Charlestown Town Council votes to examine costs and benefits of joining Portsmouth's lawsuit against new state laws on development

Charlestown Council Studies Standing in Portsmouth Suit, Advances Bikeway Review

Adriana Vossari, RI & Local Government, is NOT an actual person but rather is an AI-bot used by UpriseRI to review and summarize public records. Click here for their explanation for how this is done: How we report meeting stories →

Summary: Charlestown has not committed money to Portsmouth's development-law lawsuit; the council first wants information on whether the town has standing. Instead, the town planner and planning solicitor will research whether the town has standing. A field meeting with state officials on Old Post Road bike markings is also being arranged. Beverage license renewals go to a Nov. 9 public hearing.

The Charlestown Town Council voted 5-0 at Tuesday night's meeting to have the town planner and the planning solicitor research whether Charlestown has legal standing to join Portsmouth's Superior Court lawsuit over state development laws, before any town money is committed. That is according to the Charlestown Town Council's published meeting recording.

The council also voted to set up a field meeting with state transportation officials about bicycle markings on Old Post Road. It ordered the beverage license applications, which the clerk said are all renewals, advertised for a Nov. 9 public hearing and announced three openings on a regional school building committee.

Portsmouth lawsuit: research first, money later

Councilor Van Slyke said that, from her understanding, Charlestown's share would be a flat fee of $4,106.95, which would get the group through the briefing at the preliminary injunction hearing.

Town Administrator Jeffrey Allen said he contacted Joe Larisa, an attorney involved in the case, and received an email from him. Allen relayed that Larisa said the effort seeks one flat fee based on population, that no town is obligated for more without a vote, and that Portsmouth has already obligated $20,000. Allen said Hopkinton is currently the only town that has joined, and that other towns have the matter on their dockets.

EDITOR's NOTE: Attorney Joe Larisa is a controversial figure known for representing rightwing anti-government causes. He is Charlestown's lawyer for "Indian Affairs" and his constant attacks against the Narragansett Indian Tribe have drawn accusations of racism from tribal leaders. - Will Collette

Councilor Van Slyke said the planner and Planning Commission have proposed specific changes in the past without result. "Hope is not a plan," she said, adding that working with legislators and joining the suit is not an either-or.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Councilor Van Slyke is the only council member aligned with the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA). Nearly everything she says is scripted for her by de facto CCA leader Ruth Platner. Van Slyke is well known for her untrue statements and nonsense speech. For examples, read my series of "Slyke of Hand" columns. One that is tightly related to this article covers Van Slyke's defense of the botched Charlestown Comprehensive Plan written by Van Slyke's master, Ruth Platner.- Will Collette 

Other members favored waiting. One council member said the better course was to have the town planner propose changes to the laws and bring them to Charlestown's senators and representatives in the new legislative session. Councilor Peter Slom asked what would happen if too few towns contributed. A council member noted that Portsmouth also has an election next month. Slom said he would like to hear directly from the attorneys before committing money.

European leaders unveil Trump statue

The naked truth

By Walter Einenkel

“The Orange Plague” is seen on display in a European Parliament building. Courtesy of Jens Galschiøt

The European Parliament unveiled “The Orange Plague,” a new gold leaf-covered statue depicting President Donald Trump naked while sitting on the shoulders of a smaller man.

The 8-foot statue—which is in a parliament building in Strasbourg, France—shows Trump holding a golf club on top of a pedestal that reads, “I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except stepping down from his back.”

A sponsor of the exhibit is Danish politician Per Clausen, who has been a vocal critic of Trump’s, referring to him as a political bully.

“Trump likes gold,” Jens Galschiøt, the creator of the statue, told CNN. “In a way, I think he would like this sculpture.”

Buh-bye!

Uh, oh! Fox polls shows government corruption is #1 voter concern

Meanwhile, Trump is concerned about CANADA (!) interfering with the election.

And this was inevitable...

Why fall yard care could start with doing less – but not nothing

Rites, and wrongs, of fall

Manjot Kaur Sidhu, University of Maine

Every autumn, homeowners and gardeners tend to engage in a familiar ritual. As trees shed their leaves, people drag out rakes, leaf blowers and lawn bags to strip their yards bare before winter arrives.

It is a tidy habit rooted in aesthetics, but ecologically, clearing away fallen leaves strips the very foundation of local ecosystems. Far from dead debris requiring disposal, this fallen foliage forms a dynamic layer and a biological interface that drives nutrient cycling and is essential for soil health and the environment, including biodiversity.

