Tag: News
Deadly Shooting at ICE Facility
by Molly Oldread ’26 on October 2, 2025
National and Global News
On Sept. 24, a shooting occurred at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas. The shooting left one detainee dead and two other individuals hospitalized as a result of the gunfire at the facility. The shooter was identified as Joshua Jahn, 29, according to sources close to the case. Jahn used a sniper rifle to open fire on the building from a distance. While his motives remain unknown, it has been confirmed that he was not aiming for any specific location of the building. Law enforcement reported the bullet holes were found all over the building and not localized to any one target.
President Donald Trump claimed the shooting stems from “radical left Democrats constantly demonizing law enforcement,” while Vice President JD Vance also called the event an act of politically motivated violence. Governor Abbott of Texas stated that the shooting will not deter law enforcement from carrying out immigration enforcement. Jahn reportedly used a sniper to open fire on the facility, closely following the assassination of conservative political advocate Charlie Kirk, which was also carried out with a sniper. Since the attempted assassination of President Trump in July 2024, there have been reports of at least seven sniper-involved incidents across the country. Experts told ABC News there have never been so many sniper-related incidents in such a short amount of time, in what they call part of a “frightening trend of rifle-wielding shooters targeting politicians, police, and others from long distances.”
Jahn allegedly had planned this attack for months and opened fire from the roof of a private office building that overlooks the ICE facility. FBI special agent Joe Rothrock reported that Jahn did a high level of planning, including researching where to shoot from and using apps to track ICE agents. This led officials to believe Jahn intended to harm ICE agents more specifically than the detainees. Shell castings found at the scene were engraved similarly to those found at the site of the Charlie Kirk assassination, which were scribed with messages such as “ANTI-ICE” and “Hey fascist! CATCH!” Jahn used an 8 mm bolt-action rifle in the shooting, and left writings which also caused officials to believe he wanted to harm ICE officials and cause terror. Jahn died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds, and investigators say it is very likely he acted alone.
St. Edward’s: Serving Up Hope in the Wanskuck Neighborhood
by Alex Pittelli ‘26 on October 2, 2025
Local
Just a few minutes off campus on Branch Avenue is St. Edward’s Church, a beautiful brick church that stands out within Providence’s Wanskuck neighborhood. Although the church itself is rich with history, the focus will be on the humble building just west of it: the St. Edward Food and Wellness Center, which, for over two decades, has served as a food pantry for the food-insecure residents of Providence’s North End.
I spoke with Father Edward Cardente, who has been the pastor of the church since 2000, on the history of the Food Center. Prior to starting the pantry, Father Ed and volunteers had been serving hot meals to the hungry through St. Anthony Church in North Providence. However, after seeing a news segment on hunger in Providence in February of 2003, Fr. Ed was inspired to start the pantry to expand their mission of addressing food insecurity. He immediately knew something had to be done and put out calls to get to work. On March 26 of that same year, the pantry opened and has since continued to provide food to the community.
Today, the pantry is one of the top five biggest in the state of Rhode Island and provides over 400,000 pounds of food each year to the hungry. Their focus has been on client choice, with options not only for shelf-stable goods, but frozen and fresh food as well. The center is open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 5 p.m.-6 p.m., and guests are given a bag to fill with their choice of food. Behind the scenes, the shipment arrives on Tuesday mornings from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, as well as donations from both supermarkets and parish members. Volunteers sort the food and stock the shelves to prepare for the distribution the next day. Over 1,500 families are in their active database and approximately 300 visit the pantry each week. The day I visited, 316 families had come through, each taking with them much-needed food.
Student Congress Update
by Amanda Ayres ’26 and Ava La Bruno ’27 on October 2, 2025
Campus
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Student Congress was pleased to welcome Eileen Wisnewski, the executive director of the Chirico Career Center. We all know and love the slogan, “Don’t Wait… Slavin 108,” and this perfectly encapsulates the message Wisnewski left with the 76th Student Congress.
The Chirico Career Center “works with students to identify, enhance, and accomplish their career development, internship, job search, and educational goals from college to career,” focusing on strengths and passions at the individual level. Wisnewski emphasized how the Chirico Career Center has “‘big school’ resources and a ‘small school’ feel,” with a large team of people that aim to see 100 percent of students come through their doors.
