Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association gets $350,000 state grant

DEM Awards Over $2M in Climate Resilience Grants

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has awarded $2,022,146 in matching Climate Resilience Fund (CRF) grants to five municipalities and three community organizations for statewide climate resilience projects. 

The grants will fund eight projects to restore and improve the climate resilience of local communities, infrastructure, and coastal habitats. The CRF is funded through 2024 Green Bond.

“Rhode Island continues to face increasing challenges from more frequent and intense weather events from climate change.  In 2026, we experienced record snowfall in February, drought conditions throughout the Spring, and then higher than average rainfalls in July.  Additionally, NOAA declared this July as the hottest July on record in our country. Our state’s communities face significant stresses and diverse risks from rising seas to severe storm events, flooding, and erosion,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. 

“These grants provide vital support for projects that strengthen the resilience of our communities, underscoring the importance of the voter-approved Green Bonds that make them possible. We urge Rhode Island voters to approve the 2026 Green Bond in November.” 

Groundwater must be part of development planning

Critical issue in communities without public drinking water

By Rep. Megan L. Cotter

There is no question that developing more homes is imperative to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis.

There is also no understating the importance of ensuring that every home, new or existing, has access to a consistent supply of the clean, healthy water its inhabitants need.

Water capacity is readily available for areas served by public water systems. But in rural communities that rely on private wells, like those in my district, how do we know the impact new development will have on groundwater? And how do we plan and manage this critical resource as we develop the housing we desperately need?

These are the questions I seek to answer with the new study commission I am chairing in the House. I sponsored the legislation to create the water supply planning commission because water capacity must be part of any serious conversation about housing growth.

Housing development and water supply planning shouldn't be framed as opposing goals. Rhode Island needs more housing, and all Rhode Islanders need safe drinking water. The underlying goal of our bipartisan commission — which includes experts and stakeholders from housing development, state and municipal decisionmakers and managers of water resources — is to connect these objectives and set our state on the path toward succeeding at both.

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Arrowhead Dental's annual free treatment day coming October 17

On October 17th we will be holding our 16th Annual Dentistry from the Heart event. Our team and other volunteers graciously donate their time to provide dental care for those in need in the South County community . This event is intended to help those who do not have the financial means to access dental care or do not have insurance. Since our first event in 2009, Arrowhead Dental has provided over one million dollars in free dental care to those with limited means. If you know someone who could benefit from this event, we ask that you share the link provided or have them visit our website at www.arrowhead-dental.com/dentistry-from-the-heart/ for more information.

Click here to learn more!

Tylenol during pregnancy not linked to autism, ADHD, major review finds

Bobby Junior, wrong again

Meghan Holohan

In the midst of increasing misinformation about acetaminophen (Tylenol) and its relationship to autism, many expecting women feel confused about what they should take if they experience a fever. A paper published today found that there’s no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism or attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  

“A widely debated question deserves more than headlines—it deserves robust evidence,” first author Hoda Tayebi Hillali, DDS, MSc, of the University of Santiago de Compostela, in Spain, said in a press release from Wiley, publisher of the journal that posted the study. “Our findings show that the apparent association between prenatal paracetamol [acetaminophen] exposure and autism or ADHD weakens as methodological quality improves, challenging the interpretation of a causal link and supporting evidence-based decisions during pregnancy.” 

Magnesium supplements: what you need to know about each different type

Behind the buzz

Dipa Kamdar, Kingston University

If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably found yourself wondering whether you should be taking a magnesium supplement. There’s no shortage of influencers listing all the benefits that different types of magnesium supplements have – from boosting brain function to helping ease anxiety and improving sleep.

Indeed, magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of processes in the body. It helps muscles and nerves work properly, supports energy production and contributes to the maintenance of strong bones and teeth.

Magnesium is also important for maintaining a healthy heart rhythm, regulating blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Many people don’t get enough from their diet, so supplements can be useful in some situations.

But when you look closely at the research, there’s little evidence to suggest that any one type of magnesium supplement has unique benefits over another.

Magnesium glycinate

One of the most talked about types of magnesium is magnesium glycinate, often promoted as the best option for sleep. This form combines magnesium with glycine, an amino acid that may improve sleep on its own.

While some research does show that magnesium may improve sleep, these trials do not show that glycinate is any better than other forms. Glycinate’s main advantage is that it’s gentle on the stomach and well absorbed, which may make it easier for some people to tolerate.

Magnesium L-threonate

Another form that attracts a lot of attention is magnesium L-threonate. It’s suggested it can improve memory and focus.

