In the News… Quick Recap for the Week Ending July 26th, 2025

This synopsis of local and national news is meant to give you broad topics of happenings over the last week – we encourage you to learn more by doing a search for topics that interest you for more detailed information – if you aren’t able to find something, get in touch with us at news@rinewstoday.com.

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RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

Scott Sutherland, a veteran Providence principal is the new superintendent of the Johnston School Dept.

Southwick Animal Farm sky ride had 40 people having to be rescued

Newport set to use cameras for speeding

Fall River assisted living fire deemed “accidental”, made worse by portable oxygen and discarded smoking material

$17M for dehumidification of the Mt. Hope Bridge

Warwick city employee settles for $300K for being slapped by another employee with an anti-Semitic remark

Providence POPS concert with RI Philharmonic – Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at 7:30 pm at the Temple to Music at Roger Williams Park. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date is reserved for August 7.

July 27 as the 36th Annual Governor’s Bay Day

RI may buy St. Mary’s Home which sits vacant and refurbish it for the same purpose

Riccotti’s which closed in Johnston, has reopened, just down the road – 876 Atwood Ave.

The median home price in Massachusetts rose to $687,500 in June.

A 16-year old girl was stabbed by another young girl at the end of St. Mary’s Feast – injuries were superficial

WGBH to lay off 13 – all from show, “American Experience”

Market Basket fires 2 from executive management

102 court cases dismissed over lack of public defenders in MA

Sunday, July 27, 2025, as the 36th annual Governor’s Bay Day. Free parking at all Rhode Island state beaches and no saltwater fishing license is needed for recreational fishing during the weekend.

Unhoused Islanders in Martha’s Vineyard who were living in tents in the forest behind the Tisbury Park and Ride were required to leave the area by police after a few fights broke out.

Public bathrooms have been installed at Marino Park in Providence

Unconfirmed shark sighting off the coast of Middletown

Rhode Island Energy will undergo an audit after thousands of its customers were billed incorrectly.

Over 600 people attended the fundraiser for the Fall River fire victims

RI favorite ice cream flavor – coffee, per Instacart

Harvard student sues for way anti-Semitism has been handled on campus

Brown Health, UNAP Local 5098 sign three-year union contract

Rose Island Lighthouse charity license plate as the “Best Plate” of 2024 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors

Old Sturbridge Village, took over operations at the Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol

Harvard closed its DEI office and opened an office of Culture & Community and transferred its staff there

Dr. Mallika Marshall, medical reporter for WBZ-TV for more than two decades has been laid off. Reporter Beth Germano is retiring. WBZ is offering buyouts to 6 photographers and 3 engineering staff.

Excel Academy charter school’s proposal to take over part of the vacant Carl Lauro Elementary School in Providence was denied by the Providence City Council after Council president Rachel Miller changed her mind against approving it.

96 new townhomes and apartments called The Paddock will be built in Pawtucket where the Narragansett Racetrack once was – run by the Arc of Blackstone Valley

Pawtucket apartment buildings are being built near the Train Station – (1) 140 units at 125 Goff Ave. (2) 179 units at 258 Pine St., and (3) 15 units at 210 Conant Street

Per Rep. Magaziner, $29.3 million in funding from US govt for Rhode Island schools will be restored, as part of the total release of government education funds. These funds traditionally are for teacher professional development, student support and academic enrichment, after-school and summer programs, English language acquisition programs and adult education.

Job Lot has offered to begin shipping Plumpy Nut emergency food for Edesia, after federal shipping program ended

Approx. 45 employees of New Bedford Market Basket terminated after Homeland Security investigation proved them to be illegally in the US

Providence to move to new emergency warning system that is 100% digital and forgo air sirens, etc.

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Pope Leo XIV declared the first miracle of his papacy, citing the recovery of an ill-fated infant born at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket

Cushioned concrete could revolutionize runway safety. This soft, crushable foam might become aviation’s most unexpected lifesaver.

At least 19 people were killed in Dhaka when a Bangladesh Air Force training plane crashed on the grounds of a college

Disneyland is officially 70

MLK Jr. assassination records – hundreds of thousands of pages – released

Dog the Bounty Hunter’s stepson accidentally shoots, kills 13-year-old son.

The FAA Academy saw the “highest number of Academy students in FAA HISTORY” for new air traffic controllers.

