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On May 5, the boating and fishing community spoke out against Rhode Island House Bill H-6256 at a House Finance Committee meeting. The bill aims to remove the sales, property and use tax exemption on motorboats.

Rep. John Lombardi, D-Providence, the bill's sponsor, said, “We have 5-million-dollar boats being bought by people from out of state and they pay no sales tax on these yachts.”

This is not a luxury tax Lombardi is proposing, however, but rather a tax on all 32,000 boats registered in Rhode Island each year, and according to the National Marine Manufactures Association, about three out of four of them are owned by individuals with household incomes of less than $100,000. So the new sales tax and property tax being proposed would tax thousands of working families in Rhode Island.

In a letter to the House Finance Committee, Rick Bellavance, president of the Rhode Island Charter and Party Boat Association, a membership of 51 small businesses in Rhode Island, wrote: “This bill would impact small businesses in the industry by introducing additional costs, with they might need to either absorb or pass on to clients. The industry supports our tourism-based economy and the effects of H-6256 should be carefully considered as the bill would not support tourism and the charter fishing industry in Rhode Island.”

Scott Travers, executive director of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, with 7,500 affiliated members and 35 affiliated organizations, said: “Recreational fishing has a 419-million-dollar economic impact on Rhode Island’s economy annually. Many of our members own boats or fish with friends that have boats, so this bill would harm recreational fishing as well as marine trades in Rhode Island.”

Here are some highlights of the testimony I gave at the hearing:

”Over the past 20 years, about 75% of my charter customers came from out of state, which is tourism. I am constantly referreing customers to hotels, restaurants and bait and tackle shops. Tourism, boating and fishing are a major driver to Rhode Island’s economy.

"We have been known as a boating- and fishing-friendly state in part due to no taxes on boats. To enact sales and property taxes on boats will change this perception. We will no longer be the boating- and fishing-friendly state.

"This change in perception will have a profound, negative impact on the number of boaters, fishers and tourists that come to Rhode Island. The income generated from these taxes will be minimal to the positive impact Rhode Island has enjoyed by being perceived as a boating- and fishing-friendly state.

"So I ask anglers, boaters, members of the House, Senate and [the governor's] administration, please do not support a boat sales and property tax. Let the State of Rhode Island remain a boating- and fishing-friendly state that will continue to help drive our economy.”

According to the Rhode Island Maine Trades Association, the state’s marine trades sector collectively accounts for more than 13,300 jobs and $2.65 billion in gross sales.

More to come as we follow this bill through the legislative process. For now, the bill has been put on hold for further study like all bills heard Tuesday night.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass fishing for holdover striped bass (fish that did not migrate south) continues to be very good with anglers catching keeper striped bass 28 inches to under 31 inches. “Recent sunny days have warmed the water and we're seeing a good mix of sizes, from smaller school bass up to impressive fish over 30 inches. We've also noticed a few worm hatches last week where fish have been present. It looks like these hatches will soon be expanding from the more secluded coves to the open edges of the ponds,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle in Charlestown. Tom Olson of Ponaug Bait & Tackle in Warwick said: “Still not much action in Apponaug Cove area, but some anglers are picking up fish at Conimicut Point, Warwick, with isolated reports of fish in Greenwich Bay.” Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle in Providence said: “Fish to 34 inches are being caught in the Providence River and West Passage with school bass being caught in Greenwich Bay. Natural baits such as clam and squid are working as well as flutter spoons as there are not many Atlantic menhaden available.”

Tautog. “We've been getting some positive reports on tautog, with customers having success both from the shore and by boat. There have also been a few reports of cod in deeper waters,” said O’Donnell. Dustin Stevens of Rhode Island Kayak Adventures said: “I like to use half of a green crab with legs off in the spring as the fish seem to like softer baits.” Angler Greg Vespe of Tiverton said: “Tog fishing exploded over the weekend with a nice mix of males and females in the mid- and upper bay now that the water is 52.8, so they are chewing. We had our limits before our coffee was cold and then just played around trying new spots.”

Freshwater trout fishing is still a good bet with trout stocking recently occurring in Rhode Island and Massachusetts waterways. For complete regulations, a list of stocked ponds and a copy of the Rhode Island Freshwater Fishing Regulations and Guide, visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and in Massachusetts, visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov.

Dave Monti holds a master captain’s license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business that focuses on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy and fisheries-related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net or visit noflukefishing.com.

Q: On April 15, 2011, I registered a 1970 Volvo P1800E with the RI DMV. I remember having a Massachusetts title certificate. I also remember the Rhode Island DMV clerk stating that I had to give her the original title certificate. I still have a copy of it.

Is there any chance that the Rhode Island DMV still has my original title certificate? If so, can I have it back? Do I even need a title in Rhode Island for a 1970 car that I bought and registered in 2011? With copies of the Massachusetts title, the bill of sale, and my active Rhode Island registration, can I get a Rhode Island title certificate?

