URI food safety expert offers information, tips to avoid summer’s cyclosporiasis

Paranoid about parasites? 

Kristen Curry 

Cooking (to 158 degrees Fahrenheit or higher)
 kills the Cyclospora parasite.

A food safety specialist at the University of Rhode Island, Nicole Richard leads efforts to help businesses and restaurants be food-safe for their customers. Now she’s sharing tips for consumers wondering what to do this summer as a fearsome illness makes news: How to avoid the dreaded cyclosporiasis?

Richard, a URI research associate and food safety researcher with the University’s Cooperative Extension, shares tips on food safety that can be applied year-round for good health and stress-free dining. 

She has more than 20 years of experience developing resources and programming for businesses and consumers through URI’s Food Safety Research and Education Program and is a frequently requested expert on food safety in home and business settings. Richard also chairs the Rhode Island Food Safety Task Force.

What should people know about cyclosporiasis and how much do we need to be concerned here in New England or if traveling to other parts of the country?

Cyclosporiasis is a foodborne illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora that primarily affects the intestines, causing diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, and fatigue. It is typically associated with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, likely contaminated by water, soil or food handlers. Humans serve as a host for the parasite. They may not show signs of illness and can shed the parasite while handling food.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet identified a specific source of the outbreak.

Has an outbreak like this happened to this degree before?

Good agricultural practices on farms minimize risk
of contamination; URI has trained nearly 300 farmers,
agricultural professionals, and partner organizations in
science-based practices that help reduce food safety risks.
(URI Photo / Nora Lewis)

The United States has experienced outbreaks caused by cyclosporiasis before, but not to the magnitude of this current outbreak.

What measures do you recommend for people to protect their health and that of loved ones?

If immunocompromised or concerned about this parasite, the best advice is to wash your hands and any fresh produce thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking. This will reduce the risk of infection. Cooking kills the parasite, so heating food to 158 degrees Fahrenheit (or 70 degrees Celsius) or higher is effective.

Is Cyclospora found in water or in food? Is eating out in restaurants safe?

Water is the transmission vehicle that carries the parasite to fresh produce.

A Cyclospora outbreak does not mean restaurants are unsafe. Outbreaks are usually linked to specific contaminated foods or suppliers; restaurants use food safety practices to prevent contamination and remove affected products. The risk is highest from the specific food items involved in the outbreak, not from eating at restaurants in general. 

Wildfire smoke persists over Charlestown and the rest of the state. It stinks.

Ivermectin isn’t a cancer miracle drug, but influencers claim otherwise

Another reason why social media is a bad source of medical information

Dannell D. Boatman, West Virginia University

In the meantime, this happened

Though researchers have been studying the animal deworming drug ivermectin for decades, there is no evidence that it’s a safe or effective way to treat cancer in people.

However, a June 2026 study put the topic back in the spotlight. After being downloaded more than 85,000 times before its official publication, the study gained traction on social media – particularly X – and within alternative health communities, where it was shared widely to bolster broader claims about repurposing antiparasitic drugs as cancer treatments. 

While traditional news outlets were covering renewed public interest in ivermectin for cancer following the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the conversation surrounding this particular new study unfolded outside of mainstream media coverage.

Shortly after the study was published, scientists raised serious concerns about how the study arrived at its findings, conflicts of interest and the peer-review process.

For one, the study did not have a comparison group to determine whether patients taking a combination of ivermectin and another antiparasitic truly saw improvements due to these drugs or the conventional cancer therapies they were also taking. Moreover, the study relied on patients’ own self-reports rather than medical record information. Unlike medical records, self-reports cannot be independently verified and are more susceptible to bias, making them less reliable as scientific evidence.

Although the journal issued an Expression of Concern shortly after publication, the study has not yet been retracted.

This case illustrates a recurring challenge in how science reaches the public. Early findings can spread quickly through news coverage, social media and online communities, while the evidence needed to fully evaluate them can take months or years to develop. By the time additional evidence emerges, many people have already shared the original report or made financial and medical decisions based on it.

As a health communication researcher, I study how people interpret new cancer information, how health misinformation spreads and how communication can support good health behaviors.

The renewed attention surrounding ivermectin and other antiparasitic drugs offers an opportunity to understand why some scientific findings become influential before researchers fully understand what they mean.

Leading climate scientist accuses Trump Energy Dept. of misusing his research

Climate scientist who “proved” humanity is warming Earth says government report got it wrong

University of East Anglia

A pioneering climate scientist is challenging a U.S. government report that cited his research while reaching what he says is the exact opposite conclusion. 

Benjamin Santer and his colleagues say decades of satellite data clearly reveal the atmospheric “fingerprint” of human-caused climate change. Their new peer-reviewed analysis argues the report contains major scientific errors and should not be relied upon in climate policy decisions.