These claims appear to come from early animal studies which suggested that L-threonate may increase magnesium levels in the brain more effectively than other forms. In these studies, which were conducted in rats, supplementation enhanced several types of memory and increased the number and function of connections between brain cells in the hippocampus – a key region involved in learning and memory.

Human evidence remains relatively limited. One study did demonstrate that in people who took 2g of L-threonate daily for six weeks, the supplement was associated with improvements in several areas of thinking and memory – including working memory, memory of past events, reaction speed and overall mental performance.

But as the supplement was only compared against a placebo, the results cannot tell us whether L-threonate is more effective than other magnesium supplements when it comes to brain function.

DHS failed to provide records supporting Trump’s allegations of noncitizen voting, watchdog says

No receipts to back claims

By Alexandra Hutzler

Key federal agencies failed to provide any records to back up President Donald Trump’s allegations that tens of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in various blue states, a nonpartisan government watchdog said in a new lawsuit. 

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, told a federal court in Washington, D.C., that the administration is violating an open records law by failing to hand over information on its methodology and data sources on the matter.

Trump claimed without evidence during a primetime address to the nation in July that 278,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in federal elections. The unfounded allegation is part of a pattern of Trump spreading misinformation about voting fraud since losing the 2020 presidential race as he pushes Congress to pass onerous new restrictions on voting.

CREW filed several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests asking how the administration determined that 278,000 figure.

Charlestown Gets a Seat on Amtrak Rail Study Panel

Town Administrator Jeff Allen will sit on the advisory committee for what the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) has viewed as an existential threat

By Adriana Vossari, an AI avatar used by Uprise RI to scan public records and then prepare articles like these. For more on how this is done: How a Rhode Island meeting becomes a story | Uprise RI

The study will weigh rail options between New Haven and Providence, including possible new alignments, a question that drew strong opposition in Charlestown in 2016. Residents can comment now, and the town has a seat on the advisory committee.

Charlestown Town Administrator Jeff Allen says he has been selected for the Public Advisory Committee guiding Amtrak's New Haven-to-Providence Capacity Planning Study, and he plans to attend the committee's first meeting on October 14, according to a notice posted on the town's website.

The study will look at ways to add rail capacity between New Haven and Providence, including possible new alignments and improvements to existing lines. No route has been selected, and the current phase does not include construction, land acquisition or environmental permitting.

For Charlestown, the subject is familiar. A decade ago, a federal rail plan proposed a new stretch of track that would have cut through the area, and residents pushed back hard.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Even though the so-called Old Saybrook-Kenyon Bypass was never a serious threat, as I explain HERE, and died in 2017, the CCA has repeatedly attempted to revive this issue each election cycle. The CCA has always run on fear by raising up some demon, often imaginary, and presenting themselves as the only protection Charlestown has. Kind of Trumpian even before Trump emerged on the scene. I have also gotten a little Trumpy by calling this obsession the Charlestown Choo-Choo Hoax. - Will Collette

What Allen's role is

Amtrak invited Allen to join the committee in an August 19 letter signed by Jennifer Mitchell, Amtrak's executive vice president for strategy and planning. The letter, attached to the town notice, describes the committee as a group of 10 to 15 community representatives.

Members are expected to help shape the study's outreach, goals and development of alternatives, and to review the alternatives analysis, according to the letter. Amtrak said it expects the committee to meet quarterly over a roughly two-year study, with three rounds of public open houses at key milestones.

Even Joe couldn't make it happen

The committee is advisory. It does not give Charlestown authority to pick or block a route. In his notice, Allen said his participation will let him bring Charlestown's perspective to the process and stay informed.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since major renovations to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor has no support in the Trump Administration or in the GOP-controlled Congress, this is likely to be a very boring process where they will brainstorm what might hypothetically happen. It's worth noting that even under Uncle Joe Biden's administration, there was no movement and certainly no existential threat to Charlestown. Given Joe's famous love of Amtrak and Congressional support for infrastructure investment, Charlestown remained safe and secure from any choo-choo invasions.  - Will Collette

What the study covers

Amtrak announced the study on July 7. The agency is working with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the Connecticut and Massachusetts transportation departments, the MBTA, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Northeast Corridor Commission.

The study area is wider than its name suggests. According to a study FAQ published in June, it runs from New Haven east to New London, north to Hartford, and northeast to Providence. It covers passenger service on Amtrak, CTrail Shore Line East, the Hartford Line and MBTA Commuter Rail.

