The wall of separation, church and state – Herb Weiss

A person is praying on top of an open book.

By Herb Weiss, contributing writer on issues of aging Lawmakers with strong religious beliefs can be found serving in state houses, congress, and state departments of education, etc., throughout the nation. Occasionally, we’ve seen the wall of separation of church and state crumble, or be taken up in the courts. According to PEN America, between July…

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Christmas past. Christmas present. Failing the homeless, we see our future.

A padlock is attached to the side of a building.

by Mary T. O’Sullivan, MSOL, with Nancy Thomas, publisher (Publisher’s Note: Three years ago, Mary wrote this reflection on her trip to California. Sadly, the situation only grows worse and Rhode Island is on the cusp of an ever-quickening homelessness disaster. We reprint it here, today, due to its timeliness as officials take steps to…

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Ask Chef Walter: Bocconotto from Abruzzo – Walter Potenza

A cupcake with powdered sugar on top of it.

by Chef Walter Potenza, contributing writer BOCCONOTTO FROM ABRUZZO Almond, coffee, and chocolate in a pastry cup. Simply divine. Made during the Christmas season, it would be sinful not to have them throughout the year. Friends: My journey in search of the Christmas sweets of Italy’s regional traditions took me back to Abruzzo, where I…

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Ask Chef Walter: Pinoli Biscotti – Chef Walter Potenza

Two trays of cookies are on a counter.

by Executive Chef Walter Potenza, contributing writer Friends: One of the most popular cookies to make for the holidays is Biscotti ai Pinoli, or pignoli cookies. They originate from the deep-seated Southern Italian and Sicilian cuisines, more precisely from Sicily, Calabria, and Campania. These regions pride themselves on a long tradition of sweets made with…

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Rhode Island Weather for Dec. 22, 2024, Jack Donnnelly

A map of the weather in rhode island.

by Jack Donnelly, meteorologist High pressure builds in and anchors the cold air in place for the time being. Lows around 10 and single digits in the rural valleys, highs only approaching 20 in the afternoon with a northwesterly breeze under plenty of useless sunshine. It’s a “C+” day! ___ Follow John’s weather forecasts, here:…

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Rhode Island Weekend Weather for Dec. 21/22, 2024 – Jack Donnelly

A map of the weather in rhode island.

by Jack Donnelly, meteorologist Saturday 12/21/24: Weather system passes through leaving behind bitter cold wind chills with northwesterly winds gusting to 30 mph dragging wind chill temps no higher than the teens from a temp reading around 30 if we’re lucky. Evening lows dipping below 20. Winter Solstice at 4:20am! It’s a “C” day! Sunday…

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In the News… recap for week ending Dec. 21, 2024

in the news

Each Saturday we bring you an abbreviated “index” of stories of the week – those specific to the Rhode Island region and those beyond. We hope it is helpful to you in finding stories you would like to know more about: RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY The Natick Select Board proposed a policy on Wednesday that would make…

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