Latest news with #RhodeIsland
Fast Company
2 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Graphic design job listings are flat, despite worries about AI
BY and María José Gutierrez Chavez From fantastical worlds to personalized Ghibli-esque portraits, social media is flooded with AI-generated images that were created by merely a prompt. But what may be a fun tool for the average user has become an existential threat for graphic design. And yet, surprisingly, graphic design jobs don't seem to be getting eliminated—yet. By analyzing job posting data between fall/winter 2023-2024 and fall/winter 2024-2025, Fast Company found that the number of job listings for graphic designers stayed flat, despite worries about AI platforms eliminating these particular jobs. 'There just haven't been very many graphic-design based AI generators yet,' says Daniel Lefcourt, visual artist and professor of art and computation at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fireworks, Declaration of Independence readings highlight Fourth of July in Newport County
There are plenty of ways to celebrate the Fourth of July from cookouts to hitting the beach and so much more, but across Newport County you can bookend the day with that patriotic feeling. Options exist to start your day by harkening back to revolutionary times with readings of the Declaration of Independence and once the sun sets of course there are fireworks to enjoy. Some events also continue through the long-weekend to keep the celebration going. We've rounded up the events taking place this holiday to get you in the spirit and go beyond the hot dogs and hamburgers. Weather permitting, this year's display in Newport is scheduled to light up the harbor beginning at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Friday, July 4, with a rain date slated for the following day on July 5. With the Fourth of July falling on a Friday this year, Newport is expected to be especially busy, and the city is asking everyone to get involved in the celebration by donating to the City's Fireworks Fund. As in previous years, Premier Sponsorships will be offered for donations of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500; however, donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. All donors – no matter the amount – will be recognized by the City both online and in print. If you're interested in making a donation to this year's fireworks display, please make your donation check payable to the 'City of Newport' with a notation of 'Fireworks Fund' on the memo line, and mail it to the attention of the Mayor's Office, 43 Broadway, Newport, R.I. 02840. More information about the City's fireworks display can also be found on the City's website at For over 100 years, the Rhode Island Society Sons of the Revolution has hosted Newport's Independence Day Celebration, and there is no more patriotic place to celebrate America's birthday than in Newport's Historic District. The Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Rhode Island from the steps of the Colony House in Newport in 1776 and each Fourth of July, the event is recreated in celebration with music, cannons and a tribute to Newport's signer of the Declaration. All events are free. 9 a.m.: A commemoration of William Ellery, Newport's signer of the Declaration of Independence, at his grave site in Newport's Common Burying Ground on Farewell Street, led by the Daughters of the American Revolution and with participation of the Rhode Island Society Sons of the Revolution, and the Artillery Company of Newport. 9 to 11 a.m.: The Newport Historical Society will provide access to the Colony House, the fourth oldest State House inAmerica, with staff present to answer questions. 9:30 a.m.: Bike Newport will hold their annual bike parade from Ellery Park at Farewell and Thames Street. Decorate your bike and enjoy the fun. 10 to 11 a.m.: A rousing Patriotic concert in Eisenhower Park in Washington Square by the Newport Community Band at Salve Regina University, Peter Davis conducting. 11 a.m.: A reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel Roy Lauth, from the steps of the Colony House, the spot where it was first read to the Colony in 1776 by Major John Handy. 11:30 a.m.: In Washington Square, a 21-gun salute fired by the Artillery Company of Newport, using the fourcannons purchased from Paul Revere in 1798 by the new state of Rhode Island. The Common Burying Ground, established in 1640, includes the grave of Declaration signer William Ellery and the graves of other historic figures, such as Commodore Mathew Perry, who opened Japan to the West in 1854. God's Little Acre, a section of Common Burying Ground, is the largest cemetery of enslaved people in the United States. The Colony House was one of four seats of the colonial government in Rhode Island. Here on May 6, 1776, Rhode Island declared it no longer owed allegiance to the British crown, now known as Rhode Island Independence Day. The Continental Congress's Declaration of Independence was first read from the front steps of on July 22, 1776. Join fellow citizens at 9 a.m. on the grounds of Portsmouth Free Public Library to read aloud portions of our nation's founding document, the Declaration of Independence, adopted unanimously by a fledgling Congress 249 years ago on July 4, 1776. Copies will be available or bring your own. We welcome families – children are encouraged to read a passage. In case of rain the reading will be held inside the library in the Mello Program Room. Please provide your own chair or blanket and dress for the weather. Some participants like to wear red, white and blue for the occasion. By about 9:30 a.m., you will be on your way to parades and cookouts and other celebrations of the day. Escobar's Farm, 133 Middle Road, Portsmouth, announced