Westerly Residents Demand Action on License-Plate Cameras

Councilors Say They Have No Power Over Them

Adriana Vossari, RI & Local Government

Two license-plate reading cameras operate in Westerly — one privately owned, one run by state police — and councilors said the town has no contract with the company and no direct power to remove them. No vote was taken.

Residents used the second public comment period at the Westerly Town Council's Monday, August 17 meeting to object to automated license-plate reading cameras in town, and councilors responded that the town has no contract with the camera company and, by their own account, no direct authority over the two devices now operating here.

The exchange, captured in the Westerly Town Council's published meeting recording, produced one concrete factual point from the town manager: the town has never subscribed to the license-plate reader service, does not hold a contract with it, and its own downtown and beach camera footage stays in municipal hands. The practical takeaway for residents is that the cameras they are worried about are not the town's to switch off.

What the speakers said

A lifelong Westerly resident, speaking before the council for the first time, said he was driven to attend out of "grave concern" over the growing presence of the cameras. He told the council that communities nationwide have canceled contracts or banned the devices, and cited the Institute for Justice's tally of more than 100 documented cases of license-plate reader abuse. He said South Kingstown had become the 100th community to reject the readers, attributing that count to a camera-tracking project, and referenced a Rhode Island lawsuit over a wrongful arrest he said stemmed from a false positive. Those figures are his characterizations; the transcript contains no independent verification of them.

He also raised data-sharing, citing a 2018 Electronic Frontier Foundation study he said found only a fraction of a percent of scans are tied to public safety, and said some municipalities had shared data with more than 800 agencies. He said the company shortened its default data retention period from 30 days to seven, but called the changes minimal.

Looking for ways to take the stain out of well water

URI team to address remediation challenges of manganese in R.I. drinking water

By Krysta Murray, writer, College of Engineering.

Black and brown stains shown here in a sample sink
are classic effects of manganese.

A partnership between the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Department of Health will study manganese levels in Rhode Island’s drinking water. The project, “Statewide Support for Manganese Management in Rhode Island,” will be funded by a grant from the Emerging Contaminants in Small and Disadvantaged Communities through the health department’s Center for Drinking Water Quality and Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. It runs through Sept. 30, 2030.

Manganese is naturally occurring and comprises an appreciable portion of the earth’s crust. New England has higher concentrations of manganese than other parts of the U.S., due to glacial drifts that make up the region’s geology. Rhode Island depends on groundwater sources that have contact with the subsurface. Groundwater supplies roughly 26 percent of the state’s population with drinking water with an estimated two-thirds of that from public water supply and another third from private wells.

Bunker, left, a graduate student in the civil and environmental department and primary graduate student assigned to this project, and Joe Goodwill assess a water system in Rhode Island.

“Manganese in drinking water is a pervasive health issue and treatment challenge across Rhode Island,” said Zach Shepard, principal environmental health risk assessment toxicologist on the project for RIDOH and a URI alumnus. “Public water systems, especially small systems and private well owners, are impacted by manganese in their water. In this project, RIDOH has partnered with URI to provide technical assistance to people who are impacted by manganese.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established a lifetime human health advisory benchmark of 0.3 mg/L of manganese. In trace amounts, it is essential for human survival, metabolism, and bone health. RIDOH enforces safe manganese limits in drinking water at 0.3 mg/L for infants aged one year or younger and 1.0 mg/L for everyone older than a year. Too much manganese can lead to neurological effects, especially with long-term exposure.

Play‑fighting or just fighting? New study suggests a rethink on how we play with cats

Pay attention unless you like to bleed

Julia Henning, Adelaide University

Joey and Frida fight for world domination.
Photo by Will Collette

Have you ever watched online videos of people “playing” with cats and noticed the cat doesn’t actually look like they’re having fun? If so, you’re likely better than the average person at reading cat body language.

Regular interactive play supports cats’ physical health, reduces stress, and strengthens the human–cat bond.

But according to our most recent study, what many people think of as “play” may not be play at all. In fact, these interactions cause cats annoyance or stress.

When ‘play’ isn’t actually play

When playing, both human and cat need to tell apart behaviors that might be threatening in other contexts, such as sudden movements, swatting or chasing.

