It will be around for a few days at least
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
ICE jail in Central Falls declares bankruptcy
Wyatt operator files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
By Philip Eil, Rhode Island Current
In federal court filings, the Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, the governing body of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, presented a plan that would clear a path for its continued operation: Bondholders who underwrote the Wyatt’s mid-2000s expansion would waive more than $100 million in debt, leaving a balance of $67.5 million. That would allow the facility to make guaranteed annual impact payments of $250,000 to the city of Central Falls.
If the court approves, the bondholders’ $130 million lawsuit against the facility filed in 2019 would be dismissed. Settlement negotiations in that case have been ongoing for more than three years, according to the case’s docket.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Chariho United challenges inaccurate criticism
Setting the Record Straight
Chariho United
Claim: Administrative neglect caused a $40 million increase in elementary school repair costs
Lowe and Phelps compared elementary school facility needs identified in a 2017 report to a 2025 report and landed on roughly a $40 million increase, framing it as proof of neglect by district administration.
Two things are at play. First, these facility assessments were not conducted or commissioned by Chariho administration. Both the 2017 Jacobs report and the 2025 Bureau Veritas reports were commissioned by the Rhode Island Department of Education. Second, and more importantly, Bureau Veritas explicitly warns against comparing the two reports' dollar figures directly, because nine years of construction cost inflation makes a straight comparison misleading. Its own methodology applies a 144.3% inflation multiplier, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Producer Price Index, specifically so the 2017 numbers can be fairly compared to 2025 dollars.
When you run that same math across all four Chariho elementary schools, the real increase is about $29.9 million, not $40 million. Lowe and Phelps's number appears to come from skipping the inflation adjustment the state's own consultant says is necessary.
It's also worth looking at what that money is actually for. Across all four elementary schools, only about 4.9% of the total identified need is classified as "Performance/Integrity," meaning a system that has failed or is unreliable. Zero dollars are classified as safety issues. The remaining 87 to 96% of costs at each individual school fall under "Aged But Functional" or "Lifecycle/Renewal," meaning normal, expected aging of buildings that are 60 to 90 years old, not evidence of neglect. At Richmond Elementary, the report also notes that Chariho facilities staff had already identified and priced a fix for the one item flagged as a failed condition, a leaking facade and gutter system, before the assessment was even completed.
These are public documents. Read
the full assessments for yourself rather than taking anyone's summary,
including ours
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What could possibly go wrong?
Trump’s Push for Deep-Sea Mining
This Pentagon-managed body steers non-dilutive federal funding to critical minerals suppliers, pitching its deep-sea nickel, cobalt, and manganese as a domestic supply the government should help pay to develop.
The
Metals Company has a problem. It cannot survive without governmental handouts.
The company’s 2025 financial update reveals a net loss of roughly $319.8
million, $0.83 per share, on essentially no revenue.
“If deep-sea mining is truly the next big thing its backers
claim, why can’t The Metals Company attract investors — and why do they expect
taxpayers to foot the bill? This isn’t about security; it’s about propping up a
speculative industry that risks irreversible harm to the deep ocean for
corporate profit,” said Jackie Dragon, Greenpeace USA Senior Oceans Campaigner
The push for deep-sea mining comes from the top. In April
2025, Trump signed an executive order to “accelerate the responsible
development of seabed mineral resources.” In other words, he directed federal
agencies to accelerate the development of deep-sea mining because the nation
needs more critical minerals for its electronics. Trump’s proposed 2027 budget includes funding for critical
minerals across the departments of Energy, Interior, Defense, and State.
mRNA Vaccine Shrinks Deadly Childhood Cancer Tumors by 70%
Advance in the fight against cancer in kids
By Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
 |
| Irish doctors move forward while Trump and RFK Jr. push the US backwards by curtailing mRNA vaccines. |
Led by Dr. Olga Piskareva, Senior Lecturer in the RCSI
Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine, the team tested an mRNA
vaccine delivered using peptide carriers. In preclinical models, the vaccine
trained the immune system to recognize and attack neuroblastoma, delaying tumor
development by 10 to 11 days and shrinking tumors by 70%.
Neuroblastoma is an aggressive cancer that develops from
immature nerve cells and primarily affects infants and young children. Although
treatments have improved over the years, high-risk and recurrent cases remain
especially difficult to treat, and the disease is responsible for about 15% of
all childhood cancer deaths. In Ireland, five to ten children are diagnosed
each year, with roughly 80% of patients failing to respond meaningfully to
current therapies.