Wisnewski addressed the common misconceptions that she and her colleagues hear: that the Career Center is not needed if one is seeking to attend graduate, medical, or law school, that it only focuses on students in the School of Business, or the dreadful statement, “I’ll go when I’m a senior.” She emphasized how there are resources available to every major and career path at all points during a student’s four years at PC. They do more than just connect a student to job opportunities; they are there to assist in resume building, shadowing/internship experience, graduate school applications, practice/mock interviews, and even connecting graduates with resources after commencement.
She also shared that over the summer, there was a reorganization of the student-focused coaches, so they now focus on specific majors. The hope for this change is that students feel more encouraged to utilize their resources, and potentially allow coaches to nag students enough that they will seek their coach out. Wisnewski then posed a question to the Student Congress, asking how they can achieve 100 percent utilization of the office by students, knowing it is not a required resource. Many members voiced ideas about the Center having more social media presence, having every major/career path-specific information easily accessible, and even going as far as implementing their services into an already mandatory requirement, like academic advising.
Student Congress was grateful to Wisnewski and the Chirico Career Center for presenting their resources and goals, and appreciative of their receptiveness to our members’ feedback and ideas. For the rest of the meeting, a piece of legislation regarding the proposal of the Just Dance Club was introduced, and will be voted upon at the next meeting. We are also extremely excited to welcome our newly elected and selected first-year members at our next meeting.
Local Lawmakers Deliver Push Back on Pell Grants
by Madison Benoit ‘29 on October 2, 2025
National and Global News
Rhode Island lawmakers are among those pushing back against a proposal that would rename a new type of Pell Grant to “Trump Grants.” Pell Grants are scholarships specifically reserved for undergraduate students with the most financial need.
The grants are named in honor of former U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell, a Democrat who spent 36 years representing Rhode Island, making him the state’s longest-serving senator. He played a key role in enacting the grants and always said they were his greatest achievement.
Through the current program, qualifying Americans can receive up to $7,395 annually for around six years. These grants don’t usually need to be paid back, but they also do not cover the full costs of attending college. In the 2023 fiscal year, 31 billion dollars in Pell Grants were awarded to about 6.5 million undergraduate students, according to the Department of Education.
The name change is included in a House spending bill for the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for the next fiscal year. Although changes to the grants were made when President Donald Trump signed the major tax and spending cuts package in July, these changes include a new grant called the Workforce Pell Grant. Next year, students who are enrolled in certain career training programs will be able to receive Pell Grants.
In a letter to the chair and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Congressmen Gabe Amo and Congressman Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island argued against the name change. They stated that Rhode Island’s longest-serving U.S. senator was a visionary public servant and any attempt to erase Senator Pell’s name was a “profound insult” to the senator’s legacy. They described him as a senator who saw the barriers that prevented millions of Americans from accessing higher education and wished to break them down.
The Congressmen also pointed out Trump’s own record in education, which includes his efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and freeze federal funding at institutions of higher education.
Senator Pell died in 2009 at the age of 90, but he is remembered by his longstanding service to Rhode Island and education. His other notable actions include helping to establish the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Care of Creation
by Isabelle Camoin ’26 on October 2, 2025
Campus
A Call from the Bishop to Turn Towards Nature
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, a Mass for the Care of Creation was held on campus in Saint Dominic Chapel. The Mass was celebrated with Most Reverend Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., and Concelebrant Reverend Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G.
The early evening of Sept. 24 was filled with the spirit of stewardship. Providence College and Saint Dominic Chapel welcomed Bishop Lewandowski for the first time since filling his position in the Providence order. In turn, Bishop Lewandowski welcomed us all into a restorative tradition put forth by Pope Leo XIV on behalf of Pope Francis and the work he began to do with Laudato Si and with Creation.
Mass for the Care of Creation is a new celebration brought forth by Pope Leo XIV as a continuation of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si. The Church has recently added this specific Mass to the Roman Missal. The first Mass for the Care of Creation was held on Wednesday, July 9, by Pope Leo in Borgo Laudato Si, at the historic papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Borgo Laudato Si was Pope Francis’s project to actualize his encyclical writing on caring for our common home.