If I can apply for a Rhode Island title certificate, should my TR-2/TR-9 indicate a duplicate title/affidavit of loss or Add Title? There is no way I can get my seller from April 15, 2011, to co-sign the TR-2/TR-9 form. I don’t even know if he’s alive. Suppose I simply can’t find him?

− Tedford R.

A: Effective Jan. 1, 2024, Rhode Island’s title law changed, and below are important points for you and others. This information can be found on our website (dmv.ri.gov).

Here is the information about Previously Non-Titled Vehicles:

Now to the answers to your questions: We will request the file/title from our offsite records storage. If we can obtain it, we will get it back to you.

Technically, you do not need a title. However, if you sell it out of state, that state may require a title. Each state has their own registration and title laws.

Yes, you can get a Rhode Island title certificate with those documents, but you just need your valid or expired registration, payment and a completed TR2/TR9 application. (This form can be printed from our website in the “Forms” tab and “Title Forms” tab.)

On the TR2/TR9 application, this transaction is called “Add New Title.” The seller’s signature is not required for you, as the current owner, to get a title for this vehicle.

You can make a reservation for our Research/Title Office to do this transaction in person; you can drop off your paperwork and payment at any DMV Branch’s Drop Box (hours are the same as the branch hours); or you can mail in all these documents to the Cranston DMV.

Chuck Hollis is assistant administrator of the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. Please email your questions to cars@providencejournal.com with “Ask the DMV” in the subject field.

PROVIDENCE – The M. Night Shyamalan movie filming in Rhode Island this summer has a name now.

And a studio.

And a release date.

And two more stars have been attached to the supernatural romantic thriller already known to be starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

All of this comes from Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, in a Facebook post just after noon on Thursday, May 8.

The movie will be called "Remain," which had been reported as the working title in the Hollywood trade press.

And it will be released just before Halloween next year, on Oct. 23, 2026, by Warner Bros.

Gyllenhaal has been known as the star of the picture since it was first announced, but now Phoebe Dynevor, who had been rumored to be involved, and Ashley Walters are also officially connected.

Gyllenhaal achieved critical acclaim for his performance in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain." Dynevor, a British actor, is known for the Netflix series "Bridgerton," and Walters is known for the Netflix series "Adolescence."

The producer has also advertised for three child actors to appear as extras in the movie.

Filming is expected to begin in June in the state-owned Cranston Street Armory in Providence, with undisclosed locations in other municipalities also being used.

The trade press also reports that Nicholas Sparks' novel version of "Remain," written in conjunction with Shyamalan, will be released in October, a full year before the movie.

PROVIDENCE – For the City of Providence, a bottle bill is not just about improving the recycling system and helping the environment. The creation of a redemption program for used beverage containers would also benefit municipal finances.

So said Priscilla De La Cruz, sustainability director for the city, at a Senate committee hearing May 7 on legislation that would require a 10-cent deposit on drinks sold in bottles, cans and other recyclable packaging that would be refunded when the empty containers are returned to a redemption center.

That’s because curbside recycling loads picked up in Providence are notorious for the amount of other garbage they contain. These so-called contaminated loads are regularly turned away from the state’s recycling facility in Johnston and disposed of in the Central Landfill next door, forcing additional tipping fees on the city to the tune of $2 million a year, said De La Cruz.

By channeling bottles, cans and plastics out of the state's struggling waste system and into a new recycling stream, it would reduce the trash tonnage landfilled by Providence and save the city more than $615,000 annually on tipping fees, De La Cruz said.

It’s why Providence Mayor Brett Smiley supports a bottle bill and so does the Providence City Council.

“It does impact our taxpayers,” De La Cruz said. “It does impact our residents when we have poor recycling.”

Legislation under consideration to improve recycling in RI

The Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture heard two pieces of legislation aimed at improving the recycling system in Rhode Island. One, introduced by Sen. Bridget Valverde, has the sole aim of setting up a beverage container redemption program, similar to what’s been around in Connecticut, Massachusetts and many other states for decades.

The other, sponsored by Sen. Mark McKenney, would do the same but would also go further by targeting paper, cardboard and other packaging materials as part of an “extended producer responsibility” program. Both components would see industry members taking responsibility for the waste they create.

Something needs to be done to fix the curbside recycling program in Rhode Island, said McKenney, who was the co-chair of a legislative commission that spent a year and a half looking at ways to reduce plastic waste.

"Possibly as little as 14% of what we put into the bins every week and roll out actually gets recycled," he said.

But just as De La Cruz highlighted the financial impact of a bottle bill, so too did opponents, though they presented it as detrimental to the bottom line for Rhode Islanders.

Opponents of a bottle bill call it a tax

Representatives of liquor stores and beverage companies like Coca-Cola went before the committee to argue that the 10-cent deposit on beverages will act more like a tax because many consumers will simply toss their empty containers away rather than taking them to a redemption center for a refund.

And while some people will choose not to because it’s a “massive inconvenience,” others won’t be able to, said Nick Fede Jr., director of the Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative.

