In the News… Quick Recap of the Week ending Oct. 10, 2025

Here is a quick recap of the week’s news in Rhode Island, regionally, national and international, too – and passings of note. We hope this is helpful on keeping up with a busy news week.

RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

Breeze Airways will begin an eight-week trial route from Warwick to Cancun beginning in mid-February, making it an international airport

The University of Rhode Island rated the best public university in New England for the second year in a row by The Wall Street Journal – and the 34th-best public university nationally.

$648 million in federal fire grants will benefit 15 RI fire departments

Oct. 15th day to apply to Rhode Island College for free

A visiting professor at Harvard Law School was arrested last week for shooting a pellet gun near a Brookline synagogue last week – excuse is he was chasing rats

In MA, Brooke Doyle, state commissioner of the Dept of Mental Health, resigned just 1 year after job cuts, a vote of no-confidence and a forced return-to-office policy.

Brown University wins the Gov’s Cup in football over URI Rams

RI AG Neronha grants fourth revision to Roger Williams, Fatima hospital deal

Rep. Robert Craven has resigned as chair of the House Judiciary Committee and won’t seek re-election

1620 Workwear purchased an East Boston plant and will take more work in-house

Yonkers, N.Y.-based TURN UP YOUR RADIO, LLC has acquired local radio stations WBLQ-AM and WWRI-AM from Westerly-based DiPonti Communications, LLC for $250,000.

Atty. Molina, who was arrested in a multi-federal dept. raid on his immigration law practice has been suspended from practice of law while FBI investigation proceeds.

FBI’s Rhode Island Safe Streets Task Force and its partners were credited with 17 local arrests over the last 3 months – 7 on drug trafficking and firearms related charges, and large amounts of fentanyl pills, powder, cocaine, and seven firearms, including an AR-15, five handguns and a Glock switch.

Orsted plans to reduce workforce by 20% – unclear if that impacts Revolution Wind project locally

Pat Wholey, general manager at WPRI for 13 years, has left the station to run WDCW in Washington, D.C.

RI Kids Count will move from offices at the RI foundation to a co-working space in Ocean State Charities Trust‘s offices located in Hope Artiste Village as of January 1, 2026.

RI law firm Williams and Connolly says they were hacked – they do a lot of national political work

8 teachers resign from St. Peter’s School in Warwick

Pawtucket is now marketing the Downtown Gateway Project – centered around the Apex building – having kept it off discussion while Hasbro was pending – 20 acres – RFP issued

Rhode Island considers expanding sports betting options amid frustration with the state’s sole provider

Providence City Council members/staff using Providence credit card for political travel being reported by media outlet

Mayor Smiley calls the Providence City Council irresponsible and reckless

Matt Rife will perform his comedy on New Year’s Eve at TD Gardens – show will end at 8pm – Rife is building a large home compound in No. Smithfield,, RI

Boston Globe reports that 600 school children have left the system, and are “lost”

Axel Brito ’26 at Brown University, will run as a Republican to the Providence City Council

Hillary Clinton & Condoleeza Rice to speak at Brown University fall lecture series.

Wingstop opened in Johnston, first in RI

Halloween auction of Conjuring House not happening as mortgage is bought

Kowloon Restaurant on Route 1 to close

 

___

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

First female Prime Minister elected in Japan

Mayor of Herdecke in Germany was “stabbed by several men” in daylight in front of her house.

Bari Weiss is expected to be named editor in chief of CBS News

Mayor of New Bedford says wind energy will be the future – just not during President Trump’s administration – expecting a 3 ½ year pause – but they will continue to build out infrastructure and wait until the time returns

Bombshell story about the FBI tracking and gathering metadata on the phones of 8/9 Republican Sens and Reps, maybe more, under the Biden administration – Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, Dan Sullivan, Marsha Blackburn, Bill Hagerty, Tommy Tuberville, Cynthia Lummis, etc.

Black individuals have made significant and foundational contributions to the history of soccer,

Rite-Aid officially announces it has closed ALL its stores

71% of Americans polled support US stopping drug cartel boats by whatever means

“Diddy” Combs defense team announces appeal

US soybean farmers stand to lose $100 per acre this year due to falling crop prices and increased costs for fertilizer and equipment.