Research shows people struggle to interpret cat communication and often fail to notice when a cat doesn’t want to play. Even when they do notice, many people choose to continue anyway.

To understand why people might misinterpret or ignore cat stress signals, in our new study we analysed 1,100 comments on social media videos hosted on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook depicting harmful “play”.

To avoid viral videos disproportionately influencing analysis, only the first 100 comments from each video were analyzed. Comments came from a mix of cat owners and non-cat owners.

All 11 videos included clear signs of cat distress such as hissing, biting, attempting escape, visible human injuries and, in some cases, cats being physically harmed. Despite this, 75–93% of comments on all videos were positive. How come?

Trump’s slapdash Reflecting Pool renovations stand in stark contrast to years of deliberation and engineering ingenuity that went into its creation

From the guy who bankrupted casinos

Jennifer Tucker, Wesleyan University

Work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting
Pool began in 1919. Bettmann/Getty Images

In the latest twist in one of the strangest ongoing scandals in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that the government would be dropping charges against the four people accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the 2,000-foot long water basin that connects the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. 

Pirro said faulty construction – not vandalism, as Donald Trump had claimed – caused the pool’s liner to peel off in June 2026.

As I’ve followed this bizarre saga, I’ve found myself reflecting on the history of the pool itself. It was built in the 1920s, when Washington was transformed by ambitious construction projects, even as the nation grappled with political division, racial conflict and clashes between religion and secularism.

To me, everything about the pool’s early history – the debates over its placement, the innovative engineering techniques used during its construction, and its proponents’ longing for something visually and metaphorically unifying – stands in stark contrast to the slapdash renovations, blame games and abuses of power playing out today.

Coming to a consensus

In 1901, the U.S. Senate formed the McMillan Commission, a group of architects, landscape designers and artists, to develop a parks system for the nation’s capital.

The commission’s 1902 report also recommended a location for the future Lincoln Memorial. Although proposals for a memorial had emerged shortly after Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, decades of political disagreement over its design, location and purpose had delayed construction.

The report proposed situating it at the western end of the Mall, near the Potomac River. Inspired by the waterways of Versailles and the reflecting basins of the Taj Mahal, the commission envisioned a reflecting pool linking the future memorial to the Washington Monument. In this way, these two magnificent monuments could be reflected in a huge mirror of water, framed by manicured, green grass.

Over the ensuing decade, the plans continued to elicit debate and controversy, pitting supporters of the commission’s vision against members of Congress, railroad interests and real estate developers.

The American Institute of Architects and American Federation of Arts backed the report, arguing that isolation from the city’s bustle created a dignified space for reflection. They also called attention to the qualifications of the artists on the commission, and to the economic viability of the site: The land was owned by the federal government, so the project’s funds could go toward the memorial itself rather than acquiring land.

Stephen Miller's secret campaign against helpless kids

That it's happening in the shadows doesn't make it less of a moral blight.

Anat Shenker-Osorio

By contrast, Miller's boss likes kids A LOT!

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, is making his dreams come true: accelerating the arrest and removal of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant kids.

The man behind family separation in the first Trump term who once boasted that policy would “prove to be a migration deterrent” has now teamed up with another deadly threat, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to attack the most vulnerable kids in our country: those here on their own.

By law, kids who cross the border alone are put into the care of the Office Of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In recognition of children’s vulnerabilities and need for protection, this system exists outside the confines of the Department of Homeland Security and therefore the clutches of ICE and Border Patrol.

Thanks to the Constitution itself and federal law, these children have the right to legal counsel, age-appropriate living quarters usually in state-licensed settings with prompt release to vetted sponsors, and fair hearings with special allowances to protect them from trafficking or other abuse.

But as The Guardian reported from immigration court in New York City, “the faces of migrant children — some as young as three — have been beamed onto a video screen throughout the summer as they faced deportation hearings.” These children did not have lawyers, in violation of aforementioned federal law, and thus faced interrogation by Trump appointee Judge Lisa Ling.

This is a scene taking place out of public view across the country, impacting 24,000 kids.

