☕ The City's on Fire

Monday, July 6, 2026 | Edition #45

GOOD MORNING, WARWICK. If your body is radiating heat like a Hot Pocket fresh out of an eleven-minute microwave mishap, congratulations, you survived the Fourth. Somewhere right now there's a man waking up on a lawn chair that isn't his, wrapped in an American flag beach towel, whispering "I only had the one Dark and Stormy" to himself. A golden retriever three towns over is riding the high of stealing an entire hot dog mid-fireworks-finale. A father in Warwick Neck is trying to explain why the bounce house is currently floating in the neighbor's pool. And the sky decided to one-up all of it, cranking the heat index past 110, like the sun also wanted independence, this time from mercy.

Whatever guilt is lingering over how much American flag cake you scarfed down, relax. Joey Chestnut ate roughly 18,800 calories of hot dogs in the amount of time it took Uncle Dino to parallel park on Oakland Beach Avenue, so by comparison, you had a light snack.

And so here we are: Monday morning. The weekend is over. We survived the heat wave. Your dog survived what it thought was World War 3. Back to reality, folks.

Here's what's goin' ahn.

⏱️ Sunset Time: 8:23 PM

🌊 First High Tide: 10:35 AM

⛽ Avg. Gas Price: $3.76 (click here to find the cheapest gas near you)

☀️ UV Index: 3.0

☔ Chance of Rain: 85%

📅 On This Day: In 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed for refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England, proof that "agree to disagree" has never really worked out well for anyone.

🗑️ Heads Up: Since July 4th landed on a Saturday this year, Rhode Island is observing Independence Day today, Monday, July 6, meaning state offices and call centers are closed. It also means the state landfill is closed today, so trash and recycling pickup is delayed one day all week.

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 8 PM ET Sunday Night

An Extreme Heat Warning blanketed Rhode Island from Wednesday through Saturday night, and if you stepped outside at all, you already know why. Thursday and Friday hit around 100 degrees, with heat index values climbing to 105-110, the kind of numbers that make your car door handle feel like Satan's forearm. Two consecutive 100-degree days have only happened twice before in recorded Providence history, in 1991 and 1944, so congrats, Rhode Island, you're making history in the worst possible way.

Crossroads Rhode Island opened a temporary emergency cooling center that can house up to 30 people experiencing homelessness, and cities and towns across the state opened their own cooling centers too, while Warwick pools stayed open with extended hours to help residents cope. Between the heat index and the humidity, this was less a Fourth of July and more a slow-roast.

The good news, if you can call it that: relief is finally here. Rain and cooler temperatures in the 70s are expected to kick off the week, a welcome comedown after four days that felt like living inside a toaster oven.

Read the full story here

Just after 1 AM on Wednesday, someone tried to burn down Captain's Resto-Bar, and the only reason it's not a much bigger story is because a guy fixing the HVAC system happened to be on the roof at the time. According to police, he spotted a man approaching the building with a plastic bag hiding his face and allegedly pouring gasoline along the fence, then confronted him, sending him running off into the night.

Police are calling it an attempted arson, and the timing is impossible to ignore. Captain's had just voluntarily closed over a noise dispute with the marina, reopened Wednesday at noon, and then, hours before doors opened, someone allegedly showed up with a gas can. Nobody's confirmed the two are connected, but Warwick's rumor mill is already working overtime. Detectives spent hours on scene collecting evidence, and as of now, no arrest has been made and no suspect has been publicly identified. Either way, the real hero is an HVAC tech who stopped an arson attempt while just trying to fix an air conditioner.

Read the full story here

An 84-year-old man died Thursday after being found unresponsive in the water at Masonic Grounds beach off Long Street. Police and fire crews responded, performed life-saving measures on scene, and transported him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

It's the third water-related death in Warwick in the last three weeks. A 7-year-old boy drowned at Conimicut Point Beach on June 12, and a 71-year-old man died after going missing while quahogging at Conimicut Point on June 29. No further details have been released on Thursday's incident.

After the first two deaths, Mayor Frank Picozzi addressed safety concerns directly, noting the beach already has large warning signs in three languages and a siren system installed after a prior drowning, but said lifeguards aren't a realistic option given the area isn't a designated swimming spot and would require dozens of them to properly cover. He also ruled out closing the beach. Residents remain divided on whether more should be done.

