Supplemental SNAP benefit payments will end

A wooden table in a market with people in the background.

The Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) announced today that the federal government will end COVID-19 related SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefit payments after the February 2023 issuance. Beginning on March 1, 2023, SNAP households will only receive their regular monthly SNAP issuance on the first of each month. DHS will be corresponding…

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In the Arena – Dr. Michael Koster – COVID issues today

A bald man in a suit sitting in front of a desk.

Each week Joe Paolino, Jr. features leaders in the state to discuss issues of importance to Rhode Islanders. This week Paolino talks with Dr. Michael Koster of Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Koster talks about the COVID uptick and the protection provided by vaccines. There are also variants of the flu strain – A & B. This…

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RI Weather for January 10, 2023 – John Donnelly

Tuesday weather map.

by John Donnelly, meteorologist Weak front to our south keeps any rain away from us. We’ll have a partly cloudy day with Low’s in the upper 20’s rising to around 40 with a light northwesterly breeze. ___ John Donnelly was born in Hialeah, Florida and moved back to Rhode Island and settled in Johnston, where…

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Meet Dr. Mari Nardolillo Dias, “The Grief Whisperer”, on January 12th

The front of a building with trees and a sign.

by Nancy Thomas Join Dr. Mari Nardollllo Dias for an informal conversation about grief. If you believe in signs… If you  feel overwhelmed, directionless, confused or stuck in your grief… If you or someone you know has experienced the loss of a spouse, parent, sibling, child…  If your loss is due to a sudden, traumatic…

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Down the memory hole we go – Mary T. O’Sullivan

A blurry image of a crowd of people walking down a street.

By Mary T. O’Sullivan, MSOL, contributing business leadership writer “If one is to rule, and to continue ruling, one must be able to dislocate the sense of reality. For the secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one’s own infallibility with the power to learn from past mistakes.” – George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four…

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Read With Us: CITY LIFE – a book by Michael Morse – Chapter 15

City life by michael moore.

by Michael Morse, contributing writer Chapter 15 November What Took So Long A man in Cranston dies while waiting for help to arrive. His widow grieves. As days progress the questions start: Why did it take so long for help to arrive? Where were they? Could he have been saved? The answer may shock you.…

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RI receives $4M Early Childhood Planning Grant

A stack of colorful blocks on a table in a child's playroom.

Rhode Island has been awarded a one-year, $4 million Preschool Development Birth Through Age Five Planning Grant (PDG B-5) from the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The funding will support planning and capacity-building activities across the early childhood sector to achieve the goals in Rhode Island’s 2030 Plan.“The strength of our early childhood…

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Volunteering: Your Single New Years Resolution – Herb Weiss

A woman's hands holding a red heart on a wooden table.

By Herb Weiss, contributing writer on aging issues As the ball dropped in New York’s Time Square, many Americans have already penned New Year’s resolutions for 2023.  Making these resolutions as January approaches has become a very common tradition for millions. According to the Statista 2022 Consumer Survey (413 adults ages 18 to 89 years…

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RI Weather for January 9, 2023 – John Donnelly

A map showing the weather in new hampshire.

by John Donnelly, meteorologist An early bout of mixed light rain and snow heads through the area in the morning, ending by 9 am or so as low pressure continues moving out to sea. High pressure will build in behind and quickly clear things away by early to mid afternoon. Morning lows in the low…

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