Saturday: help clean up Ninigret Park

Now is the time to get your flu shot.

Experts say don't wait. 

Sarah Boden

Influenza season started early this year, and Americans are advised to get their flu shots now, even in the parts of the United States where activity is currently low.

Nearly 5,000 lab-confirmed influenza hospitalizations were reported nationwide during the week ending October 17, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

This is the highest early-season hospital rate for mid-October since the 2010-11 flu season, said Anna Durbin, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Immunization Research, during today's media briefing. 

Early cases seem driven by an H1N1 variant, a type of influenza A, for which data suggest this year's vaccine is an incomplete match. Even so, the vaccine can prevent severe illness.

Preliminary CDC estimates find that up to 81,000 US residents died of flu-related illness from October 1, 2025, through May 23, 2026.

Additionally, the shot protects against two other flu viruses: another influenza A strain and a B lineage flu virus. Both are expected to circulate widely later this respiratory virus season. 

Because the vaccine works best before flu activity starts, people should get it as soon as possible, said Andrew Pekosz, PhD, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center of Excellence in Influenza Research and Response.

"This [moment] should be viewed as a good last call," he said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I got my COVID and flu shots at CVS in Westerly on October 23. As a determined PRO-vaxxer, I get whatever shots are available to ward off life-threatening illness. I made an advance appointment and was seen exactly at the time of that appointment. I was too early in the season to get the new mRNA-based flu shot. That will have to wait until next year. In the past, the mRNA COVID vaccine has caused me to undergo a day-after reaction where I feel sick for a couple of hours. But for the second year in a row, I had no negative after-effects. I have never had COVID and no flu or RSV since getting the shots.   - Will Collette

Trump just held a final election "rally" at the infamous Reflecting Pool in DC

 Here's how it went, courtesy of Jeff Tiedrich:

Over 3,000 Charlestown voters have cast their ballots as of noon. If you haven't voted yet, make sure you do. Polls close at 8 PM.

Not the actual result. Satire, folks.

A single sauna session sends immune cells surging through your body

Feeling sick? Finns say hop in the sauna

University of Eastern Finland

Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Kid Rock do sauna
workout. In blue jeans.

A new Finnish study reveals that just 30 minutes in a sauna can temporarily flood the bloodstream with additional white blood cells, potentially helping the immune system patrol the body and detect threats. The surprising response resembles the immune boost seen during exercise and may help explain some of the health benefits linked to sauna bathing.

During the study, researchers observed an increase in every type of circulating white blood cell they measured. Among them were neutrophils and lymphocytes, two important groups of immune cells. Neutrophils are often among the first defenders to respond to an infection, while lymphocytes include cells that recognize specific threats, produce antibodies, and help coordinate immune responses.

The increase was temporary. Within 30 minutes after the sauna session, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts had returned to their original levels.

Who controls the past, controls the future

The EPA is quietly killing its web archive

Rachel Santarsiero, Mother Jones

This story was originally published by Mother Jones and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.​

In a little-noticed webpage update, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced a plan to decommission its online web archive at the end of the year, a move that would wipe tens of thousands of publicly available environmental resources from the web. The discreet banner notice comes in stark contrast to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s recent public takedowns of the agency’s power plant pollution standards and federal methane regulatory system.

“The EPA’s online archive makes information about a wide variety of environmental issues and past policies available to the public, dating back at least 20 years,” said Gretchen Gehrke, co-founder of the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, or EDGI. “This information is irreplaceable, and if the archive is decommissioned, that information will be lost forever.”

For decades, the web archive has been an unparalleled resource for researchers, legislators, policymakers, and the public writ large. It houses everything from fact sheets and environmental reports to agency policy changes and regulatory actions, making it a tool for “democratic oversight,” according to Gehrke, who for 10 years has been tracking changes to vulnerable federal environmental data.

Some tips for last-minute undecided voters

Your vote counts. Be wise how you use it

By Will Collette

If you’re the kind of person who does their Xmas shopping on Xmas Eve, or mails in their tax return on the evening of April 14, this article is for you.

As of Monday after early voting ended, 2323 of Charlestown’s 6805 active registered voters cast their ballots either by mail or through in-person early voting. On its own, that’s a big turn-out for a non-Presidential election. Tomorrow, it’s up to the remaining 4,482 to decide whether to go to the polls and, if so, to decide how they will cast their ballots.

