Rhode Island Monthly January 2020 | Page 57

survey says... DUMB, DUMBER, DUMBEST This just in: we don’t have a clue… A week after a mysterious boom at 4:21 a.m. woke up Block Island residents and shook houses, officials still hadn’t figured out a cause. This just in: we don’t have a clue, the sequel… A Providence EMA port warning siren blasted through South Providence for almost an hour before crews managed to turn it off. “There is no danger, and no action is necessary at this time,” the PEMA announced to no one in par- ticular. The malfunctioning electronic siren was audible for miles. Just the bare facts, please. Middletown police arrested a Massachusetts firefighter after he walked into a 7-Eleven completely naked and bought a diet soda. He later told police he did it because his girlfriend dared him to. How cheesy. Rhode Island College students staged a sit-in to protest the $5.50 cost of a grilled cheese sandwich. According to one, “It’s been going on for too long and we are fed up.” We’ll bring the cocktail sauce. A woman wearing a black T-shirt and yoga pants stole roughly $100 in frozen shrimp from a Cranston Stop and Shop. We told you smoking isn’t good for you. A West Warwick woman’s vaping pen exploded in her purse, setting it on fire. Said one observer, “We saw her with black soot all over.” Only 45 percent of Rhode Islanders can identify a basic fruit or vegetable. And Providence is the country’s third worst city for dating, which may explain why it slogs in at number 87 on the list of the country’s most fun cities. On a brighter note, Rhode Island isn’t the laziest state in the country, according to WalletHub; we’re the second laziest. QUOTABLES! “Pocahontas and Tonto have had their day.” If this doesn’t work, there’s always the Pity party. Linc Chafee, a former Republican turned inde- pendent governor and most recently, a Dem- ocratic presidential candidate, said he’s considering another run for president, this time as a Libertarian. Warwick Sewer Authority board member Carlo Pisaturo during a discussion about a planned sewer project that risked disturbing ancient graves. Finally, a reason to like yogurt. The Chobani company donated almost $50,000 to pay off the lunch bills of Warwick school children whose parents owed money. Paging Dr. Pedro! High there, officer! State police arrested two New York men who were caught with ninety-four pounds of mari- juana in their car on I-95. The driver was also charged with not wearing his seatbelt. Never mind. Just hours after the DMV announced it would start charging Rhode Islanders a $15 cover charge to visit the Registry in person, officials did a 180. “The governor does not support the walk-in fee and will not be including it in next year’s budget,” a spokesman said. House speaker Nick Mattiello yanked $1 million from this year’s budget that had been earmarked to go to Cranston chiropractor Victor Pedro for his experimental brain therapy program that two dozen doctors declared scientifi- cally unproven. Pedro had received generous grants from the General Assembly since 2004, and now the feds are investigating.  RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JANUARY 2020      55