Rhode Island Current
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The Rhode Island Current is an independent, nonprofit news outlet covering state government and the impact of public policy decisions in the Ocean State.
Pawtucket’s Senate District 8 incumbent faces progressive nurse in Sept. 9 Democratic primary rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/08/05/o...
Old frustrations bring a new challenger in Pawtucket’s Senate District 8 • Rhode Island Current
Gena Felix, a registered nurse backed by the Rhode Island Working Families Party, is challenging Sen. Lori Urso in the Democratic primary for Pawtucket's Senate District 8. Urso was first elected in 2...
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A cat person and a dog person both lean left of the House District 22 lawmaker they hope to succeed rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/08/04/c...
Candidates for open seat in Warwick split on charter school moratorium • Rhode Island Current
Millennial Warwick Democrats Janie Segui and Zak Pereira have centered their campaigns for the open House District 22 seat on affordability and quality-of-life issues. But Segui, a charter school advo...
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COMMENTARY from Joe Broadmeadow: “Set aside whatever you believe about carbon, computer models, and international accords. Look at it the way an investigator looks at a case. What does the evidence on the ground actually show?” rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/08/03/a...
Argue all you want about the cause of climate change. The 911 calls still come. • Rhode Island Current
Climate change is not just an environmental issue but a public safety challenge. That's why Rhode Island needs to invest in emergency preparedness, flood resilience and its first responders before dis...
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Entrepreneur backed by The League of RI Businesses challenges progressive state senator for RI Senate District 36 seat. rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/08/03/t...
Two Narragansett neighbors live separate lives on policy • Rhode Island Current
Sen. Alana DiMario, a Narragansett Democrat, faces primary challenger Mark Mesrobian in a District 36 race defined by ideological differences and contrasting views on the appropriate size and role of ...
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Four of the JNC’s nine members collectively contributed over $30,000 to former House speaker Joe Shekarchi’s campaign account since he first ran for office in 2012. rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/30/j...
Judiciary commission members criticized for not revealing campaign contributions to ex-House speaker • Rhode Island Current
Four members of the Judicial Nominating Commission who voted to advance K. Joseph Shekarchi's Rhode Island Supreme Court application have contributed more than $30,000 to his political campaigns since...
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Dems ramp up TV ad spending in primary race for AG rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/29/d...
Dems ramp up TV ad spending in primary race for AG • Rhode Island Current
The television campaign in Rhode Island's four-way Democratic race for attorney general is growing after Kim Ahern on Wednesday unveiled her first television commercial as part of a six-figure adverti...
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Six days after Keith Hoffmann became the first candidate to take to the airwaves, Kim Ahern on Wednesday unveiled her first television commercial as part of a six-figure advertising campaign through the Sept. 9 primary. By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/29/d...
Dems ramp up TV ad spending in primary race for AG race • Rhode Island Current
The television campaign in Rhode Island's four-way Democratic race for attorney general is growing after Kim Ahern on Wednesday unveiled her first television commercial as part of a six-figure adverti...
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Gov. Dan McKee now boasts endorsements from Rhode Island’s two major statewide teachers unions, having secured the recommendation of the National Education Association of Rhode Island on Wednesday. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/29/m...
McKee picks up second teachers union endorsement • Rhode Island Current
The National Education Association of Rhode Island endorsed Gov. Dan McKee in his reelection bid, adding to the list of labor groups backing the Democratic incumbent, including the other major state t...
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New estimates show the nation’s population of undocumented immigrants increased from 11 million in the 2010s to as high as 15.8 million by mid-2024. Via @stateline.org rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/29/r...
Undocumented immigration population reached as high as 15.8M, report finds • Rhode Island Current
New estimates put the U.S. undocumented immigrant population in mid-2024 at 14.6 million to 15.8 million, a sharp increase from around 11 million in the 2010s.
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Shekarchi makes the list of Rhode Island Supreme Court potential nominees. But will he make the cut? By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/29/s...
Shekarchi makes the list of Rhode Island Supreme Court potential nominees. But will he make the cut? • Rhode Island Current
The Judicial Nominating Commission on Tuesday night advanced five finalists, including former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, to Gov. Dan McKee's office for consideration to fill an open seat on th...
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A federal judge Tuesday invalidated the town of Johnston’s attempt to seize 31 acres of land eyed for an affordable housing complex by eminent domain to build a new public safety complex and town hall. By @nolanpage.bsky.social & @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/28/f...
Federal judge voids Johnston’s land seizure under eminent domain • Rhode Island Current
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose on Tuesday ruled Johnston's attempt to seize land for a new town hall and public safety complex violated constitutional requirements, handing a victory to deve...
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Looks like the conflict over Donald Trump’s executive order limiting vote-by-mail will have to be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. By @fischler.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/28/r...
Courts issue conflicting rulings on Trump executive order restricting vote-by-mail • Rhode Island Current
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the federal government can continue implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting vote-by-mail, reaching the opposite conclusion that anothe...
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Federal asylum officers can deny interviews to asylum seekers and send them immediately to an immigration judge, speeding up deportation proceedings, under a rule U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published Tuesday. By @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com?post_type=re...
DHS removes interview requirement for asylum seekers, possibly speeding removals • Rhode Island Current
A new Department of Homeland Security rule published Tuesday removes language that asylum seekers have the “right” to an interview, which could have the effect of speeding up deportation proceedings.
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Reflecting Pool damaged before Olympian charged with felony touched it, witness says. By @jennifershutt.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/28/r...
Reflecting Pool damaged before Olympian charged with felony touched it, witness says • Rhode Island Current
WASHINGTON — Attorneys representing the former Olympic canoeist charged with damaging part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have asked the judge in the case to release more information from the...
