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Rob Smith

@robesmit.bsky.social
477 followers 248 following 684 posts

'Trampling underfoot wasteful freeways and needless suburbs.' Reporting on the environment for ecoRI News.

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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
well well well turns out APRA reform just isn't to make journos lives a lot easier, isn't it: rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/09/23/h...
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Kornacki talking about 150 votes in Burrillville... that's the stuff that was made for me
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I made my own for reporting on Cranston's rat problem in 2023 using Datawrapper. The one from this week's newsletter is much nicer and functional
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
extremely hyped that someone else at my work has done a rat map again
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Kornacki's reaction ln to hearing the endorsement is priceless:
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
there's always a square unable to be circled during the usual primary against Reed. War could poll at 100% unpopularity every year... but people *like* their jobs at Electric Boat, or Anduril, or Texatron. Defense contractor money is going to be hard to turn off when there's no obvious alternative
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
don't worry the mother ship also offered this correction off the top:
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The only shirt I agree with this Jazzfest weekend
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
would almost entirely eliminate any of the savings McKee was seeking earlier this year by slashing energy efficiency and other programs
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
One thing RI can say they do better than MA? Shoreline access, most beaches in Massachusetts are private apparently:
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
A new proposed 400-unit housing development in Coventry, next to the Job Lot / Tractor Supply plaza, is causing waves on facebook, these are some of the comments I've seen posted:
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
the terms of this settlement are hilarious; who else causes traffic at random times during the day than retired folks? it's not teenagers I see out during the day these days
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
A number of primary challengers in South County this year directly or indirectly citing a lot of the recent housing legislation as a reason for running
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
ecoRI is off this week, so it's time for a return to hammock reading:
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
you'll never guess what happened in RI for her to make this comparison
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Weekend reading in the hammock today:
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
the release announcing the suit; fwiw, it sounds like the town wants to contest the cumulative impacts of the air permitted projects in west Quonset.... which DEM isn't allowed to consider when approving these permits and bills to let them repeatedly failed in the House
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
my YouTube algorithm suggested this video podcast of Paul Giamatti spending two hours talking about old pulp-cover copies of sci-fi novels, it has never more known me
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
It's a reading-in-a-hammock summer for me
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Full disclosure: I own two sproodles (English Springer Spaniel and poodle mixes)
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
in good news, Amy Goodman is coming to Newport later this month to screen the new Democracy Now doc
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Rabideau's vote is scheduled for Thursday
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
it's a shame we don't have local reporters on the religion beat anymore, because this kicker would make a great story when the human composting bill comes up, what do local religious leaders think about a new way to bury the dead?
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
big fan of this look on Carlos' face in this picture
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
RI's own PUC chair quoted in this story about New England governors signaling their open to natural gas expansion: www.eenews.net/articles/rea...
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
this fake AI-slop story has 2k likes on facebook despite obviously being fake! bleak
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
First public notices for next CRMC meeting have been sent out; it'll be the first time the new board meets since they were confirmed by the Senate. Senate spox tells me Scott Rabideau, who was not confirmed by the Senate last week, is expected to be scheduled for a vote sometime next week.
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
its crazy you have to go back to the year I was born to find this many housing units permitted
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Making this a "read after work in a hammock" summer
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Stole some time after work yesterday and biked the Quonset Bike Path. Nice trail! There's some beautiful beach at the end of it too:
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Months after a new state law required him to do so, it looks like Gov. Dan McKee has finally nominated a slate of new council members for CRMC
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
DEM announced tonight they're closing part of the East Bay Bike Path for a few days near the site of last week's sewer main break
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
at least now we get a break from the palace intrigue stories... until the budget comes out.... until the primary.... until next session...
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
genuinely what is hitting the fan this year that every town needs a tax increase above the 4% cap, is it really all just school debt service coming online for the first time?
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Wild to see Newport Jazz sell out most of its tickets in just over a week
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
quite honestly seen posts like this in most of the town-specific ones i'm in, and this is just an anti-civilization take
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
it's genuinely quite fascinating AI cannot actually accurately draw the most photographed electeds in the state
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
the median voter is fascinating; most of them say they don't understand a Green Amendment to the state constitution, but they will vote for it!
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
glanced at my email quick and thought my editor was giving me the National Lampoon dog treatment...
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
They're doing fascinating experiments with AI over on Facebook
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
everyone's calling these people NIMBYs, but is no one else wondering how little league baseballs are regularly making it over the backstop? what are the kids doing on that field from @eastgreenwichnews.bsky.social a couple weeks ago: eastgreenwichnews.com/neighbor-ask...
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
have to laugh that every state has some guy who's job it is to write about how the sky is falling on the economy all the time
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
It's his time
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
well that's not right... its not 10 anymore its supposed to be 7...
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Rob Smith @robesmit.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
got this trending item on the other website and its like sliding doors for rhode island
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