As a researcher of plant growth in yards and gardens, I would recommend leaving leaves on the ground. There, they can provide essential winter habitat for native pollinators – even in places that don’t have freezing temperatures. And they act as a nutrient-dense, natural mulch for the soil.

Here is the science behind why the first step of fall yard care could simply be doing less – along with practical ways to keep your yard looking neat while nourishing the ecosystem underneath.

A winter sanctuary for native pollinators

To understand why leaf litter matters, it helps to look closely at what happens beneath the surface as temperatures drop. While honeybees pass the winter in sheltered hives, the vast majority of North America’s native pollinators do not.

Leaves on the ground are part of the natural cycle
of nutrients. Manjot Sidhu, CC BY-SA

Up to 70% of native bee species, including many insects’ cocoons and larvae, nest in the ground. Fertilized queen bumblebees burrow just a few inches into the soil or hide under dense leaf mulch to survive the freezing months ahead, to lay eggs in the following spring.

Raking, bagging and blowing leaves away destroys this crucial winter nursery.

Many other insects depend on the shelter of fallen foliage:

Scientist Reveals 7 of the Strangest Things Coffee Does to Your Body

What do you get from coffee?

By Emma Beckett, Australian Catholic University

Some of coffee’s most unusual effects have little to do with caffeine. Its other bioactive compounds can interact with the gut, medications, and nutrients in ways researchers are still trying to understand.

Coffee is best known, and perhaps most valued, for its caffeine and its ability to make us feel more awake and alert.

But coffee is much more than caffeine dissolved in hot water.

Coffee is a chemically complicated plant extract containing hundreds of bioactive compounds. These can have all kinds of weird and wonderful effects in your body, even when you’re drinking decaf.

Here are seven of the strangest.

1. Coffee can make you poo

One study shows about three in ten people say they get the urge to poo shortly after drinking coffee.

This happens quickly, and with both regular and decaf. So it’s down to more than just the caffeine. But it’s not clear exactly which coffee compounds cause this.

Your colon can also be more active in the morning, and this is when most people drink their first coffee.

What you add to your coffee can also affect your bowels. The lactose in milk or some sugar-free sweeteners can also get the bowels moving, particularly if you consume a lot.

2. Coffee can affect your reflux, eyes and ears

Coffee can worsen reflux symptoms for some people. Reflux, when your stomach acid flows back up into your food pipe, isn’t always just felt as heartburn. It can contribute to coughing, wheezing, and other respiratory symptoms when reflux affects the throat and airways.

Caffeine can temporarily increase pressure inside the eye in some people with glaucoma or ocular hypertension, where pressure in the eye can already be high. Controlling this pressure is an important part of protecting the major nerve of the eye from damage. So some people with these conditions might be advised to limit their coffee and caffeine intake.

There’s also an ear condition where the tube connecting the middle ear to the back of the nose stays abnormally open, which can make you hear your own voice, or your breathing, unusually loudly. People with this condition, known as patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction, are sometimes advised to drink fewer caffeinated drinks and stay well hydrated, because dehydration can worsen symptoms. However, there is little direct evidence that coffee itself causes the condition.

Caffeine’s relationship with migraine is complicated: caffeine can help relieve a migraine, but too much, or suddenly having less than usual, can trigger one in some people.

Learn about research on medications for dementia and supplements for healthy brain aging at Oct. 22 URI forum

Can dementia be treated or prevented?

Neil Nachbar 

“Newest research on medications for dementia and supplements for healthy brain aging” will be the topic of a presentation on Oct. 22 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Hope Room of the University of Rhode Island Higgins Welcome Center, 45 Upper College Road, Kingston.

The event, which is free and open to the URI community and the public, is part of the URI Retired Faculty Association’s speaker series. It is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and refreshments will be provided by Belmont Market.

The guest speakers will include John Robinson, Thomas M. Ryan professor of neuroscience, co-executive director of the URI George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, professor of psychology, and professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences; and Joseph Schrader, assistant professor at the URI George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, assistant professor of pharmacy practice and clinical research.

Trump’s and Hegseth’s barbaric decision to live-stream an execution

Public Sadism

Robert Reich

UPDATE: In response to public outcry, Trump has decided to CANCEL the public broadcast. While the execution will still take place, it will not be live-streamed.