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De La Comunidad Bilingual Public Charter School board chair: “This law was aimed at one school: ours. Families chose us. Our community fought for us. And when lawmakers tried to shut the door before we even opened it, we had a responsibility to fight back.” rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/27/p...
Providence charter school singled out by moratorium sues McKee, General Assembly leaders • Rhode Island Current
A planned Providence dual-language charter school is suing Gov. Dan McKee and legislative leaders, alleging the state's new moratorium on charter approvals is unconstitutional and targeted.
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A federal appeals court over the weekend denied the Trump administration’s request to resume a controversial plan forcing significant restrictions on vote-by-mail. rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/27/r...
Trump administration encounters defeat on vote-by-mail order in federal appeals court • Rhode Island Current
After a federal appeals court over the weekend denied the Trump administration’s request to restrict vote-by-mail before November’s midterm elections, time is running out.
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With federal consumer protections scaled back under the Trump administration, state attorneys general are expanding bipartisan efforts to investigate price gouging, antitrust violations and deceptive business practices. Via @stateline.org rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/27/r...
State AGs expand consumer work as prices rise and Trump guts federal protections • Rhode Island Current
Since President Donald Trump has gutted much of the federal government's consumer protection work, state attorneys general are increasingly left to fight high prices and investigate businesses themsel...
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Five weeks after Gov. Dan McKee signed into law a controversial bill temporarily banning new charter schools — departing from his own past support for charter schools — the payoff has come through for his reelection campaign. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/27/m...
McKee backed a charter school moratorium. Now a major teachers union has endorsed him. • Rhode Island Current
The Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals has thrown the weight of its 12,000 members behind Gov. Dan McKee's reelection campaign, citing McKee's support for a controversial cha...
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Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes has repeatedly made these four claims about her efforts to address the opioid crisis while president of CVS’ Pharmacy division. Here's what the evidence says about them. By @phileil.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/27/a...
A closer look at Foulkes’ record on opioids • Rhode Island Current
A review of Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Buonanno Foulkes' record leading CVS Pharmacy examines campaign claims about opioid prescribing, pill mill doctors and drug takeback ...
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Ambulance trips from Rhode Island’s East Bay took about a minute longer in the first six months following the abrupt closure of the Washington Bridge’s westbound span on Dec. 11, 2023, according to a new study. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/27/w...
Washington Bridge closure lengthened East Bay ambulance trips, study finds • Rhode Island Current
A new study reveals ambulance travel times from Rhode Island's East Bay increased by about a minute following the Washington Bridge closure, impacting the time needed to reach specialty care at hospit...
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Quonset Business Park 140-unit workforce housing project is the first residential component since the North Kingstown U.S. Naval Air Station was decommissioned and shut down in the mid-1970s. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/24/q...
Quonset Business Park’s latest tenant: renters who already work there • Rhode Island Current
For the first time in more than 50 years, a former U.S. Navy base turned industrial park in North Kingstown will feature housing under a newly inked lease agreement between Quonset Development Corpora...
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Federal judge poised to dissolve injunction that halted RI’s cannabis retail licenses rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/23/f...
Federal judge poised to dissolve injunction that halted RI’s cannabis retail licenses • Rhode Island Current
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose on Wednesday ruled she is prepared to lift the injunction blocking Rhode Island cannabis regulators from issuing retail licenses after lawmakers repealed a req...
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The endorsement lists are growing for both Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and his Democratic gubernatorial challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes with less than one month until early voting begins. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social
McKee picks up union endorsements as Democratic primary countdown continues • Rhode Island Current
Gov. Dan McKee secured the endorsement of the 10,000-member Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, while his Democratic challenger, Helena…
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About 100 people rallied to try to stop federal immigration officials from detaining a Cambodian refugee. They were too late. By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/22/i...
ICE detains Providence man facing deportation to country he has never known • Rhode Island Current
Chansareth Hong, a Cambodian refugee, has been detained by ICE and moved to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility. His detention comes despite widespread calls from state and local leaders to halt hi...
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ACLU report finds remote access to public meetings has improved in some RI communities since 2023, while other local councils and school committees continue to offer limited options. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/22/r...
Remote meeting access improves in some RI communities, slips backwards in others, ACLU report finds • Rhode Island Current
A new ACLU of Rhode Island report finds 29 of 34 school committees and 34 of 39 councils livestream meetings. But many of these public bodies still lack an option for members of the public to particip...
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Proposed amendment to replace GOP-sponsored stock trading bill with text of Rhode Island Rep. Seth Magaziner’s more restrictive bill, dubbed the Restore Trust in Government Act, failed. By @ashleymurray.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/22/r...
US House approves joint measure to curb Congress’ stock trading, require voter ID • Rhode Island Current
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans passed a measure to curb stock trading by members of Congress that was packaged with an unrelated voter ID bill, part of President Donald Trump’s push for major fed...
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A 1991 state law mandates that non-incumbent general office holders have state-funded space available during the transitional period before officially being sworn in. By @nolanpage.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/22/t...
Temporary office space search for newly elected general officers OK’d • Rhode Island Current
State law requires Rhode Island's newly elected general officers to have available state-funded space for their transitional staff in the two months before they are officially sworn in. The State Prop...
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McKee picks up union endorsements as Democratic primary countdown continues. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/briefs/mckee...
McKee picks up union endorsements as Democratic primary countdown continues • Rhode Island Current
Gov. Dan McKee secured the endorsement of the 10,000-member Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, while his Democratic challenger, Helena Foulke...
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