All posts tagged: Rhode Island News

Trees Are Magic. in Newport, Volunteers Are Working to Expand Their Healthy Reach

Trees Are Magic. in Newport, Volunteers Are Working to Expand Their Healthy Reach

Published by Sam Flores

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — On Newport’s south side, historic and opulent mansions sit on an avenue with mature trees that help cool the neighborhoods, clean the air and foster wildlife. On the city’s poorer North End, where some streets are dotted with subsidized housing, big trees are a lot fewer and far between. “People in this neighborhood aren’t receiving the benefits of trees,” said Natasha Harrison, executive director of the Newport Tree Conservancy. “They need more.” The conservancy has planted hundreds of native trees to create a healthier forest in a 30-acre city-owned park, Miantonomi Memorial Park. Fifteen volunteers met staff from the conservancy at the park in the northern part of the city on Wednesday for Earth Day. Many native trees in the park’s forest have been crowded out by invasive plants, killed by disease or eaten by deer, rabbits and squirrels. This year, for the first time, the conservancy wanted to dig up native seedlings to nurture the trees in their nursery and replant them in the forest to better their chances of …

Northeast US Digs Out From Brutal Snowfall as Second Storm May Near

Northeast US Digs Out From Brutal Snowfall as Second Storm May Near

Published by Sam Flores

Neighbors, government workers and a powerful railroad snow-clearing machine nicknamed “Darth Vader” have been digging out from a brutal storm that forecasters are calling the strongest in a decade. It dumped more than two feet of snow across much of the northeastern United States, and a record three feet in Warwick, Rhode Island. Two Brooklyn dads say the city rushed kids back to school Lerone Davis, who works nights as a first responder, said it would’ve been safer for children to have an extra day at home because the streets are still piled high with snow. “Finally I was thinking, ‘OK I’ll park the car and relax for a little bit,’ but then I had to jump right back into it,” he said, standing with another father outside his kid’s Brooklyn day care, which follows the city’s decision to reopen Tuesday. Both dads said they weren’t thrilled. “Not having to worry about getting to school, battling with snow and everything, I think makes a little bit more sense,” Davis said. “Plus, they have snow days …

‘Love Story’ Is Revealing Just How Much Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Style Has Endured

‘Love Story’ Is Revealing Just How Much Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Style Has Endured

Published by Sam Flores

Grainy paparazzi shots on social media show her hailing a cab in a black slip dress. Walking the streets of New York in an oversize coat. Wearing that signature red lipstick. Nearly three decades after her death at age 33, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is back in the spotlight as one of fashion’s most powerful style influencers. The new TV series “Love Story” chronicles her relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr., and many fans are watching for the clothes. In an era dominated by conspicuous branding and obvious cosmetic enhancements, Bessette Kennedy’s enduring appeal lies in what she did not do. She had no platform, no brand partnerships, no social media presence. “She looks so different from the people we see now on Instagram,” said Ashley Traher, a 45-year-old attorney in Phoenix who grew up admiring Bessette Kennedy from afar. “I think we’ll be able to date today’s influencers immediately because of their makeup, clothes, even plastic surgery. But Carolyn had an effortlessness that always looks modern and cool.” Traher, who first encountered Bessette Kennedy as …

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Offshore Wind Project Freeze

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Offshore Wind Project Freeze

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday over its decision to halt two major offshore wind projects expected to power more than 1 million homes in the state. State Attorney General Letitia James said in legal challenges filed in federal court in Washington that the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Dec. 22 order suspending construction on the projects off Long Island, citing national security concerns, was arbitrary and unwarranted. The Democrat said Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects had already cleared more than a decade of security and safety reviews by federal, state and local authorities. She said pausing them now threatens New York’s economy and energy grid, and she asked the court to intervene. “New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law,” James said in a statement. “This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk.” Spokespersons for the Interior Department and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which are both named in the litigation, declined to …