Cruel enough that the United States is going to put someone to death by firing squad, but only sadists would want it broadcast livestream.

Yet that’s what Pete (“High Testosterone”) Hegseth is planning. He confirmed it yesterday when speaking to the conservative broadcaster Real America’s Voice, saying said people should be able to watch “because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”

Nidal Hasan committed a terrible crime. The former U.S. Army Major and psychiatrist opened fire with a handgun at a medical facility at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009 as soldiers waited for medical checks before deployment, killing 13 and wounded 32 others. Twelve of those killed and 30 of the wounded were soldiers. Hasan was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013 after being convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

The execution will be the first by firing squad carried out by the U.S. military since 1945, when army private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion during the second world war. The last US military execution of any kind took place in 1961, when John Bennett was hanged.

But live-streaming it?

The hanging of Rainey Bethea in Kentucky in 1936 is regarded as the country’s last public execution. It was witnessed by thousands.

A live-streamed execution could be watched by billions.

No surprise. The current president of the United States is all about spectacle; his secretary of defense (war) is brimming with performative bravado. Punishment isn’t enough. The punishment must be cruel — and must be seen far and wide.

Asked today whether he had personally authorized or approved the live-streaming of Hasan’s execution, Trump responded, “Did I approve? Absolutely.”

Sec. of Defense (War?) Pete Hegseth who
thought up the idea

What will be the likely effect on those who will see this? Will they be revolted? Excited? Will the live-streaming of the execution by firing squad deter people from committing mass murder — or will it encourage them? Or just degrade our sense of being human?

What about its effect on those who are enemies of the U.S.? As Ned Price, a former deputy to the U.S. representative to the United Nations, posted on X: “You can take it from those of us who’ve spent years working on terrorism: the surest way to spawn more radicalized zealots is to glorify violence, embrace a cult of death, and create a martyr for the cause.

Besides, haven’t we witnessed enough senseless and degrading cruelty in the pursuit of the execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee?

Public executions have largely disappeared around the world because they’re so barbaric. Amnesty International recorded 17 in 2025, including 11 in Iran and six in Taliban-run Afghanistan.

Historian Esther Cohen writes that during the later Middle Ages, governments often displayed their power in visual, theatrical forms: solemn royal or urban processions, festivals, and, most commonly, public executions of criminals. That was because other means of communication available to governments with their subjects were extremely limited — printing didn’t as yet exist, and preaching was the church’s prerogative.

Medieval public executions were intricate rituals displaying atonement, punishment and, most of all, the authority of the government to administer justice. They also inflicted considerable pain and suffering upon the condemned, so much so that one historian has termed them “spectacles of suffering.” The spectacles were meant to be visual representations of authority — displaying the full power of the law to all observers.

Making the criminal suffer achieved the dual purpose of cleansing his soul and deterring other potential criminals. Status was expressed by symbolic dress, worn at the procession preceding the execution, or by the form of inflicting death. Noblemen wore their livery of rank and office, while common criminals were often stripped to their shirts. People of rank were very rarely hung, for hanging was a shameful death; more often, people of nobility were beheaded, preferably with a sword.

Rulers took care to stage their public executions in a spectacular manner. The spectacle itself was its essence. “The Ritual of Public Executions,” from the 16th century, stated that the culprit was ‘to be dragged as a murderer, beheaded as a traitor, quartered for several other crimes, and his body hung on the gibbet as a thief and brigand.”

Trump and Hegseth are intent on extending such barbarism into the 21st century. Not only that, but they want to livestream the degrading spectacle, bringing it fully into the digital age. In this and countless other ways, they continue to degrade and demean America.

Going to market

Trump ag scientists make breakthrough

Agriculture Dept. Puts Trump’s Face On Soybeans - The Onion

Trump corporate donors rewarded with cancelled enforcement actions

Corporations That Enjoyed Enforcement Rollback Plowed $200 Million Into Pro-Trump Super PAC

Julia Conley for Common Dreams

The Trump administration’s canceled enforcement actions against at least 205 corporations accused of wrongdoing have been cases of powerful companies “getting what they paid for,” according to a new report by government watchdog Public Citizen.

Building on an analysis it released earlier this week regarding hundreds of canceled investigations and dismissed lawsuits against companies, many of which have ties to the administration, the group published a follow-up report detailing just how much some of the corporations paid to have their legal troubles wiped away.

