☕ The grill and the snowblower

Friday, September 18, 2026 | Edition #54

GOOD MORNING, WARWICK. We have officially entered that magical stretch of the calendar where the sun clocks out before 7:00 PM like it's got somewhere better to be, the weather can't decide if it's auditioning for summer or winter, and your neighbor is out there simultaneously firing up the grill and greasing the gears on his snowblower, just in case Mother Nature wants to keep us all guessing. One day it's 80 degrees and you're sweating through a t-shirt, the next it's 50 and you're digging through the closet for a hoodie you swore you threw out. Rhode Island doesn't have seasons anymore, it has moods. Gotta love the unpredictability. Keeps things interesting, keeps the meteorologists employed, and keeps at least one of us wearing shorts and a winter coat at the same time out of sheer confusion.

In today's newsletter, we'll look at:

⏱️ Sunset Time: 6:51 PM

⛽ Avg. Gas Price: $4.38 (click here to find the cheapest gas near you)

☀️ UV Index: 5.0

☔ Chance of Rain: 20%

📅 On This Day: September 18th, 1851 - The first edition of The New York Times hit newsstands, founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones. It's gone on to become one of the most widely read newspapers on the planet, racking up dozens of Pulitzers along the way. 175 years later, a much scrappier operation out of Warwick is still trying to catch up.

The primary dust has settled and Warwick's House races have new faces for November 3rd. In District 23, Ward 6 Councilman William Muto narrowly edged former Ward 3 Councilman Timothy Howe, 869 votes to 794, close enough that Howe probably still replays it. Muto now faces Republican Dana Traversie, a cybersecurity professional running on cost of living, education, and government efficiency. In District 22, Zakary Pereira cruised past Janie Lee Segui, 1,133 to 480, a margin about as decisive as a week 1 non-conference SEC x Patriot League matchup, and now faces Republican Barbara Quigley, a nurse and single mother focused on healthcare access and affordability. Meanwhile in District 19, incumbent Joseph McNamara skipped the primary drama entirely, like the kid who didn't need to take the final, and squares off against Independent Patrick Maloney Jr., who previously lost the 2024 mayoral race to Frank Picozzi.

Just over 13,000 Warwick voters showed up for the primary, good for roughly 20 percent turnout, meaning 80 percent of the city had no idea any of this was happening. Early voting for the general starts October 14.

Learn more here.

The vacant Aldrich Junior High on Post Road has been sitting empty long enough that neighbors have apparently had time to fully war-game every possible use for it, and "56 apartments" was not on anyone's bingo card. Monday's City Council meeting ran over an hour with resident after resident begging for a park instead, one man warning that demolition means rats, another threatening to sell his house if the project moves forward. Not a single person spoke in favor. The council responded by doing neither, voting to hold the zoning change until February 2027 while the city tests the market to see if any bidder actually wants to save the building. A procedural quirk meant an outright rejection would've tied the council's hands for a year, so "let's keep hope alive" won out over "let's just decide something." In the meantime the city will advertise the property for bid, and residents get five more months to keep dreaming about swing sets instead of studio apartments. Rhode Island government, never in a rush.

Learn more here.

A Warwick police officer was taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment early Wednesday morning after his cruiser struck a utility pole at the intersection of West Shore Road and Waverly Street, right around 5:17 AM. Police confirmed the officer wasn't responding to an emergency call and no other vehicles were involved, so this one's chalked up to a single car accident rather than anything more dramatic. Traffic got diverted while crews cleared the scene, and Rhode Island Energy showed up to replace the pole, because nothing says "good morning, Conimicut Village commuters" like a surprise detour before your coffee kicks in. Wishing the officer a speedy recovery, and here's hoping that pole gets a raise for taking one for the team.

Learn more here.

City Council voted 8-1 Monday to buy a new fire pumper from Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, after one councilman spent an extended chunk of the meeting asking why the city couldn't just go with the bidder offering a comparable truck for roughly $200,000 less. His pitch was pretty simple: same pump rate, same fire safety certification, and delivery in 90 days instead of three years. The fire department's counter was that the extra cost buys durability, pointing to features like a galvanized frame after past trucks reportedly rotted out in 14 or 15 years. The city solicitor's office added that the cheaper bids were technically non-compliant, leaving the council with what Council President Sinapi called a binary choice, Greenwood or nobody, and a very real risk of a lawsuit if they picked anyone else. So the council said yes, taxpayers will foot the higher bill, and Warwick's newest fire truck won't actually show up until 2029. Hopefully nothing catches fire between now and then.

Learn more here.

Secretary of State Gregg Amore got another letter from the U.S. Department of Justice this week, ordering him to preserve every 2024 election record like it's a family heirloom nobody's allowed to throw out. The DOJ warned that failing to do so could count as spoliation of evidence, which is a fancy way of saying "don't you dare hit shred." This ties back to a lawsuit where Amore declined to hand over voter roll data last year, a case a judge dismissed in April before the DOJ revived it in June like a horror movie villain who won't stay down. A DOJ spokesperson called the letter a standard litigation hold, but Common Cause's John Marion noted the timing lines up suspiciously well with the 22 month deadline for keeping 2024 election records, almost like someone circled it on a calendar. Similar letters went out to 28 other states, so Rhode Island's just one of many getting a strongly worded "please keep the paperwork" note.

Learn more here.

We’re getting to that time of year where Becky is too busy working to focus on her next Amazon splurge (God is good 🙏), but this week she found a perfect gift on the ‘Zon that she couldn’t pass up on.

👉 See what showed up here.

📖 Word of the Day: Madon (mah-DOHN)

Definition: Short for "Madonna," referring to the Virgin Mary, not the pop star. Used to express frustration, disbelief, or exasperation.

Every Italian household has that one word reserved for when things go sideways. Stub your toe on the coffee table? Madon. Watch the Patriots blow a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter? Madon. Burn the sauce five minutes before company arrives? You get the idea. Immortalized by every mob movie worth its salt, usually shouted with both hands thrown up in the air for maximum effect. My grandmother said it roughly six times a day, and at least half of those were about me.

Thanks to Johnny D. for submitting today’s word of the day! You can submit a word here and I’ll feature it in the next edition!

Today, Sept 18

Saturday, Sept 19

Sunday, Sept 20

🥬 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

Join me in welcoming my God-daughter, Carmela Louise Castaldi to the world, born this past Sunday, September 13. Congratulations to John and Emma! 🥳

That's it for today. Let’s pray the Pats turn things around this weekend…Thanks for reading!

Keep smiling!