GLOCESTER — Abigail Leddy wasn’t thinking of a championship in the preseason She was just hoping her senior season at East Providence would be fun and the team could win some games along the way The Townies have done a little better than that East Providence girls lacrosse has turned what was thought to be a rebuilding season into one that could end with a Division III championship the Townies continued to impress themselves taking care of business early against a short-handed Ponaganset team for an 18-7 win and giving them a stranglehold on the top spot of the D-III RPI rankings “We didn’t really know what to expect this year,” said Leddy “We thought this year was going to have a learning curve ’ and now we’re using that to keep us going.” “Definitely we are a little surprised,” said fellow senior Kloey Iacovone who scored seven goals in the win over the Chieftains “We lost a lot of our strong seniors from last year but the leadership we have in this program a lot of people stepped up and that’s been going really great for our team “We have such great communication and I think that In 2022 East Providence won the Division III title in dramatic fashion, earning the program’s first championship. In 2023, the Townies made a return trip to the title game and lost a thriller, falling to Bay View, 9-8, in four overtimes With players from those championships graduated and coach Haley McCusker — who was instrumental in changing expectations around the program — departing for East Greenwich East Providence went a respectable 8-6 in Division III and had its season end with a one-goal loss to Bay View in the quarterfinals The Townies graduated some key players from last spring who was a big piece of the championship teams East Providence had some key players returning for 2025 — Iacovone was a second-team All-Division selection last year and Alyssa Karalekas was third-team All-Division — but didn’t feel like it was going to be a title favorite “We thought this was going to be a building year,” Iacovone said “Then all of a sudden we started winning these games In the second game of the season East Providence pulled out a 6-5 win over Smithfield a team that made the playoffs in Division II last spring but dropped to D-III in the new realignment The Townies had a rematch with the Sentinels on April 24 but were missing some key players because of a school trip EP pulled out an 8-7 overtime win and since then “That really solidified we can do this,” Leddy said “We’re strong players individually and as a whole team we’re even better.” East Providence did what good teams are supposed to do Ponaganset had its prom on Friday night and played the game without most of its experienced players The Townies didn’t pound their foot on the gas pedal but they made sure to never let the result be in doubt Scoring has been something East Providence hasn’t had a problem with this spring Saturday's game was Iacovone’s turn to lead the way has turned into a force — she had four against Ponaganset — and came up clutch with the game-winner in OT against Smithfield Sophomore Ella Benson scored four times against Ponaganset and has become a reliable finisher Carter Bessette and Dylan Flynn have also been a part of the offensive machine But East Providence isn’t winning just on scoring making life easy for Ava Williams — not that she needs it Williams is no stranger to big games after her memorable day in net on the 2022 championship team “The coaches are very good at keeping us calm and making sure we don’t go into games with high expectations,” Leddy said We just have to play our game and not expect that we’re goingto come out on top every time.” “It’s definitely high pressure and we bump heads a little bit and we’re definitely hard on ourselves but we’re all here to play the game and we’re all here to win the game,” Iacovone said it’s not because I don’t like them — it’s because we’re doing it for the game “It comes right off our shoulders and we just get along with each other.” The Townies weren’t talking championship in the preseason but those thoughts are being entertained now North Smithfield won the Division IV title last season and knows what it takes to win big games Toll Gate and Pilgrim have been tough and Ponaganset at full strength is different than the team that took the field on Saturday It’s just going to keep grinding forward and do what it’s done all year “It definitely becomes more intense in the playoffs,” Iacovone said “Every team kind of changes a little bit and I think we’re going to change in a positive way.” The views expressed here are the author's own Stop by and paint pottery! 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Monday, 9:00 amNorth Kingstown, RI LINCOLN — Rhode Island State Police arrested a Massachusetts woman Monday night following a high-speed pursuit investigation Troopers from the Lincoln Woods Barracks took Nasazya Gray on charges of reckless driving and eluding police in a high-speed pursuit The arrest stemmed from an investigation conducted jointly by state troopers and East Providence Police Department officers was apprehended on an affidavit and arrest warrant She was held overnight at the East Providence Police Department before being transferred to the State Police Lincoln Woods Barracks Gray is scheduled for morning arraignment before a Justice of the Peace document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a8d74cf6d177463f882423069064ee1b" );document.getElementById("heb7d81fb2").