Learn this lesson

 

Charlestown Residents United announces upcoming events

 

Community Update | August 2026 Week of 8/17 Charlestown Residents United (CRU) remains committed to keeping our community informed about important local events, town initiatives, and opportunities to meet the candidates seeking to represent us. Are you registered to vote? CHECK HERE.  Early voting begins Thursday, August 20 Coming Up: Town Meeting Calendar - be mindful. Meet the Candidates Event! - be connected. Hosted by Charlestown Residents United Tuesday, August 25 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Candidate Spotlight - be informed. Putting Faces to the Names on Your Ballot Beginning Monday, we’ll be spotlighting the CRU-endorsed candidates running for office in Charlestown. Whether you’re already familiar with the candidates or meeting them for the first time, we invite you to check back each week and learn more about the people who are stepping forward to serve our community. Volunteer Corner - be engaged! What skills are you willing to share? CRU encourages you to participate in the events that help shape the future of our town. Add your email here to receive updates. Charlestown Residents United | PO Box 412 | Charlestown, RI 02813 US

Head Start could soon be overhauled.

Here’s exactly what would change.

Chabeli Carrazana, Economy and Child Care Reporter

This story was originally reported by Chabeli Carrazana of The 19th. Meet Chabeli and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy.

The Trump administration is pushing a total overhaul of Head Start that could fundamentally reshape the 60-year-old program that has provided childcare and key support for America’s lowest-income families. 

A new proposed rule released last week put more than 1,400 regulatory provisions that govern how Head Start is implemented on the chopping block. Across the country, 1,600 Head Start grant recipients provide quality care for disadvantaged children, as well as support for families by connecting them to health insurance, job training, developmental screenings, specialist referrals and postpartum support. 

This latest proposal is aimed at cutting red tape and allowing more flexibility in the programs, the administration said. 

“There's 1,600 providers across the country facing different conditions, and our proposed rule will reduce their paperwork. It will streamline duplicative statutory requirements and give them flexibility for things like personnel and workforce decisions, as well as licensing relief,” said Alex Adams, the assistant secretary at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), on a call with reporters. 

But Head Start providers and experts say the proposal may actually make it harder for programs to operate and transform Head Start to look more like commercial childcare than an anti-poverty program. 

“Families lose the assurance that Head Start means the same thing everywhere, and taxpayers lose a clear measure of impact that Head Start funding should have,” said Celena Roldan Sarillo, the president of Start Early, a nonprofit that advocates for quality early learning. 

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on a call with reporters to announce the changes that “it is important to protect” Head Start, which is administered by HHS and was created in part by Kennedy’s uncle Sargent Shriver during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Kennedy wants to see more nutrition and physical activity requirements added to Head Start, and agrees the new rules could streamline it and open seats for more children. 

That messaging, however, is misleading, said Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, the senior vice president at Start Early. 

“At first glance, these proposed changes might not seem so terrible, but as you dig deeper into it, what we will find is that there really are a lot of changes that will impact what is the heart of Head Start,” Sanchez Fuentes said, adding that the performance standards are not just red tape, “they really are the foundation for how we ensure that programs across the country are supporting children, families and communities in the way that they want best.”

Here is a breakdown of what the administration is proposing to change for Head Start.

The consequences of eliminating public health and safety monitoring

Musk and the DOGE kids ripped out America's warning systems

By Terry H. Schwadron

The first two deaths related to the multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis have been reported from Michigan, though both had conditions that may have amplified dehydration issues prompted by the lettuce-borne illness.

Death from cyclosporiasis is considered uncommon, but the spread of the illness is now widespread, with cases now in 15 states. In Michigan alone, there are 11,234 cases, including 193 hospitalizations. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control count 18,000 cases of explosive diarrhea, intestinal infection and resulting dehydration.

The illness is known to exist during spring and summer, but this year’s numbers are much higher than normal. Its specific cause is a single-celled parasite that lives exclusively in humans and causes particularly violent diarrhea. Infection is almost always through ingesting food or water contaminated with feces — improper sanitation at farms or food processing facilities. Failure to provide field workers with adequate toilets or sinks can mean outbreaks.