To find out WHERE you need to go to vote, CLICK HERE.

From a Progressive Charlestown standpoint, many of those decisions are clear and at the federal and state level, we should follow Donald Trump’s call for us to vote like he’s on the ballot…and vote for Democrats, especially US Rep. Seth Magaziner, and Helena Foulkes for Governor.

At the town level, the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee supports three outstanding Democrats for Town Council:

Left to right: Town Council President Deb Carney, Cynthia Drummond and Jill Fonnemann. Endorsed Democrats.

Charlestown Residents United (CRU) is a bi-partisan PAC that has held the Council majority for the past four years. They defeated the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) and it’s corrupt and inept leadership in 2022 and have since delivered competent, fiscally responsible, no-drama government. Their Council slate:

Charlestown Residents United's endorsed slate for Town Council

In my opinion, the CRU incumbents – Deb Carney, Craig Marr and Steve Stokes – have earned re-election. Jill Fonnemann is also one of my favorites – I supported her first election effort in December’s special election to fill the Council term of the late Rippy Serra. I don’t know much about Republican Matt Westover, other than he gave negative answers to the Womenx Project’s survey on women’s rights issues.

Democrat Cynthia Drummond (D) is on the town Democrat’s list but not on CRU’s list. She IS featured on the CCA’s endorsement list as if she was the top of the ticket.

Because this seemed contrary to Cynthia’s interview remarks to Alex Nunes that she wanted to steer clear of the CRU-CCA rivalry and only seek the town Democratic endorsement, I asked her this:

COLLETTE’S QUESTION:

[F]rom the CCA campaign material, it looks like the CCA is touting you as the top of their ticket. Did you give the CCA your consent for them to market you so prominently? 

Second, the CCA is notorious for demanding loyalty from all their endorsed candidates not just to their platform but also to every directive from the leadership. They purged their very first Council [in 2010] when the CCA decided to make a 180-degree switch of position on wind energy going from positive support to total opposition. Were you asked to pledge your loyalty to their platform? To their leadership? 

CYNTHIA’S RESPONSE:

When I decided to run, I stated that I would not be accepting endorsements from either the CCA or CRU. I did not want to become embroiled in the rivalry between the two PACs, which I often find distracting and unnecessary. The CCA accepted that I had declined their endorsement, but asked if they could still support me, which I agreed to. Then I learned that for CRU, CCA support amounted to what they considered to be an endorsement, and that CRU would, therefore, not support me. 

For the record, I have known Deb Carney for more than a decade and I did reach out to her before announcing my candidacy. We have always gotten along well, and I believe she has done an excellent job as council President. 

The CCA has never demanded loyalty or anything else from me and I have declined to take part in their campaign activities such as canvassing or envelope stuffing. Consistent with that effort, I went door to door last Sunday with my neighbor who is a Republican and not affiliated with either PAC. The CCA has put me at the top of their ticket, which I am fine with.

I take Cynthia at her word that she is not committed to the CCA. Throughout her years as a journalist covering Charlestown politics, I felt she has been honest and forthright.

Cynthia isn’t the only candidate the CCA has given an unsolicited endorsement. Council member Steve Stokes (CRU-R) received the CCA’s “conditional” endorsement, a dubious honor he never sought. The Democratic candidates for Chariho School Committee also did not seek the CCA’s endorsement. 

Indeed, Democrat Holly Eaves rejected the CCA's unsolicited endorsement and asked the CCA to remove her from their website, which they have done.

I urge voters to reject the CCA's Ruth Platner
for Planning and her crony Bonnie Van Slyke
for Council.

For the Planning Commission, I recommend you vote AGAINST the CCA slate, especially CCA founder and Planning Commissar-for-life Ruth Platner. She’s the architect of the CCA’s sleezy land deals, cover-ups, financial screw-ups, and persistent use of phony issues to scare voters. Bring the CCA's mailer with you to the polls and don't vote for their Planning Commission slate

Among the Charlestown Town Questions, I urge you to support Question 6 to approve funding for construction of a new unified Chariho District elementary school on the site of the existing Charlestown Elementary. It’s needed badly. Since Hopkinton and Richmond often vote against investment in Chariho, Charlestown voters need to get this referendum passed.