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment This year’s route will start and finish at Bold Point Park in East Providence After a two-year hiatus, an official marathon will return to Providence on May 4 this year organized by Rhode Races and Events as part of the Providence Rhode Races will serve as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon A half marathon and 5K race will accompany the marathon as well as a post-race festival featuring music The new marathon route avoids the Washington Bridge, which shut down in December 2023 — a factor contributing to the cancellation of the Providence race last year Providence issues one marathon permit per year The city received permit applications for this year’s race from Rhode Races and Ventures Endurance — a national event management company that has hosted the city’s marathon and accompanying half marathon in recent years the permit was awarded to Rhode Races because the organization found a route that worked for both the city and the community co-founder and chief running officer of Rhode Races The new route moves runners off the road for a large portion of the race by using the Gano Park Bike path and various pedestrian-only pathways — modifications that Rancourt hopes will reduce the impact of road closures on residents “Our goal is to really make sure that the new course works for the residents and the runners,” Rancourt said Estrella wrote that “the mayor is happy to see this event return to the city in a safe way that takes into consideration current traffic patterns.” Rancourt also highlighted the event’s charitable impact This year’s race has partnered with Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island through which the organization will send a team of 10 runners to participate in the race the vice president of advancement of Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the former R.I The marathon represents a “really wonderful opportunity to see the community come together around our wish children,” Viera said adding that not everyone realizes “how much it means to our wish children and their families to see wishes granted by members of their community.” He expects the team to raise a total of $30,000 for the organization the chance for marathoners to run again is especially exciting because “as the race director I get to hear all these amazing stories of why people are running it “Being able to have that event in Providence is so important because it is a connector for our community,” said Steven Blais Blais recalled hearing disappointment from run club members after the marathon’s cancellation in 2024 which was announced less than 40 days before the marathon was set to take place “A lot of people at that point had put in like 18 weeks of training,” Blais said He noted that the short time frame left many runners scrambling to find other marathon options Ron Koller, owner of the Providence location of The Malted Barley bar expressed enthusiasm about the return of the marathon Koller noted that the event has typically increased the amount of customers the restaurant receives during the weekend of the race.  “A lot of runners come in after the race and hang out,” Koller explained “It gives people who do not live in Providence a reason to come downtown.”  Blais is “most excited to see the people who are out there doing it for the first time,” he said.  said she plans to run in this year’s marathon  “I’m really excited for it to be back in Providence because I’m from here and it’s definitely an important part of the community,” Fagundes said out there ringing a cowbell for three hours waiting to see you for four seconds,” Blais said Fagundes also emphasized the community building aspect of running explaining that she has met and trained with many runners in the Providence area and marathons present an opportunity for runners to come together knowing that there’s going to be other people there on the course “I think the marathon is like the best celebration that you can have.” Blais said “I love that we get to that in our hometown (WJAR) — The city of East Providence held a ribbon cutting and tour of newly constructed affordable homes on Tuesday The three homes will be available for low to moderate-income families Each house has a main three-bedroom unit and a one or two-bedroom second apartment for additional tenants Residents can rent out the second living space to pay for their mortgage The selling price for the two-family homes is $239,000 Kristine Mortel Join MDVIP Primary Care Network to open MDVIP-affiliated practices in Rhode Island are accepting new patients and serve the surrounding towns of Barrington Soriano-Pisaturo and Mortel maintain smaller practices enabling them to dedicate more time to each patient emphasize disease prevention and early detection The doctors offer valuable conveniences including same- or next-day appointments lasting an average of 30 minutes and 24/7 physician availability "My greatest fulfillment as a primary care doctor comes from connecting with my patients getting to know them and their personal goals and listening to