Victoria Gu's homeowner insurance protection bill goes to Governor for signature

A modest aid to a growing, serious problem

The General Assembly approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Samuel A. Azzinaro and Sen. Victoria Gu to require insurers to provide customers with advance notice of nonrenewal for homeowners and residential fire insurance policies.

The legislation (2026-H 7066A, 2026-S 2011A) would require insurers to provide written notice of nonrenewal at least 60 days before the renewal date for homeowners and residential fire insurance policies, beginning July 1, 2027.

“Insurance companies are being a lot more selective about the location and the condition of the houses they insure, declining to cover homes in coastal areas or with older roofs or water heaters,” said Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown). “The 60 days’ advance notice will help homeowners find alternative insurance coverage and find tradespeople if they need to fix something at their house in order to continue insurance coverage.”

In recent years a number of insurers in Rhode Island have stopped providing home insurance, mirroring a national trend of higher prices and fewer options for homeowners.

The legislation now goes to the governor for his consideration.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Cathy and I had our homeowner policy cancelled TWICE last year due to increased risk from climate change. It was hard to find ANY carrier willing to replace our coverage. Having extra time to deal with such a mess is greatly appreciated  - Will Collette

Justice Department says Trump has the right to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty and no one has the power to stop him

No limits

Sarah K. Burris, Alternet

Trump's Statue of Fascism

The Justice Department was in court on Friday fighting for President Donald Trump's bulldozing of the White House East Wing for his ballroom.

The oral arguments Friday deal with who has the right to sue over the destruction of the White House. Matthew Russell Lee, who runs "Inner City Press," was live-posting the back and forth. Among the first things he quoted the DOJ as saying was, "There is an aspect of self-inflicted harm here."

But all arguments about the size, appeal or funding of the ballroom don't matter because the DOJ claims the case doesn't have standing to begin with.

Trump's new plans for the White House

"In an appeals court fight over the White House ballroom, DOJ says the federal government could quickly bulldoze the Statue of Liberty, and no one would have standing to sue over the changes once the demolition is done," wrote Politico legal reporter Kyle Cheney on X.

The exchange came from Judge Patricia Millett, who questioned, "If the government decides very quickly to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty, the people whose ancestors — that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the government moved too fast — nothing can be done?"

The DOJ agreed.

During the government shutdown, Americans watched in horror as large machinery tore into the historic building. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the Trump administration in an effort to block construction of a 90,000-square-foot structure.

The terrors of solar panels

Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association announces upcoming events

 

