GLOCESTER – It was a year of highs and lows for the town of Glocester that saw both brushes with fame, and a high profile investigation of an educator that led some to question school district culture.
Here is a recap of some of the town’s top stories from 2025.
Remain
Film crews could be seen on the streets of Chepachet in June for the shooting of a movie at Tavern on Main by directors M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor. “Remain” shot for three days at the historic restaurant at 1157 Putnam Pike, with the business briefly shut down to accommodate some major star-power in the village.
NRI NOW was on top of the story, catching up with restaurant owner Chelsea Lumnah to learn that staff from the business was asked to participate and serve as extras in the film.
The supernatural romantic thriller is now in post production with an expected release date in October of 2026. Lumnah has said she hopes to organize some type of viewing party.
Budget disputes
In a $35.5 million town budget approved by voters in May, the Glocester School District received a 6 percent increase in funding for the 2025/2026 school year. But school officials would say the allocation was not enough, announcing a plan to lay off four teachers and 13 teacher’s aides the following month.
Teachers, aides, administrators and school supporters swarmed a special meeting to condemn the planned cutbacks, leading Town Councilors to consider a plan to put a supplemental tax before voters to provide extra funding, even getting approval from the General Assembly to exceed the state cap on increases. The board members were ultimately dissatisfied, however, with a lack of answers regarding how the elementary schools would spend the additional funding and killed the plan.
The School Committee, meanwhile, subpoenaed town Finance Director Elizabeth Beltram to allow Attorney Gregory Piccirrilli to question her about past maintenance of effort funding, and her qualification to also serve as the district’s financing expert.
The committee also filed a complaint against the town of Glocester with the Rhode Island Department of Education saying that town officials failed to follow maintenance of effort laws, resulting in a district funding shortfall of more than $1,000,000 over six years. RIDE officially declined to rule on the matter in November, saying their department lacked jurisdiction in the dispute.
Former football star makes moves
Former New England Patriot Matt Light and his various activities in town made headlines in 2025, first with the announcement in March that his nonprofit Light Foundation wanted to dismantle a house that had been slated for demolition. The historic structure at 1272 Putnam Pike would indeed come down, piece by piece for educational purposes, in June.
This month, NRI NOW broke the story about another of Light’s endeavors and his family’s expansion of their massive flower farm on Evans Road. The Lights grow peonies at their Hickory Fields Farm, and purchased an additional 67 acres from from Leo and Timothy MacDonald in December.
The farm recently added the property at 0 Evans Road to the state’s farm/forest/open space program with a reclassification filed with the Glocester Town Clerk on Monday, Dec. 29.
Teacher scandal
A gym teacher at Ponaganset High School resigned from the position amid allegations of misconduct in October, and NRI NOW learned that Alisha Crins was under investigation by the Rhode Island State Police. In numerous discussions online, locals said that Crins had been involved with a former PHS student, who graduated in 2024, since his sophomore year.
School officials and state police have been tight-lipped about the investigation, only confirming it was underway in coordination with the Office of the Attorney General weeks later, with nothing new reported in the months since.
The news led hundreds of concerned parents, students and others to sign a petition demanding an immediate, independent, internal investigation of the matter. Parent Laurie Gaddis Barrett also solicited personal accounts regarding staff-student interactions on the petition form, which she said documented a well-known pattern of inappropriate behavior and inaction on the part of school officials.
As of this week, no charges have been filed against the former gym teacher in the Rhode Island Criminal database. Police have asked anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact the Special Victims Unit at (401) 764-5549.
Greenovation Lab
Positive school news came this year in the form of a $472,151 state grant to support construction of a “Greenovation Lab” at PHS. The first-of-its-kind facility for the state is expected to provide hands-on, high-tech training for students in emerging sustainability fields. NRI NOW attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the project in October, learning that Ponaganset was one of nine schools in Rhode Island to receive awards from the initiative.
The lab, expected to be finished in the fall of 2026, will be a hands-on project, built by students with assistance from teachers Charles Myers and Steve Martin.
Motel troubles
A motel on Putnam Pike drew unfavorable public attention this year when two individuals were charged with child endangerment after Glocester police found evidence of drug activity in a room where an 18-month-old child had been living. Police were called to the West Glocester Motor Inn in early September and announced the arrests of two 41-year-olds, Danielle Bennett and Jose Lopez, following an investigation in late October.
NRI NOW learned that Building and Zoning Official Dennis Begin issued a cease & desist order to the owner in November stating that 14-unit motel must comply with town licensing laws.
Earlier this month, dozens of residents were displaced after a fire destroyed multiple rooms of the motel. The Rhode Island Fire Marshal’s Office would later say that the cause of the fire was accidental, caused by a torch to solder pipes by maintenance personnel.