Alphabet/Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon will spend more than $300 billion this year on AI

Elon Musk’s long-awaited Tesla retro diner and charging station officially open in Los Angeles. The restaurant serves burgers in Cybertruck-shaped boxes and features giant screens that play movie clips, and more theme-inspired features

House Speaker Mike Johnson puts House on early summer recess in order to head off Democratic demands for votes on calling for the release of files from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Pete Buttigieg, former Sect. of Transportation spent $80M on DEI grants

California high-speed rail project will never be built. 16 years, $15 billion, and zero tracks laid

Columbia has suspended and terminated dozens of students from last year’s demonstrations – they will also pay $21M to EEOC for violations and $220M fine, over 3 years, to US govt for actions of anti-Semitism that were not properly handled

Erik Menendez hospitalized “with serious disease”

Russian passenger jet crashes with all 48 on board killed

Cookie Monster to be NASCAR Grand Marshall

Astrazeneca to invest $500 Billion in US development in 7 states, primarily Virginia. Also, MA, but not RI

Wahlburgers closed 31 food court kiosks in US

NYC animal shelters so full they are turning away animals

US exits UNESCO

Trade deal with Japan for $500Billion and 15% tariff

Philippines deal will be for 19% tariff.

Possible role President Barack Obama took in an alleged “treasonous conspiracy,” that “the Russia Hoax was a lie that was knowingly created by the Obama Administration to hurt Donald Trump – case referred to DOJ for criminal investigation

Cambodia is attacking Thailand as Thai people rush over borders seeking asylum

About $400M in funding for an HIV/AIDS prevention program was restored earlier this week after bipartisan pushback

Funding now available for states from federal govt for after-school and summer programming for low-income families

The No. 1 least popular dog breed is the English foxhound

Ad revenue from network late-night shows dropped 50% between 2018 and 2024

Dylan Dryer of the Today Show & NBC announced she and her husband will divorce – they have 3 young boys

Target to open 8 new stores in US (closest to RI is in Norwalk, CT)

Pepsi will eliminate artificial colors and flavors from Lay’s and Tostitos by year’s end—and expand the use of avocado and olive oil in place of canola and soybean oil

EPA cutting workforce by 23%

Kiss-cam famous Astronomer CEO, Andy Byron, resigns

Katy Perry has a mid-air malfunction when a floating “bug” during a concert where she was riding nearly falls

Military bases in New Jersey and Indiana and will house deportees in process of exiting the US

Jaguar will cut 500 management jobs after sales in Europe plunged more than 97% in April, attributed to widespread use of a controversial “woke” rebranding

Largest rock from Mars auctioned off for $5.3M to an anonymous bidder by Sotheby’s

At the London Ballet, a dancer unfurled a Palestinian flag at the curtain call

4 people died in Florida – and dozens ill – from flesh eating bacteria – can spread from raw seafood if you have a scratch or open wound – or swimming in water

Court will not lift ban on AP in the White House press room

Wall Street Journal banned from overseas trip with president

$3M raised by VP Vance’s dinner on Nantucket

Kohls stock up 37%

Dave Portnoy owns most expensive house in Nantucket – $42M

NPR Editor-in-Chief Edith Chapin resigns amid $1.1B federal funding cuts to public broadcasting.

Uber will offer option for women riders to order only women drivers and vice versa

Deposition held with Maxwell on Aug. 11th

Mercury-based preservative thimerosal from all flu vaccines distributed in the US.

Kaiser Permanente will stop child gender surgeries for patients under 19 in their hospitals and surgical centers.

AG Bondi suffered a torn cornea and has canceled some appearances

Paramedics were dispatch by helicopter to Ozzie Osbourne’s home, where they worked on him for about 2 hours

Mike Lindell case with $5M at stake overturned

Lara Trump decided not to run for office in North Carolina – RNC chair will run

United Health group is under federal criminal and civil investigations involving its Medicare business

US Justice Dept. sues NYC and Mayor Adams over Sanctuary City policy

France set to recognize Palestinian statehood

Mrs. Macron is suing over claims she was born a man

Israel and the U.S. Withdraw From Cease-Fire Talks With Hamas. Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, said “we will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,” (NYT)

Trump tells Israel to “finish the job” regarding Hamas – also allows food drops to begin again in Gaza

Maccabiah Games rescheduled to 2026 – disappointing young athletes all over the world – (Jewish Olympics)

Kristin Cabot has resigned from her position at Astronomer in the wake of the Coldplay cheating scandal

BOSTON RED SOX baseball team owner John W. Henry announces $8.4 billion stadium renovation project

E! News will continue on as a digital brand, no longer a linear brand; ‘Access Hollywood’ is unaffected. ‘E! News’ Nightly Show Axed As Versant Eyes Digital Future For Brand

AI powered schools begin opening in TX – AI develops special programs, teachers work more with students, outcomes are better

Anne Burrell’s death ruled a suicide

Alina Habba, who was terminated as interim US attorney in NJ has now been appointed interim, a work around from the Judiciary Committee.

HUD is moving staff out of Washington, DC – and into the “heartland” of the US

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PASSINGS

S. Daniel Abraham, 100, the businessman, investor and philanthropist behind the Slim-Fast weight-loss empire

Hulk Hogan, 71, cardiac arrest

Joseph Joel, 100, veteran, former head of ticketing, RI Civic Center

Chuck Mangione, 84, jazz player

Ozzie Osbourne, 76, singer, actor

David Sweetser, 70, owner/developer of The Superman Building in Providence

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 54, actor, swimming accident