Paramount buys The Free Press, Bari Weiss takes over

Frank Bisignano, administrator of Social Security will also serve as CEO of the IRS

According to the National Restaurant Association, 74% of customers want smaller portions – and 44% of adults say they order from the kids’ menu to save money and eat less — Lightspeed Commerce.

25 shot in Chicago over last weekend, with of those killed

African country of Eswatini has a deal with the U.S. to take up to 160 deportees – first flight arriving last Sunday night

Pres. Trump dispatches 300 National Guard to Chicago

Dallin H. Oaks, former Utah Supreme Court justice known for his jurist sensibilities will be the next president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its 17+ million members worldwide.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned

Costco will sell the weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy

2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.

Over 1,000 people stranded on Mt. Everest in a sudden blizzard during their hiking trip

Ohio tested fatal accident drivers – 42% had THC in their system

Greta Thunberg arrives in Greece, deported by Israel

WIC program will not be shut off. Tariff allocation announced to this Women & Children food aid program from redirected tariff funds, per President’s office.

30 paintings of Bob Ross, with an estimated value of as much as $1.4M will be auctioned by different auction houses, with funds going to American Public Television and PBS public television stations nationwide. 

James Comey arraigned, says he will use “malicious prosecution” as a defense against charges of lying to Congress and obstruction. 

A man with 200 explosives was arrested outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. before the annual Red Mass, and his manifesto “revealed his significant animosity towards the Catholic Church, members of the Jewish faith, members of SCOTUS, and ICE/ICE facilities.”

United States-based scientists John Clarke, (University of California, Berkeley), Michel Devoret (Google Quantum AI) and John Martinis (Google’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab) won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for ‘experiments that revealed quantum physics in action,’ paving the way for the development of the next generation of digital technologies.

Texas National Guard are deployed in Chicago

Denmark will ban social media for children under 15

Gold has doubled its value and continues to increase

29 y.o. arrested for arson in Palisades Fire

Savannah Bananas will play at Gillette in August of 2026

Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” breaks Adele’s record for most albums sold in one week with 3.5 million sold in just five days

US citizenship test revised – effective Oct. 20th

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce arrested for DUI – says no, he was just tired

‘Memphis Safe Task Force’ working in Memphis – local National Guard on site at invitation of govt

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $966M in talc-based baby powder cancer case

Macron reappoints Lecornu as French Prime Minister

7.4 Earthquake in Phillippines

$13.1 Billion expected to be spent on Halloween – an all time high – over last year by about $1 Billion

18 people and more missing in an explosion in an explosives plant in Tennessee

UNRWA announced the “famine” in Gaza on Oct. 8. On Oct. 9 they announced they have food for 3 months and are “ok”. 500 food trucks into Gaza from Israel every day. Many of them diverted by the Hamas

Pres. Trump got a flu shot and a COVID booster at his annual physical at Walter Reed – initial report also noted his CV health is 17 years younger than his age

US-China trade war causes US to increase tariffs to 100% – issue over

Orsted eliminates a quarter of their jobs – focuses more on Europe

Turning Point USA will host an “All American Halftime Show” to rival Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl performance, pitching it as a patriotic

120 days to Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy

NY AG Letitia James indicted for mortgage fraud

Maine Governor Mills will run for Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Collins

First Lady Melania Trump live address re the missing children. Back channel meetings with her staff & Russian & Ukraine officials. 8 children returned in last 24 hours (1 from Ukraine back to Russia). Some children aged to adults, being addressed.

People in Gaza seen on live video walking back to the city – Pres. expects to go to the area on Sunday and stay on Monday when hostage are expected to be released (deadline noon Mon – 20 alive, 28 deceased). 200 US troops will go to Israel as a peace-keeping group. Israel has pulled back troops, per agreement.

___

PASSINGS

Mike Greenwell, 63, former Boston Red Sox player for 12 years

Joan Kennedy, 89, former wife of Ted Kennedy and mother of Patrick Kennedy

Sister Jean, 106, of Loyola