what is most important to them," said Dr who has been practicing in Rhode Island since 2009 I can provide the level of individualized care that I strongly believe in My hope is that I help empower my patients and their families to live as well as they can for as long as they can." "I believe that a positive doctor-patient partnership built on mutual trust honest communication and a shared approach to decision-making is vital to improving healthcare," said Dr "The MDVIP Wellness Program combined with my years of training and practice as a geriatrician enables me to work closely with patients to help prevent age-related disease and also address acute and chronic conditions that may have already set in." For an annual membership fee, patients receive the MDVIP Wellness Program a comprehensive yearly health assessment with advanced diagnostic tests and screenings that give a more complete view of the patient's overall health The doctors use these results to provide one-on-one coaching and tools that help patients make healthier lifestyle choices and achieve their specific goals Eleven peer-reviewed, published studies demonstrate that patients in MDVIP-affiliated practices achieve better health outcomes compared to those in traditional primary care settings MDVIP maintains unrivaled patient satisfaction scores and annual membership renewals consistently exceeding 90% Media Contact:Leslie Monreal-Feil[email protected] Media Contact:Leslie Monreal-Feillmonreal@mdvip.com the national leader in membership-based healthcare today announced the addition of board-certified family physician Dr today announced the addition of distinguished family physician Jennifer Wurst Health Care & Hospitals Medical Pharmaceuticals Licensing Corporate Expansion Do not sell or share my personal information: (WLNE) — The East Providence Police Department said a 44-year-old woman was charged with DUI after a crash on Crescent View Avenue on April 12 Police were called to the area around 10 p.m for reports of a two car head-on collision The department said that the arrested woman was transported to the hospital with minor injuries while the other vehicle had two occupants who also had minor injuries CUMBERLAND — Easing down a couple of spots in the batting order turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Owen Koczera Going from sixth to eighth over the last couple of games set him up to be the hero for Cumberland on this postcard afternoon The senior shortstop came through in the bottom of the sixth inning at Tucker Field completing a rally from a four-run deficit on April 28 East Providence couldn’t finish off what was a blistering start as the Clippers stayed the course in this Division I showdown Koczera’s single to left field capped a three-run frame and helped Cumberland slip past the Townies More: Who shined brightest on the diamond last week? Here are baseball's top player nominees Koczera dug in with two outs and the game tied a pair of singles already in his back pocket He sent a liner over shortstop that chased Aidan Ray home from second base to give the Clippers the only lead they needed Andrew Nocera fired a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to save it for Ben Jahnz who steadied himself after a rocky start to his outing “I’m just trying to see the ball deep,” Koczera said Cumberland faced a 5-3 deficit into what turned out to be the deciding inning Tyler Hurteau drew a one-out walk and Joshua Lyon blasted an RBI double to deep left-center An infield error on a routine grounder by Ray offered an extra out and Chase Austin took advantage with a sacrifice fly to deep center “We were pretty good one through nine,” Lyon said that’s what we have the bottom of the order for Jahnz helped himself with a single to center a liner that pushed Ray into scoring position who had already grounded a pair of base hits up the middle He waited on a breaking ball from Kyle DesRosiers and pulled it attacking early in the count against a reliever facing his second hitter “I felt like I could hit anything,” Koczera said East Providence (8-3) wasted no time jumping on top against a fellow 2023 league champion Brian Rutkowski cracked a two-run double and Tyler DiCecco lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 The Clippers (8-3) scored twice in the first and answered another run by the Townies in the second when Tyler Hurteau drove a sacrifice fly to center That two-run gap stood for another three frames “It’s always tough when you’re down 4-0,” Lyon said Cumberland captured a first state championship in 30 years in 2023 while the Townies brought home the Division II crown Now they’re both contending at the top level and in a race behind Bishop Hendricken that includes South Kingstown This result could help determine playoff seeding when the real business arrives in late May “The 2023 team — we’ve got kids still coming from that team bkoch@providencejournal.com Hennessey Elementary School students and the city of East Providence teamed up to celebrate Earth Day Twenty-eight trees were planted around the perimeter of the school and its playground The project was funded through a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service and Urban and Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grant (WJAR) — A 100th birthday