Just Another Manic Snow Day

Monday, Feb. 23, 2026 | Edition #11

GOOD MORNING, WARWICK, and welcome to what meteorologists are calling a "significant winter event" and what the rest of us are calling an utter nightmare. At the time of this writing, the city is getting absolutely buried. Up to 20 inches of snow. Winds gusting past 55 MPH. If you're the type who finds this exciting, please seek professional help immediately.

Here's what's going on in the frozen 401.

At this point, Mother Nature doesn't just have it out for us — she's made it personal.

We've already absorbed 30-plus inches of snow this winter, and with another 20 on the way today, we're firmly in "one for the history books" territory. Need a reality check? Last winter, T.F. Green reported less than 20 inches for the entire season. We're lapping that number before March even shows up.

And the wind? Those gusts would trigger every one of Picozzi's speed cameras before they even finished booting up. Power outages are a real possibility, so if you've got a fireplace, start splitting wood. Keep the fridge closed, coolers at the ready — and hey, silver lining: if the lights go out, you've got a limitless supply of natural ice right in your backyard to keep the Eggo Waffles from defrosting. Waste not, want not.

As for getting out? Don't bother. Just about everything in town is closed, which means if you're one of those people who hits the market every single morning for a lottery ticket, free coffee, and a chat with your favorite cashier on register 4 — today is not your day. You're out of luck. Brace yourselves, Warwick.

For the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, the U.S. won the Olympic gold medal in men's hockey. The Americans beat Canada 2-1 in overtime on Sunday, and it felt exactly as good as it sounds. Connor Hellebuyck was a brick wall in net, and Jack Hughes delivered the overtime dagger that ended a 46-year drought.

Forty-six years. To put that in perspective for the more seasoned readers: the last time the U.S. won gold, Taco Maker was still open on the Warwick commercial strip. For the younger crowd who missed out — think Taco Bell, but with actual food, reasonable prices, and zero mystery ingredients. I've been saying it for years: bring it back.

Now, about that gold — Warwick's got skin in the game. As we've previously reported, Warwick's own John Hynes (assistant coach, U.S. men's team) and Doug Ferry (Hockey Ops, U.S. women's team) were part of both championship runs. That's right — both US hockey teams brought home gold, and Warwick had a hand in each of them.

This calls for a parade. I'll check in with Frank and see if we can squeeze it into the budget. We’ll try to keep it under $50 Million.

We heard that last week’s question was a “softball” so buckle up.

Q: In 1877, a sitting U.S. President made history by placing the first telephone call ever made by an American president — and he made it right here in Warwick. Name the president AND the Warwick location where he was standing when he picked up the receiver.

You need both to get credit. No half points in this town. The answer can be found at the end of the newsletter.

This past Thursday, February 20th, marked 23 years since the Station Nightclub fire claimed 100 lives in West Warwick — just a few miles from where many of you are reading this. On that Thursday night in 2003, the band Great White had just taken the stage when pyrotechnics ignited the foam-lined walls. Within minutes, the club was engulfed. One hundred people never made it home. More than 200 others were injured. It remains one of the deadliest nightclub fires in American history, and in Rhode Island, it is simply the tragedy — the one that never truly fades.

Each year on February 20th, people gather at Station Fire Memorial Park on Cowesett Avenue, the very ground where the nightclub once stood. First responders, survivors, families, and neighbors come together to lay flowers, light candles, and remember those lost.

If you’ve never visited the memorial, it’s worth going when the snow melts. Quiet walking paths, simple benches, and the names of all 100 victims etched in stone make it one of the most powerful places in the state — not because it’s grand, but because it isn’t. Opened in 2017 on donated land and funded by thousands of small contributions, the park stands as a lasting tribute to the lives taken that night.

🍓Market Chaos — If you waited until yesterday to grab your milk, bread, and Cheetos, you’re not alone. The grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores were slammed on Sunday as the blizzard hysteria began to set in. Dave’s Marketplace on West Shore Road was notably buzzing. Cars were seen dipping, dodging, and diving for VIP parking spots just hours before first flake-fall. What a wild month for the markets… two blizzards and a Patriots Super Bowl. After this weekend’s grocery gauntlet, all Dave’s Marketplace locations will be closed on Monday.

🐾 A New Vet is Coming to Town — A Warwick veterinarian named Sydney Day is looking to open her own practice right here in the city. The plan calls for combining two lots on Greenwich Avenue near the Honey Dew Donuts on Apponaug, demolishing a handful of existing structures — including a former bar, residential dwelling, garage, and small sheds — to build a single facility on a 6,000-square-foot lot. Day, a URI grad who earned her veterinary degree from Tufts in 2023, is calling this her passion project. Pending approvals and permits, Windward Veterinary Hospital could be open within two years.

🤼 Warwick Vets Are State Champs — The Warwick Vets wrestling team just wrapped up one of the program's best seasons ever. After a fourth-place finish at states last winter, the Hurricanes came back this year with a perfect season, then swept the weekend in North Kingstown to win the co-ed division championship, the girls state title, and the overall co-ed state title — three championships in one weekend. Not a bad weekend for the Canes.

🚔 DUI Arrests on I-95 + Drug Charge in Warwick — Rhode Island State Police made multiple arrests tied to incidents in Warwick this week, including two separate late-night DUI stops on I-95. One driver recorded a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit (.22+), while another was charged with DUI and refusing a chemical test. In a separate case, a Warwick man was arrested on Post Road on charges of fentanyl possession (under 10 grams) and larceny. All individuals were released after processing and are scheduled to appear in Third Division District Court.

Trivia Answer: President Rutherford B. Hayes placed that historic call from Rocky Point Park — an 8-mile call to Providence — making it one of the earliest presidential uses of Alexander Graham Bell's brand-new invention. Turns out the greatest thing ever to happen at Rocky Point wasn't the clam cakes or a Bon Jovi concert — it was a phone call that changed history.

That's it for today. Happen to find an error? Have a sick igloo pic you’d like to submit? Just have a story suggestion? Hit reply.

Stay safe, Warwick ☕

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