Celebrate July 4th: A look back at some of our best stories of 2023 (so far)
Dear Readers,
It's the 4th of July. In Rhode Island, that means parades, time at the beach and summer barbeques. As columnist Frank Lennon discussed, Rhode Island has a long history of celebrating the nation's independence. One British sympathizer even wrote in her diary on July 4th, 1777:"This being the first anniversary of the Declaration of the Independency of the Rebel Colonies, they ushered in the morning at [Bristol] by firing 13 cannons, one for each colony we suppose. At 12 o’clock the three Rebel Frigates that lie at and near Providence fired 13 guns, and at one [o’clock] 13 guns were fired from their fort at Howland’s Ferry [Tiverton]. At sunset, the Rebel Frigates fired another round of 13 guns each, one after the other. As the evening was very still and fine, the echo of the guns down the bay had a very grand effect…”
The nation's oldest, continually celebrated Independence Day Event, takes place in Bristol RI and started in 1785.
If on the other hand, your taking the midweek day off to relax at home or on the beach here's a look back at some of our best reporting so far from 2023 that you're subscription has helped support. So kick back, relax and catch up on some of these standout stories-
'Tunnel muck' and RI's biggest public works project. Ever.
The Narragansett Bay Commission's s decades-long, nearly $1.7-billion effort to create a subterranean tunnel network to capture overflows of polluted stormwater and sewage is in its final phase. When completed in 2027, it will bring RI into full compliance with the Clean Water Act. Already, water in Narragansett Bay is cleaner and clearer than in generations.
But the project isn't without complications. The byproduct of digging a massive tunnel 150 beneath Pawtucktet is lots and lots of dirt. By the time the project is over planners estimate they'll generate 1.2 milion cubic yards of 'tunnel muck.' Just what should happen with all this byproduct has created a heated fight between state agencies. That disagreement is going to cost taxpayers
How much do they make? Rhode Island municipal and school salaries in 2022
How much did they make?
That's the question we hope to answer for Rhode Island's six biggest municipalities, as well as their school departments. To do it, we have requested salary data from all the municipalities and schools.
These salaries stories are part of a series by The Providence Journal. Stories and databases will cover municipal payroll and school payroll in Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Warwick.
'Everybody's scrambling': RI law enforcement agencies are grappling with a staff crisis
In RI and nationally, law enforcement agencies are struggling to attract applicants, even as their ranks edge closer to retirement age, leaving some departments facing a staffing crisis.
A third of the RI Dept. of Corrections' 900-officer workforce will be eligible to retire in the coming year, and the RI State Police drew fewer than 1,000 applicants for the first time last year.
Staff shortages in the Division of Sheriffs is creating a ripple effect, delaying court proceedings statewide. Strategies being considered: Lowering education and physical fitness requirements; boosting training salaries; allowing lateral transfers; and easing restrictions on facial hair and tattoos.
Remembering The Station nightclub fire: Twenty years later
Twenty years after the nation's 4th worst nightclub fire, Rhode Island is still dealing with the collective trauma, legislative fallout and lasting impacts of The Station nightclub fire.
Survivors, families, friends, firefighters, doctors and nurses were left to carry the physical and emotional scars of that night. For everyone who was involved, the memories still haunt them.
His quest? Walk RI's entire coast- But private property and blocked access are a challenge
Taylor Ellis is attempting to walk the entirety of Rhode Island's ocean-facing coastline and estimates that he's about 85% done.
Though he didn't initially set out to make a statement, he quickly became frustrated by the many barriers that stand in the way of public access to the shoreline.
Ellis, a grandfather of six with a part-time job advocating for the homeless, is on a quest to walk the entire length of the Ocean State's ocean-facing coastline. Along the way, he's had a unique firsthand look at the many obstacles to public shoreline access, from forbidding seawalls and "No Trespassing" signs to parking restrictions in high-end neighborhoods.
From everyone at the Providence Journal, Happy 4th of July.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Some of the best stories from the Providence Journal in 2023 (so far)