party was held Sunday in East Providence for Rhode Islander Emilia Santos but her family wanted to celebrate her this weekend (WJAR) — East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva is reaffirming his city's commitment to Diversity He issued a proclamation on Wednesday which supports DEI initiatives in the city's workforce and community The agencies are then being told they should plan to lay off those workers (WJAR) — The Home Depot Foundation volunteers made improvements and renovations to two assisted and independent living communities in East Providence on Wednesday 20 volunteers worked on around $23,000 worth of interior renovations and improvement projects at The Loft at Linn and Winslow Gardens "We’re excited because we as a nonprofit need to raise money to renovate rooms like the one behind me so this donation is extremely helpful and wonderful and it’s going to serve all the residents that live in our care and also our staff," Chief Development Officer at Aldersbridge Communities Elise Strom said Some of the work included painting and installing ceiling tiles installing new lighting and installing new flooring (WJAR) — A low-cost animal veterinary clinic in East Providence will close this April Potter League for Animals CEO Brad Shear said the "Pet in Need" clinic on Amaral Street "Pets in Need is really the only low-cost veterinary clinic in Rhode Island right now and unfortunately we've been forced to stop operations of the clinic," said Shear We've been running 'Pets in Need' now for four years.. and the whole time it's been a financial struggle." The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ran the program for its first four years "We took it over in the beginning of COVID everything just became so much more expensive," he said "We couldn't raise the price of services to match that because of the clientele." Shear said about 4,000 people benefit from the program It costs about $1 million to operate every year and each year the Potter League loses about $350-400,000 "We didn't feel like there was any point in us running a clinic that charges full price There are plenty of full price clinics out there-- so the financial strain was not sustainable," said Shear He said the Potter League for Animals in Middletown understands that the need for pet care never stops...and sometimes services can be costly There is a shortage of veterinarians throughout the country Veterinary care is rising at about double the cost of inflation," said Shear when we think about all of the things that have gotten more expensive.. double that when you think of the costs of veterinary care So it's just a really difficult time for pet owners who can't afford to get care." The concern is that this will impact adoptions and the long-term affordability of pets He said they have reached out to clients about the major transition Shear encourages everyone to come to the East Providence clinic to get the pet services needed before the clinic closes on April 25; such as preventative care like vaccinations that will last years "So say if they're [pets] on medication and try to give them as long-term prescriptions as we can," said Shear " We will still have services at our spay and neuter clinic for those services We have some limited public services here at our animal services clinic here in Middletown." He also recommends visiting the Rhode Island Veterinary Access to Care Coalition website for discounted and subsidized vet care options in the state WARWICK — Not every victory over the course of a baseball season is going to look like Wednesday for Bishop Hendricken That was a relatively straightforward win against Cranston West Thursday afternoon brought something more difficult against East Providence a grinder against a team that didn’t do much losing through recent years in Division II The Hawks leaned on a solid relief pitching performance from Greg Fleury and an opportunistic offense at Pepin Field in a contest that wouldn’t be described as particularly crisp or clean Cullen Crain drove in three runs on a pair of hits Parker Boyd and Jack DePalma each scored twice From there it was a committee approach for Bishop Hendricken both at the plate and in the field as East Providence refused to go quietly after falling into a seven-run hole “Not every game is going to be perfect,” DePalma said The ability to grind out those hard-fought wins is really important as a team.” The Hawks improved to 6-0-1 with the win while East Providence dropped to 6-2 Both losses for the Townies to date have come to the Division I finalists last season They dropped a 4-1 decision to South Kingstown earlier in the year and have fared well so far after moving up a level Here are three takeaways from under the breezy sunshine The Hawks scored runs on an infield out by Braeden Campbell a sacrifice fly by Cam Daley and a passed ball Crain knocked in a pair when he found the gap in right center with a double in the bottom of the second and drove home another on a lined single to right in the bottom of the third “It wasn’t the greatest hitting day today but we battled,” Crain said Timely hits put them in position to score.” DePalma reached safely three times on a single and two of the nine walks Bishop Hendricken drew in the game They knocked out former classmate