Since the disease emerged a few weeks ago, there has been effort to identify its origin with efforts centering on Taylor Farms irrigation and operations in Mexico. Taylor Farms, which issued a recall, distributes iceberg lettuce mostly to market chains and restaurants across the Midwest. Early on, news reported that Taylor Fresh Farms was a million-dollar donor to Trump political causes and noted that while there is scrutiny of the food problem, there has been none by prosecutorial agencies.

Wow! The Trump administration gives initial OK to a Trump Family Bank.

‘Brazen Act of Self-Dealing’

Jake Johnson

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a regulatory agency whose leader was chosen by President Donald Trump, granted preliminary approval on Friday to World Liberty Financial’s application for a federal bank charter.

World Liberty Financial is a crypto venture launched in 2024 by the president’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and several partners. The firm’s website states that WLF is 38% owned by “an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump and certain of his family members.”

WLF applied for a US bank charter in January, drawing alarm from lawmakers and watchdogs who said the review process would be rife with conflicts of interest. “We have never seen financial conflicts or corruption of this magnitude,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said at the time.

The OCC, headed by Jonathan Gould, announced the approval decision in a letter published Friday. WLF’s application was assessed by career OCC staff, the agency said.

“The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has reviewed your application to establish a new national trust bank, which will engage in operations of a trust company and activities related thereto, including fiduciary activities, with the title of World Liberty Trust Company, National Association,” the letter states. “The OCC hereby grants preliminary conditional approval of your charter application upon determining that your proposal meets certain regulatory and policy requirements.”

In response to the news, Warren wrote on social media that “this is the most brazen act of self-dealing our financial system has ever seen.”

Senator Reed blasts Trump's switching loyalty from South Korea to North Korea as "delusional"

Trump's favoritism toward North Korean despot Kim Jong Un based on ego

By Will Collette

The United Nations went to war with North Korea in 1950 after the North invaded South Korea. Of the estimated three million people who died in that war, 36,574 were American military. We still have almost 30,000 troops stationed in South Korea as a deterrent to another invasion.

Trump posted this on his website

For reasons that are far from clear, Donald Trump began a "relationship" with Kim Jong Un culminating in Trump's 2019 visit and photo op with Kim that rocketed North Korea from being an isolated rogue state to becoming a world power. North Korea continues to expand its stockpile of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
It has provided Russia with troops and weapons to continue its invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has helped Iran develop its missile technology and has publicly backed Iran in the current war with the US and Israel.

Yet, despite all this, Trump has decided to punish South Korea, our ally for 70+ years, because South Korea chose not to participate in Trump's illegal war against Iran. As he so often does, Trump posted this extraordinary foreign policy shift on his Truth Social website, screenshot below. 

.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) went after Trump during an interview with Peter Alexander on MSNOW (see video above).

Excerpts from Reed's remarks:

“The president, in that — this sense, is delusional. He has this egomania that says every powerful figure in the world is — must bow down to me. They do that. That’s exactly the approach he took to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, when he took over. The Ukrainians, he dismissed, he said, ‘You don’t have the cards,’ et cetera.”

“There was this relationship with Putin, and we know how that is going on. And it’s the same situation with North Korea. Kim Jong Un is not, I think, terribly impressed with Donald Trump. And withdrawing forces from Korea, canceling exercises, plays into his game.”

I'd love to hear from Trump's local MAGA supporters. I'd especially like to hear from Jim Mageau, Trump's most vocal Charlestown supporter. Mageau often references his Army service in South Korea in the years following the ceasefire with North Korea. 

Cheating or just trying to win?

Is 2026 the year of the crossover voter in Rhode Island? What the data says.

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

Democratic voters in Charlestown, Block Island,
Westerly and So. Kingstown need to know about phony
"Democrats" like Leah Boisclair. They are fronts
for a MAGA guy who set up a network of PACs
to support fake Dems in the Sept. 9 primary

Lifelong Republican Joe Paglia recently disaffiliated from the GOP for the first time in his life.

His views haven’t changed. But the Narragansett resident and small business owner sees the registration change, which lets him vote in local and state Democratic primaries, as a way to change the course of a political path he doesn’t like.

