Ethan Shorey

Pawtucket

Editor of @TheValleyBreeze. My family says I'm too nosy. Simple things are the best things. Do, love, walk. @RILitterPickers @GrillNewEngland

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Articles

Cumberland developer clears too many trees without permission

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

CUMBERLAND – A developer of new homes on Prospect Street on the Massachusetts state line cleared nearly four times as much space as he was allowed to under a soil and erosion permit, according to officials. Any development proposed to clear more than 10,000 square feet requires a development plan review, but owner Kegan Labonte went forward without getting that review and cleared nearly 40,000 square feet of land.
Rejecting criticisms, Woonsocket council bans public camping

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

WOONSOCKET – Despite condemnation and more than a few Bible verses delivered by some residents Monday, the City Council granted second and final passage to an ordinance prohibiting camping on public land, a law intended to crack down on messy encampments. Plenty of other speakers praised the council for its stance, saying the time for talk and debate is over, and it’s time for all residents and business owners to be taken into account.
Animatronic pets bring joy, companionship for seniors

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

EAST PROVIDENCE – A Cumberland family has donated 40 animatronic cats from Pawtucket-based Ageless Innovation’s Joy for all Companion Pets collection to the residents at The Loft at Linn Assisted Living Community in East Providence.
Local man recuperating after triple organ transplant

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

CUMBERLAND – Eric Thatcher says it’s clear he’s still on this earth for a purpose after coming through his most challenging health crisis yet. There have been many touch-and-go moments since Thatcher, 43, underwent a triple organ transplant on Feb. 6 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, but he’s now home and says he’s on a path to recovery.
Applicant gets permission for four-home project at Diamond Hill, Nate Whipple

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

CUMBERLAND – Developer Michael Menard is looking to add three new homes alongside an existing home at the corner of Diamond Hill Road and Nate Whipple Highway. The homes would be on the southeast corner, on the side of the intersection closest to Route 295. The Planning Board last week granted the applicant’s request for a variance from road frontage requirements and a waiver from lot proportion requirements for a minor subdivision that will create four lots from the existing three lots.
Board rejects initial concept for Blackstone Residences on Broad

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

CUMBERLAND – Planning Board members made no secret of their negative feelings on a planned 21-unit housing development at 618 Broad St.They said they doubt it will attract the announced clientele, that it doesn’t fit in with the area, and that it’s too large while not adequately addressing the need for affordable housing.
AI in the ear: Tech helps make hearing aids even better

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

NORTH PROVIDENCE – Artificial intelligence has been utilized in hearing aids for some time, but according to those in the field, exciting developments are making them more personalized and adaptive than ever. Hearing aids are starting to use deep neural networks with millions of sentence inputs and multiple embedded chips. They mimic human behavior, allowing AI to prioritize sound based on where the user is looking, not just how loud the sounds are.
Cumberland schools get more in state aid

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

CUMBERLAND – This year’s school funding issues are a bit more palatable after school officials learned that they’ll be getting more than they expected in state aid. Director of Finance Tim McGrath told the School Committee last Tuesday, April 29, that he was at a meeting of the Rhode Island Association of School Building Officials when he was handed updated sheets showing Cumberland schools receiving $466,000 more than the number they’d budgeted for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
‘School-focused budget’ in Pawtucket exceeds the tax cap

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

PAWTUCKET – Mayor Donald Grebien and his administration are proposing a budget that pushes the local tax increase beyond 4 percent on the levy, after getting permission from the state to do so. There’s an increase of $14.4 million overall on the budget, or 9.58 percent, but the levy, or total amount to be collected in taxes, would rise 6.36 percent, or by $6.8 million. That 6.36 percent is 2.36 percent above the state’s cap of 4 percent.
High-priced home sales jumping each year in North Providence

1 week ago | valleybreeze.com | Ethan Shorey

NORTH PROVIDENCE – Some 45 residential properties in town have sold for more than $600,000 since 2021, far outdistancing the four such sales in the previous six years combined. The data from the town’s real estate database, analyzed by The North Providence Breeze this week, illustrates the ballooning cost of housing, both here in this town and across the state.