Overarching themes found in Mass—and in the work done in the name of Laudato Si—pertain to growing ecological concerns within the framework of understanding human relationships and the world around us. The encyclical asks us to consider: How do we care for others and the communities we belong to? How sustainable are both my views of the world and the actions I conduct based on these views? Bishop Lewandowski was appointed by Pope Francis on April 8 and officially became Bishop of Providence on May 20. Mass for the Care of Creation was both a celebration of the Earth and a call to celebrate the Earth. During Mass, Bishop Lewandowski asked listeners to examine both their friendships and their relationships to the world; how do we treat our friends? How do we treat and experience the world we belong to? He asked us to consider the world and the places we live as places to become friends with, to care for, and adore. During this mass, Bishop Lewandowski brought forth passion and honor in discussing these topics and helped to bring a resurgence in discussion of Laudato Si.
Congress Faces Deadline as Potential Government Shutdown Looms
by Layca Figueroa Salas ‘26 on October 2, 2025
National and Global News
Disclaimer: This article was written before the government shutdown on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
A potential government shutdown is drawing near as Tuesday, Sept. 30 approaches. Each fiscal year, Congress must approve funding for federal departments and programs beginning Oct. 1. However, if lawmakers fail to pass a full-year spending package or a temporary funding extension, a government shutdown would occur, forcing many agencies to suspend operations and hundreds of thousands of federal workers to be furloughed.
Essential employees, such as those in national security and public safety, would continue working without pay until Congress allocates new funding. While most federal employees could receive back pay after the shutdown ends, delayed paychecks can create significant financial strain in the meantime.
Since 1980, there have been 14 government shutdowns. During recent shutdowns, citizens felt the effects with students faced delays in obtaining tax documents from the IRS needed for financial aid and the Department of Agriculture warned it could only guarantee food stamp benefits through February. Fortunately, programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are funded through mandatory spending and would continue uninterrupted.
In efforts to prevent another shutdown, House Republicans have passed a short-term spending bill that would keep federal funding at current levels through Nov. 21 and provide $88 million in emergency funds to bolster security for executive branch officials. However, Democrats have opposed the measure, arguing that the package must include an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and other priorities to gain their support.
Democratic leaders have also emphasized the urgency of addressing these subsidies before millions of Americans begin signing up for health insurance coverage in November. As of Sept. 26, President Donald Trump had dismissed these demands as “unreasonable,” but by Sept. 28, he agreed to meet with the four top Congressional leaders at the White House, just one day before the funding deadline.
The Arts, Democracy, and Public Life
by Shannon Kelly ’26 on October 2, 2025
Campus
Dr. Shannon Jackson’s Talk
On Thursday, Sept. 25, Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, Dr. Shannon Jackson, gave a talk in Ruane LL05 regarding the importance of publicly engaged art, the threats that currently face the arts, and the interconnectedness between democracy and expression. Dr. Jackson prefaced the talk by stating that Phi Beta Kappa, which is the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society for arts and sciences, will be celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2026. Phi Beta Kappa was founded during the American Revolution, and thus, the United States will be celebrating 250 years this upcoming year as well.
Dr. Jackson started her talk by asking a vital question—how to sustain the love of learning at this moment in time, when institutions that we have relied upon for as long as we can remember are changing. She connected Providence College’s mission statement, which emphasizes the importance of bringing veritas to the challenges that we currently face, being in contemplation, and upholding the common good for all. Dr. Jackson also repeatedly stated that all domains of knowledge must be considered to truly promote civic virtue.
In light of the talk being titled “The Arts, Democracy, and Public Life,” Dr. Jackson initially engaged with the students and faculty by asking what words or phrases came to mind when asked about the term “the arts.” She asked the same question regarding the terms democracy and public life, which generated a fruitful conversation.
Dr. Jackson brought up the importance of the First Amendment, while also tying in the ways in which artistic expression goes hand in hand with freedom of speech. Her touchpoints for this part of the talk were public expression, resistant expression, commandeering culture, and the collective system at play. She delved into our nation’s history, while acknowledging that art does not always promote democracy.
Dr. Jackson spoke about totalitarianism, while relating this to the present day through the current administration shutting down spaces and places of art that do not agree with the opinion of the President. She gave countless examples, including the firing of former President of the Kennedy Center, Deborah Rutter, the erasure of “race-centered ideology” from the Smithsonian Museum, and the recent controversy with Jimmy Kimmel over comments he made regarding the death of Charlie Kirk. Dr. Jackson called us to acknowledge the cultural turn in our federal government and question why it is happening.
