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Live blog: Day one of same-sex marriage in Rhode Island
By Adam Toobin | August 1[View the story "Live blog: Day one of same-sex marriage in Rhode Island" on Storify]
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Rhode Island legalizes same-sex marriage
By Emily Boney | May 3On the steps of the Rhode Island State House, Gov. Lincoln Chafee '75 P '14 signed historic legislation making Rhode Island the 10th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday. The signing ceremony immediately followed a vote in the House of Representatives supporting the legislation, ...
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As senators debate, activists protest, react
By Sam Heft-Luthy | April 25While state senators debated a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, supporters and opponents filled the State House lobby to make their opinions heard. About 40 or 50 of the bill’s opponents stood in the rotunda carrying signs that said “Same Sex Marriage is Immoral and Unnecessary” and “Marriage ...
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Providence looks to redevelop Kennedy Plaza
By Emily Boney | April 25Kennedy Plaza, the main square and transportation hub of Providence, will undergo renovations in the next few years as a part of Mayor Angel Taveras’ efforts to revitalize downtown. The Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy is slated to start construction this year. The plans — designed by Union ...
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Panel encourages Latino leadership
By Kiera Peltz | April 25Six of Rhode Island’s prominent Latino figures condemned the lack of Latino leaders in the state, where 38 percent of Providence residents and 60 percent of Central Falls residents are Latino, at a panel discussion Wednesday afternoon. The speakers — who included politicians, community leaders ...
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R.I. Foundation awards two innovation fellowships
By Mariya Bashkatova | April 25Lynn Taylor, assistant professor of medicine at Alpert Medical School and attending physician at Miriam Hospital, and Adrienne Gagnon, executive director and co-founder of Downcity Design, were each awarded a three-year Rhode Island Innovation Fellowship to fund their efforts to devise a creative solution ...
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R.I. Senate approves same-sex marriage
By Mariya Bashkatova | April 25The Rhode Island Senate passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage yesterday by a vote of 26-12. The vote marks the final major hurdle in the legislative process, virtually guaranteeing same-sex marriage will be signed into law in the coming weeks. Since yesterday’s bill is different from the ...
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Senate to vote on same-sex marriage bill today
By Mariya Bashkatova | April 24After 16 years of failed attempts, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage will come to a decisive vote on the Senate floor today, on the heels of Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee approval. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket, passed the committee by a 7-4 vote yesterday. If ...
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Petition seeks to bury power lines
By Stephen Ark | April 23Advocacy group Friends of India Point Park has started a new petition campaign calling on Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and East Providence Mayor James Briden to accelerate the removal of above-ground power lines near the Providence River. The petition, which targets ...
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Committee to vote on same-sex marriage
By Mariya Bashkatova | April 23The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee will vote today on same-sex marriage legislation that will decide whether this year’s efforts at legalization will move to a final test in the Senate. The bill — introduced by Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, D-Pawtucket — is identical to legislation that ...
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Bill could finance child care assistance
By Monica Perez | April 23The Rhode Island House Finance Committee reviewed legislation April 10 that would provide cash assistance to working parents who are also enrolled in training or degree programs to help finance child care. Rep. Scott Slater, D-Providence, and Rep. Maria Cimini, D-Providence, introduced the legislation, ...
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Providence train station to receive facelift
By Max Schindler | April 23The Providence Amtrak station is set to undergo a $5.7 million renovation next spring, according to a statement released last week from Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s ’75 P’14 office. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will receive funding from the Federal Highway Administration to improve ...
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U. student support for legalization eclipses R.I.’s
By Emily Boney | April 18While more than 90 percent of Brown undergraduates responded in a March Herald poll in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, only 60.4 percent of Rhode Island residents support legalization, according to a survey conducted in February by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American ...
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R.I. same-sex marriage faces final battle in Senate
By Sona Mkrttchian and Adam Toobin | April 18As the national debate over same-sex marriage continues to unfold, for the first time in Rhode Island’s history, the governor, the House of Representatives and a majority of state residents all support legalization. The fate of same-sex marriage legalization now lies in the hands of the Senate. Gov. ...
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Campus groups urge legislators to act
By Alexander Blum | April 18Student groups remain dedicated to promoting legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in Rhode Island — legislation which passed the House of Representatives 51 to 19 in January and is currently awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. The continued efforts follow a Valentine’s Day same-sex ...
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R.I. same-sex marriage debate spans 20 years
By Mariya Bashkatova | April 18Rhode Island’s history with same-sex marriage legalization has come in fits and starts. It began nearly 20 years ago with a bill introduced in 1997 by openly gay former Rep. Mike Pisaturo, D-Cranston. The bill contained two lines and stated that “persons of the same gender shall be eligible to ...
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Opponents of legislation feel ‘ostracized’ on campus
By Sarah Perelman | April 18Though Brown is often abuzz with students advocating for same-sex marriage, the campus often hears little from those who oppose it. “You could go around campus and pretty much assume most people support it,” said Dakotah Rice ’16, a member of the Queer Alliance. According to The Herald’s recent ...
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State to adopt new standardized test
By Sandra Yan | April 16Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, Rhode Island will no longer use the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) as a measure of high school students’ academic skills. “Rhode Island is one of 46 states transitioning to the Common Core State Standards,” said Elliot Krieger, executive assistant ...
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Future of vacated building unclear
By Mariya Bashkatova and Meg Sullivan | April 16The fate of Rhode Island’s tallest building remains uncertain after its only tenant, Bank of America, moved out last Friday. The tower, nicknamed the “Superman” building due to its resemblance to the Planet News building in the Superman comic books, was the tallest structure in New England when ...
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R.I. gun legislation targets unlawful ownership, assault weapons
By Jillian Lanney | April 16The Rhode Island General Assembly is considering a nine-bill package of gun control legislation — including a statewide assault weapons ban — that Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 announced with other legislative and community leaders at a press conference last Tuesday afternoon. “This is a ...