they will have a fireworks display on Saturday, July 5, at 9 p.m. They will also host a tractor show beginning at 11 a.m. and the farm's concession stand will be open. At 9 a.m. the Tiverton Historical Society will hold the annual public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the WWI Doughboy memorial statue on the Tiverton Bicentennial Green by the old Stone Bridge next to Grinnell's Beach. This public reading is not like any other; those present are encouraged to read a marked passage from the Declaration so 'We the People' can all participate. Before the reading, a brief history of events of past years, including those leading up to the creation of the Declaration, is recounted. This typically takes less than half an hour, so you'll have plenty of time to celebrate the rest of the weekend. Held rain or shine. The event is scheduled for Sunday, July 6 at East Ferry. Music at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m. This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: July 4th fireworks, Declaration of Independence in Newport County
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ida Lewis was once considered the bravest woman in America. Now she's being honored
NEWPORT – The late Idawalley (Ida) Zoradia Lewis was once considered the bravest woman in America and an icon of the women's rights movement, according to state Rep. Lauren H. Carson. Lewis, who died in 1911, called Newport her home, and this year, on Aug. 1, she will posthumously receive the Past Light Keeper Award from the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island, New York, at the museum's annual gala. Carson said she was approached by two locals who asked that the state officially honor Lewis. Carson also attended a memorial ceremony for Lewis on May 24 at Common Ground Burial Ground. 'Obviously, she is a woman who made a huge contribution to safety and the city of Newport,' Carson said during a recent interview.. 'After attending that event and hearing about her life and accomplishments, I thought it would be important that the (state) House of Representatives should honor her life.' The Newport Historical Society website has images of Lewis and artifacts connected to her work. According to the NHS website, Lewis, in 1857 and at 15, unofficially took over duties as keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse from her father, who had recently suffered a stroke at that time. A year later, she recorded her first rescue when she saved four teenage boys from drowning after they accidentally overturned a boat they were sailing, according to the NHS website. In 1869, she made a rescue that drew national attention when she saved two soldiers from drowning in their attempt to return to Fort Adams. The city honored her two years later during the Independence Day celebration and presented her with a rowboat named Rescue. Carson's resolution won't be the first one the Rhode Island General Assembly has bestowed upon Lewis. The state first recognized Lewis' heroism with a resolution in 1869 for her Fort Adams rescue. According to the NHS website, Lewis is credited with making eight rescues and was 64 during her last one, only five years before her death in 1911. In total, she guarded Newport Harbor for 50 years. She is the namesake of the USCGC Ida Lewis and Lewis Drive in Arlington National Cemetery. And despite her prominence, she tried to live a quiet life, according to the NHS. Her bravery paved a trail for women over the coming century and decades, according to Carson. 'Ida Lewis was a luminary of her time who proved how strong and brave a woman could be. She became an icon of the women's rights movement, and her memory will always serve as a point of pride for Newport,' Carson said. The Newport Historical Society, in collaboration with the U.S. Lighthouse Society, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary honored Lewis on May 24. The commemoration featured the placement of a bronze U.S. Lighthouse Service grave marker by the crew of the USCGC Ida Lewis. The U.S. Lighthouse Service, originating in 1789, was incorporated into the Coast Guard in 1939, according to a release from the NHS. "Ida Lewis was an ordinary person who, when faced with extraordinary circumstances, met the moment and showed that there is bravery in all of us,' said Rebecca Bertrand, executive director of the Newport Historical Society. 'Her story is very significant to Newport history. She was a lighthouse keeper who herself shines a light on why it is so important that people like her, their stories and the artifacts that capture them, are not lost to time," Rebecca Betrand, executive director of the Newport Historical Society. For a closer look at some of her artifacts, log on to This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: National Lighthouse Museum honors Ida Lewis with Past Light Keeper Award
CBS News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration can't require states to cooperate with ICE to get transportation funding, judge says
