In today's Weekender: 🗳️ These 300-Million-Year-Old Aerial Assassins Deserve Your Vote 🚫 ‘This Can’t Be Here:’ Threat of Massive Data Centers in Ocean State Triggers Alarm Plus stuff to do and a mink-y wildlife encounter ... bit.ly/4xGImES

Summer interns. Seems like as soon as they start, summer is over. It's especially hard to say goodbye when you have such driven, smart, and fearless interns. Our newsroom farewell to Joshua Geaughan and Tomi Olubowale. The future looks bright with these two young people coming up in the world.

More than half of all shoreline access points lack signage marking them as public. Another third display signs restricting parking, according to a new survey from @savethebayri.bsky.social. bit.ly/3S8tEY2

One private well in Tiverton tested at 4000 parts per trillion of PFAS, 19,900% higher than what the state believes is safe. "Sadly, politicians and their industry buddies allowed the PFAS threat to escalate before finally taking measures," writes columnist Frank Carini. bit.ly/3S01QVM

Charlestown could become the second municipality in the state to ban data centers. Public hearing tonight. bit.ly/45SzL5Q

While some of the hikers arrived as first-timers, others returned for another morning outing with a community they had found through Roam Loud Outdoors, one of the few hiking groups in Rhode Island focused on bringing women of color together for outdoor adventures. bit.ly/45L0PE1

Roger Williams Park Zoo has a plan to address its stormwater runoff that will make the park's seven waterbodies a lot healthier. bit.ly/44Sz4t5

In today's newsletter: bit.ly/4wxvd0K 🌍️ Two enviro groups back Foulkes in governor's race 🩸 Horsehoe crabs hauled from Warwick in trash bins, drained of blood 🧨 Congressional delegation blasts Trump over wind 🐘 The zoo's runoff plan has to do with H20 🦀 Study shows why Jonah crabs ❤️ wind turbines

In today's newsletter: bit.ly/4pyEdjs ✅️ Readers respond to Brown U. move-out trash with solutions 🤕 CRMC hobbles Cliff Walk repairs 💉 Unvaccinated Bengal cats booted from Rhode Island 🚲️ Woonsocket cyclist pedals bike/ped infrastructure ⚡️ Jamestown power failure highlights aging infrastructure

Ten years on, Sadie the goat and five other animals are still standing after surviving one of the worst cases of animal cruelty in the Northeast. bit.ly/4vJd8vj #AnimalRescue

ecoRI News won four awards from the Rhode Island Press Association. Frank Carini received 1st place for reporting on the environment buff.ly/2Dybnvc; Bonnie Phillips received 2nd place for most unexpected story buff.ly/5Zfuzdv We won 1st place for best newsletter and 2nd place for best news website.

In today's Weekender: bit.ly/3QndVnd 👀 Volunteers monitor this 10-eyed creature at Napatree Point 🔑 Renewables hold the key to a just transition ✅️ Things things to do including tie dye and fairy parties 🗳️ An election survey 🐍 And a wildlife encounter with a pregnant snake

Mysterious woolly balls appeared on a beach in Little Compton, and it's not what you think. bit.ly/43QAu6U

In The Weekender: Secret sewage spills and the Democratic candidate for Rhode Island governor you might not have heard of. Plus stuff to do and a wildlife encounter with a snapper. buff.ly/r50UbPJ

In today's newsletter: ❄️ Residents still fighting PVD over snow removal 🏆️ Environmental wins for 2026 legislative session 🔌 Sakonnet cable approved to feed offshore wind energy to grid 🌲 For kids at EP school, nature is their teacher Plus the latest event listings and job postings buff.ly/1XiZxTo

Weekend reading: Warwick's constant farmer is planning to retire, when environmental management is mismanagement and a wildlife encounter with a backyard bear. Plus stuff to do this weekend. buff.ly/A671BVT

In today's newsletter: buff.ly/8FadbWb 🛒 Lawmakers Pass Grocery Restrictive Covenant Ban ☠️ RI Close to Banning Rodenticides ⚽️ World Cup Trash vs Providence ❤️ Locals Celebrate Horseshoe Crab Orgy 🎯 Gov. Targets Energy Council Members

Scoop! Ethan Shorey is joining our board of directors. A career journalist and forever-advocate of the local news sector, his leadership will guide our newsroom in new and exciting ways. Ethan just launched the news site The Local Insider and is the president of the Rhode Island Press Association.

This Native American historical site is poised to become a massive mixed-use development. buff.ly/pa4bFpn

In today's enewsletter: 💩 Senate grapples with biosolids sludge ⚡ Gov. rolls back renewable rollbacks 💊 Pharm harms to local waters 🦟 Mosquito fogging is killing it, literally 🛢️ Big Oil rigs it buff.ly/K108uTk

For the first time, Rhode Island put the administration of its energy efficiency program out to bid. Things got weird when the Office of Energy Resources quietly ended the procurement process and handed the contract to Rhode Island Energy. @robesmit.bsky.social has the story. buff.ly/tCQt4u7

"While we casually hand out tax subsidies to rich guys to build thieving data centers, we keep shortchanging society's true data centers," writes ecoRI News columnist @frankcarini.bsky.social. buff.ly/PDddIA5

If a new project planned for for 54 acres of URI farmland goes according to plan, the farm may look more like a forest than it does bare fields in the next decade. buff.ly/Vq3BlFn

In today's newsletter: 🛒 Lt. Gov. wants to chop grocery prices 🌲 Silvopastere plan would make Peckham Farm look more like a forest 🎓️ Our real data centers are being shortchanged buff.ly/hhSjr5g

Two bills that would ban grocery stores from using restrictive covenants that squelch competition are drawing pushback from the state’s business community. buff.ly/1NRHNd0

Our publisher @jodetz.bsky.social snapped a photo of this little cutie at Hurricane Hill Farm Sunday at the farm's "Sheep Get Naked Day" sheep-shearing event. He was staying warm while mom got a haircut.

In a time of failing bridges across the state, it's lunacy that Rhode Island wants to spend money to save and maintain this bridge to nowhere, writes columnist @frankcarini.bsky.social. "Somehow the busted bridge has become an iconic feature." buff.ly/hoXC9GJ

Our columnist @frankcarini.bsky.social will be interviewing @whitehouse.senate.gov LIVE on June 5 at Save The Bay in Providence. Free to attend, but tickets are limited. Get yours 👇 www.eventbrite.com/e/on-the-rec...

In today's newsletter: 🐄 Hopkinton balances rural character with development 🚍️ They have places to go but no place to sit at RIPTA stops 🌬️ It's leaf-blower season ☀️ New group aims to organize businesses around climate issues buff.ly/WSgQBG0

The common refrain in communities has been to emphasize the importance of keeping a town’s “rural character.” But affordable housing mandates and the need to grow tax revenue amid a cohort of aging homeowners has towns like Hopkinton, to consider wider development districts. buff.ly/OpU4cPP