Any alternative must begin in New Haven and end in Providence, but options may vary in how they connect the two, the FAQ says. Issues on the table include capacity limits on the existing corridor, movable bridges, roadway grade crossings and shoreline exposure.

In its announcement, Amtrak said it has no preconceived preferred alignment or package of improvements and is not using the earlier federal plan as its starting point. The study stops at conceptual design and alternatives analysis. Amtrak said any project that came out of it would require separate planning, design and environmental-permitting work.

The study website says work began in mid-2026 and will include about 24 months of engagement, coordination and analysis.

How Charlestown got here

The earlier plan, known as NEC Future, was a Federal Railroad Administration effort to chart the Northeast Corridor's long-term future. Its December 2016 final environmental impact statement identified a preferred alternative that included a new rail segment between Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and Kenyon, Rhode Island.

Normally, fellow CCA leader and Charlestown Planning \
Commissar Ruth Platner (left) would read reports and
tell Gentz (R) what they mean. Photo by Will Collette

That proposal drew opposition in Charlestown and nearby communities. Public comments recorded by the FRA include concerns from Charlestown-area residents about home values, private wells and quality of life.

EDITOR'S NOTE: One reason the CCA got so worked up about the Old Saybrook-Kenyon Bypass is because they MISSED it when it was referenced in a report sent to the town months earlier. As former CCA leader and Town Council President Tom Gentz said at the time, "Who's got time to read this stuff."

The FRA's final decision, issued July 12, 2017, did not adopt that segment. The record of decision selected no capacity-expanding infrastructure between New Haven and Providence. Instead, it called for a later capacity-planning study that would examine options both on and off the existing corridor, including inland and shoreline routes. The current study is that follow-up.

The Charlestown Citizens Alliance, a local advocacy group, has warned that the new study could again consider a bypass-like route. EDITOR AGAIN: Of course, they do. It's an election year and they need a boogeyman. The group also criticized the notice and format of an Amtrak pop-up session held August 6 at Ninigret Park.

How to weigh in

Residents can submit comments and sign up for study updates on the official website, newhavenprovidencestudy.com. Amtrak also takes questions and feedback by email at info@newhavenprovidencestudy.com. Neither the website nor Amtrak's announcement lists a closing date for comments.

The advisory committee's first meeting is set for October 14, according to Allen's notice.

No expectation of privacy

What they stand for

URI Metcalf Institute’s Fall Lecture takes participants outside to experience the North Woods Field Guide with DWELL Lab

Immersive two-part walk and zine-making event on Oct. 14 

By Abbie Lahmers

The URI Metcalf Institute’s fall lecture takes
participants outside to experience the North Woods
this October. (URI Photo / Abbie Lahmers)

The University of Rhode Island’s Metcalf Institute concludes its 2026 Annual Public Lecture Series on Wednesday, Oct. 14 with their Fall Lecture, straying from the lectern this year to bring participants on a walk through the North Woods, followed by a conversation and hands-on zine-making activity with DWELL Lab.

URI’s North Woods serves as a teaching forest and site for field research on the Kingston Campus as well as an important communal space. Ellie Lin, an illustration student at RISD who worked with DWELL Lab this summer through the Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) program, will lead participants through the Narragansett Story Walk, exploring the rich ecology and human history of the North Woods.

RISD artist Ellie Lin has created a field guide
to the North Woods and will present it as part of
an immersive walk and zine-making
event at URI on Oct. 14.

Lin sees the event as an opportunity to “bring people together through storytelling, community, and local ecology.” Sketching, journaling, and reflecting is encouraged during the immersive walk and materials will be provided. 

The event will continue at Toray Commons with a conversation, reception, and zine-making workshop.

In a conversation moderated by Metcalf Institute Executive Director Fara Warner, Lin will be joined by URI’s Madison Jones and Stephanie West-Puckett, with Bonnie Phillips ’88 of ecoRI News, to discuss the creation of the first edition of the “North Woods Field Guide.” 

The guide, which is part of the bigger North Woods Project, is funded by a Rita Allen Civic Science Media Grant. Expected to be released in print and digital forms this fall, it will contain a collection of scientific, creative, and journalistic writing and imagery that covers animals, vegetation, flowers, minerals, and other elements of the woods.

“I’m excited to walk with folx in the North Woods and discuss how queer genres, specifically zines and community-authored field guides, can make civic science communication more accessible and inclusive,” said West-Puckett, associate professor of professional and public writing, who’s leading the creation of the first North Woods Field Guide. Jones, associate professor of science communication and director of the DWELL Lab, shared that he looks forward to talking about outdoor education. “Field notes are an exciting way to connect as writers with our local environments and communities,” he said.

