Today’s Top Stories: Patriots make history with eighth consecutive shot at AFC title; critics target "scoops" in governor s budget plan; Cranston residents seek moratorium on solar-farm construction

[View email with images]( [Providence Journal]( Kevin McNamara: Patriots' eighth straight shot at AFC title is an epic feat The Patriots have made it to the conference championship eight seasons in a row, setting an NFL record that almost certainly will never be broken. But Sunday s road test against the red-hot Chiefs and their wunderkind quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, will give New England all it can handle. [READ MORE]( Budget 'scoops' under fire in R.I. governor's spending plan Raimondo s tax-and-spending plan released Thursday includes around $24 million in one-time transfers from various agencies to fill budget gaps, a practice that critics say drains the reserves of quasi state agencies and could cause them to raise rates to compensate. [READ MORE]( Cranston's half-dozen solar projects spark heated debate With six projects in Cranston either complete or in the pipeline, many residents are calling for the City Council to impose a moratorium on the construction of solar farms. [READ MORE]( Impact of Trump policies on R.I. economy hard to measure At the two-year mark of the Trump presidency, R.I. economists and industry leaders say many dire predictions about how his policies would play out here have yet to clearly materialize, while a boost to the state s economy from lowering of taxes is muddled with other regional factors that have prodded the state upward. [READ MORE]( Horse rescued in North Smithfield from shoulder-deep swamp muck NORTH SMITHFIELD - Firefighters rescued a horse late Saturday morning after the animal splashed into a swamp and then mired itself in deep mud, authorities said. [READ MORE]( Storm could spoil view of lunar eclipse for Southern New England PROVIDENCE - The sun, Earth and moon will stage a dramatic light, shadow and color show Sunday night, but the weekend storm could pull a curtain across the entire event in our area. [READ MORE]( Alan Rosenberg: Info for sports bettors and school-sports fans It s all part of the smorgasbord of features in The Journal and on providencejournal.com. [READ MORE]( URI 78, La Salle 67: Rams ride dominant second half to victory PHILADELPHIA — Cyril Langevine notched his 10th double-double of the season, piling up 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, as URI won back-to-back games for just the second time this season, putting the Rams in position to carry some momentum into Wednesday’s showdown with VCU at the Ryan Center. PC at Marquette: Golden Eagles' Howard a game-time decision If the Providence College Friars catch a large dose of luck on Sunday, Markus Howard will roll out of bed and feel his creaky back acting up again. Howard, the high-scoring, quick-shooting guard at Marquette, missed his team’s last game at Georgetown. His status for the Providence game is unclear. [READ MORE]( Editorial: Failing the most helpless among us A 9-year-old girl with cerebral palsy was found dead in Warwick on Jan. 3. Police, who entered her squalid home that reeked of urine and feces, said she may have been lying in a bathtub for eight hours. How could something like this happen? [READ MORE]( [providencejournal.com]( Connect with Us! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Connect with Us! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [WWW.PROVIDENCEJOURNAL.COM]( You are receiving this communication as a member of the Providence Journal. Providence Journal values your online privacy. For more information, view our [privacy policy]( now. Please do not reply to this message. [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( Providence Journal 75 Fountain St Providence, RI 02902 © 2019 Providence Journal. All rights reserved.