Upcoming Events at WPWA Full Strawberry Moon Paddle Sunday, June 28th, 6:30-9pm   Join WPWA to relax with views of both sunset and moonrise over the Wood River. Enjoy the Strawberry Moon at dusk on the Wood River. Evening paddles are a real treat to hear the bull frogs, green frogs and beavers. Beavers often grace us with their stealthy swims or loud tail slaps. Upriver from the WPWA Campus, the river is wide and offers a nice view of the moon reflecting off the water. Event takes place on Sunday, June 28th. There is no rain date reserved for this event due to moonrise times. Kassi@wpwa.org will send an email Friday or Saturday morning if the weather forecast does not permit a safe paddle trip. Event is 6:30-9:00pm, the group will launch at about 6:50 pm and paddle for over an hour and a half. Headlamps are encouraged for on-land activities. Cost is $30 for WPWA members. Kayaks and gear are included. If you are a WPWA Otter, Osprey, or Eagle Member, the program is free and you will not be asked for payment when you register online. 4 tandem kayaks are also available, great for an adult to share with a child under 11. The registration link will indicate the number available, if any. You may renew your WPWA Membership here: https://wpwa.org/ For More Information Contact: Kassi Donnelly: kassi@wpwa.org PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Register Here  Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Paddle Trip Tuesday June 16th, 4:30-7pm (Rain Date Thursday, June 18th) Funded and organized by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council. Tomaquag Museum education staff are sharing their knowledge and stories. Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association is providing kayaks, gear and instruction. A three-way partnership! The Stewardship Council event description and registration: Raised to honor the wisdom and ancestral knowledge of the land and water. The paddles will focus on the relationship between humans and the natural world through indigenous knowledge Limited spots available, must be age 10 or older. Tuesday, June 16, 4:30pm to 7pm Location: Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association, 203 Arcadia Rd, Hope Valley, RI 02832 Limited Availability. Register before Friday, June 12. *RAIN DATE: June 18 Contact Casey at coordinator@wpwildrivers.org with questions. PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED. https://wpwildrivers.org/recent-events/   Register Here Interested in learning more about the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers? The National Designation: How WPWA led the efforts to earn the watershed a prestigious designation within the National Parks Service's Wild and Scenic Rivers System. https://wpwa.org/projects/ Activities of the local Stewardship Council: A group of representatives appointed by towns, agencies and key organizations in the watershed. Supported by the National Park Service.  https://wpwildrivers.org/   Staff: Casey at coordinator@wpwildrivers.org Summer Evening Kayak: A Delightful Way to Experience Wetland Flowers Late July and Late August Join the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, and the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association for a series of summer evening paddles on the Wood River to discover aquatic flowers.  Besides plant identification we will also learn about the ecology of the Wood River and why it has been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. When • Thursday, July 23, 2026 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm • Friday, July 24, 2026 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm Rain date Saturday, July 25, 2026 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm • Thursday, August 20, 2026 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm • Friday, August 21, 2026 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm Rain date Saturday, August 22, 2026 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm Where WPWA, 203 Arcadia Road, Hope Valley, RI 02832 (Google Directions), (Written Directions ) In July we usually see native rhododendrons, sweet pepperbush, pickerel weed, and several types of floating water lilies. With any luck there will still be swamp rose and swamp azaleas still blooming.  In August we should be treated to Joe-pye weed, boneset, monkey flowers, bur marigolds and the spectacular cardinal flowers. These paddles will be led by naturalist Denise Poyer, former Program Director for WPWA and currently a member the Wild and Scenic Rivers Council and RIWPS.  The Wild and Scenic Rivers Council is subsidizing some of the cost of these paddles to help make them more available to the community. • Limit to 15 participants per paddle. The paddles are appropriate for beginner kayakers, 10 and over. • Fee: $30 per person, includes individual kayaks, paddles, life jackets, and paddle guides. Fee is due at time of registration. Fee  is non-refundable. No discount for bringing your own kayak and no refunds for no shows.   • Participants will be asked to sign a standard liability waiver at the event prior to participation. Participants under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian sign on their behalf. • General Guidelines for WPWA kayaking programs: What to Wear. What to Bring, What to Expect Links to register for this July 23 paddle or any of the other upcoming paddles in this series.   PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED. https://riwps.org/exploring-natives/  Register Here

Our Contact Information Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association 203 Arcadia Road Hope Valley, RI 02832 401-539-9017 http://www.wpwa.org

Why 40 per cent of people are avoiding the news, according to a psychologist

Coping by not looking

Ali Jasemi, Wilfrid Laurier University

During several recent conversations, people have told me that they’ve stopped checking their phones in the morning. Not because nothing was happening, but because everything was. They described the feeling as standing under a waterfall of perpetual bad news.

This experience is far from an isolated one. According to Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report, 69 per cent of Canadians at least occasionally avoid the news now.

Globally, 40 per cent report they at least sometimes or often do the same, the highest figure ever recorded. People shared consistent reasons for this: the news put them in a bad mood, they felt overwhelmed and powerless to act.

As a researcher in developmental psychology, focusing on social development and psychological well-being, I argue that news fatigue is not laziness, weakness or a generational decline in civic interest. It’s the predictable response of a human brain meeting an environment it was never designed to navigate.

Wired for bad news

Long before smartphones or even the printing press, our cognitive architecture was shaped by a single problem: stay alive long enough to reproduce. Our ancestors whose attention drifted past the rustle in the grass left fewer descendants than those who froze, looked and listened.

The brain that paid attention to threats was the brain that survived.

This is the foundation of what psychologists call the negativity bias, one of the most replicated findings in cognitive science. Across decades of research, the human mind has been shown to weigh negative information more heavily than positive, attend to it faster and remember it longer.

A predator nearby mattered more than a beautiful sunset. The cost of missing a real threat was death, while the cost of overreacting was a few minutes of wasted vigilance. The asymmetry made this bias adaptive.

