A frenetic two-way fight for the presidency of the Rhode Island Senate is playing out behind the scenes following the death of state Sen. Dominick Ruggerio at age 76 on Monday. The battle is taking place through ongoing phone calls, as the contenders — Majority Leader Val Lawson (D-East Providence) and Sen. Frank Ciccone (D-Providence), […]
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Posted inEnvironment, Local, NPR
As New England waters warm, invasive sea squirts move in
Researchers say they’re seeing more of these colorful blobs growing on docks, but they’re not the only invasive marine species that could be spreading along New England coasts. And climate change may be partly to blame.
Posted inHousing, Local, Politics
New plan targets 15,000 more housing units in RI by 2030
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard unveiled Wednesday a plan to build 15,000 new housing units over the next five years through what Goddard called a “carrot” approach. “We’re going to set municipal goals for every community, both production goals and low-mod housing — low- and moderate-income housing goals — and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, Politics
Lawmakers seek to ban offshore drilling in New England
On Earth Day, members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation announced a bipartisan effort to ban offshore oil drilling. But the legislation announced Tuesday may be little more than a symbolic gesture. On his first day back in office, President Trump declared a national energy emergency. “We will drill, baby, drill,” Trump said in his second […]
Posted inLocal, NPR
Sen. Jack Reed calls for investigation into Pete Hegseth’s Signal chat
NPR asks Sen. Jack Reed, top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, why he wants an investigation into whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared classified intelligence in a Signal chat.
Posted inLocal
Rhode Islanders pray for Pope Francis
Just before noon Mass Monday, the bells of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence tolled 88 times. Once for every year of Pope Francis’s life. Inside, right next to the altar, there’s now a portrait of the holy father draped in black. A steady stream of mourners kneel there and say a […]
Posted inLocal, Newport Bureau, Transportation
Rhode Island authorizes Newport Pell Bridge risk assessment
The Rhode Island agency that oversees the Newport Pell Bridge on Monday released its response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommended risk assessment following last year’s deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore. The four-lane suspension bridge linking Aquidneck Island and Jamestown is one of 68 bridges nationwide that the NTSB in March recommended for a […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Rhode Island remembers Senate President Dominick Ruggerio
Rhode Island Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, 76, the longest serving lawmaker in the state and an influential local political player for decades, died early Monday. “It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio earlier this morning,” the Senate said in a statement. “We are so grateful […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Politics
‘No kings’: Rhode Island protesters rally against Trump in nationwide demonstration
Hundreds of protesters rallied Saturday in Providence and towns across Rhode Island as part of a nationwide “day of action” against the Trump administration. In Providence, they marched at noon from the Rhode Island State House lawn through downtown, chanting “government by the people” and “no kings.” The protest was organized by members of the […]
Posted inEducation, Immigration, Local
ACLU affiliates sue to challenge student visa revocations in New England
The ACLU of Rhode Island, joined by other affiliates in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and Puerto Rico, and law firm Shaheen & Gordon, has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court to try to stop the revocation of over 100 F-1 student visas in New England. Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of […]