Most older US adults would be interested in a dementia vaccine, survey finds

Why would anyone NOT want protection?

Sarah Boden

CDC

Nearly three in four older adults surveyed said they'd be interested in getting a hypothetical vaccine that significantly cuts their chances of developing dementia, according to the results of a survey published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. 

Dementia, characterized by progressive decline in cognitive function, is not infectious. Scientists have found no dementia-causing pathogen that spreads person to person. 

However, as the study notes, there's ongoing research into immunotherapies and even vaccine-based approaches to delay or reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of dementia. Also, some vaccines, including the shingles vaccine, are associated with lower rates of dementia: One of the theories is that illness caused by infectious disease can result in long-term health complications that increase the risk of developing the condition.

To glean how willing people might be to get a dementia-preventing shot, researchers surveyed 1,529 US residents aged 50 or older. People were told to assume a hypothetical vaccine could reduce the risk of dementia by half for those who were at high risk of developing the condition. 

These 5 changes for Rhode Island Medicaid took effect Oct. 1

More cuts scheduled for after the midterm elections

By Alexander Castro, Rhode Island Current

Changes to Medicaid started on Thursday, Oct. 1, will affect eligibility for some noncitizens as well as coverage of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss for Rhode Islanders enrolled in the joint federal-state health insurance program for people with low incomes and older adults and people with disabilities.

Federal enrollment data from June show 250,294 Rhode Islanders were enrolled in Medicaid plus another 33,569 people covered through the related Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Here are five Medicaid changes taking effect, or beginning to take effect for Oct. 1, the start of the federal fiscal year

New federal eligibility restrictions will affect fewer than 3,500 noncitizens

The sweeping federal tax and spending law H.R. 1 — signed by Donald Trump in July 2025 — is responsible for one big change coming to Rhode Island Medicaid this week.

H.R. 1 strikes several kinds of immigration statuses from the list of who can qualify for Medicaid. Asylees, refugees, parolees, or victims of human trafficking will no longer be eligible, unless they also have another immigration status which would make them eligible.

Undocumented immigrants were already ineligible for federally-funded Medicaid, barring emergency services.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the national cuts to Medicaid and CHIP coverage of noncitizens will lower federal spending by $6.2 billion and leave about 100,000 more people uninsured by 2034.

Those who will be able to remain on the Medicaid rolls include lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders, who will remain eligible after the applicable five-year waiting period. Cuban and Haitian Entrants, a special kind of immigration category, and others from countries covered by the Compact of Free Association will also remain eligible.

Rhode Island coverage will additionally continue for lawfully residing children under 19 and pregnant and postpartum women.

The real reason Americans are paying more under Trump Republicans

The Rot at the Top

Robert Reich

Democratic candidates should be talking about ONLY two things in these last five weeks before the midterms, and show how they’re connected: higher prices and Trump-Republican corruption.

Consider:

1. The Trump-Republican war on Iran has been a huge windfall for Big Tech supplying the military — such as Palantir, a core artificial intelligence and data-integration partner for the U.S. Department of Defense, founded by Trump and JD Vance buddy Peter Thiel. But it’s costing Americans dearly.

At the same time, investment companies backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have accumulated at least $3.2 billion to $6.3 billion in direct Pentagon contracts, current funding, and future contract options since January 2025.

But Trump’s Iran war is causing Americans to spend some $1.50 a gallon more on gas (gas was $2.98 per gallon before the war; it’s now $4.42 to $4.47 per gallon). Since the war began, Americans have spent $65 billion more on gas.

The price of diesel fuel has soared to an average of $7.00 a gallon — and because trucks that transport everything to retail stores now pay so much more to get it there, this price increase is also being passed on to consumers.

2. Trump has given out tariff waivers and carve-outs to industries and companies making kickbacks to him, while the tariffs have jacked up prices overall.

For example, when polyethylene terephthalate, the thermoplastic used to make plastic bottles, got a tariff exemption, it was a win for Reyes Holdings, a Coca-Cola bottler that ranks among the largest privately held companies in the U.S. and is owned by a pair of brothers who have donated millions of dollars to Republican causes.

Just after Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, dumped $1 million into Trump’s inauguration, Apple got tariff exemptions for its products.

After Elon Musk sank a quarter of a billion dollars into Trump’s 2024 campaign, Tesla got a tariff exemption for electronics.

And so on.

But the worldwide tariffs that made these corrupt exemptions possible have increased annual household costs by an estimated $1,100, according to The Budget Lab at Yale.

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