By Christopher Shea | Reporter

Hiya,

Though I’ll forever be a Red Sox fan, my Wisconsin roots make it impossible not to get excited about the Milwaukee Brewers returning to the World Series for the first time since 1982.

Having been to plenty of games at Miller Park (I refuse to call it anything else) and still knowing plenty of people who root for the Brew Crew, I hope Milwaukee can pull off what so many Wisconsinites have dreamed of seeing for decades.

***

No Kings events return to Rhode Island on Saturday, with gatherings across the state focused on encouraging early voting and protecting voting rights ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Stay tuned for coverage from Senior Reporter Nancy Lavin.

***

Here’s your look at the week that was:

A fence and barrier close off access to Newport's Cliff Walk and detour signs point the way on Narragansett Avenue in this May 2025 photo. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)

By Nancy Lavin

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council approved a revised repair plan for the Cliff Walk in Newport at its meeting Tuesday. The unanimous vote paves the way for reconstruction of the collapsed sections of the famed oceanside walking path, which could reopen as early as 2028.

A home under construction in Providence's Silver Lake neighborhood in May 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

By Christopher Shea

Two years after federal monitors flagged problems with Rhode Island’s oversight of housing grants, a new state audit has found gaps in grant tracking and record keeping. Housing officials say they are working to address the findings.

A discarded Suboxone wrapper on a rain-soaked sidewalk in June 2025. The medication, which contains buprenorphine and naloxone, is used to treat opioid use disorder. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

By Alexander Castro

A recent state audit of 100 Medicaid claims over a two-year period by all five opioid treatment providers that billed Rhode Island Medicaid during that period found at least one problem with every single claim. But the state agency that oversees these providers failed to flag these problems consistently, despite visiting facilities every other year, according to the Oct. 7 report by Rhode Island’s Office of the Auditor General.

A Flock automated license plate reader records data on Main Road in Tiverton on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Photo by Nolan Page/Rhode Island Current)

By Christopher Shea

Rhode Island’s two-month pause on new Flock camera installations is set to expire Monday. As Rhode Island State Police prepare new rules for automated license plate readers, civil liberties groups say they were left out of the review and are calling for stricter limits on police use of the technology.

A Mr. Potato Head sits outside Hasbro Inc's headquarters on Newport Avenue in Pawtucket. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

By Nancy Lavin

Hasbro’s relocation across state lines has been in the works for more than a year. But the toy company’s executives provided few details after outlining a broad schedule for completing the move by the end of the calendar year, and listing the Pawtucket headquarters for sale. Until now.

Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore looks through a binder during a press conference at an early voting site in the community room of the Warwick Police Station on Oct. 13, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

By Christopher Shea

Rhode Island's election officials say they’re ready for the midterms, with hundreds of voting machines deployed, over 2000 poll workers trained and plans to address staffing shortages and potential federal involvement at polling places. “Our goal is for an election day to be uneventful from a public safety standpoint,” said Col. Michael Correia, Barrington’s police chief and president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday.

ICYMI

Thanks for reading Swell. Did you know our daily morning digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.