Companies that have benefited from the cancellation of enforcement have given $210.5 million in contributions and pledges to MAGA, Inc. and other super political action committees (PACs) that worked to elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024 and are continuing to back right-wing candidates in the midterms.

As Common Dreams reported, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has benefited from at least eight canceled actions, with lawsuits filed against the former company by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the National Labor Relations Board dismissed and an investigation into data center pollution presumably closed. Tesla has avoided three investigations that the National Highway Traffic Safety had begun and one that the Department of Labor has opened into contract compliance.

The cancellations didn’t come for free, Public Citizen said. Musk—who also served in the administration last year and is now helping with a Pentagon project—donated $5 million to MAGA, Inc. and has pledged to spend $100 million to help elect Republicans this year.

“Corporations and ultrawealthy executives with enormous financial interests before the federal government are pouring extraordinary sums into the president’s political operation,” said Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman. “Once the check is cashed, the administration is pulling back enforcement actions meant to punish corporate misconduct. It’s a great deal for the corporate wrongdoers—at the expense of their victims and the American people.”

Crypto.org is another top beneficiary of Trump’s favorable treatment of the cryptocurrency industry, Wall Street, Big Tech, and large corporations that have pledged to help push his far-right agenda in the elections.

The Securities and Exchange Commission had been investigating allegations that the crypto platform was trading unregistered securities. The probe was abruptly closed in March 2025, after the company gave $35 million to MAGA, Inc. and $2 million to Keep America Great, another super PAC aligned with the president.

Gemini, co-founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, had been facing a similar investigation, but it was also closed after the company gave $20 million to MAGA, Inc.—on top of $10 million each that the two founders personally donated.

“Allowing corporations to make political payments in order to make enforcement go away is hardly a model for governing that supposedly prioritizes ‘law and order,’” wrote Rick Claypool, research director for Public Citizen, in the report. “On the contrary, it is indicative of a profoundly unjust and arbitrary mode of enforcement organized around the principles of rewarding insiders, punishing outsiders, and concentrating power in the hands of an increasingly authoritarian president.”

He noted that while the Trump administration has demonstrated little interest in addressing corporate wrongdoing, “enforcement personnel and resources are being channeled toward punishing immigrants, activists, and perceived political opponents.”

“Restoring the rule of law will be a challenge for the future,” wrote Claypool, “and the path forward will require a rebalance of priorities that ensures that corporations and the powerful cannot pay to protect themselves from federal enforcement that holds them accountable when they break the law.”

Raw milk poses serious infection risks with no added health benefits, pediatrician group warns

Yet Health Secretary Bobby Jr. continues to promote it

Laine Bergeson

Unpasteurized milk and milk products are the source of preventable, life-threatening infections in both healthy people and those with compromised immune systems, warns the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in an updated policy statement published this week in Pediatrics. Unpasteurized dairy poses particular dangers to children, pregnant women, and those who are breastfeeding, continues the statement. 

The statement also highlights H5N1 avian flu as an emerging concern. 

Claims that unpasteurized (raw) dairy products offer superior health benefits lack scientific support, write the authors. 

“These purported benefits have no evidence base and do not outweigh the risks of unpasteurized milk consumption,” notes the statement. “Substantial data suggest that pasteurized milk confers equivalent health benefits compared with unpasteurized milk, without the additional risk of infection.”

The sale of unpasteurized dairy products remains legal in at least 27 states. The AAP statement renews its call for a nationwide ban on unpasteurized dairy.

Support help for affordable housing

Yes on 2 campaign launches in support of $120 million housing bond

SteveAhlquist.news

 The Yes on 2 campaign has officially launched, calling on Rhode Islanders to support the passage of a $120 million affordable housing and homeownership bond that will appear on the ballot for Rhode Island voters on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Rhode Island is at a moment when we have both a clear need and a clear opportunity: to invest in the homes our communities need and make it possible for more Rhode Islanders to afford to live, work, and build their lives here. Too many Rhode Islanders are struggling to keep up with the cost of housing. One in three Rhode Island households is housing cost-burdened, paying more than one third of their income toward housing costs and leaving them at elevated risk of losing their homes.

At the same time, incomes have not kept up with housing costs. To afford to buy a home anywhere in Rhode Island requires an income of nearly $130,000 - more than $40,000 above the state’s median household income. For renters, the income needed to afford a home in every R.I. community is more than $60,000, while the average renter household earns just $48,434.