Trump Justice Dept. threatens RI Sec. of State with criminal charges over voting issues
Feds threaten Rhode Island’s top election official with criminal charges if noncitizens vote
by Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current
Amore’s office on Friday released a July 7 letter from Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon asking for an outline of the steps the state is taking to maintain “clean voter lists” and how it’s complying with federal law within five days.
“The letter’s true intention was obvious: to intimidate election officials in an effort to make us fall in line with the administration’s unconstitutional overreaches into election administration,” Amore, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I am confident that elections in Rhode Island are administered in accordance with federal and state laws.”
Dhillon’s seven-page letter includes a memo highlighting the federal election law requiring state and local officials to maintain voter records to ensure only eligible U.S. citizens vote in federal elections.
“Any election officer, including the chief election officer of the state, who knowingly retains noncitizens on the state’s (statewide voter registration list) or facilitates noncitizens in receiving and casting ballots could be subject to criminal liability,” Dhillon wrote.
Monday, July 13, 2026
We're back in court against Trump, this time over housing for the homeless
The long-term solution for homelessness is housing
[From a Rhode Island Attorney General press release]
“The Trump Administration consistently and constantly
targets our most vulnerable Americans, and this case is no different,” said
Attorney General Neronha. “Those experiencing homelessness are in dire need of
support, and these unlawful conditions on funding for permanent housing will
cause tens of thousands of people to lose their homes. While this
Administration will almost certainly continue trying to make life harder for
Rhode Islanders and Americans everywhere, we will continue to fight for those who
can’t fight for themselves.”
Just last month, a coalition of states won a separate case against
HUD in federal court in Rhode Island regarding the agency’s decision last year
to impose illegal conditions on billions of dollars in funding for the Continuum
of Care (CoC) program, which supports housing and other
services for people experiencing housing instability or homelessness. Congress
has prioritized stability in how funds are allocated, and the vast majority of
CoC funds have traditionally supported permanent housing and similarly
successful projects.
Three affordable single-family homes in So. Kingstown, through So. County Habitat
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July 15 invasive weed treatment scheduled for Carolina Trout Pond
DEM says pesticide won't harm fish but wants you to keep pets away and not fish for at least three days
Anglers and boaters should avoid
using these waterbodies during treatment to not impede the licensed
applicators. Temporary water use advisories will be posted where applicable and
nearby residents and visitors should keep pets from drinking from these waters
for at least three days.
These EPA approved herbicide treatments will target
specific invasive aquatic plants including variable water milfoil, fanwort,
water chestnut, sacred lotus, and various algae species. The treatment will not
harm fish. All three waterbodies are popular with anglers and boaters and are
annually stocked
with trout.
Heat is on again, starting tomorrow
A Heat Advisory is in effect from 11 AM Tues - 8 PM Wed for much of southern New England. Afternoon temps in the mid to upper 90s combined with higher humidity will make it feel like 95F-103F both days. #MAwx #CTwx #RIwxEDITOR'S NOTE: Also expect air quality to suffer. You can check current air pollution levels HERE.
Will Trump require foreign tourists to get pregnancy tests?
Reaction to Supreme Court decision upholding birthright citizenship
Amanda Becker, National Reporter
This story was originally reported by Amanda Becker of The 19th. Meet Amanda and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy.
“There are tourist visas that they get to come into the United States or into our territories just simply to give birth; they’ll come in the eighth month, maybe one, two, three weeks left, give birth here,” Mullin said. He did not offer any evidence that the practice is widespread.
Amanda Becker, National Reporter
In the wake of a Supreme Court decision this week upholding the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, the Trump administration and fellow Republican immigration hardliners are exploring alternative routes to limit citizenship rights for children born within the United States to foreign tourists.
Markwayne Mullin, the head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, suggested on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday morning that this effort could include banning pregnant foreigners from traveling to the United States.
They “have a child who may move back to China, raise the person in a communist regime — even though they’re a citizen of the United States — and they come back over here, and in some cases, they go to universities, stealing intellectual property. It’s absolutely been a national security issue,” Mullin continued.
Mullin added that there was a “long conversation at the White House” on Tuesday after the Supreme Court ruled in the birthright citizenship case. He met with Trump; Stephen Miller, a top adviser to the president and the architect of many of his far-right immigration policies; and Tom Homan, the president’s “border czar.”
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