Tag: rhode island

Rhode Island Man Whose Birth Was Declared a Catholic Miracle by Pope Leo XIV Wanted in Violent Double Shooting

A Rhode Island man whose remarkable survival at birth was officially recognized as a miracle by Pope Leo XIV has been arrested in Virginia in connection with a double shooting.

Tyquan Johnson, 19, was captured Wednesday morning at a residence in Newport News, Virginia, by members of the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Johnson was wanted on charges of felony assault with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a compact area following a July 19 shooting in Newport’s Park Holm neighborhood, according to the Newport RI Police Department.

Two men, ages 22 and 25, were found with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to their lower extremities. Both were treated and released. Investigators identified Johnson as a suspect; he fled the state. A second individual remains wanted for questioning. Police described both as armed and dangerous.

Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Johnson on July 23 and warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous. Authorities believed he had fled Rhode Island for Virginia and contacted the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force.

Johnson was ultimately tracked to a residence on Chestnut Avenue in Newport News and taken into custody approximately ten days after the shooting, according to local reports.

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Rhode Island Chooses Tax Hike Death Spiral

hode Island just enacted a tax increase that will chase the highest-earning households out of the state and ensure revenue shortfalls as long as it remains in place.

These millionaire taxes are an increasingly popular idea that benefits low-tax states while punishing everyone who remains stuck in high-tax ones.

Gov. Dan McKee on Friday signed a state budget that raises the tax rate on annual income above $1 million to 8.99 percent, up from the current 5.99 percent. That is a 50 percent tax hike on the state’s most successful people.

McKee, a Democrat, is up for reelection this year and is in a tough primary battle against wealthy opponent Helena Foulkes. That explains his support for a monster tax increase he opposed last year.

I am by no means convinced that all these governors and state legislators really believe that these tax hikes will raise additional money. Some dimwitted true believers certainly do imagine that people are so enamored of their current places of residence that they will accept anything as the price of remaining there. New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, Los Angeles political boss Karen Bass, and Seattle chief executive Katie Wilson are apparently among these.

At a news conference early this month, Wilson “laughed off warnings of a millionaire exodus even as a new survey shows many business leaders are considering leaving the state,” the New York Post reported. “I still think that claims of a large exodus of rich people due to our statewide millionaire tax that the legislature passed this year are overblown,” Wilson told FOX 13 Seattle with a laugh.

Just a few days later, the Downtown Seattle Association issued a report stating the “JumpStart” business taxes Seattle passed in 2020 have resulted in the loss of 30,000 jobs, a near-quintupling of the downtown office vacancy rate to 32 percent, and a 21 percent decline in the value of office properties. As a result, “the taxable value of its office buildings has fallen 48% — even as Bellevue [Washington], which has no comparable tax, added jobs and saw commercial values rise 7%,” Geekwire reported.

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Gay Pride Parade in Providence, RI Features Float With RAINBOW GUILLOTINE and Other Violent Imagery Aimed at City’s Gay Mayor

A float in the Providence, Rhode Island gay pride parade featured a rainbow-colored guillotine, as well as a steamroller covered with blood, chasing an effigy of the city’s gay Mayor Brett Smiley.

The makers of the float are going after Smiley for not being far left enough for their liking.

This is not unlike what happened to gay state senator Scott Weiner in California this week. The left has begun going after their own as traitors to the revolution.

This is the same city where leftists claimed that a mural of murdered legal immigrant Iryna Zarutska was too divisive for the community. Smiley sided with the left.

From WPRI News in Providence:

RI Pride to ‘strengthen’ parade rules after float depicts violence against Providence mayor

Rhode Island Pride says it will be “strengthening” its parade entry requirements after a float in last weekend’s Illuminated Night Parade depicted violence against Mayor Brett Smiley.

The organization’s president, Rodney Davis, told 12 News that the nonprofit was conducting its own review of the matter to determine what was presented, what details were provided during registration, and “whether any material information was omitted that would have affected the approval process.”

Photos of the float posted on social media showed what appeared to be a representation of Smiley hanging in front of a bloody steamroller, while the back of the float featured what looked to be a rainbow-colored guillotine. The float had a logo for the Providence Worker’s Defense.

“Rhode Island Pride has always recognized that Pride is rooted in protest, advocacy, visibility, and the right of community members to raise concerns about public issues,” Davis said. “At the same time, we want to be clear that any entry or display that depicts or suggests violence is not consistent with the standards of our event and will not be permitted.”

Here’s an image of the bloody steamroller with the effigy of Smiley.

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After Months of Fighting, Leftists in Providence, Rhode Island Succeed in Removing Mural of Murdered Legal Immigrant Iryna Zarutska

In March, a mural of legal immigrant and murder victim Iryna Zarutska was painted on an outdoor brick wall in Providence, Rhode Island and immediately came under fire from hateful leftists who wanted it removed.

