During a hard-hat tour of the new state health lab on Tuesday, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee motioned to a scene a short distance away on Richmond Street in Providence’s 195 District, where construction crews are building a life sciences building for Brown University. McKee’s message: the two nearby structures dovetail with the state’s effort […]
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Posted inEconomy, Local, Metro Desk, Sports, Stories
The last bits of PawSox trivia finally revealed
The PawSox disappeared to Worcester four years ago. McCoy Stadium has since been razed to the ground. But on Monday evening, a small crowd gathered in what used to be right field for one last event in what may be the longest goodbye in baseball history. Among them, Kevin Wildenhain in full PawSox regalia. His dad […]
Posted inHealth, Local, Weather
Dangerous heat wave moves into Rhode Island
Temperatures in Rhode Island and southern New England have reached into the 90s and are forecast to climb to around 100 degrees on Tuesday, putting people living or working outdoors and those who are without access to air conditioning at high risk of heat-related health problems. Heat waves in the U.S. in recent decades have […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Sen. Reed calls Trump’s military strike on Iran premature
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island agrees with President Trump that Iran should not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but he said Trump’s use of a military airstrike over the weekend is too much, too soon. “The best path would be for negotiations,” Reed said in an interview Monday. “We had an […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Transportation
How safe are Rhode Island’s other bridges?
The Washington Bridge may have grabbed most of the headlines, but it is by no means the only piece of Rhode Island infrastructure in urgent need of repair. Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio identified 119 bridges listed as “Poor” in the most recent available data from the National Bridge Inventory, a federal survey […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Bill to ban sales of ‘assault weapons’ in RI poised to become law
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is poised to sign into law a bill that will ban the sale and manufacture — but not the use or possession — of guns defined as assault weapons. Any uncertainty about the legislative path for the bill ended when the House of Representatives approved the measure on a 43-to-28 […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for June 20, 2025
I volunteer to play 1B for the Sox for a lot less money than Rafael Devers. 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: More than […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Amended ‘assault weapon’ bill advances to RI Senate amid criticism
The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved an assault weapon bill that left both gun-rights advocates and some gun-safety supporters feeling disappointed. The bill, an amended version of legislation sponsored by Sen. Louis DiPalma (D-Middletown), cleared the Judiciary Committee on an 8-to-6 vote. The amended bill bans the sale, although not the use […]
Posted inLocal, Transportation
Transit advocates lament looming RIPTA service cuts
Transit advocates in Rhode Island are concerned about looming service cuts to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. After Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed budget left RIPTA with a roughly $32.6 million deficit for fiscal year 2026, state House lawmakers on Tuesday passed a budget that provided RIPTA with an extra $15 million, in part by […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
RI House passes $14.3 billion budget with more healthcare money
The Rhode Island House of Representatives used a speedy three-hour debate Tuesday to pass a $14.3 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, amid uncertainty about possible fallout from GOP spending cuts in Washington, D.C. The vote came on a 66-to-9 mostly party-line vote. State Rep. Marie Hopkins (R-Warwick), a nurse who said […]
