Rhode Island officials should have been aware of the problems that eventually led to the abrupt closure of the westbound Washington Bridge, according to a detailed forensic audit of decades of the bridge’s inspection reports and other documentation. The 64-page analysis by engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. is dated April 2024, but was […]
Economy
Posted inEconomy, Local
Union representing workers at Providence’s ABC6 calls for boycott of Channels 6 and 10
The union representing workers at ABC6 is calling for a boycott of the station and NBC 10 in response to how WJAR-TV’s owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, recently acquired the non-signal operations for WLNE-TV. Meteorologist Kelly Bates is among workers who lost their jobs at Channel 6 as part of the change in management. She said […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Metro Desk
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien says Hasbro’s exit to Boston a loss, but not a surprise, as the city looks ahead
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said Wednesday that the city is bracing for the impact of Hasbro’s decision to relocate its headquarters from Rhode Island to Boston next year, a move he described as disappointing, but not surprising. In an interview with The Public’s Radio’s Luis Hernandez, Grebien recalled finding out about the move only after […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Local
Rhode Island and Connecticut sue the Trump administration for halting Revolution Wind
Rhode Island and Connecticut are suing the Trump administration in an attempt to restart work on the Revolution Wind project off the Atlantic coast. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha on Thursday announced that he and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong plan to file the suit in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island. Neronha said […]
Posted inEconomy, Health, Housing, Local
Rising housing costs put older Rhode Islanders’ health at risk
At 82, Roberta Rabinovitz had no place to go. A widow, she had lost both her daughters to cancer. She’d lived with one and then the other, nursing them until their deaths. Then she moved in with her brother in Florida and helped care for him, until he also died. “My doctor said, ‘Roberta, you […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Politics
Fiscal watchdog raises concern about growth in Rhode Island state spending
State spending in Rhode Island continues to rise at an unsustainable rate amid slowing revenues and uncertainty about federal funding, a business-backed fiscal watchdog group warned in a report released Wednesday. The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council found that state general revenue spending climbed by 10.9% over the last two fiscal years, while state general […]
Posted inEconomy, Health, Local
Butler Hospital and striking union reach a ‘tentative agreement’
Butler Hospital and the union representing more than 700 nurses, mental health workers, dietary and maintenance staff announced Monday that they have reached a tentative agreement to end the three-month long strike. “On behalf of both Butler Hospital and members of the bargaining committee representing all job classifications of the hospital, we are pleased to […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Metro Desk
Redevelopment of Providence’s ‘Superman Building’ to continue after owner’s death
The company that owns the so-called “Superman Building” in downtown Providence said Friday that it remains committed to redeveloping the property, even after the recent death of the company’s president. In a statement, High Rock Development announced that the Massachusetts-based company will now be led by its legal counsel, Michael Crossen, and that he will […]
Posted inEconomy, Immigration, Local
‘Immigrant defense zones’? Here’s what Rhode Island businesses should know
More than two dozen Rhode Island business owners announced a joint effort this month to create what they’re calling “immigrant defense zones,” where they pledge to prohibit immigration enforcement agents from their stores if they don’t have a warrant. The advocacy group the Rhode Island Deportation Defense Coalition says at least 25 businesses have signed […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Transportation
RIPTA proposes largest cuts to bus service in its history
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority proposed service reductions to nearly all of its bus routes on Thursday as it tries to balance a budget deficit. The proposed cuts, which are laid out in detail on RIPTA’s website, would affect 58 routes total, 17 of which would be eliminated entirely. In an interview after announcing […]