The Democrat Mayor and other liberal officials sided with the leftist activists, but the mural remained up on the wall. Now they are taking it down.

They have finally succeeded in erasing this innocent young woman from their sight.

FOX News reports:

Mural honoring murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska taken down in Providence after local outrage

A mural painted to honor Iryna Zarutska — the Ukrainian refugee who was murdered while riding a North Carolina train — is being taken down after outrage in Providence, Rhode Island.

On Tuesday, a construction crew was seen near the exterior of The Dark Lady, an LGBTQ+ club in downtown Providence, working to remove the partly finished mural. The mural, which was painted on canvas, was lowered to the ground, folded up and taken away, WJAR-TV reported.

Artist Ian Gaudreau confirmed the news that the artwork was going to be removed after local outrage.

“A lot of people voiced their frustrations, and voices were heard, and the work is coming down as a reaction to that,” Gaudreau told WJAR-TV Monday.

The mural’s removal came as residents and elected officials complained about the artwork. The office of Mayor Brett Smiley told Fox News that he wanted the artwork taken down, saying that the art is “divisive and does not represent Providence.”

“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Smiley said in a statement.

The left’s opposition to this mural is very easy to explain. They do not want to be reminded that the policies they support are responsible for her death. It’s that simple. Her memory is an ugly inconvenience to them.

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Person dressed like KKK member recorded walking through Rhode Island town at 2 a.m.

Video captured outside of a store in Rhode Island appears to show a person dressed in a pointed white hood and white gown, causing outrage among the community. 

Police said they are investigating the video. 

Local perspective:

The video was recorded by one of the security cameras outside Candy’s Curiosities & Vintage located in West Warwick, Rhode Island, according to a Facebook post published by the store’s owner.

The video shows a person dressed in all white, very similar to the uniforms worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan, walking down the sidewalk.

What they’re saying:

“I’m absolutely disgusted that you stopped by to pay me a visit,” the shop owner wrote on Facebook. “Try it during the day. Dare ya. Loser.” 

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RI State Rep: Banning AR-15s Not Enough; We Should Use ‘Police Power’ to Ensure Owners Dispose of Them

On Wednesday, Rhode Island state Rep. Teresa Tanzi (D) spoke in support of efforts to repeal a legislative grandfather clause and use “police power” to force AR-15 owners to dispose of their rifles.

Breitbart News noted in March that Democrats in Rhode Island’s state legislature were trying to remove the grandfather clause that was contained in the “assault weapons” ban passed last year. The grandfather clause allowed those who owned newly prohibited firearms to retain possession of them. But now, the Democrats are pushing to remove the grandfathered aspect of the ban and implement a prison sentence for merely possessing an AR-15. The legislation through which they are attempting this is H8073.

Tanzi spoke in favor of H8703 on Wednesday, saying, “Last year, we as a body, banned the sale, manufacture, and transfer, of certain ‘assault weapons’ as defined in that law. That was an important step, but it was only a partial one. We should be honest about that.”

She continued:

Right now our law draws an arbitrary line. We have said that these firearms cannot enter the market place going forward, but we continue to allow them to remain in circulation indefinitely. … If these weapons are too dangerous to be sold in Rhode Island then we really should have addressed possession at the same time. We didn’t, and this bill [H8073] corrects that.”

Tanzi explained that H8073 will force current AR-15 owners “to come into compliance by selling or transferring them lawfully.”

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Kratom is now legal in RI, making it the first state to overturn ban

Businesses can now start applying for licenses to sell and distribute kratom in Rhode Island.

According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, the psychoactive plant is used to self-treat things like pain, opioid withdrawal and anxiety, but the FDA has not yet approved any kratom products.

The new law will allow people 21 and older to purchase kratom from licensed businesses. But with applications opening Wednesday, it could be a while before kratom goes up on the shelves.

“The average kratom consumer is someone like me … OK, maybe a little younger,” said Mac Haddow, senior fellow on public policy for the American Kratom Association. “It really deals with the normal stresses of daily life and the aches and pains related to it.”

Haddow is part of a national organization that has been advocating for the legalization of kratom in Rhode Island.

The state has a lengthy legislative history with the substance and was one of a few states to ban it in 2017. But after a few years of debate on Smith Hill, Rhode Island has now become the first state in the country to overturn that ban.

A spokesperson for the R.I. Department of Health said retailers will have to go through training similar to what’s already in place for tobacco products.

The law in Rhode Island does ban a synthetic form of kratom known as 7-OH, which federal health officials warn is addictive like opioids and more dangerous than morphine.