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from requiring almost two dozen mostly Democratic states to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in order to receive billions in transportation funding. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned in April his department may cut off grants to any recipients that fail to "cooperate generally with Federal authorities in the enforcement of Federal law" — part of a wider gambit to push back against "sanctuary" jurisdictions. A group of 20 states sued, arguing the administration doesn't have the legal authority to tie transportation dollars — which states rely on for upkeep of roads, airports and other infrastructure — to immigration enforcement. U.S. District Judge John McConnell sided with the 20 plaintiff states on Thursday, issuing a preliminary injunction that barred the government from enforcing the new immigration rules for "the States and their governmental subdivisions" while the lawsuit works its way through court. The policy, McConnell wrote, "is arbitrary and capricious in its scope and lacks specificity in how the States are to cooperate on immigration enforcement in exchange for Congressionally appropriated transportation dollars — grant money that the States rely on to keep their residents safely and efficiently on the road, in the sky, and on the rails." The Rhode Island judge added that "Congress did not authorize or grant authority to the Secretary of Transportation to impose immigration enforcement conditions on federal dollars specifically appropriated for transportation purposes." California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose state was one of the 20 plaintiffs, lauded the decision in a statement, saying President Trump has tried to "coerce state and local governments into doing his bidding." "President Trump is threatening to withhold critical transportation funds unless states agree to carry out his inhumane and illogical immigration agenda for him. He is treating these funds – funds that go toward improving our roads and keeping our planes in the air – as a bargaining chip," Bonta wrote. CBS News has reached out to the White House and Department of Transportation for comment. The Trump administration has threatened to cut off some federal funding to "sanctuary" jurisdictions, or cities and states that limit local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The administration argues these policies make it harder for agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement to apprehend undocumented immigrants, including those with criminal records. But some jurisdictions say that if local police are forced to cooperate with ICE, immigrants may be less likely to trust police. In April, a federal judge in San Francisco blocked the Trump administration from enforcing executive orders threatening to pull funds from "sanctuary cities." Duffy wrote on X earlier this week that his department "will NOT fund rogue state actors who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement." "And to cities that stand by while rioters destroy transportation infrastructure — don't expect a red cent from DOT, either. Follow the law, or forfeit the funding," Duffy added, likely referring to protests against ICE in Los Angeles and other cities.
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Federal judge halts Trump's plan to cut funding for sanctuary states that refuse to cooperate
A federal judge in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday, blocking the Trump administration from denying federal transportation funds to states that do not cooperate with immigration enforcement authorities. Twenty Democratic-led states brought a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration, challenging a new Department of Transportation (DOT) policy of withholding or terminating federal funding to any state or local government that does not comply with immigration-enforcement policies. During Trump's first day in office, he issued a sweeping executive order that would deny federal funds to "so-called sanctuary jurisdictions." U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued the preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's efforts on Thursday, saying it is "unconstitutional and/or unlawful" because it violates the Administrative Procedure Act. McConnell also said the Trump administration's action is ultra vires – or done beyond one's legal authority – and exceeds Congress's powers under the Spending Clause. Under the preliminary injunction, the Trump administration is "prohibited from implementing or enforcing the Immigration Enforcement Condition as set forth in the Duffy Directive," McConnell wrote. He also said the defendants are "prohibited from withholding or terminating federal funding based on the Immigration Enforcement Condition as set forth in the Duffy Directive absent specific statutory authorization." "Defendants are prohibited from taking adverse action against any state entity or local jurisdiction, including barring it from receiving or making it ineligible for federal funding, based on the Immigration Enforcement Condition, absent specific statutory authorization," the ruling continued. "The Court forbids and enjoins any attempt to implement the Immigration Enforcement Condition, and any actions by the Defendants to implement or enforce the Immigration Enforcement Condition." Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on the matter. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, even this week, has warned "rogue state actors" who do not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal immigration enforcement that they may be on the hook to clean up their own mess. Most recently, Duffy directed his comments toward California officials who have distanced themselves from immigration enforcement while riots and protests continue to break out in places like Los Angeles. Duffy has suggested political leaders work better with the Trump administration. "The USDOT will not fund rogue state actors who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement," Duffy said Monday. "And to cities that stand by while rioters destroy transportation infrastructure — don't expect a red cent from DOT, either." Duffy said in April that federal grants come with the obligation to adhere to federal law. "It shouldn't be controversial – enforce our immigration rules, end anti-American DEI policies, and protect free speech. These values reflect the priorities of the American people, and I will take action to ensure compliance," he said.
