Daily Briefing: What's it like to ride RIPTA for a week

ALSO: Why is the Washington Bridge so weird. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Thu Mar 14 2024 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. To be honest, I've never ridden a RIPTA bus before. But I've wondered about the experience before, along with why some bus stops have shelters while others are nothing more than a sign on a telephone pole. With RIPTA gaining a lot of attention from the latest plans to for a transit hub to route cuts, The Journal's Antonia Farzan decided to spend a week riding RIPTA buses to gain a better feel for the experience and those that rely on public transportation. [1A LEAD IMAGE - Providence Journal reporter Antonia Farzan arrives at Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence after commuting to work on a RIPTA bus.] Providence Journal reporter Antonia Noori Farzan arrives at Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence after commuting to work on a RIPTA bus from her home in Cranston. David DelPoio/The Providence Journal [What did she find? Here's a little preview: Commuting to downtown Providence was easy and stress-free. It's getting around the rest of the state that's the problem.]( • The Washington Bridge has been called lots of things and that's not including the expletives used these past three months. [The Journal's Patrick Anderson looks at the history of the bridge to better understand why it's been called everything from unique to old fashioned and complex.]( The fate of the old span also appears to be becoming clearer as [Gov. Dan McKee and state Director of Transportation Peter Alviti Jr. will hold a media briefing today at 3 p.m.]( • It turns out Rhode Island judges and magistrates may be in need of protection from people hitting them with "paper terrorism." [The Journal's Katherine Gregg reports that in the wake of a series of "bogus" liens and other filings against the property and accounts of several state judges]( as well as the Woonsocket police department, the judiciary is asking legislators to create a new felony-level crime for harassing a judge or magistrate in this manner. Not everyone thinks it's needed. • PC began its march in the Big East last night with a third matchup this season against former coach Ed Cooley and Georgetown. [The Journal's Bill Koch has all the action covered.]( • [The Journal's Mark Patinkin remembers former talk radio host Ron St. Pierre and says he made Rhode Island a better place.]( WORTH A READ 📱 [Are TikTok's days numbered?]( What you need to know. 🥧 [What is Pi Day?]( The day combines math and dessert for a sum that comes full circle 🌿 Hundreds of thousands affected by Massachusetts [pardon for misdemeanor marijuana possession]( RHODY RANKS Every day we receive emails ranking Rhode Island. While the work behind the ranks may be dubious, they can be fun. Each day I'll share where Rhody Ranks from one of the latest emails. To coincide with Women's History Month (March), a recent poll of 3,000 respondents by [Somewang]( revealed the 200 most beloved heroines from history, paying tribute to the rich stories of women who have broken barriers, fought for equality, and paved the way for future generations. Rhode Island had four heroines included among the top 200: at 17 is Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910); at 69 is Anne Hutchinson; at 71 is Elizabeth Buffum Chace and at 128 is Ida Lewis. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( 🌤️ Partly sunny and warm. Highs in the mid-60s. TOP STORIES [How would a bottle bill work in RI? Oregon's success provides a model]( [A man turns in bottles at a redemption center in Oregon.]( A legislative commission considering ways to reduce plastic garbage in RI is looking at Oregon as a possible model for a bottle deposit system. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [Published Caption: Time is running out to fill out the 2020 Census. [ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO] Original Caption: FILE - This March 23, 2018 file photo shows an envelope containing a 2018 census letter mailed to a resident in Providence, R.I., as part of the nation's only test run of the 2020 Census. A Trump administration plan to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census has prompted legal challenges from many Democratic-led states. But not a single Republican attorney general has sued _ not even from states with large immigrant populations. (AP Photo/Michelle R. Smith)]( [What was behind the gains in RI's population last year]( Urban vs. Rural: Densely populated Providence County saw gains, but other counties experienced losses. Here's what to know about RI's population shift. [READ MORE]( [Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, right, in City Hall with Col. Oscar Perez, the chief of police.]( [Why RI lawmakers are leery of Providence mayor's noise cameras bill]( Some lawmakers asked how they could support the bill, which could see their constituents getting an automated ticket while driving in Providence. [READ MORE]( [The Rhode Island State House dome.]( [McKee proposes raises of up to $75K for state department heads]( The largest raise would go to someone who hasn't even been hired yet. [READ MORE]( [David Ghigliotty prepares his bullrake while quahogging on Narragansett Bay.]( [How can humans save RI's iconic quahog? No one can quite agree.]( Did a massive cleanup effort to remove nitrogen from Narragansett Bay inadvertently make it too clean for quahogs? Or is climate change to blame? [READ MORE]( Advertisement Vote with Confidence This 7-day newsletter course will help you be an informed voter before Nov. 5. [SIGN UP NOW]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. 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