As RI elections officials race to certify signatures by deadline, Arizona might offer a better way • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island election officials are working long hours to verify thousands of candidate signatures by Thursday’s 4 p.m. deadline. But proponents of an online nomination system, such as one used in Ari...

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One year after steepest premium increase in a decade, RI health insurers seek double-digit hikes • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island healthcare insurers are again seeking double-digit increases in premiums, fresh off record rate hikes in 2025. The surging costs, meant to keep insurers and healthcare providers solvent, ...

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Rhode Island lawmakers move at lightning speed on last night of session • Rhode Island Current

With controversial topics like charter schools and sex abuse claims against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence already decided — or preemptively killed in the case of a state Voting Rights Act —...

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Charter school moratorium passes RI House, awaits clearance from a favorable Senate • Rhode Island Current

A bill imposing a three-year moratorium on new charter schools and reducing the statewide cap has passed the Rhode Island House. The legislation needs one more concurrence vote from the Senate before ...

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Rhode Island backed a pro-slavery amendment 165 years ago. Now lawmakers look to repeal it. • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island was one of five states that ratified a pre-Civil War, Constitutional amendment that protected slavery as a states' rights issue. Now, 165 years later, the General Assembly is repealing it...

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Things are looking up for the Crook Point Bridge • Rhode Island Current

The iconic Crook Point Bascule Bridge in Providence is possibly a step closer to finding new life, due to the General Assembly's passage of legislation that would create the Crook Point Bridge Authori...

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Court fight continues: DOJ appeals ruling upholding privacy of trans youth medical records • Rhode Island Current

The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing a Rhode Island federal judge's order blocking its attempt to secure sensitive medical records of transgender youth. The judge criticized DOJ's conduct in th...

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RI lawmakers weigh extended bar hours during World Cup • Rhode Island Current

Legislation to allow municipalities to OK expanded hours for indoor liquor service during the World Cup from June 11 through July 19 passed the Rhode Island House 60-8 on Tuesday, and the Senate versi...

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Providence mayoral race’s first forum brings Democratic party fault lines into focus • Rhode Island Current

Division on topic like housing, ICE, schools and the city’s political future emerged during a Brown University-hosted forum with Providence mayoral candidates Brett Smiley, David Morales, Michael Engl...

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Federal judge rejects DOJ lawsuit against Rhode Island over voter rolls • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island is now the fifth state to reel in what a federal judge in Providence on Friday morning called a “fishing expedition” by President Donald Trump administration’s to obtain sensitive voter…

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Smiley unveils proposed FY2027 Providence budget with lowest spending growth in at least five years • Rhode Island Current

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget would grow 1.75%, keep property tax rates flat, and add funding for schools, housing and city services.

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Bill would mandate more school librarians in Rhode Island. But how to pay for it? • Rhode Island Current

Students from Alfred Lima Elementary School in Providence students came to the State House to champion legislation that would mandate a dedicated library and certified school librarian in every public...

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As Smithfield moves to ban data centers, Smith Hill is still debating how to define them • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island lawmakers are weighing competing data center bills as town officials in Smithfield consider a local ban tied to a possible business park near the historic Hanton City area.

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Lawmakers seek permanent funding for referral hotlines connecting families to mental health care • Rhode Island Current

A bill heard by a Rhode Island Senate panel last week would fold funding for telephone hotlines used by pediatricians and family doctors to connect kids and parents to mental health treatment hotlines...

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The internet is putting kids at risk. These mom lawmakers want to force tech firms to make it safer. • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island lawmakers are pushing a six-bill package aimed at protecting children from digital harms tied to social media, school tech and AI chatbots.

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401Gives: 36 hours to make a difference and help nonprofits stay the course • Rhode Island Current

Online fundraising for 401Gives, Rhode Island’s day of giving, opens at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will remain open for 36 hours — about as long as the tumultuous period experienced by some participating nonp...

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Providence federal judge grills DOJ lawyer over reasons for demanding RI’s voter data • Rhode Island Current

A U.S. Justice Department lawyer admitted in court Thursday that if Rhode Island hands over unredacted voter rolls, that data will be shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to check citi...

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Portsmouth rep wants kratom locked up behind sales counters • Rhode Island Current

The psychoactive herb kratom can be legally sold in Rhode Island starting April 1 after winning the General Assembly’s approval last June. But Rep. Michelle McGaw, a Portsmouth Democrat and pharmacist...

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What’s inside the Rhode Island Senate’s 2026 health care bill package • Rhode Island Current

A 17-bill Rhode Island Senate package for 2026 targets behavioral health crisis care, AI chatbot safeguards, pharmacy benefit managers and the state’s primary care workforce.

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Lawmakers consider bill that would keep private keys private in Rhode Island • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island lawmakers are again weighing a bill to limit when courts and government agencies can compel disclosure of private keys tied to digital assets, identities and accounts.

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Maine lobster haul down again in 2025 • Rhode Island Current

Maine lobstermen landed 78.8 million pounds in 2025, maintaining the largest fishery in the state, even as the haul is down again from the year before.  According to preliminary data from the Maine De...

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Ethics panel sets hearing date as supervisor during infamous Philly trip fights to clear his name • Rhode Island Current

The Rhode Island Ethics Commission will hold a rare adjudication hearing on March 17 to publicly litigate findings of probable ethics violations by Jim Thorsen, the state's former director of administ...

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Lieutenant governor’s race expands as Khamsyvoravong kicks off campaign • Rhode Island Current

Newport City Councilor and former mayor Xaykham “Xay” Khamsyvoravong on Monday officially announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor, ending weeks of speculation. His campaign account has the lar...

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Rodenticides kill more than rodents. Providence lawmaker sponsors bill to ban their use.

There’s more than one way to poison a rat.But not all poisons are created equal, and some of the most popular rodenticides can wreak havoc higher up the food chain, killing the birds and mammals that…

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Hasbro shareholders drop suit alleging toymaker overprinted Magic: The Gathering card sets • Rhode Island Current

Two Hasbro shareholders have voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit in Rhode Island federal court which accused executives of misleading investors about Magic: The Gathering printing and overproduction. The…

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RI Supreme Court lets municipalities off the hook for cost of some students in residential care • Rhode Island Current

A 3-1 Rhode Island Supreme Court decision in favor of Cumberland and Newport settles a seven-year dispute over the interpretation of a state law amended 25 years ago governing the financial responsibi...

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Reading Across Rhode Island 2026: ‘This story reminded me why I love books.’ • Rhode Island Current

“Happy Land,” Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s historical fiction novel tracing an African American community in the hills of western North Carolina, is the 2026 statewide read for Reading Across Rhode Island w...

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FM buys IGT building in downtown Providence for $68.5M • Rhode Island Current

Johnston-based insurance giant FM is buying the downtown Providence building that houses the state’s lottery contractor formerly known as IGT, Fidelity Investments Inc. and The Capital Grille. The 202...

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Providence rent stabilization plan draws standing room only crowd at first public hearing • Rhode Island Current

Tenants, landlords, and Providence city officials on Wednesday night debated costs and consequences of a proposed rent stabilization ordinance that would cap annual rent increases at 4% during a heari...

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