Happy Friday! I'm Dan McGowan, and I'll watch any show that includes Ted Danson. Follow me on X (Twitter) @DanMcGowan, on Bluesky @danmcgowan, or send tips to
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📺 My colleague Ed Fitzpatrick was on "12 News at 4" with Kim Kalunian discussing his excellent story on Brown University transferring 255 acres of land in Bristol to a preservation trust set up by the Pokanoket Indian Tribe. You can watch the segment here. Rhode Island FC has a shot at glory tomorrow when it takes on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the USL Final at noon.
The match is airing nationally on CBS (Channel 12), and is being played at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs, which is 6,000 feet above sea level and is considered the highest elevation of any stadium used by a professional soccer team in the country.
More than 400 Rhode Islanders are traveling to Colorado Springs, but The Guild in Pawtucket is also home base for the watch party. If you aren't able to watch it live, you'll find our coverage of the game afterwards at Globe.com/RI.
Catch up fast: If you haven’t been paying close attention, Rhode Island FC is an expansion team in the United Soccer League Championship division, which is basically the second-tier of professional soccer in America behind Major League Soccer. The team played its home games at Bryant University this year, but will move into a 10,000-seat stadium in Pawtucket next season.
Don’t miss my latest column on Peter Baptista, the 39-year-old lobbyist who helped bring the project over the finish line.
On the pitch, Rhode Island FC got off to an uninspiring start, winning just one of its first 14 matches (that included nine ties). But the team has been in spectacular form since it rolled Louisville – the league’s best team – on June 22. It hasn’t looked back, and last week, the team beat the Charleston Battery to win the Eastern Conference championship.
Tomorrow’s outlook: Rhode Island FC is considered a slight underdog – the team is +170 on the betting market, which means that a $100 successful bet would pay $170 – and it lost 3-0 earlier in the season to Colorado Springs.
But Rhode Island FC is the hottest team in the league, and the awkward start time of 10 a.m. Mountain Time (and noon Eastern) – so that it can air on CBS – could be a factor. Neither team is used to morning matches.
What’s next: Win or lose, Rhode Island FC has momentum as it moves into its permanent stadium next season. The supporter base is passionate, and the new stadium will be attractive to casual fans.
The league itself still has issues to sort out. It’s nice to be on national television, but it’s not ideal for the championship match to be played while fans on the west coast are still eating breakfast. There are also ongoing questions about the league’s relationship with MLS, especially when it comes to the US Open Cup, an in-season tournament (MLS doesn’t send all of its teams to the tournament).
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
With Matt Gaetz withdrawing as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, can you name the Rhode Islander who served as attorney general under president Harry Truman? (You can find the answer below.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Shoot me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ Governor Dan McKee’s office announced on Thursday that Deborah Goddard will be appointed the state’s housing secretary, making her the third permanent leader to take over the newly created department in its first three years. Read more.
⚓ A new report by University of Rhode Island researchers released on Thursday gave the United States a “D” grade and ranked the nation 66th among countries around the world for its human rights practices, citing a range of issues, from police violence to the country’s minimum wage. Read more.
⚓ A new analysis of data compiled by the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics conducted by Junk Car Reaper, a cash-for-cars service, found that at 48 percent, the Ocean State had the highest percentage of “unacceptable” roads among all 50 states, on average, between 2012 and 2022, the year with the most recently available data. Read more.
⚓ In a reflection of the national results, Donald Trump scored a sweet victory in the Soda Pop Poll conducted by Yacht Club Soda. Read more.
🎂 Rhode Map readers have sent another round of Happy Birthday wishes to: Anthony Simon, Courtney Hawkins, Steve Dylag (65), Lynne McCormack, Doug Brockway (70), state Senator Hanna Gallo, Michael Gazdacko, Mike Ritz, Tony Affigne, Elliot Krieger, Rachel Russell, Jay Khoury (40), Matt Hughes, Eric Lepine, Anaridis Rodriguez (40), Nick Zarra, Jeannette Ruel Allard (78), Linda Florio, Irene Olsen, John Card, James Scacco, Kim Pacheco Skammels, Miranda Gatenby, Lori Oakley, Cheryl Hitte, Barth Bracy, and Betty Baptista.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ My colleague James Pindell breaks down all the theories behind the nomination and withdrawal of Matt Gaetz as Donald Trump's attorney general. Read more.
⚓ Grief and resilience filled the inside of the Massachusetts State House’s Great Hall on Thursday as family members of homicide victims came together to bring attention to their loved ones’ deaths and their own experiences as survivors. Read more.
⚓ Columnist Dan Shaughnessy isn't buying the idea that the Red Sox are serious contenders for Juan Soto. Read more.
⚓ Rhode Map Live:Join us on Dec. 11 for a special live event in the ballroom of the Providence G about the future of the Rhode Island Foundation. You can register here.
⚓ The state Board of Elections meets at 2 p.m. Here's the agenda.
⚓ The URI football team travels to Bryant for its last game of the regular season tomorrow at 1 p.m.
⚓ The Roger Williams University men's rugby team takes on Holy Cross in the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 tomorrow at noon.
🏆 Pop quiz answer
James Howard McGrath was attorney general under Truman from 1949 until 1952. He was forced to resign after firing a special investigator looking into corruption.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Steph Machado talks to Chiara Deltito-Sharrott from the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools about the future of charter schools.
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