If you or someone you know is heading to the water this summer, it's worth taking a moment to review basic water safety precautions, especially with three tragedies in such a short window.

Read the full story here

Last week's declaration deadline gave Warwick's political scene its usual late-inning drama, the kind where you can practically hear a ticking clock sound effect as candidates sprint through City Hall doors at 3:58 PM. Mayor Frank Picozzi isn't on the ballot this year, he's mid-term, but he was quick to point out the day's biggest surprise wasn't his own name, it was School Committee Chair Shaun Galligan reversing course and filing for reelection minutes before the 4 PM cutoff, after previously saying he was stepping away.

Galligan will now face music teacher and former Warwick Teachers Union president George Landrie for the District One seat, assuming both collect the required 100 signatures by July 10.

Also making a comeback: Robert Cushman, a longtime fixture at budget hearings who has been warning about Warwick’s taxes and legacy costs for years, is running for Ward 1 City Council after 20 years away from the race. This time, he’s running as an independent against incumbent Democrat William Foley and fellow independent Stuart Wilson.

Beyond that, plenty of incumbents are cruising unopposed, including four City Council seats, all three state senators, and several House reps. Meanwhile, House District 22, House District 23, the seat formerly held by Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, and Ward 6 are shaping up to be some of the more competitive races on the ballot, which means the rest of us should brace for a summer of doorbell-ringing and yard signs multiplying like rabbits.

Buckle up, Warwick. It’s going to be a busy election season.

Read the full story here

I've officially been informed that this week's purchase is a "holy grail" item, a term previously reserved in my house exclusively for her mother's meatball recipe. Want to know what all the hoopla’s about?

👉 See what showed up here.

Last week, nearly 30% of you guessed incorrectly…

👇 Where was the above photo taken? Click the location you think is correct below. No cheating! Answer revealed at the end.

📸 Have a photo you want featured in next week's edition? Reply to this email with the image attached!

Goober (GOO-ber) (noun) — A silly or foolish person, usually in an endearing way.

Spotted at the Oakland Beach fireworks this week: a guy who showed up with a full propane grill and a folding table to tailgate a municipal fireworks show, a woman who brought her cat in a stroller "because he loves the booms," and a man who wore noise-canceling headphones to a fireworks display and then complained he couldn't hear the finale. Warwick, we are a city of goobers, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you to the goober who submitted today’s word of the day, Rachel H. You can submit a word of the day yourself, here. I’ll be sure to include it in the next edition!

🤸 Launch Summer Camp Kicks Off | Launch Trampoline Park's Summer Camp program starts today, July 6th, at their Bald Hill Road location. If your kids have already burned through every ounce of the "I'm bored" complaints this week, this might be your escape hatch. Info

💘 Speed Dating Ages 40-55 | Sips & Sparks is hosting a speed dating night at The Social House on Tuesday, July 7th from 7-9 PM, complete with guided rounds, icebreakers, and a next-day match system if the vibes align. If you're tired of swiping and want to actually see if someone's laugh is as good in person, this is your shot. Info

🚚 Food Truck Family Night at Mulligan's Island | Rescheduled to Saturday, July 11 after the original 7/4 date got canceled thanks to that brutal heat. Rhody Food Truck Events and Mulligan's Island Entertainment Complex are teaming back up, so if you missed it over the holiday, you get a second shot. Info

🎪 Pop-Up Market at City Hall Plaza | Greenwood Credit Union brings its City Hall Plaza series back on Friday, July 10th from 6-8:30 PM, with bumper cars, a Warwick PD Touch-a-Truck, sweets trucks, vendors, and a bounce house. Free, family-friendly, and about as Warwick summer as it gets. Info

⚽ PVD FanZone | Station Park, Providence, daily through July 19. Free. Every World Cup match on a 40-foot screen, plus food trucks and a beer garden. Info

🥬 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

✅ Where in Warwick Answer: This week's photo was taken at the mouth of Baker's Creek near Nausauket, where it empties into Greenwich Bay.

Fun fact: "Nausauket" comes from the Narragansett language and translates to "at the second outlet" or "between outlets," a fitting name for a neighborhood tucked right between two coves.

That's it for today. Have a story suggestion, a tip, or just want to indulge in a complain-fest about the brutal atrocity that was the Jaylen Brown trade? I'm here for it. Just hit reply. Thanks for reading.

Keep smiling!