I also urge you to vote YES on Question 7. This question is bitterly opposed by the CCA because it would cut the current six-year staggered terms for Planning Commission members to a staggered 4-year term. The CCA says the 6-year terms are necessary so commission members for continuity on major projects. I say “WTF?”

This is the CCA saying the quiet part out loud – that they use the Planning Commission to talk projects to death and run out the clock on the funding developers hope to use. Six years for Planning to complete its work on projects is four years too long. The CCA knows that projects with government funding face deadlines and that investors in private projects will not wait 6 years for a final decision.

Charlestown is the ONLY Rhode Island municipality that still elects its Planning Commission. All other towns appoint their planning boards. The state enacted legislation in 1972 in an effort to de-politicize planning decisions. In Charlestown, the CCA has ensured that planning decisions are hyper-politicized, if not outright corrupt. While holding on to an elected board is the real problem with Charlestown’s planning, voting YES on Question 7 is a step in the right direction.

Re-elect incumbent state legislators EXCEPT ONE

Senator Victoria Gu, Reps. Megan Cotter, Carol McEntee and Kathy Fogarty have done a terrific job and will hopefully win re-election in landslides.

One incumbent deserves defeat: state Senator Elaine Morgan who represents the northern half of Charlestown. She has embarrassed her district and the state of Rhode Island with her MAGA-inspired antics.

Instead, I strongly recommend her opponent, Democrat Samantha “Sam” Wilcox, the effective Richmond Town Council president. Unlike Morgan, she has the skills and intelligence to actually help her district that spans northern Charlestown through Exeter.

Finally, I recommend you vote to approve four of the five state bond proposals. They meet important infrastructure needs and will create jobs.

I am skeptical about Question 3 and voted against it. This bond measure will put millions more into infrastructure at Quonset Point. While I’m sure this measure will create jobs, especially in construction, the Quonset Point Development Corporation has made a lot of dubious choices, such as support for asphalt and hazardous waste disposal. The QPDC, a quasi-governmental agency, has also stonewalled local officials seeking more information on the now-stalled sludge incinerator project.

The businesses at Quonset are pretty profitable, especially Electric Boat. Isn’t it time that they, not the taxpayers, finance the continuing build-out at Quonset? If taxpayers are going to continue pouring in millions, we need an expanded role for the community in decision-making and a lot more transparency. Send the right message: Vote NO on state Question 3.

Trump makes his final mid-term pitch

Thursday: a session on the issues of artificial intelligence.

A session discussing the role of AI in creating and spreading misinformation, and strategies to stay vigilant against its effects.

Sen. DiMario honored for her work supporting families and children with special needs

Honored for her effective advocacy

 From left, Sen. Alan M. DiMario and RIPIN
 Executive Director Samuel Salganik.

Sen. Alana M. DiMario was honored today for her work on behalf of families and children with special needs with a Legislative Partner award at the RIPIN Annual Breakfast.

“I am honored to receive this award and celebrate the 35th anniversary of RIPIN, a group founded by parents of children with special needs who recognized that through community and mutual support they could build a more inclusive and supportive Rhode Island,” said Senator DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham). 

“I’ve been proud to do my part in the General Assembly to move our laws in the same direction. Every child deserves to thrive, and every family deserves the support they need to provide the best learning environment possible for their children.”

Senator DiMario has sponsored a number of laws supporting special education and children with special needs, including to improve individualized education plans (IEP) for children and their parents, to ensure that parents of children with special educational needs have access to local advisory committees for support and advice, to allow students to help with IEP physical education classes, and to codify federal 504 education plans into state law.

She also successfully advocated for the state budget to fund behavioral health training for staff in out-of-school programs and personally supported workforce training for child mental health professionals by covering membership fees for infant and child care professionals.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Senator DiMario was one of several Democratic women legislators in South County who were targeted for defeat by the far-right League of Rhode Island Businesses. She beat her LORIB challenger Mark Mesrobian by 72% to 28%. She also has no opponent in the General Election tomorrow so she automatically will retain her seat.  - Will Collette

Medicare Drug Plans Are Hiking Premiums While Trump Claims Victory on Medicine Prices

Another Trump lie- he DIDN'T lower seniors' prescription costs

By Phil Galewitz

Millions of Medicare enrollees who buy stand-alone prescription drug plans will see their average monthly premiums rise by 50% in 2027, a new analysis finds.