“People that are disabled are unable to do it. People without vehicles are unable to do it,” he said. “It is a punch-down tax on the lower class.”

He and others in the beverage and retail industries said the answer is to channel more money into the existing recycling system to improve how material is sorted so that contaminated recycling loads aren’t simply landfilled, and to spend more on public education.

They say there’s an existing funding stream – a beverage container tax of 8-cents-per-case paid by wholesalers – that could be earmarked for recycling improvements rather than going into the state’s general fund.

Environmental groups say action needed on plastics and other litter

But those on the opposite side of the debate expressed doubts about the beverage industry’s commitment to cleaning up its waste.

“They don’t want to solve the problem,” said longtime Providence environmental advocate Greg Gerritt. “They just want to play games to make our lives more difficult and our country more dirty.”

Environmental groups like Save The Bay, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and Clean Water Action say a 10-cent deposit on beverage containers would also act as an incentive for people to pick up litter that, if uncollected, washes into rivers and on into Narragansett Bay.

They cite studies, including one recent one that estimated the top two inches of sediments at the bottom of the Bay contains 1,000 tons of microplastics.

Researchers with The Nature Conservancy who do fish surveys in the Upper Bay are also seeing evidence of littering, said Angela Tuoni, acting director of climate and government relations with the organization in Rhode Island.

“Plastic containers are a big part of what we’re finding when we’re looking for marine life,” she said.

All that garbage is more than just a nuisance, said De La Cruz. It blocks up storm drains and exacerbates flooding that is growing worse with climate change.

“We’re in the age where we’re experiencing more extreme storms, more intense flash flooding events,” she said. “And we cannot afford to have our storm drains clogged up. It becomes a resiliency matter, a public safety matter.”

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Harmony Heritage Finishes 6th and Qualifies for International Contest

Jeanne Chapman, Community Contributor

|Updated Fri, May 9, 2025 at 4:25 pm ET

Pawtucket, RI , May 9, 2025 — Harmony Heritage, the Pawtucket, Rhode Island chapter of Harmony, Incorporated, an international organization of female a cappella singers specializing in the barbershop harmony style, recently earned regional recognition and qualified for a spot at Harmony, Inc.’s international competition, which will be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania later this year.

Harmony Heritage, based in Pawtucket, RI, placed 6th out of more than 10 choruses in Harmony, Inc.’s Area 2, which encompasses New England plus Montreal, Canada. The competition took place in Framingham, Massachusetts, and participants earning a score of a certain threshold are qualified to participate in the international competition of Harmony, Inc. choruses in November.

“The Harmony Heritage chorus rehearses all year to become more masterful at the four-part harmony that characterizes the barbershop style, but qualifying to participate in the International Convention & Contests of Harmony, Inc. is truly an honor,” says Camilla Streeter, chapter president. “We plan to build on the success of our area contest showing as we prepare, and we’re proud to represent the Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts community among choruses from all across the United States and Canada.”

Harmony, Inc. has hosted area and international conventions for more than 60 years, gathering female singers of all musical backgrounds and experience levels to participate in a series of competitions for quartets and choruses. Participants are adjudicated by a panel of trained judges evaluating categories that encompass what songs the performers elect to sing, the skill with which they sing those songs, and how they present the songs, which can include emotionally connecting with the audience. “The Harmony Heritage not only earned area recognition for its performance, but it has also accomplished something equally notable in qualifying to join other choruses at the premier event in Harmony, Inc.’s annual competition cycle,” says Gaye LaCasce, Harmony, Inc. president. “This positions Harmony Heritage as one of the top representatives of our organization, and we appreciate the talent that these women bring to the barbershop harmony genre.”

With approximately 25 members, Harmony Heritage is directed by Bob O’Connell of Pawtucket, RI. The chorus presented two songs at the area contest to earn its placement, “The Nearness of You” and “Take Me to the Land of Jazz”. These selections are a small sample of the chorus’s extensive repertoire, which is ideally suited for a wide range of audiences and events. To learn more about the chorus’s upcoming performance schedule, visit https://www.harmonyheritage.org.

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About Harmony HeritageFounded in 2001, a southern New England chapter of Harmony, Inc., also known as the Harmony Heritage chorus, brings four-part a cappella harmony to the local community through regular performances and educational events. The chorus consists of women representing a wide range of musical backgrounds, from novice to trained professionals, and performs under the direction of Bob O’Connell. Members hail from all over Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts. Harmony Heritage holds open rehearsals at 7:00 pm on Tuesdays at Epworth United Methodist Church, 915 Newport Avenue, Pawtucket, RI, and all women with a love of singing are invited. For more information, visit www.harmonyheritage.org.

About Harmony, Incorporated: Harmony, Inc. is an international, non-profit organization whose purpose is to empower all women through education, friendship and a cappella singing in the barbershop style. Founded in Providence, RI in 1959, the organization has expanded from its Eastern roots to include more than 65 chapters in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.HarmonyInc.org.