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R.I. receives $60.3 million for infrastructure improvements
Rhode Island is getting $60.3 million to update its roads and bridges, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced Thursday. The funding, which comes from the Federal Highway Administration’s annual August redistribution, will advance shovel-ready projects by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) in the coming weeks. That includes ongoing bridge rehabilitations along Route 37, the […]
CD1 Democratic candidates on the attack in TV debate
PROVIDENCE — Though sitting stage left, former Providence Rep. Aaron Regunberg was the center of his political rivals’ attention Tuesday night, as his Democratic rivals for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District took any and all opportunities to attack him during a live televised debate at Rhode Island College. The debate, hosted by WPRI Target 12 […]
SBA disaster recovery offered following Block Island hotel fire
NEW SHOREHAM — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved a disaster declaration for businesses and residents impacted by a massive overnight fire on Block Island earlier this month, Gov. Dan McKee announced Monday. Flames took over the Harborside Hotel on the night of Aug. 18, completely destroying the Victorian-era building which first opened […]
R.I. nets over $640K to assist crime victims
Rhode Island is getting more than $640,000 in federal funds in order to assist victims of violent crimes and survivors of sexual assault. The latest round of funds was announced jointly by the state’s congressional delegation Saturday and represents a more than $400,000 increase from last year’s grant to the fund operated by the Rhode […]
A tale of two districts
Looking at the border of Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District, it’s shaped a bit like an upside down pirate hook. The base is configured around towns along the northern border with Massachusetts as it curves through Bristol and Newport counties, the bend starting in Providence — a city that shares both the 1st and 2nd […]
More than $1.7M spent on broadcast ads in CD1 race
As primary day in Rhode Island nears, the airwaves war in the race to represent the 1st Congressional District is heating up — and getting costly. As of Aug. 25, five Democratic candidates and three political action committees (PAC) have collectively spent $1.74 million on more than 6,000 advertisements across Rhode Island’s broadcast TV stations, […]
Cannabis Control Commission begins staffing up
WARWICK — Rhode Island’s Cannabis Control Commission is close to getting its first full-time staffers. After a more than hour-long executive session, the commission during its Aug. 24 voted unanimously to extend employment offers for its chief of legal services and an administrative officer. It was the only action taken by the commission, which promptly […]
RIPTA to begin contractor negotiations on development of new bus hub
PROVIDENCE — The wheels are turning on a new bus hub in Rhode Island’s capital city. The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s (RIPTA) board of directors on Wednesday unanimously voted to negotiate a contract with Next Wave Partners — a consortium of a number of Rhode Island-based companies — to construct a multi-use transit center […]
RIDOT to close Gano Street exit in Providence as part of Washington Bridge project
PROVIDENCE — Drivers entering Providence through Gano Street will have to find a new exit for the next two months. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will close the ramp as it adjusts the traffic pattern on I-195 West, according to a statement released Wednesday. The ramp closes Friday as part of RIDOT’s $78 […]
‘A special beacon for girls’: portrait unveiled for former Gov. Gina Raimondo
PROVIDENCE — Dressed in a white skirt suit, former Gov. Gina Raimondo smiles on a beach in Narragansett resting her hand firmly on a stone wall as the state and American flags fly in the breeze. That’s how Rhode Island’s first female governor will forever look on a wall at the State House in her […]
McKee, General Assembly leadership name Cannabis Advisory Board picks
PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island’s cannabis industry can begin getting new regulations as early as this fall as the state now has chosen the people to craft them. Gov. Dan McKee, along with House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio on Thursday announced their long-awaited picks for the Cannabis Advisory Board. The 19-member […]
Rhode Island legislator named president of bipartisan legislator conference
Rhode Island State Rep. Brian Kennedy, a Westerly Democrat, was named the new president of the National Conference of State Legislatures on Wednesday during its Legislative Summit in Indianapolis. Kennedy is the 52nd president of the national conference, a bipartisan group founded in 1975 that provides research and opportunities for policymakers. He succeeds Wisconsin House […]