But enrollees can avoid the average increase — from $34 a month to $51 — by switching to lower-cost plans during the program’s open enrollment period, which runs through Dec. 7.

Robert Travis Scott of Abingdon, Virginia, did just that in late October after he received a notice that his AARP-UnitedHealthcare Medicare drug plan premium would be increasing from $39.60 a month in 2026 to $121.90 in 2027. With just a little work checking prices online, Scott found a Humana plan for $19.30 with similar benefits.

“Yes, I am quite happy about that,” he said of the new plan he just found. He said he was stunned his existing plan was going up so much and worried that other seniors won’t shop for plans to save money. He estimates he saved himself about $1,000 for next year.

“With some plans increasing premiums substantially, the stakes are higher this year for people with Medicare stand-alone drug coverage if they sit on the sidelines during open enrollment,” said Juliette Cubanski, a vice president and the director of the Program on Medicare Policy at KFF, which conducted the analysis. KFF is a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

Rising drug costs are among the litany of affordability issues angering voters ahead of November’s midterm election. Donald Trump, whose approval rating in some polls has dipped to the lowest level of his two terms in office, claims his administration has succeeded in negotiating lower prices from drug manufacturers.

Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s company was facing a criminal investigation for allegedly enabling and profiting from the sale of illegal drugs on its platforms.

Zuckerberg off the hook after donating millions to Trump schemes

Jake Johnson for Common Dreams

Top officials at the US Department of Justice have reportedly halted a years-long criminal investigation into Facebook parent company Meta for allegedly facilitating—and profiting from—the illegal sale of drugs on its platforms, including to children.

Bloomberg Law reported Thursday that “senior leaders” at the Justice Department “ordered career prosecutors in the Western District of Virginia to cease the criminal investigation following advocacy from Meta’s legal team.” Meta is headed by Mark Zuckerberg, a billionaire who has worked to ingratiate himself with Donald Trump by helping to bankroll his inauguration and ballroom project.

“This is what Meta’s money is buying,” Kyle Jacobs-Morse, deputy executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, wrote in response to reports of the halted probe.

The existence of the Meta investigation was first revealed in March 2024 by The Wall Street Journal, which reported at the time that US prosecutors were “sending subpoenas and asking questions as part of a criminal grand jury probe looking into whether the company’s social-media platforms are facilitating and profiting from the illegal sale of drugs.”

According to Bloomberg Law, DOJ leaders’ decision to sideline the probe came “just after company executives were subpoenaed to testify.”

How to protect us from annihilation

Make your grandparents proud

For those who say there's no difference...

Time to vote!

 

C-Town Dems News

It's time to VOTE!

Early voting ends November 2 at 4 PM at Town Hall The General Election is November 3 from 7 AM – 8 PM at your LOCAL polling place. Find your polling place here.

The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee endorses the following local candidates:  Charlestown Town Council Deborah Carney, Cynthia Drummond, and Jill Fonnemann Chariho School Committee Holly Eaves, Craig Louzon, and Linda Lyall Senate District 34 Samantha Wilcox Senate District 38 Victoria Gu House District 36 Tina Spears

The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee endorses the following state candidates: US Senate Jack Reed US House of Representatives District 2 Seth Magaziner Governor Helena Buonnano Foulkes Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos Attorney General Kim Ahern Secretary of State Gregg Amore General Treasurer James Diossa

Our next meeting date is November 4, 2026 Join us at the Charlestown Police Station at 6 PM. All registered Democrats are welcome!

If you'd like to donate to the Charlestown Democratic Committee, you may   Send checks payable to: Charlestown Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 1088, Charlestown, RI 02813  or Scan the QR code  or Click the button below   DONATE

Call for Volunteers Your Charlestown Democratic Town Committee needs you! We are looking for active participants who want to help support Democratic candidates and causes. If interested, visit charlestowndemocrats.org and click VOLUNTEER. Please consider joining us!

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The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee manages the affairs of the Democratic Party in the town of Charlestown, RI subject to RI Election Law, State Party rules and its own bylaws. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM at the Charlestown Police Station. Any Charlestown registered Democrat is welcome to attend.