Some have pushed back on the legalization of kratom, including Portsmouth state Rep. Michelle McGaw.

“Without clean scientific trials, without going through a drug approval process, I’m not comfortable having a drug that works directly on the opioid receptors,” she said.

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Rhode Island Democrat Rep. Says Mural for Murder Victim Iryna Zarutska ‘Does Not Reflect Our Values’ 

Last night, the Gateway Pundit reported that the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island was caving to left wing activists in the city who wanted him to stop the creation of a mural honoring murder victim Iryna Zarutska, the legal immigrant from Ukraine who was killed by a repeat offender.

Now we have a clip of Rhode Island Democrat Rep. David Morales who said on camera that the mural doesn’t reflect the values of the people of the city.

Who exactly does reflect their values? Zarutska’s killer? This is just stunning.

FOX News reported:

Dem lawmaker sparks online firestorm after saying Iryna Zarutska mural doesn’t align with city’s values

A Rhode Island Democratic state representative is facing blowback on social media after claiming that a mural of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman whose brutal murder while riding a North Carolina train sparked national outrage, doesn’t reflect the “values” of the city of Providence.

“Ultimately, we want to make sure that every community member who calls Providence home feels safe,” Rep. David Morales told local media about a mural of Zarutska facing calls to be removed from the exterior of an LGBTQ+ club in downtown Providence.

“We can both agree that this mural behind us does not reflect Providence’s values nor does it reflect the creativity that we would want to see in our city.”

The lawmaker’s comments immediately sparked negative reactions from conservatives on social media after they were posted by the conservative influencer account End Wokeness in a post that has been viewed over 1 million times.

“What are his values?” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is reportedly involved in the mural project, posted on X.

“He cites people wanting to be ‘safe’ as a reason to destroy a mural on a private building meant to honor a murdered woman,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “You can’t imagine how crazy Democrats are in these blue bastions. You think what you see on MSNBC is nuts? It’s even worse in their bubble cities.”

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Far Left Activists Pressure Providence, RI Mayor to Stop Creation of Mural Honoring Murder Victim Iryna Zarutska

Far left activists in Providence, Rhode Island have pressured the mayor to halt the creation of a mural honoring the memory of Iryna Zarutska, the legal immigrant from Ukraine who was murdered by a repeat offender on a train in North Carolina.

The mural was being painted on a wall next to a gay bar in the city. The owners of the bar had no problem with it until leftists started claiming that the mural would be a ‘far right’ symbol.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, a Democrat, caved to the activists immediately. This is all so pathetic.

WJAR News in Providence reports:

Providence Mayor Smiley calls for removal of controversial mural honoring slain refugee

What began as a memorial for a slain Ukrainian refugee has transformed into a political lightning rod in the “Creative Capital,” with Mayor Brett Smiley now calling for the artwork’s removal.

The mural, located on the exterior of The Dark Lady, a prominent LGBTQ+ club downtown, remains incomplete as city officials and community members clash over its message and funding.

The Mayor’s Office confirmed Sunday that Smiley wants the mural of Iryna Zarutska taken down.

He later released the following statement: “The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than divide us.”…

Artist Ian Gaudreau, who began the work last week, told NBC 10 News on Friday that he never intended for the tribute to be political. Some residents visiting the site over the weekend echoed that sentiment, urging the community to focus on the victim rather than the politics.

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Rhode Island Bill Could Turn Gun Owners Into Criminals for Keeping the Firearms They Legally Bought

Two new bills introduced in the Rhode Island legislature are taking aim at legal gun owners, and one of them could easily turn lawful gun owners into criminals overnight, simply for maintaining possession of the firearms they legally purchased. 

Each of these bills, by themselves, represent a major infringement on the right to keep and bear arms, but taken together they pose an existential threat to the Second Amendment rights of Rhode Island residents. 

Any gun or magazine ban that allows existing owners to maintain possession of their arms can be amended in the future to remove those protections, and that’s exactly what H8073 does with so-called assault weapons. The state’s ban on the sale and transfer of modern sporting rifles, which was only adopted a year ago, would be expanded to prohibit the possession of those arms beginning July 1 of this year. Simply keeping the gun you lawfully purchased could result in a ten-year prison sentence and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Then there’s H7755, which would expand the state’s “Responsible Firearm Purchasing Act.” Under the current law, anyone purchasing a handgun must provide the seller with a valid “training certificate” issued by the Rhode Island Attorney General, and after the sale has been approved they’re subjected to a 7-day waiting period before they can take possession of their handgun. 

H7755 would expand that requirement (and waiting period) to all gun sales in the state. In order to simply purchase a gun to keep in the home you’d have to take an 8-hour training course complete with a live-fire requirement, and then pass a written test developed by the Attorney General’s office. 

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