Monday, August 10, 2026 | Edition #50
GOOD MORNING, WARWICK. It's wild to think this is the 50th edition of The Warwick Wake Up. Writing these foolish and hopefully enjoyable newsletters has taught me more about this city than I expected, introduced me to neighbors, business owners, and supporters from every corner of town, and honestly, it's just been fun. The fact that more than 500 of you carve out even a few seconds each week to read something I made means more than I can really put into words.
This started as a fun project. A way to learn more about my community, sharpen some skills, and scratch an entrepreneurial itch that never really goes away. I didn't think it would grow into what it is today, and I'm grateful for every bit of support and feedback along the way.
At the end of the day, I write this for one reason: to make you laugh. Every "news" outlet out there seems dead set on painting a doomsday picture of the world, and honestly, that just sucks. The Warwick Wake Up is better for your mental health. Cheaper than therapy. I hope you enjoy this weekly read as much as I enjoy writing it. Thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement!
In today's newsletter, we'll look at:
Local cannabis shop development plans halted
RI ranked 4th best state to have a baby
Joe's Pizza may have just gone viral
TODAY’S SNAPSHOT
⏱️ Sunset Time: 7:52 PM
🌊 Daytime High Tide: 6:16 AM
⛽ Avg. Gas Price: $3.97 (click here to find the cheapest gas near you)
☀️ UV Index: 7.0
☔ Chance of Rain: 10%
📅 On This Day: August 15 marks VJ Day, Victory over Japan Day, the anniversary of Japan's surrender that ended World War II. Every state used to mark it. Now it's just us. Rhode Island is the last state in the country still holding onto it as an official holiday, celebrated as Victory Day on the second Monday of August (this year, August 10). State offices closed, the rest of the country shrugged, Rhode Island once again refusing to let go of anything, including a 1945 holiday.
Trash pickup will be delayed one day this week due to the holiday
WEATHAH THIS WEEK
WHAT’S GOIN’ AHN
📢 The Top 5:
#1 🪴Cannabis Shop Plans Stall Due to Licensing Hold Ups
Warwick entrepreneur David Rozen has wrapped the old Pizza Hut at 1112 Reservoir Ave in Cranston with protest signs after Rhode Island scrapped its entire pool of retail cannabis license applicants, his included, following a federal court ruling on interstate commerce. Rozen and his partners spent four years and $500,000 pursuing a license for the site under the name Flower & Pot, only to be sent back to square one when the state overhauled the rules instead of just fixing the residency requirement a judge flagged. He's since filed suit, fired up a website, and drawn the ACLU into a fight with Cranston over whether the signs are a safety hazard or just a very aggressive form of yard art. The city says the banners block sightlines at the intersection. Rozen says the only thing they're obstructing is the view of a broken licensing process. Either way, Flower & Pot has been shelved for the time being, so if you want a gummy and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, you’re going to have to resort to one of the other dispensaries in the state. Or just give your uncle Dino a ring and he’ll take care of you.
#2 🍼 Rhode Island Ranked 4th Best State to Have a Baby
A new WalletHub study crowned Rhode Island the fourth-best state in the country to have a baby, beaten out only by Massachusetts, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The rankings weighed 31 factors, from delivery costs to pediatrician access, and the Ocean State scored a 63.68 overall, propelled by a third-place finish in health care and a fifth-place finish for baby-friendliness, which is a hilarious thing to quantify. It also has the fourth-highest concentration of midwives and OB-GYNs per capita in the nation. The one soft spot: overall costs came in at 35th, so the state will still gladly deliver your baby, it just might send you an invoice with several zeros and threatening language in subtle, italicized, bullet point format.
#3 🪧Galligan Running for Re-Election
Warwick School Committee Chairman Shaun Galligan announced in May he was done, no second term, thanks for the memories. Then July rolled around, the calls and texts wouldn't stop, and on July 29 he posted on Facebook that "the family decided we need to come back." He filed 120 signatures for the Dist. 1 seat, his only potential opponent withdrew, and just like that, Warwick's shortest political retirement is over before most people even noticed it started.
Elsewhere on the ballot, nearly half the City Council seats are already decided by default, since four incumbents drew zero challengers. Democracy: alive and well in Warwick, mostly unopposed.