“I don’t want anyone who’s too far left, or even too far right,” Paglia, 59, said. “I just want someone who can get stuff done, 

Rhode Island, like much of the country, has a long history of crossover voting, in which partisan voters change political affiliations to influence the outcome of primary races of opposite political parties. But the strategy has gained renewed attention across the Ocean State this election cycle, widely promoted by a conservative-leaning political group, The League of RI Businesses.

“This is the best time to knock out the worst candidate,” is the declaration on a graphic on The League’s Facebook page. The accompanying post explains that unaffiliated voters in Rhode Island can vote in either party primary. Voters who are registered Democrats or Republicans cannot access the opposite party’s primary ballot.

“In the Rhode Island primaries, who’s on the Democratic ticket decides the election,” said Dave Levesque, co-founder of the League. 

It’s not just about preventing candidates perceived as too progressive from winning. 

Levesque, also a Republican turned independent, also believes there are Democratic candidates who truly represent the business-minded, small government platform that he and other conservative voters embrace. Ten of the 23 state legislative candidates endorsed by the League are Democrats, including Mark Mesrobian, who is challenging Sen. Alana DiMario for the District 36 seat representing parts of Narragansett, North Kingstown and New Shoreham.

Paglia, a district voter, said he appreciates Mesrobian’s business background and emphasis on affordability concerns, including energy costs. Voting for Mesrobian is the main reason he disaffiliated, though he also plans to vote for Joe Solomon Jr. in the four-way Democratic primary for the attorney general’s race, he said.

According to Levesque, the League’s strategy is gaining traction, with many Republican voters verbally committing to disaffiliate to vote in local primaries.

The numbers say otherwise.

Why we fight

Iran War Enters 6th Justification - The Onion

Tomaquag hosts Sept. 9 walk

 REGISTER: Indigenous Wisdom: Our Connection & Responsibility to Water Tickets | Tomaquag Museum

Join us for a walk at Ninigret Park with cultural educator Chenae Bullock, LPIM, a citizen of the Shinnecock Nation and Montauk Descendant. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives on water as a living relative and source of life, culture, and community. Together we will reflect on our own relationship with water and explore what it means to move from using water to honoring, protecting, and taking responsibility for it.

Chenae Bullock, LPIM, is a citizen of the Shinnecock Nation and descendant of the Montauk people. As founder and CEO of Moskehtu Consulting, she leads cultural preservation, traditional canoe revitalization, and Indigenous wellness initiatives rooted in her coastal whaling lineage. A licensed Indigenopathic practitioner and global advocate for water protection, Chenae has led ancestral water journeys, revitalized Mishoon (traditional dugout canoe) making, and guided sacred paddling practices across tribal territories. Through her work, she connects Indigenous knowledge, environmental stewardship, and cultural understanding, emphasizing the vital relationship between water, life, and humanity.

Limited to 25, so register today.

Three weeks out, McKee is still 20 points behind Foulkes in governor’s race

Dan's in trouble

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

McKee needs almost all the undecideds to go his way

Three weeks and a day out from the primary, Gov. Dan McKee has failed to narrow a 20-point gap with his Democratic gubernatorial challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a survey published Tuesday by The Pell Center at Salve Regina University finds. 

The poll of 857 likely primary voters echoes surveys by other organizations, which also showed Foulkes with a 20-point or higher lead over McKee. 

“There’s no strong surprises there,” said Katie Sonder, Pell Center associate director and fellow. “Helena Foulkes has been leading McKee over the last few months.”

The new survey is the Pell Center’s first 2026 election-specific poll, conducted Aug. 3 to 11 by Embold Research. The margin of error is 3.6%, with a 4.2% error margin for Democratic primary-specific questions.

Survey results were shared with Rhode Island Current in advance. 

More than 1 in 5 voters were still undecided at the time of the survey, which ended one day before the first televised gubernatorial debates. 

“With those undecideds, we could see it swing in either candidate’s direction,” Sonder said.

And the governor is “running strong,” said Sophie Mestas, a spokesperson for McKee’s campaign.