Happy Tuesday! I'm Dan McGowan, and this is one of those moments where there is nothing charming or witty to write to start the day. Follow me on X (Twitter) @DanMcGowan, or send tips to
dan.mcgowan@globe.com.
By now you already know that three people were killed in a shooting Monday at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket while a high school hockey game was being played.
The shooter, identified as 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, who also went by Roberta Esposito — died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Pawtucket police.
Now comes the hard part. Making sense of a senseless tragedy.
The next few days will be difficult for Rhode Island. National media will descend on Pawtucket. There will be loud, simplistic arguments online about identity, politics, and blame – arguments that flatten a complex, painful reality into something people can weaponize.
It’s worth saying plainly: no label explains this. Mental illness is not a talking point. Being transgender is not a cause of violence. And tragedies like this are not puzzles that can be solved by finding the most convenient villain.
What can’t be lost in all of this are the people at the center of it. A high school athlete playing on senior day just had his entire life flipped on its end. Every person in the arena will never experience “normal” the same way again. And the teammates, classmates, and first responders will carry images of the day long after the cameras leave.
It’s easy, in moments like this, for the focus to drift away from what matters most. Behind every headline are people who did nothing to deserve being pulled into it.
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
Robert Duvall died Sunday at the age of 95. Can you name the movie he appeared in that was produced by Rhode Island's Michael Corrente?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Send me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ Inside the story of the MIT professor and the Brown shooter who killed him. Read more.
⚓ For the first time in more than a decade, a potentially multibillion dollar contract to operate the T’s commuter rail system is up for grabs. Read more.
⚓ Despite a loss on Friday, Providence College men's hockey remains atop the Hockey East standings. Read more.
⚓ On the latest episode of WPRI's "Behind the Story," Eli Sherman and I talked to the Providence Journal's Jonny Williams about the use of AI chatbots for therapy. Watch here.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, died Tuesday. He was 84. Read more.
⚓ When recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts, making the industry equitable was front and center. Groundbreaking programs were put in place to help communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs benefit from legal weed, and many thought these efforts would lead to major windfalls. More than seven years later, however — as a ballot measure to kill recreational weed works its way toward voters in November — these progressive reforms have not led to the economic justice many had hoped for.
Read more.
⚓ Roman Anthony is suddenly the face of the Red Sox, and the World Baseball Classic will elevate his profile even more. Read more.
⚓ URI men's basketball hosts No. 18 St. Louis at 7 p.m. (It's a good chance to check out St. Louis' Josh Schertz, who is going to be one of the hottest coaches on the market after the season).
Duvall played manager Gordon McLeod in "A Shot at Glory," a 2000 movie about Scottish soccer (it's a fantastic film, by the way).
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Secretary of State Gregg Amore about his concerns with President Trump's idea of "nationalizing" elections. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
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Thanks for reading. Send comments and suggestions to dan.mcgowan@globe.com or follow me on X (Twitter)
@DanMcGowan. See you tomorrow.
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