Here is the problem: the human brain has not changed since then. We are the same species as we were thousands of years ago. What’s changed is the size of the world it’s asked to scan for threats.

How Melatonin Impacts Heart Health

Separating fact from rumor

Cleveland Clinic

If you’re dealing with insomnia and you’ve taken melatonin as a sleep aid, you’re not alone. It’s a popular over-the-counter supplement that many people swear by. But recent rumblings about its safety for your health might be making you toss and turn.

It’s important to clear up one thing right off the bat: There are currently no proven links between melatonin supplements and heart disease or problems. So, you can rest a little easier if you’ve been worried.

But that doesn’t mean melatonin is risk-free — or even the right solution for your needs.

Cardiologist Michael Hill, MD, walks us through the research.

Does melatonin use cause heart failure?

There’s no clear evidence that melatonin causes heart failure.

So, why the chatter? It’s because researchers found possible links between melatonin and heart failure. They used a health records database to compare two groups of adults with insomnia — those who took melatonin for at least one year, and those who didn’t.

They found that within a five-year period, the melatonin group had higher rates of:

• Heart failure
• Hospitalization for heart failure
• Death from any cause

“These are striking findings, and that’s why they made headlines,” Dr. Hill acknowledges. “But there are some important caveats.”

Dr. Hill explains:

• There’s no proof that melatonin caused heart failure: The research makes associations, but it doesn’t prove causation. That’s a huge distinction. It means there are patterns, but there’s no proof that melatonin is the driving factor.
• The findings aren’t peer-reviewed: “This is a research abstract, meaning a presentation of preliminary data,” Dr. Hill notes. “It must go through rigorous peer review before we accept the findings as fact.”
• Gaps remain: Because these are early findings, we don’t know the factors, like melatonin supplement dosage or treatments given to the non-melatonin group. We also don’t know if some people had sleep apnea or other diagnoses.
• Heart failure can cause sleep issues: It’s possible that some study participants had issues because they were already in the early stages of heart failure and didn’t yet have a diagnosis. That would add more gray area to the findings.

“Based on the information available so far, we can’t say that melatonin causes heart failure,” Dr. Hill clarifies. “But the topic is on our radar, and we’ll continue learning.”

Charlestown air quality is still unhealthy but should get better tomorrow

Air Quality Forecast | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

Why Wildfire Experts Are So Worried About This Year’s Fire Season

Trump cutbacks, climate change, widespread drought

At minimum, Charlestown will catch the smoke. Plus, we are in "moderate" drought

By Peter Aldhous

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

As bad as things got in Los Angeles in January 2025, when 31 people died and more than 16,000 buildings were destroyed by wildfires roaring into residential neighborhoods, many wildland firefighters look back on the rest of last year as a dodged bullet. 

Across the nation, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), which coordinates the federal wildfire response, the total area burned in 2025 was about two-thirds of the average over the past 10 years.

This year is shaping up to be a very different prospect, wildfire experts warn. Key environmental indicators show that the nation is a tinderbox, gripped by widespread drought and with a light snowpack in the mountains that will offer little relief as its remnants melt away. 

At the same time, upheaval in the federal wildland firefighting effort and the loss of many staff qualified to join wildfire incident teams since Donald Trump took power for the second time have left firefighters deeply concerned about their ability to mount an effective response.

“I think this is going to be the year,” warned Timothy Ingalsbee, co-founder and executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “The conditions are just ripe for some really bad outcomes.”

Indeed, 2026 is already off to an inauspicious start.

As of Friday, the NIFC reported that some 2.4 million acres had burned in wildfires for which it had generated incident reports. That’s almost double the 10-year average for the time of year.

Great new local website breaks great news about a new Charlestown Town Council candidate

Eat your heart out, CCA

By Will Collette

This is Cynthia's Corgi, Maris, who WON'T
be on the campaign trail

Alex Nunes, former South County bureau chief for Rhode Island public radio, left the station after Donald Trump wiped out federal funding for public broadcasting. I was worried that meant an end to his outstanding coverage of local coastal issues such as the fake fire district ripoff and beach access.

Fortunately, Alex won the post of Executive Editor for the Westerly Sun and is working hard to revitalize that local institution. But having way more energy than me, he has also set up a side gig.

