Nationally relevant

Articles relevant beyond the local area

Solar Aurora Possible Mon Night: Flares and CME likely to cause G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm

At Providence, solar aurora may be visible overnight Mon into Tue, although fairly unlikely. Aurora is unusual at latitudes this far south, but it typically happens a few times every year. Weather at Providence during the potential aurora will be partly cloudy with about 50% cloud cover, temperature about 60°F and near-zero chance of rain. […]

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Immigration Compliance: US Attorney General Threatens RI

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi sent a letter to RI Governor Daniel McKee and RI Attorney General Peter Neronha, dated Aug 13, stating “You are hereby notified that your jurisdiction has been identified as one that engages in sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement… This ends now.” The letter demanded a response […]

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Hurricane Erin Now Category 2: No immediate threat to New England but keep alert and updated

Hurricane Erin is currently at Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson wind speed scale with maximum sustained winds of 110 MPH, and further increase in strength is likely. H. Erin briefly on Sat reached Category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 160 MPH, a significant rarity. Remember that this scale accounts only for wind speed and […]

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Satire — Secret New “Ninja” Stealth Bomber: To be publicly revealed at Trump birthday parade

The United States Air Force announced that the latest addition to their arsenal, the B-614 stealth bomber, nicknamed the “Ninja,” will make its first public appearance in a flyover on Saturday, Jun 14, at the Washington DC military parade that coincides with the birthday of President Donald J. Trump. “The Ninja is the next generation […]

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ACLU Sues Brown Police: Update on Brown Police vs. public access

The RI chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today (Jun 2) sued Brown University over two separate disputes since 2022 where the university, authorized to operate its own police agency as the Brown Department of Public Safety (BDPS), refused to provide records of arrests and enforcement actions that all public police agencies are […]

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Significant Storm Likely Sat Evening to Sun Night: Snow 3 – 5 inches before changing to rain

Winter Weather Advisory in effect from February 15, 01:00 PM EST until February 16, 07:00 PM EST High Wind Watch in effect from February 16, 07:00 PM EST until February 17, 07:00 PM EST At Providence, precipitation will begin as snow Sat 5pm and change to sleet, freezing rain, and finally rain Sun 2am – […]

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Universal Basic Income and the Future of Work: Ominous Portents

What will work be like in the future? Will people be replaced by artificially intelligent robots? If that happens, what kind of work will be left for people to do? And will universal basic income be necessary for survival? The scariest part of these questions is not about potential trends in the future, but rather […]

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News Analysis — Secret Police Records, Secret Arrests, Secret Charges: Brown University police make every effort to escape public scrutiny and accountability

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of […]

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RI ELECTION RESULTS 2024

While there were plenty of surprises on the national front, election results in Rhode Island held little drama or surprise. To the extent there are unanticipated results, they are in the margin – although Trump lost, he made a better showing than expected. Patricia Morgan, arguably the most coherent Republican to run for anything in […]

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Inside Brown University’s Solidarity Encampment

On April 24, 2024, a group of students at Brown University launched a Gaza solidarity encampment, a movement that spread across college campuses across the country and across the globe demanding university divestment from companies that fund the ongoing war in Gaza. One early spring evening, I visited the encampment on the Main Green of […]

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