A leading climate scientist is pushing back against what he describes as "demonstrably incorrect" claims in a major US government climate report, arguing that it misrepresented his research and understated the role of human activity in global warming.

Still waiting

Help re-elect Sen. Victoria Gu

Sign up to Volunteer

RSVP for Fundraiser

Campaign season is upon us, which means we need the funding to get our message out - palm cards, yard signs, mailers, etc. I’m excited to welcome you to a summer fundraiser at a supporter’s house in Westerly. Together, we’ve made real progress: - securing Rhode Islanders’ right to shoreline access - passing the Act on Coasts to plan for sea level rise and stronger storms - expanding mental health support in schools - and much more But there’s more to do, and I need your help to keep the momentum going! Join us for good food and conversation as we celebrate our achievements and look ahead to the future. Can’t wait to see you there! Date/Time: Tuesday July 21st 2026, 6-8pm Location: Private residence in Westerly, RI. Address given upon RSVP (RSVP to victoria4ri@gmail.com or go to victoria4ri.com/jul21) Checks can be made out to: Friends of Victoria Gu PO Box 116 Charlestown, RI, 02813

Be the first in Charlestown to apply

Course applications now open for fall Food Recovery for Rhode Island program at URI

Kristen Curry  

URI’s Food Recovery Course lets participants get hands-on
experiences with Rhode Island food systems; applications
are open now.  (URI Photo / Vanessa Venturini)

Applications are open for Food Recovery for Rhode Island at the University of Rhode Island, a community education program offered through URI Cooperative Extension. The six-week online course includes field experiences that can be completed at participants’ convenience — and, for many, the experience kickstarts greater involvement in Rhode Island’s food system. 

The program celebrated five years of food action this spring. To date, 250 Rhode Islanders have enhanced their food literacy through the Food Recovery for Rhode Island program, all the while tackling a large problem. Thirty-four percent of Rhode Island residents experienced food insecurity last year, and demand for food assistance has also increased. With the rising cost of food, more people than ever are interested in maximizing their groceries at home. Food also remains the largest component of Rhode Island’s single landfill, with harmful greenhouse gases released as it breaks down.  

Vanessa Venturini, the program’s co-founder at URI Cooperative Extension, says Food Recovery for Rhode Island addresses residential food waste through grassroots change. 

How to prevent New World screwworm infestations in cats and dogs

Protect your pet from Trump-Musk screw-up

Liz Szabo, MA

Although the New World screwworm (NWS) mainly endangers livestock, the parasitic flies can also attack and kill pets.

Two of the 34 animals sickened by NWS since early June are dogs. One dog was infested in New Mexico, and a second dog was sickened in Texas. 

Most animals in the United States have a low risk of being affected. Pets are at elevated risk if they live in areas with documented NWS cases, including Lea County, New Mexico, and the Texas counties of Brewster, Crocket, Edwards, Gillespie, Jim Hogg, LaSalle, Medina, Pecos, Sutton, Terrell, Tom Green, Uvalde, and Zavala.

Something out of a horror movie

Screwworm infestations sound like something out of a horror movie: They occur when the adult fly Cochliomyia hominivorax lays eggs in a wound or body opening of a warm-blooded animal. When the eggs hatch, they devour the animal’s flesh. 

Infestations can cause severe tissue damage, serious infections, and death, especially if not detected and treated early.

For many pet owners, the thought of screwworms attacking their dogs and cats is horrifying.

The good news is that there are ways to prevent and treat infestations— and your dogs and cats may already be using them.

That haze in Charlestown air is Canadian wildfire smoke - it's unhealthy

 It will be around for a few days at least

ICE jail in Central Falls declares bankruptcy

Wyatt operator files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

By Philip Eil, Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island’s only municipal corporation-operated detention facility filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in Providence federal bankruptcy court Friday, in hopes of resolving long-running disputes with bondholders and its host city.

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.

Chariho United challenges inaccurate criticism

Setting the Record Straight

Chariho United

Recently, School Committee members Ed Lowe and Larry Phelps circulated handouts on Facebook and at the July 6 Hopkinton Town Council meeting during public comment, making claims about school facility costs and student performance in Chariho. Some of the underlying numbers come from state reports. The headlines and conclusions do not. Here's what the record actually shows. 

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

Swimming in it

Charlestown voters: important special referendum

What could possibly go wrong?

Trump’s Push for Deep-Sea Mining 

By Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Minerals like nickel and cobalt are in so many of the products we use, including the device you’re reading this on. That demand is exactly what The Metals Company (TMC) is banking on. In March 2026, TMC joined the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium (the “DIBC”). 

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.

The success of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic sparked interest in whether the same technology could be harnessed to fight cancer. Researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have taken an early step toward that goal, reporting the first preclinical evidence that an mRNA vaccine can target neuroblastoma, the deadliest childhood cancer.

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.