Tyler DiCecco in the third before hitting the wall against reliever Tim Robitaille “It shows a lot of grit from the team,” DePalma said “It gives us the ability to see guys step up — especially the younger guys.” Fleury found his groove after walking the first man he faced and allowing a two-run double to deep right center by DiCecco in the fourth The right-hander induced six ground balls that were converted into outs and fanned a pair His performance mirrored that of veteran Dylan Lynch I like how everyone can step up no matter who’s called.” Patrick Clemmey stranded seven through the first three frames thanks to a pair of strikeouts with the bases loaded in the first and third The left-hander allowed just three hits and fanned eight — his raw stuff showed The six walks he issued in this outing were a reminder of how fickle command can be after missing the better part of two full years due to Tommy John surgery “That’s just part of the game,” DePalma said “Pat went out there and battled today and Greg came in and shut it down really well.” East Providence could have made this a far different afternoon with a clutch hit or two Aidan Martins and Oliver Andrews sandwiched walks around a Gavin Palombo single off Clemmey’s foot to open the first The Townies made contact only once in the next three hitters and a grounder to third with the corners pulled in went for a 5-2 fielder’s choice at the plate This time the rally came with one out when Brian Rutkowski singled to right Kyle Desrosiers walked and DiCecco was hit by a pitch Clemmey struck out the next two hitters he faced to maintain a 5-1 advantage “Everyone is going to give us their best,” Crain said We’ve just got to come out hard with them.” The Diocese of Providence announced that Sacred Heart School in East Providence will be closing at the end of the school year (WJAR) — The Diocese of Providence announced that Sacred Heart School in East Providence will be closing at the end of the school year Officials said the Catholic school will be closing due to financial difficulties and declining enrollment “The diocese has approved Father De Nard’s request to close their school and we will be actively working with and assisting both the families and staff of Sacred Heart School in finding the right fit for them in neighboring Catholic schools,” a diocese spokesperson said Sacred Heart School currently has 19 students in pre-k and 106 students in grades K-8 Some of the Catholic schools in the area include Bishop McVinney “We are proud of the legacy of the many years Sacred Heart School educated children and grateful for the self-sacrifice of the faculty and staff who have served there over the many years,” a Diocese of Providence spokesperson said a private meeting for current parents will be held next Tuesday (WLNE) — The City of East Providence said it is urging residents to be more mindful of recycling habits adding that a lack of proper recycling is costing taxpayers “tens of thousands of dollars.” over two million pounds of recyclable waste was rejected and dumped in the landfill Mayor Bob DaSilva said this is the result of “people in our community not properly recycling.” The City said that if just 10% of a load of recycled waste is contaminated which is harmful for the environment and costly for taxpayers Rhode Island Resource Recovery takes a $250 fee to process the waste which is taken to the landfill and then billed at the city’s tipping fee This process costs thousands of dollars each year the city said it will issues citations to individuals with non-recyclable items found in recycling bins The City of East Providence reminds residents to recycle only the following in recycling bins: For more information, visit the City of East Providence’s website here (WJAR) — Crews were working in the cold Saturday night to repair a water main break in East Providence It happened in the area of Willett and Prescott avenues Mayor Bob DaSilva said the break was fixed at around 1:30 p.m in the meantime of your water if discolored please flush your system and do not ingest it.," he said in a social media comment Several inches of snow were forecast for Saturday night into Sunday (WJAR) — As the temperatures continue to grow colder a local company is hoping to bring warmth and comfort to some East Providence homes made an outreach to us and they wanted to be good community partners and said look we got 5,000 gallons of home fueling heating oil that we like to distribute to the community," said Mayor of East Providence Global Partners acquired the Exon Mobile Facility in East Providence so for them giving out gallons of heating oil to some of their neighbors in need was an easy decision and we want to show that giving back is not just something we do but we've been doing it informally for 100 years," said Dylan Robinson a Manager of Corporate Citizenship for Global Partners The gallons of heating oil will be given out until November of this year and it's all on a first-come-first-serve basis Eligible residents are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. DaSilva said they hope to start handing out some of those gallons as early as this week. "We're going to give it to people who are in need financially," said DaSilva. "So if you're receiving any time of snap benefits or benefits