Daily Briefing: Why these RI firefighters are being kept off Facebook

ALSO: 🎃 Your guide to a great fall in RI: Hayrides, hauntings and ghost stories Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Tue Oct 17 2023 Will Richmond | Managing Editor Communities & R.I. [@Will_Richmond]( Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at The Providence Journal and this is the Daily Briefing. Some of us may welcome a ban on posting to Facebook. We're all aware of the ups and downs the social media tool has encountered over the years. There is the connection it brings with far-away family and friends, helping to keep you updated on life changes. For municipalities, it's become a tool to keep residents informed on everything from emergency notices to regular updates. Sometimes, though, there are updates or information that some municipalities may not want out there. That appears to be the case in Tiverton. The Journal's Katie Mulvaney has the story of a lawsuit recently fired by the town's firefighters union after the City Council enacted a new regulation "requiring the fire chief’s permission to publicly post any commentary related to their duties." [Tiverton Fire 1] A member of the Tiverton Fire Department emerges from a house that caught fire in 2020. Scott Barrett/Daily News photo Behind the new rule is an ongoing dispute between the union and the town over staffing of the fire department. The dispute is nothing new, having gone back more than a decade or so and one I'm familiar with from my time as an editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Massachusetts, and at The Newport Daily News where we covered Tiverton. Unfortunately, this dispute does nothing to solve the problem around the staffing issue and only serves to keep information out of taxpayers' hands, even if it is telling one side of the story. What is the union hoping to accomplish with the lawsuit and how bad is the problem in Tiverton? [Check out Katie's story to learn more.]( From East Bay to West Bay a subscription to The Providence Journal has you covered. [Find our latest offer here.]( WORTH A READ 🏰 Disney 100th anniversary: [Celebrate the Mouse's house]( with some of our favorite things 🐭 A Swansea, Massachusetts, teen [saved the Chuck E. Cheese characters](. Now the company is giving him a title 🎃 [Your guide to a great fall in RI]( Hayrides, hauntings and ghost stories [Today's weather]( 🌦️ Variable cloudiness with a shower in spots. Highs in the low 60s. TOP STORIES [Newport bike fatality renews calls for traffic control]( [Cars travel through the intersection of Admiral Kalbfus Road and Sagamore Street.]( Installing speed cameras is just one of the ways neighbors have suggested the city improve the intersection. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [Families shop at Spirit Halloween, 1500 Bald Hill Road]( [Why Halloween stores are popping up so close together in Warwick]( No, you're not seeing double, or triple, on Bald Hill Road in Warwick - there really are that many Halloween stores so close together. [READ MORE]( [Johnston police logo]( [Suspect in Johnston auto dealership shooting to be arraigned today]( The police arrested Ramon Abreu Friday night, two days after they say he fired shots at two employees of a Johnston auto dealership. [READ MORE]( [Rushaune Vilane, Hendricken football]( [Eric Rueb hands out his midseason high school football awards]( There's still plenty of football left to play, but here are the players, coaches and surprises that caught our attention so far this season. [READ MORE]( [Jake Pezza, North Kingstown boys soccer]( [Here are the leading RI boys and girls soccer players so far this fall]( These RI high school players have filled key roles in helping their teams win this fall season as the playoffs loom. [READ MORE]( Advertisement Love where you work? Get your organization awarded as an employer of choice by USA TODAY. Participation is easy. [NOMINATE NOW]( [NOMINATE NOW]( Sign up for the news you want Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don’t miss out! We’re always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. [SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔]( [SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. Share bonus subscription with a family member or friend. The universal eNewspaper, the digital version of our print paper, plus bonus monthly magazines and hundreds of local papers. Original reporting of our hometown teams, from high school sports to the pros. [Unlock news for $1]( [SUBSCRIBE TODAY]( Follow Us Problem viewing email? [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( • [Manage Newsletters]( • [Terms of Service]( • [Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights]( • [Privacy Notice]( • [Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy]( • [Feedback](