Working with Sun columnist Nancy Burns-Fusaro, there’s a new media source called the South County Star where Alex is continuing to work on the stories that made him a must-read/hear source on The Public’s Radio. Call the Star another must-read source.

He just broke the story that another fine local journalist, Cynthia Drummond, will be running as a Democrat for a seat on the Charlestown Town Council. She will not seek endorsement from either the CCA or Charlestown Residents United (CRU) but WILL seek the support of the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee.

In the 25 years since Cathy and I returned to Rhode Island to live in Charlestown, we’ve enjoyed Cynthia’s work. Charlestown was lucky to have her as its Westerly Sun specialist for many years. I loved her attention to detail, witty writing style and fairness. I was sorry to see her retire, though I still followed her freelance work for such publications as EcoRI.

Charlestown Town Council President Deb Carney told Alex Nunes she was “very excited” to run with Cynthia as both will be running as endorsed Democrats, elaborating further, “I know Cynthia going back to 2010. She’s very smart. She’s very scientific. She does her research.”

As does Deb.

Here's Cynthia's bio from her stint at the Rhode Island Current:

Cynthia Drummond began her journalism career as a television reporter in Canada. She holds a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island and worked for several years at The Westerly Sun, covering Hopkinton, Richmond, Charlestown and the Chariho Regional School District. In addition to writing for the Rhode Island Current, Cynthia covers the Town of Richmond for the Beaver River Valley Community Association.

Alex reported that she moved to the US in 1998 and became a US citizen.

One thing she won’t do as a candidate is use her beloved Corgi Maris as a political prop as so many others do. Maris is prominently featured in Cynthia’s Bluesky account and she seems like a natural campaigner.

This is how King Donald keeps his promises

Assembly approves Victoria Gu legislation to expand online database of affordable housing

First step in getting a place to live is finding one

The General Assembly voted today to approve legislation sponsored by Sen. Victoria Gu and Rep. Thomas E. Noret to expand the searchable online database of low- and moderate-income housing to better serve Rhode Islanders searching for a home.

“A few years ago, the General Assembly tasked RIHousing with creating and maintaining a searchable online database of low-income housing developments to inform the public of low-income housing opportunities,” said Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown). 

“But that law only narrowly applied to the limited number of rental units funded by RIHousing, leaving large gaps that made it difficult for Rhode Islanders searching for affordable housing to find an available unit. This bill expands that database to all low- and moderate-income housing units — including homeownership units — to create a comprehensive one-stop location for Rhode Islanders searching for housing.”

The legislation (2026-S 2690, 2026-H 7778) expands the database to include all residential developments that meet the definition of low- or moderate-income housing, including homeownership units. Currently, the database is limited to rentals in specific low-income housing developments and subsidized housing developments.

Foulkes campaign accuses McKee of false statements about CVS

Dan McKee Yet Again Attacks CVS, Rhode Island’s Largest Employer

Following the McKee campaign’s second ad, which was riddled with lies, Foulkes for Governor Communications Director Angelika Pellegrino issued the following statement:

“It’s been just two weeks since Dan McKee lied about Helena in his first ad, claiming she held a position she never had, that she was responsible for a merger that closed after she left CVS, that she was responsible for the other company’s decisions prior to the merger, and that she doesn’t care about Rhode Islanders’ health. This new ad doubles down on these lies and is a direct attack on Rhode Island’s largest employer. Helena is proud to have led the charge to take tobacco off the shelves at CVS, despite the large amount of revenue tobacco generated.”

“McKee can’t defend his record as governor so is lashing out at Helena because he knows voters do not think he deserves an unprecedented third term.”

The facts are:

• Helena ran the retail division. She was never the CEO of CVS, and it is absurd to suggest she merged CVS with Aetna. 
• Helena left CVS before the merger closed.
• The premium increase and changes to enrollment cited in the ad occurred before Aetna merged with CVS. 

Rep. Tina Spears bill for guardrails on use of artificial intelligence in mental health care passes the General Assembly

Great job, Tina!

The General Assembly approved two pieces of legislation from Sen. Lori Urso and Rep. Tina L. Spears to create artificial intelligence safety guidelines related to suicidal ideation and mental health treatment. The bills are part of the Senate’s 17-bill package of healthcare legislation.