from the state and you can demonstrate that you meet the income requirements, we will make sure you get on the list." It's a process that comes at no costs from the city. Global Partners is footing the bill on everything, and they hope it's the start of an annual program. "We're going to go around and fill up the tanks at everyone's houses we just want to make sure that they have the product to heat their home," said Robinson. "You don't realize the impact of coming home to a cold house will have on you." EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island State Police said Tuesday that a tractor-trailer crashed into 12 cars on Interstate 195 in East Providence. State police said 13 people were injured. Only one woman was seriously hurt but is expected to survive. The crash shut down the westbound lanes for about three hours. The crash happened just before 9 a.m., and the lanes reopened at about noon. "A tractor-trailer traveling west failed to stop for traffic, colliding with approximately twelve vehicles," state police said in a release. NBC 10 News spoke with two witnesses who said they saw the crash while at a red light on Warren Avenue in East Providence. “Add of a sudden we saw this truck,” said Jed Leach, an witness. “It just slammed into all of these cars. We saw cars just popping up and debris falling over the edge of the bridge.” “It doesn’t even seem real, it’s like, did we see that this morning? Did that really happen?" said Jessica Leach of Rumford. “It did feel like it was slow motion and it didn’t even seem real seeing some of the cars flip backwards.” State police said 13 people, including the tractor-trailer driver, were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries. They said a woman had serious injuries that were not life-threatening. “From our vantage point it seemed like it could have been a lot worse and it’s amazing that no one was seriously injured,” said Leach. State police identified the driver as 64-year-old Jon Main of Cranston. Main was arraigned on a charge of driving to endanger. His next court hearing was set for June 9 in Providence District Court. EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — East Providence Police Department said it is no longer looking to identify a person accused of stealing a bicycle. According to police, the “unique and expensive” bicycle was stolen at the Weaver Library on Grove Avenue earlier this month. Police shared photos and videos of the suspect, including videos showing the suspect walking away with the bicycle and leaving with it in a blue SUV. East Providence police said the owner is no longer looking to file charges against the suspect. Rhode Island Energy crews worked to restore power in East Providence. (WJAR) EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island Energy said a tree fell onto a power line and broke a utility pole in East Providence. This, which happened just before 10 a.m., prompted a power outage that affected 3,000 customers in the Riverside neighborhood, officials said. Rhode Island Energy crews worked to restore power. Officials said around 470 customers still did not have power as of around 2 p.m. A Rhode Island Energy spokesperson said it is having a lag in its outage map. (WJAR) — East Providence police said a man was rescued after a vehicle fell into the water near Bold Point Park on Monday night. According to officials, the operator of the vehicle accidentally reversed into the water. The man, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was not injured in the incident. NBC 10 News crew observed officials attempting to pull the submerged vehicle out of the water. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. East Providence students help plant trees at school to celebrate Earth Day (WJAR) — East Providence Department of Public Works planted trees at an elementary school on Tuesday to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day the DPW will be planting 28 trees in total at Agnes B The students helped shovel and plant the trees with the help of an arborist around the perimeter of the school and the playground area "Trees that we plant today will be enjoyed by you and your children and your grandchildren and the many generations going forward," East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva said What we like to see is to get rid of some of this asphalt and we are working with the state on making a more fun area for the kids and also more trees so it could provide more shade for you as we continue." The trees were funded through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture An East Providence police officer was injured Sunday night after their cruiser was struck and slid into the driver's side of the cruiser The officer was transported to Rhode Island Hospital Police said the officer was later released The operator of the other vehicle was not injured (WLNE) — The City of East Providence will open their temporary extreme weather overnight warming shelter beginning Monday Rock Senior Center will remain open until February 24 The space is limited and will be offered on a first-come You must sign in and be at the shelter between the hours of 7 and 8:30 p.m (WJAR) — The city of East Providence announced that East Providence Police Chief Christopher Francesconi