate law. The proposed 17-year postponement, with immediate relaxation of existing incremental benchmarks, accounts for more than half of the $1 billion projected savings to Rhode Island ratepayers, cutting nearly $64 million from bills in 2027, and $572 million over the next five years, according to the state Office of Management and Budget.

America's Gestapo

What you can do to stop ICE's mayhem

Robert Reich

ICE and Border Patrol agents must be reined in. I’ll tell you how in a moment.

Since Renee Good’s death, clashes between ICE and the residents of Minneapolis have escalated. On Wednesday night, an ICE agent shot and wounded someone who, ICE claimed, was fleeing arrest. (Sure, just like Good supposedly was trying to run them over when she turned her car away from them and said, moments before an agent fired three bullets into her chest and head, “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.”)

I’ve always loved Minneapolis. Its people have midwestern common sense. They also have a deep sense of fairness and justice.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened that if Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota didn’t stop the protesters, whom he referred to as “insurrectionists,” he would “institute the INSURRECTION ACT … and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”

Let’s be clear. The problem is not the protesters. It’s the armed thugs who are shooting and murdering them. (Trump seems capable of seeing a similar dynamic playing out in Iran and vows to protect the protesters there, but not in America.)