The first bill (2026-S 2195Aaa, 2026-H 7350Aaa) requires developers to incorporate protocols to protect vulnerable users who may express suicidal ideation, desires for self-harm or desires to physically harm others while interacting with a chatbot. 

The systems would also be required to refer users to a crisis service provider as soon as it detects any of these expressions, and developers would have to submit annual reports to the Attorney General’s office showing the number of safety protocol activations and related metrics.

“AI chatbots are a new kind of technology that provide an experience that to many users feels like speaking to a friend or a therapist. But chatbots aren’t human and they do not live up to the professional standards of a trained therapist,” said Representative Spears (D-Dist. 36, Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown, Westerly). “This legislation puts up necessary guardrails to protect the users of chatbots, because, as we have seen in too many tragic instances, the products are not currently equipped to deal with users experiencing a crisis in a safe and responsible manner. Whether at home or in a clinical setting, human oversight and thoughtful safety regulation are necessary to keep Rhode Islanders safe from a growing and untested technology.”

BAD air and heat today. Smog lifts Saturday

Air Quality Alert: Unhealthy Ozone for Sensitive Groups Expected Thursday

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) forecasts that air quality will reach UNHEALTHY levels for sensitive groups due to elevated ground-level ozone on Thursday, June 11. The alert is being issued statewide.

Key Details:

• UNHEALHTY ozone levels for sensitive groups are expected across the entire state.
• Peak levels begin early afternoon, continuing into the evening.
• Fine particles are also expected to be elevated, reaching MODERATE.

Health Impacts: Unhealthy ozone levels may cause:

• Throat irritation, coughing, and chest pain
• Shortness of breath and increased risk of respiratory infections
• Worsening of asthma and other lung conditions- particularly for children, the elderly, and others with pre-existing respiratory issues.

Recommended Actions:

• Reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.
• Take frequent breaks and choose less strenuous activities.
• Monitor for symptoms like coughing or shortness of breath.
• People with asthma or lung conditions should follow their action plans and carry quick-relief medications.
• Schedule outdoor activities in the morning when ozone levels are lowest and typically GOOD on the Air Quality index.

Air quality can change throughout the day. To stay informed, download the AirNOW app or visit www.airnow.gov for real-time updates and forecasts.

Additional information is also available on DEM’s air quality forecast page at www.dem.ri.gov/airquality.

For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov [pvxtjxbbb.cc.rs6.net]. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter/X (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates. Sign up here to receive the latest press releases, news, and events from DEM's Public Affairs Office to your inbox.

New Pell Center national survey finds Americans with the strongest authoritarian attitudes are the most likely to support violations of democratic norms

By the numbers, Republicans like fascism more than Dems

Salve Regina University’s Pell Center

Americans with the strongest authoritarian attitudes are more likely to support political actions that violate democratic norms, according to a new survey from Salve Regina University’s Pell Center. 

While support for democratic norm violations is generally low across the population, high authoritarians—a characteristic identified through a series of questions designed to surface those sentiments—are more likely to support government actions like ignoring court decisions, censoring media sources, and changing election rules to disadvantage the political opposition.

Download the full report here.

The survey was directed by Pell Center Associate Director and Fellow Katie Sonder and fielded by Embold Research between May 4-12, 2026. 

It gathered responses from 2,034 likely voters in the United States, with a modeled margin of error of 2.2 percent. It examined how Americans perceive the health of U.S. democracy, democratic norm violations, and partisan identity, as well as the relationship between authoritarian attitudes and those views.

While support for democratic norm violations remains relatively low, substantial differences exist across partisan and ideological groups. Most Americans do not support election interference, but high authoritarians are more likely than any other demographic subgroup (gender, race, age, etc.) to support changing election rules to make victory harder for the opposition.

Additionally, higher levels of authoritarianism were strongly associated with conservative political identification. 

Of those scoring highest on the authoritarian scale, 80% were Republican or Republican-leaning. Of those scoring lowest on the scale three-quarters were Democrat or Democrat-leaning.  

Finally, Americans remain deeply divided on the basic state of American democracy 

itself. While 95% of Democrats say the United States is facing a constitutional crisis, a majority of Republicans believe the country has a strong system of checks and balances and a thriving economy.