Warwick Post Year in Review: Most-Read Stories of 2022

WARWICK, RI — July 4 fireworks, support for local restaurants, road construction, a rocket sighting, trash pickup alerts, and a school break-in lead list of most-read stories on WarwickPost.com

Here’s a rundown of our most popular stories in 2022:

RI Fireworks: Fourth of July 2022

This isn’t the first time that our annual guide to fireworks displays in Rhode Island landed at number one on the list of most-read stories — in fact, our fireworks reports have gathered the most views in four out of the last five years.

Warwick hosted its display on July 3, viewable from Oakland Beach or Warwick City Park.

Reed, Senators Seek Renewed Restaurant Revitalization

In another step toward recovering from COVID-19 shutdowns and resulting impact on the restaurant industry, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed called for another $28.6 billion in funding for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), run by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA).

The proposal ultimately failed in the Senate, but the SBA in November released $83 million in RRF funds to 169 operators, still far short of what was needed, according to Sean Kennedy, Executive Vice President of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, who said the SBA’s move “is great news for those 169 operators fortunate enough to receive an RRF grant, but hundreds of thousands more are struggling with uncertainty.”

Rte. 37 Exits Closing During Pontiac Bridge Work

In early November, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced the schedule of closures and detours on Rte. 37 to accommodate the replacement of two aging bridge decks near the junction of Interstate 95.

The $79.5 million first phase of the project also includes bridge repairs and replacements at a dozen other sites in Warwick and Cranston, and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023.

Warwick Trash Pickup Changes Begin Today

A new schedule for trash and recycling pickup for some residents in Warwick took effect on Oct. 31, with Tuesday pickups moving to Friday and vice versa.

Mayor Frank Picozzi explained the move put the city’s lightest collection schedule on Friday, allowing workers to catch up on anything they may have missed during the week and reducing overtime costs.

Starlink Launch Visible Across RI

Skygazers in Rhode Island were able to catch a peek of the Falcon 9 rocket launched by SpaceX in late September.

The launch added 52 satellites to the orbital Starlink broadband network, which is now operational over all seven continents.

WPD Arrests Six for Sherman Break-In

Warwick Police charged six young adults with a variety of charges after surveillance cameras recorded them inside Warren A. Sherman Elementary School in July.

According to police reports, officers found damage to the interior of the school, which had been closed since February because of mold.

The six people charged in the case are:

• Jesus Cortes, 21, of Providence: Breaking and entering a public building with felonious intent and vandalism. In a Kent County Superior Court hearing held Aug. 30, Cortes pleaded no contest to revised misdemeanor charges of willful trespass and vandalism. Associate Justice Melissa E. Darigan ordered Cortes to serve a one-year suspended sentence and one year’s probation for each charge, imposed a no-contact order, and ordered Cortes to pay $3,000 restitution to the Warwick School Department. In a separate hearing, Darigan ruled that Cores had violated bail terms set in a 2019 felony child molestation case brought by Providence Police. That case is still pending.
• Justin Melgar, 18, of Cranston: Breaking and entering, conspiracy, and vandalism. Melgar is scheduled for arraignment in Superior Court on Jan. 6.
• Jonathan Brito, 19, of Providence: Breaking and entering, conspiracy, and vandalism. Brito is scheduled for arraignment in Superior Court on Jan. 6.
• Jennifer Jaworski, 19, of Providence: Breaking and entering, conspiracy, and vandalism. Jaworski is scheduled for arraignment in Superior Court on Jan. 6.
• Victoria Castro, 20, of Providence, Breaking and entering, conspiracy, and vandalism. Castro is scheduled for arraignment in Superior Court on Jan. 6.
• Mynor Colindres, 18, of Providence: Breaking and entering and vandalism. No information on Colindres’s case was available through Rhode Island court online records.