and Deputy Chief Barry Ramer will be retiring Both were appointed by Mayor Bob DaSilva in 2021 “It has been an absolute privilege to serve this truly special community for the past 25 years,” Chief Francesconi said some of the finest law enforcement officers in our region who continually strive to make the East Providence Police Department an exceptional organization.” the police department has had multiple notable accomplishments under the leadership of Francesconi including implementation of body-worn camera Deputy Chief Ramer is a 31-year veteran of the department I reflect on my time here with immense gratitude and pride,” Ramer said and the privilege of working alongside the dedicated men and women of this department The support from the community has been invaluable and I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me.” Mayor DaSilva said that the city will begin the search to fill these two roles as soon as possible (WLNE) — East Providence firefighters responded to a home on East Knowlton Street for a report of a code red house fire Tuesday morning The fire was called in around 3:30 this morning and a wood stove was removed from the home There is no word on if anyone was hurt in the incident (WLNE) — The East Providence Police Department said that part of Willett Avenue was shut down due to a water main break The area between Rounds Avenue and Benedict Street is closed due to crews working to address the break (WJAR) — One person was injured after a crash in East Providence Wednesday night The crash happened on Hall Street near Kensington Street Police said the driver was transported to Rhode Island Hospital with minor cuts to their face NBC 10 has reached out to police for more information (WLNE) — The East Providence Fire Department responded to a fire at an apartment complex on Pawtucket Avenue Tuesday evening According to the East Providence Fire Battalion Chief Scott Weber (WLNE) — A woman was taken to the hospital after a house fire in East Providence late Monday afternoon East Providence firefighters responded to a home on Ide Avenue around 2:45 p.m and were able to contain the fire to a room on the second floor Battalion Chief Joseph Crowshaw said a woman evacuated on her own but burned her hand while escaping the flames There were no working smoke detectors in the home who added things could have ended “much worse.” but the fire is not believed to be suspicious EAST PROVIDENCE − East Providence Police Chief Christopher Francesconi and Deputy Chief Barry Ramer, both longtime members of the department “It will be a great loss to the department and City of East Providence to lose both of these leaders at the same time I feel confident as search efforts get underway that we will find strong candidates We will start that process immediately in hopes of filling those roles as soon as possible.” DaSilva said in a press release “It has been an absolute honor to work with and get to know the leadership styles and capabilities of both Chief Francesconi and Major Ramer,” DaSilva said Francesconi, a 25-year department member His retirement will be effective in the first week of April Francesconi began his career as a patrol officer in 2000 DaSilva said the department had a number of "notable accomplishments" under Francesconi's leadership More: New brass: There's been massive turnover among RI police chiefs. What it means for your town. "It has been an absolute privilege to serve this truly special community for the past 25 years The City of East Providence welcomed me as a young police officer and a new resident." some of the finest law enforcement officers in our region who continually strive to make the East Providence Police Department an exceptional organization,” Francesconi said this culminated in me being selected to lead the agency an incredible honor for which I will be forever thankful.”   Ramer began his career as a patrol officer in 1993 patrol captain in 2020 and deputy chief in 2021 I reflect on my time here with immense gratitude and pride As a graduate of East Providence High School and a former resident for over 35 years it has been a true honor to serve and protect this incredible community." and I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me," Ramer said “As I move on to the next chapter of my life I will carry with me fond memories and a deep appreciation for the experiences I have been fortunate to have had Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this remarkable community.”  Two people involved in a tractor trailer crash on 195 are speaking out The crash happened Tuesday morning on 195 West in East Providence including the driver of the tractor trailer the back end looks like a tin can," said one person who was involved in the crash "I just feel lucky to be alive." Michael Delmage of Bristol told NBC 10 that he changed lanes just moments before the crash "It was like the scene out of a movie," said Delmage "I mean that truck just came in hot and those poor cars didn't see it coming." He described the crash as watching a bowling ball crash into pins "That bowling ball represented that truck and the pins were all of the cars," said Delmage "I just happened to be that one pin left standing and all of the rest got knocked down I just got lucky." A police report of the crash