Heat Advisory – Dangerous heat index Wed, Thu: Thunderstorms possible late Thu
A Heat Advisory is effective Wed 11am to Thu 8pm in RI, MA, and CT for dangerous heat index (combination of heat and humidity) up to 103. The body loses […]
Events:
A Shared Journey
September 13, 2025 - March 5, 2026This Is a Thing, Recent Gifts to Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, 2020–2025
September 14, 2025 - March 1, 2026The Court: Art in Play
September 24, 2025 - April 26, 2026The Flower, The Labor, and The Sea
September 27, 2025 - June 28, 2026
News Analysis — RI New Gun Laws: Constitutional problems certain to lead to lawsuits
Through a series of weird parliamentary maneuvers, RI hurled itself into a legal nightmare on gun control. Three proposed bills would ban carrying long guns (rifles and shotguns) in public […]
Monkeypox in RI: First probable case identified
RI has detected its first probable case of monkeypox virus. The state Department of Health (RIDOH) said in a statement that a male patient in his thirties who resides in […]
RI “Don’t Say Gay” (or Anything Else) Bills: Dead in the water
RI has not escaped the national trend of proposed legislation that would impose restrictions on discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools or on teaching history in such […]
Pot in Every Pot: RI Legalizes Recreational Cannabis
Recreational cannabis will be legal in RI under a new bill that will be signed into law at a ceremony later today (Wed, May 25) announced by Gov. Daniel McKee […]
Greater RI protections for wiretap warrants: No federal “good-faith” exception to exclusionary rule
The RI Supreme Court this morning (May 5) ruled unanimously, 5-0, in a consolidated case involving multiple criminal defendants (State v. Deric S. McGuire et al.) that a failure to […]
Destroying Twitter in Order to Save It: Elon Musk Throws Around Billions
Bilow’s Law of Twitter: “No worthwhile ideas can be expressed in 140 characters, and even fewer in 280.” My public journalist Twitter account (@MikeBilow) was created in 2015 by which […]
My friend, killed by the government: Stop the carnage
[Listen to a podcast about this article: motifri.com/home/episode-2-michael-bilow] A few months ago, a friend of mine was killed by government policy. This may seem an extreme claim, but my friend […]
Additional COVID-19 vaccine booster dose: For everyone age 50+ and immunocompromised age 12+
Today, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a second booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (that is, […]
Ukraine vigil Sat, Mar 26, 4pm, RI State House: Interfaith humanitarian relief effort
UPDATE: View our video recording of the full 45-minute event at motifri.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Ukraine-vigil.2022-03-26-720p-h264-crf35.mp4 An umbrella group calling itself “Rhode Islanders for Ukraine” announced a vigil in support of the Eastern European […]