#4 🚒 Mayor Gets Ethics Opinion on Grandson’s WFD Bid
Mayor Frank Picozzi asked the RI Ethics Commission for a pre-emptive ruling this week after his grandson, a licensed EMT who's passed the written and physical tests, decided to apply for a spot in the Warwick Fire Department. The Commission's answer: no conflict, mostly. Picozzi doesn't hire, supervise, or fire within the department, so he's clear there. But the fine print comes with some real guardrails. He can't appoint new members to the Board of Public Safety (the folks who actually do the hiring) while the application is pending, can't weigh in on budget line items or contract negotiations that specifically touch his grandson's pay or benefits, though he can still vote on the budget and union contracts as a whole. If my grandfather were mayor, I'd skip the job application questions, get sworn in as Honorary Duke of Pawtuxet Village, and require every constituent to address me as such.
#5 🍕 Joe's Pizza Garnering Major Attention from Regional Food Critics
Food account "What Did You Eat Today Sir," which is the self proclaimed #1 food blogger in New England with more than 115,000 followers just crowned Joe's Pizza RI as one of the best pizza spots in the state. High praise from an account with the kind of reach that can turn a neighborhood spot into a weekend line out the door. Joe's has only been open since November 2025, no delivery, no phone orders, show up or order online, but the reviewer went deep: New York, New Haven, and Neapolitan styles all on the menu, a brick oven and a deck oven, and a bathroom apparently modeled after Kramer's apartment for the Seinfeld heads. The verdict on the signature Pomodoro Pacifico pie: thin, light, crispy, airy, chewy, basically the pizza Platonic ideal. Nothing puts a nine-month-old pizza shop on the map faster than a guy with a verified checkmark and strong opinions about crust. Now we just need Portnoy to get with the program and check out Joe’s.
RETAIL
This week's purchase required a near-emergency situation. An Amazon hotline, if such a thing existed, would've been dialed. Someone got electrocuted. The credit card came out. The package showed up the next day. I know, it sounds crazy. Just another day on West Shore Road.
BRAIN FOOD
📝 The Warwick Word of the Day
Klepto
noun | KLEP-toh | Short for kleptomaniac, someone with a compulsive urge to steal, even things they don't need or can easily afford. Comes from the Greek kleptein, meaning "to steal."
Every Warwick Facebook group has one. Someone's Amazon package goes missing off the porch on Warwick Avenue, and within the hour there's a 47-comment thread of neighbors playing amateur detective, speculating about the neighborhood klepto, and posting blurry Ring camera footage of a hoodie walking suspiciously fast. Nobody's ever actually caught. The klepto remains an urban legend, like Bigfoot, if Bigfoot had a thing for stealing garden gnomes and the occasional shopping cart. Warwick doesn't need a crime blotter, it just needs someone to check the group chat.
Thanks to Corey L. for submitting today’s word of the day! You can submit one yourself here!
EVENTS THIS WEEK
🎬 Aug 13 | Movies in the Park: Central RI Chamber of Commerce brings "Hoppers" to Rocky Point State Park. Food trucks roll in at 6 PM, movie starts at dusk (weather permitting). Free admission and parking. Learn more here.
🦞 Aug 15 | Gaspee Days Henry Brown Memorial Clambake: Aspray Boathouse, 4-8 PM. Lobster, clams, steak, chicken, and veggie options, plus live music, a cash bar, and limited-edition tees. Tickets are limited, reserve here. Learn more here.
🎒 Aug 16 | Back to School Block Party: Open Table of Christ United Methodist Church, 1620 Broad St, 1-6 PM. Bouncy house, face painting, door prizes, and a great food lineup (Portuguese, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Greek). Fun for all ages. Learn more here.
RECURRING EVENTS
🥬 Conimicut Village Community Market | Saturdays, 9 AM-12 PM through Sept 26. Free. Local vendors and a waterfront village to wander on a Saturday morning. Info
🌽 Goddard Park Farmers Market | Fridays, 9 AM-1 PM through October. Fresh local produce in a waterfront park. A solid excuse to be outside before noon. Info
📚 Warwick Public Library | Ongoing events each and every day of the week across all locations. Tell your kids to put the Fortnite down. Time for a story and a Capri Sun. Info
🏛️ City Council Meetings | Select Mondays, 6:30 PM, City Hall Chambers. Ordinances, budgets, and the occasional spicy public hearing. Check the calendar first. Calendar
That's it for today. Have a story suggestion, a tip, or just want to talk about the wedding of the year taking place this Friday at Aldrich Mansion? I'm here for it. Just hit reply. Thanks for reading!
Keep smiling!
