It’s never too soon to start crafting your #HealthcarePolicyValentines (or to get moving on a dinner reservation for Feb. 14) You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** 1. STORY OF […]
DAN MCKEE
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Jan. 24, 2025
It’s always coldest before the approach to spring training. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** 1. STORY OF THE WEEK: President Trump’s use of an executive order to try […]
Posted inImmigration, Local, Politics
McKee says he stands with RI immigrants lacking legal status
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said he will stand with Rhode Island residents here without legal status, even as they face heightened immigration enforcement by the Trump administration. State police, however, will continue to work with federal law enforcement officials on criminal matters. “We’re going to continue what we’re doing. If there [are] people who […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Jan. 17, 2025
Remaking the Old Canteen as a hot dog venue — is nothing sacred? You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** 1. STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Dan McKee had a […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
McKee proposes $14.2B budget for 2025-26
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s latest $14.2 billion budget proposal adds about a quarter-billion dollars from the current spending plan, reflecting the challenge of fueling the government in a state where expenditures continue to outpace revenue. McKee said his budget, which he unveiled Thursday, would close an approximately $250 million deficit without any broad-based tax […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
In State of the State address, McKee says Rhode Island is striding in the right direction
Rhode Island is “full of progress and promise,” Gov. Dan McKee said during his State of the State address Tuesday night, arguing that New England’s longtime economic laggard is flipping the script on old narratives while stepping into the future. Whether Rhode Islanders agree will be decided next year when McKee, a 73-year-old Democrat, plans […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, Transportation
State officials say eastbound Washington Bridge remains safe
State officials said Monday the eastbound Washington Bridge has not experienced any significant deterioration despite carrying twice the normal traffic since it was pressed into an expanded role last year. The eastbound bridge was reconfigured to accommodate six lanes of traffic, three in each direction, after the westbound bridge was closed on an emergency basis […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Jan. 10, 2025
If Donald Trump is intent on seizing Greenland, Rhode Island might want to use the resulting distraction to annex Seekonk. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** 1. STORY OF […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Jan. 3, 2025
It’s a shiny new year, brimming with possibilities. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** 1. STORY OF THE WEEK: The Rhode Island Senate remains the more fractious of Smith […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
New year, new laws: The RI laws that go into effect on Jan. 1
Minimum wage in Rhode Island finally ended its years-long march to $15 an hour on Wednesday — one of a number of state laws that go into effect or change on the first of the year. In 2021, Gov. Dan McKee signed a law that gradually raised the minimum wage from $11.50 an hour on […]
