Several dozen people gathered on the steps of the Rhode Island State House Tuesday evening to mark one year since the murder of George Floyd. “Today is really a day of remembrance,” organizer Harrison Tuttle, executive director of the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee, told the crowd of around fifty, after asking […]
Politics
Posted inArticle, Politics
Anti-violence vigil urges first steps after recent shootings
For Womazetta Jones, being a Black pioneer in state government doesn’t offer any assurance that her three adult children will safely come home when they go out at night. “Me and my children, we’re inherently dangerous because we were born with Black and Brown skin,” Jones, secretary of the state Executive Office of Health and […]
Posted inArticle, Politics
In early start for ’22 campaign, Gorbea announces her run for RI governor
Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea is formally announcing her Democratic campaign for governor Monday, marking an early start to the 2022 race for the state’s top job. She said her run for governor is the first by a Latina in New England. “I have a track record of meeting challenges head-on, of thinking […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
ICE ends relationship with Bristol County Sheriff Hodgson, citing mistreatment of detainees
Secretary Alejando Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security announced he is seeking the immediate closure of an ICE detention center in Bristol County as part of a broader effort to ensure the nation’s immigration detention centers are meeting the federal government’s health and safety standards. Since at least 2007, Bristol County’s jails have housed […]
Posted inArticle, Politics
$15 hourly minimum wage coming to RI — in 2025
A $15 minimum wage – a top priority for progressive activists across the country – will become a reality in Rhode Island in 2025 under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Dan McKee. Legislation introduced by Rep. David Bennett (D-Warwick) and Sen. Ana Quezada (D-Providence) calls for Rhode Island’s $11.50-an-hour minimum wage to climb to $12.25 […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Associates who arranged bribes for Fall River’s ex-mayor set to be sentenced this summer
Hearings have been scheduled for several defendants who testified that they helped Jasiel Correia solicit more than $500,000 from marijuana vendors.
Posted inArticle, Business, Politics
R.I. lawmakers approve unemployment changes to entice workers
Many Rhode Island businesses are having trouble finding employees as the busy summer season approaches. State lawmakers hope to address these staffing shortages by allowing people to work more hours while retaining their unemployment benefits.
Posted inArticle, Politics
Coalition poll finds support for making voting easy in R.I.
A new poll shows that more than half of Rhode Island voters want the state to continue to offer mail ballot applications that can be completed without a witness. The poll was commissioned by Represent Us, a partner of the Rhode Island Voting Access Coalition, which includes more than a dozen groups such as the […]
Posted inArticle, Politics
R.I. House approves IGT/Bally’s bill after sharp debate
After an almost three-hour debate, the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted Tuesday, 62 to 11, to give IGT and Bally’s a 20-year no-bid contract to provide the state’s gambling services. GOP lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to amend the gambling bill, as part of what they called an attempt to strike a better deal for taxpayers. […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Jury weighs verdict for former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia
The corruption trial of former Fall River mayor Jasiel F. Correia II is coming to a close. South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke spoke with host Dave Fallon about closing arguments in the case, which concluded on Monday.