Dr. Jackson talked a lot about the need for cultural practices that encourage the use of all sensibilities, her hope that publicly engaged art can once again reenchant citizens, and the weight that rests in cultivating lives of contemplation. We all must reckon with—and be sensitized to— what being a true member of the public in a democratic space actually means. Dr. Jackson called upon the audience to question both what it means to trust and what it means to be trustworthy. In our fragmented nation, even when public trust is frayed, it is critical that we are able to sow faith in one another and in our institutions. The importance of creative resistance was expressed throughout the entirety of Dr. Jackson’s talk. Here is the link to read about Fall of Freedom, which seeks to unite the arts community in defiance of authoritarian forces: https://www.falloffreedom.com/.
Judge Convicts Routh in Attempted Assassination of President Trump
by Reese Kubick '29 on October 2, 2025
National and Global News
On Sept. 15, 2024, Ryan Routh was perched in a bush at Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach Country Club, a rifle in hand, with the intent to assassinate President Trump. A Secret Service member recounted what happened on the golf course, saying that “he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot.” Law enforcement gained intel from a witness that he saw a man fleeing from the area after hearing gunshots, and the witness later confirmed that it was Routh whom he saw.
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, just over a year after the attempted assassination, Ryan Routh was found guilty of attempting to assassinate President Trump. Routh was charged with five federal criminal counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assault on a police officer, and firearm charges. These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The trial consisted of three weeks, and after the jury deliberated for several hours, they returned with the verdict: guilty on all charges.
The two councils spent weeks preparing their cases. Both sides’ arguments were complex, but here is a brief and simplified outline of the prosecution and defense arguments:
The prosecution argued that Routh had the intent to kill; in legal terms, intent is defined by having “mens rea,” which is a Latin term meaning a “guilty mind”. It determines responsibility and culpability, distinguishing accidental acts from purposeful ones. Intent is often proven through circumstantial evidence and can be classified as general intent (to perform the act) or specific intent (to achieve a particular result). The prosecution notes the 17 reconnaissance trips he made to the golf course, and they described Routh stalking Trump excessively. Additionally, they needed to prove that Routh had taken substantial steps to carry out the crime. Substantial steps is another legal term, which means, “an act that moves beyond mere preparation and strongly indicates a criminal intent to commit a crime, leaving no reasonable doubt about the defendant’s purpose.” To prove this case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne said: “This was not a publicity stunt…[T]he evidence has shown one thing and one thing only—the defendant wanted Donald Trump dead.” Browne also notes that Routh was hiding in the bush for nearly 10 hours before the attempt on Trump’s life.
The defense argued that Routh did not have the capacity to kill. Meaning, the mere planning of something is not enough to prove the intent of committing a crime. Additionally, they asserted that if Routh had the intent to kill Trump or even the Secret Service agent, he would have pulled the trigger, since he did not, the crime did not occur, according to the defense. In the closing argument, the defense tried to persuade the jury that it was not in the defendant’s heart to kill the President.
After the verdict was read, Routh reacted horrifically by attempting to stab himself in the neck with a pen, and he was removed from the courtroom.
Routh’s daughter Sara was in the courtroom, and as he was being escorted out, she shouted, “Dad, I love you. Don’t do anything. I will get you out.” Routh was returned to the courtroom, escorted by court marshals and in shackles and was informed he would be sentenced on Dec.18.
David Morales’ Announces Run for Mayor of Providence
by Shannon Kelly ’26 on September 25, 2025
Local
Challenge to Incumbent Brett Smiley
On Sept. 15, David Morales, Representative of District 7, announced that he will be running against Brett Smiley for Mayor of Providence in the September 2026 Democratic primary. Current Mayor Brett Smiley was elected in 2022 and his term will be up in 2026. Rep. Morales was first elected in 2020 and made history as the youngest Latino to be elected to the state legislature. Despite serving in his third term, Morales remains the youngest legislator in the state of Rhode Island. Recently, Mayor Smiley has faced criticism regarding the affordability crisis in Providence and potential property tax increases.
