
By Christopher Shea | Reporter
Hiya and happy Halloween!
Don’t forget to set your clocks back after the sugar crash or late-night costume party. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, giving you an extra hour of sleep in exchange for the sun setting sooner.
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High tide in Providence Saturday is at 12:56 p.m. Low tide is at 5:25 p.m. and 6:13 p.m. Sunrise is at 7:16 a.m. Sunset is at 5:41 p.m.
High tide in Warwick Sunday is at 1:28 a.m. and 12:56 p.m. Low tide is at 5:18 a.m. and 8:39 p.m. Sunrise is at 6:17 a.m. Sunset is at 4:40 p.m.
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Here’s your look at the week that was:

Providence superintendent Javier Montañez speaks with reporters on Aug. 29, 2024. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Providence Public Schools Superintendent Javier Montañez is stepping down after five years, just months after the district regained local control.

By Rhode Island Current staff
Brush up on the candidates for state and federal offices and the statewide bond questions on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election.

Richard Charest, secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, left, attends an event at the State House in April 2025. Rhode Island Medicaid Director Kristin Sousa, right, will become interim secretary this week as Charest departs for a new role. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Kristin Sousa, Rhode Island’s Medicaid program director, will serve as interim secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services starting Oct. 29, Gov. Dan McKee announced Tuesday. She fills the opening left by Richard Charest, who is leaving the cabinet-level position at the end of the month to take a job as CEO of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital.

Rhode Island Superior Court Associate Justice Luis Matos stands alongside Gov. Dan McKee during an Aug. 12, 2026, news conference announcing his nomination to the state Supreme Court. McKee has yet to formally submit the nomination to lawmakers for advice and consent. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
For the first time in six years, state lawmakers are set to reconvene after the November election to consider the appointments of five magistrates and potentially four other judges, including Gov. Dan McKee’s pick for the Supreme Court. The Senate is scheduled to meet Nov. 5 to formally receive appointments and refer them to the Judiciary Committee.

Republican Aaron Guckian is shown on stage during the last gubernatorial debate before the Nov. 3 general election on Tuesday night, Oct. 20, 2026, at Rhode Island College. (Photo by Corey Welch/WPRI 12)
Campaign finance reports detail Guckian’s cash flow woes; ad war between Block and Foulkes escalates
By Nancy Lavin
Nearly one month after Republican Aaron Guckian boarded a private plane to Florida in search of donors for his dwindling campaign account, he still hasn’t submitted the requisite paperwork showing his travel expenses. Guckian has less than $3,000 cash on hand, a fraction of what Democrat Helena Buonanno Foulkes and independent Ken Block have.

The homepage of Common Sense America PAC, a newly registered Maryland-based political action committee supporting Republican Victor Mellor against incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner. (Screenshot)
By Christopher Shea
U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner removed a video of his call with the treasurer for a Maryland super PAC supporting Republican Vic Mellor after his campaign reviewed recording laws. The PAC formed on Oct. 5 has reported nearly $41,000 in spending to support Mellor against the Democratic incumbent.
ICYMI
Rhode Island is first state to sue Meta over alleged profits from scam ads | Christopher Shea
Recruitment efforts bring mixed results for state law enforcement agencies | Christopher Shea
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