U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and a host of other officials celebrated a groundbreaking Monday for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atlantic operations center at Naval Station Newport in Middletown. The project represents a windfall of $146 million in federal spending in Rhode Island that will create local construction jobs through a project labor […]
DAN MCKEE
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for May 3, 2024
It’s an outrage that the new documentary about the secret apartment at Providence Place has yet to screen in Rhode Island. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up […]
Former rival Foulkes tops McKee in Q1 fundraising
Foulkes, a former top executive for CVS Health, remains publicly non-committal about her plans for 2026. But newly filed finance reports show that she raised $203,700 from individual contributors during the first quarter of 2024, bringing her campaign balance to $298,046. McKee’s campaign brought in $104,025 from individuals in the quarter and $18,300 from political […]
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for April 26, 2024
We can only wonder how much better the Sox might be without a spate of injuries. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** STORY OF […]
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for April 5, 2024
The state launches a legal probe of what went wrong with the bridge and suddenly the ground shakes. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** […]
McKee names new Rhode Island interim health director
Governor Daniel J. McKee announced on Thursday the appointment of an infectious disease specialist who recently joined the Rhode Island Department of Health as its interim director until a permanent hire is finalized. Dr. Staci Fischer worked 15 years at Rhode Island Hospital and oversaw training for medical residents and fellows for Lifespan in her […]
Rhode Island Ethics Commission fines former state official for Philadelphia trip
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission on Tuesday fined former state properties head David Patten $5,000 for behavior during a trip to Philadelphia last year that sparked a cascade of negative out-of-state attention. The commission also found probable cause for three of four violations against James Thorsen, formerly the director of the state Department of Administration, […]
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for March 15, 2024
It’s just a matter of time until Opening Day. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. I’m taking a pre-spring break, so this column will next appear on March 29. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just […]
Washington Bridge westbound must be demolished and undergo years-long rebuild
The state of Rhode Island plans to demolish and completely rebuild the westbound side of the Washington Bridge, a project officials expect to take two years or more. “We will be replacing the bridge,” Gov. Dan McKee said at a news conference Thursday. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation closed the westbound span, which carries […]
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for March 1, 2024
With the arrival of March, we’re on a glidepath to more daylight and the crack of the bat. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** […]