District 7 includes Providence’s Mount Pleasant, Valley, and Elmhurst neighborhoods. Morales is a member of the Rhode Island House Labor Committee, House Innovation and Technology Committee, and House Municipal Government and Housing Committee. He has brought a sense of passion to tackling the housing crisis in Providence by working to expand affordable housing, lowering rent costs, and emphasizing the importance of investing in public transit. Just this past year, Providence became the least affordable city for renters in the U.S. Rep. Morales also spoke at a “Save RIPTA” rally back in early August at Kennedy Plaza, which many constituents attended.
Morales is from California and was raised by a single mother. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a degree in urban studies and began graduate school at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at just 20 years old, making history as the youngest graduate in the program’s history.
As of June, Mayor Smiley had more than $1 million in his campaign account, while Morales had around $68,000. Since Smiley is running as the incumbent, he has a considerable advantage, especially considering the fact that the city of Providence has not unseated a current mayor since 1974.
Morales’ run for mayor comes at an interesting time in our nation’s history. Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist running for Mayor of New York City, led a successful campaign for this party’s nomination by utilizing social media to connect to younger voters and talking about issues that affect the average person, such as affordable housing. Rep. Morales is also a Democratic Socialist and views affordability as the most salient issue of our time. In Morales’ announcement video, he stated a simple reminder that he argues we all should keep in mind: “We don’t ask for much, we just want a life we can afford in the city we love.”
The next few months are sure to be interesting, and voter turnout will prove to be pivotal. Smiley, who resides on the East Side of Providence, will lean heavily on his donors and rely on supporters to show up to vote. Morales, who lives in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, has vowed not to take any donations from any special interests. In an interview with the Rhode Island Current, Morales stated, “There are a lot of people in our community that are frustrated and upset with the current administration. There is a desire within our city for a change.”
Federal Reserve Lowers Interest Rates after Months Long Standoff with President
by Erich Rumson ’28 on September 25, 2025
National and Global News
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Federal Reserve voted to cut its interest rate by a quarter-point in response to slower labor market gains. The move comes after President Trump had been demanding for months that the Fed make major rate cuts to help spur economic growth.
The quarter-point rate cut is the first made in over nine months, and according to the Wall Street Journal, some officials have signaled further cuts are due later this year. One of the chief reasons given for lowering the rates is a recent slowdown in hiring nationwide. The latest cut will lower the current rate to a range of 4-4.25 percent, its lowest point in three years.
One might ask: How does a lower interest rate affect the economy exactly? Should PC students care about this recent rate cut? The Cowl reached out to Dr. Limnios from the Economics Department for his insight on these questions. In his response, Dr. Limnios compared the interest rate to a gas pedal: when it is lowered, it speeds up the economy, and when it is raised, it slows things down. In his words, “If the Fed lowers the cost of borrowing enough, more investments are funded and the economy’s productive capacity grows; if interest rates are raised, then less investments are funded and the productive capacity of the economy shrinks.” When asked about the impact decisions like lowering the interest rate have on PC students, Dr. Limnios emphasized how borrowing money and managing debt is an important part of any business, and that business students should be aware of the Fed’s monetary policy and its effect on their financial decisions. He also mentioned the impact that interest rates have on PC students who want to own a home, as the rate set by the Fed affects the amount paid on mortgages.
For the past few years, the Federal Reserve kept its interest rates high in an effort to combat rising inflation. From August 2023 to August 2024, the policy rate was at 5.33 percent—its highest point in nearly two decades. As inflation has gradually lowered recently, the need for higher interest rates has declined, making the recent cuts possible. There is also now a need to stimulate the economy, as the number of jobs added to the labor market in recent months has been lower than expected. While the economy remains solid overall, the Fed sees a rate cut as a way to help boost the lagging labor market.
The most recent cut was not without controversy, however, as it comes after a months-long effort on the part of President Trump to bring down interest rates he argued were too high. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had until recently resisted Trump’s calls, which led to harsh criticism from the President. Last week, two days before the rate cut, Trump senior adviser Stephen Miran was sworn in before the Senate as a new Fed governor. Miran has shared the President’s desire to lower interest rates and has called for a half-point rate cut, twice the size of last week’s modest quarter-point cut.
The full impact of the recent Fed decision remains to be seen, as it may take time for it to affect the overall economy. The stock market made modest gains in the aftermath of the decision, which may hopefully be a sign of future growth.