obtained by NBC 10 listed the driver as 64-year-old Jon Main of Cranston The driver faces charges of driving to endanger and was arraigned Main is due back in Providence District Court on June 9 (WJAR) — An East Providence 4-year-old held a hot chocolate stand to help those in need this holiday season Brady Vieira and his parents set up their homemade stand along Ferncrest Drive on Saturday there was a constant flow of traffic for the second annual event “The turnout this year has been extremely well way more than last year," said Lindsey Vieira we've met a ton of people we’ve never met before and the community really showed up today We had the Mayor Bob DaSilva and the senator as well.” Vieira had been promoting her son's hot cocoa stand in the weeks prior Their family spent countless hours making baked goods and sweets The stand included all the toppings and fixings we have a lot of different flavors of whipped cream we have different stuff to sprinkle on top “Our customers went the extra mile to support Brady The Vieiras decorated the outside of their home to get people into the Christmas spirit The family even made custom sweatshirts for 'Brady's Hot Chocolate Stand.' You don’t see many hot chocolate stands out there so we thought it would be different and lure customers in," said Vieira we're just accepting donations of whatever someone is able to contribute.” Money from it went to the Hope and Faith Drive LLC for the second year in a row Brady beat that donation number before the stand was set up “We do it to teach Brady to do something good to be kind that's what’s important to us," said Vieira “He really is grasping the concept of what we’re doing this year and he knows why we’re doing this We want to teach Brady that kindness is our number one priority If we can ask him to be anything in this world A total of $2,000 will be donated to their selected cause The Vieiras said they can't stress enough how much the support of the community has meant to their family “It’s so special to us that they came out to support our son," she said (WJAR) — A fire forced residents in an East Providence apartment building to evacuate Tuesday night Several fire trucks were seen in front of the complex on Pawtucket Avenue Residents said the fire alarm started to go off at 5:30 p.m Heavy smoke was seen coming from one of the units It is unclear what may have caused the fire EAST PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has a recycling problem and Mayor Roberto DaSilva is determined to get his constituents to start dealing with it Recycling has plenty of benefits, such as conserving our dwindling natural resources and saving space in the state’s only landfill the confusion comes down to what can and can’t be recycled East Providence had more than 900 tons of rejected recycling that cost the city over $91,000 “Our administration has tried to address improper recycling as an education issue,” said DaSilva “The City of East Providence will be embarking on a much more rigorous enforcement effort to ensure people who are contaminating their recycling waste and costing all of the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars are held accountable.” If the inspectors find that 10% or more of the batch is composed of nonrecyclable materials they’ll reject the load and send it to the landfill – even if everything else in there was recyclable The costly part of improper recycling is that for every contaminated truckload, the state agency in charge of recycling – the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. (RIRRC) – charges $250 for processing and transporting the batch to the landfill the city is then billed its standard tipping rates for trash disposal which they wouldn't have had to pay if the batch had only contained recyclable items "The entire load then gets put over at the central landfill "When we're getting a $91,000 bill a year that we didn't have to get The state's mixed recycling program means that residents don’t need to worry about separating their recycling into different groups so everything has to be loose,” said East Providence’s Department of Public Works Program Coordinator Donna McMahon I just moved here from Warwick or Cranston I didn’t know that these were the rules in East Providence.’ These are the rules for the entire state.” More: How much stuff in our blue bins actually gets recycled in RI? The answer is surprising McMahon emphasized how important it is for people to pay attention to what they toss in their recycling bins because almost every load has bagged items or random plastics that can’t be recycled “I think sometimes people just feel their trash carts are full so they’ll take a bag and just throw it in the top of the recycling cart,” she said DaSilva plans to start enforcing violations with $50 fines He said offenders will also receive a sticker left on their recycling bins McMahon added that residents should clean items before recycling them as much as possible This is ideal to avoid contaminating the batch and to keep staff at the collection services and recycling facility safe whether it’s rinsed or wiped with a paper towel It should be pretty much clear of most food particles,” she said More: Providence wants more residents, businesses composting. Here's how they'll make it happen.