NEWS

How to make news

Warwick Beacon ·

Gene Valicenti, Channel 10 anchor and host of the morning news on WPRO radio, has never been accused of lacking news to fill the airwaves. But then, he has a way of creating waves of his own.

Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti is a weekly guest on Valicenti’s Thursday morning WPRO show. With Earth Day being last Thursday, they talked about litter and how Rhode Island motorists seemingly don’t think twice about tossing trash out the window.

And then they went a step further. When Valicenti talked about how dirty the state is, Alviti challenged him to help clean it up. So, Valicenti joined Alviti, the governor and the lieutenant governor to launch an assault that afternoon on one of the notorious locations for roadside litter – the park and ride lot on Centerville Road in Warwick.

Despite gusty winds that made it difficult to keep a collection bag open while filling it, discarded cups, bags and even empty six packs made easy pickings. Valicenti even found one half-consumed container to lift with a grabber and “toast” Earth Day.

And when the troupe was done the park and ride looked respectable … for the time being, anyway.

(Herald photos)

earth day, clean up
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