Rhode Island is also facing a significant shortage of affordable homes, leaving thousands of households competing for a limited supply of housing they can afford. The $120 million bond gives Rhode Island an opportunity to meet this moment with meaningful investment.

The bond would increase and preserve the supply of affordable homes for Rhode Islanders and support community revitalization through the redevelopment of existing structures, new construction, property acquisition, and infrastructure improvements.

Of the $120 million, at least $25 million is allocated to increase the production of housing intended for homeownership, allowing more Rhode Islanders to purchase a home. In addition, up to $10 million of the $120 million may support a public housing development program.

Vote “No” on Question 3

Blue is not Green: ...What, exactly, is the money for? 

Steve Ahlquist

These signs can be found across North Kingstown

(Frank Carini/ecoRI News)

Rhode Island will soon be voting on five ballot measures to borrow money for education, housing, economic development, cultural improvements, and the green economy. 

I want to focus on Question 3: a $100 million investment in the so-called Blue Economy. The question reads:

• Economic Development $100 million: Approval of this question will allow the State to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and/or temporary notes in an amount not to exceed one hundred million dollars to fund industrial facilities infrastructure improvements for economic development purposes, to fund site development and growth industry infrastructure, to be allocated as follows:
• Site Development: Provides $55 million for land acquisition or assembly, environmental remediation, infrastructure and utility installation, site preparation or development, and project investments. Eligible uses include, but are not limited to, large-scale industrial site development to create pad-ready locations and/or facilities, infrastructure improvements and investments within the Quonset Business Park, and land acquisition, preparation, and project investments within the I-195 District.
• Growth Industry Infrastructure: Provides $45 million for infrastructure, facilities, projects, and investments that support Rhode Island’s ocean, defense, life sciences, data analytics, and related industries. Eligible uses include, but are not limited to, water-based test ranges and onshore ocean- or defense-related innovation/production facilities, as well as facilities, projects, and investments that advance businesses and job growth in the life sciences.

Question 3 will almost certainly pass. As far as I can tell, every bond question sent to Rhode Island voters for approval over the last two decades has passed. [Note: A $100 million bond, paid back over 20 years at 5% interest, will ultimately cost Rhode Island taxpayers over $160 million.] But what, exactly, is the money for? 

The phrase “[e]ligible uses include, but are not limited to” is extremely broad. A literal reading of the phrase could include any imaginable expenditure. Similarly broad is the phrase, “investments that support Rhode Island’s ocean, defense, life sciences, data analytics, and related industries.” Does “data analytics” include data centers? Such an investment is certainly covered by the phrases “related industries” and “not limited to.”

The Blue Economy is bullshit

You may have heard the phrase “Blue Economy” bandied about by our federal delegation and local state and corporate leaders. The Grow Blue Partnership, a Rhode Island-based coalition of industry groups, environmental organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions, including the University of Rhode Island (URI), defines the Blue Economy as “the sustainable use of the ocean to create a resilient economy and good-paying jobs.” Which sounds great, until you realize that defense contractors make up a substantial chunk of the Blue Economy.

 

Help save farm animals

Location: 20 Elm Street, Westerly, RI

Terranova Farm Livestock Sanctuary invites you to the inaugural "First Annual Grazing and Giving Fundraiser." The sanctuary specializes in the passionate care of ruminants (like sheep and goats), alpacas, pigs, and poultry—those often-forgotten animals with nowhere else to turn.

Currently home to 100 incredible rescue animals, the sanctuary provides a haven for individuals with stories of true resilience. Partnering directly with state authorities and local animal control, TFLS steps in during severe cases of abuse and neglect.

The sanctuary also accepts complex, high-need medical cases that standard farms cannot manage, offering a vital second chance to vulnerable animals and delicate babies who otherwise wouldn't make it. Through a dedicated rehabilitation program, every resident receives the specialized medical care, nourishment, and love needed to heal—finding permanent sanctuary to spend the rest of their natural lives in peace and safety.

As a 100% donation-dependent organization, this life-saving work relies entirely on community support. Join us for a truly impactful evening to eat, drink, and bid on a fantastic array of auction items while celebrating the animals that call TFLS home. Your support means the world, and we’re excited to see you there!

Check the event website for the most up-to-date info.