The Dec. 14 murder of 20 first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. shook the nation and ignited debates about how best to ensure no such tragedy ever occurs again. In Rhode Island, the discourse began immediately as parents clamored for safer schools, residents ...
Two state representatives proposed legislation in January to eliminate the master lever — a tool that allows voters to select every candidate from any party with a single mark on the ballot. The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Michael Marcello, D-Cranston, and Rep. Brian Newberry, R-North Smithfield, Burrillville, ...
Mayor Angel Taveras announced a partnership with Southside Community Land Trust and the Rhode Island Foundation Jan. 14 in a project aimed at renovating the vacant lots that sprinkle the city’s undeveloped land parcels and turning them into small farming plots. The Florida-based Local Sustainability ...
Rhode Island’s public education system was ranked fifth in the nation in a January report from StudentsFirst, the advocacy group founded by education reform proponent Michelle Rhee. While only receiving a grade of “C+,” Rhode Island scored higher than neighboring Massachusetts, New Hampshire ...
Rhode Island’s Health Benefits Exchange — the health care marketplace mandated by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — received federal approval Dec. 20, placing it on track to meet the law’s October deadline for being available to the public. “The exchange will be ...
Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’16 received generally positive reactions from academics and officials for his proposals to cut the corporate tax rate and tentatively cap tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities in the Jan. 17 State of the State address. Presenting his third budget ...
The U.S. Senate passed a bill Jan. 28 allocating $50.5 billion of aid to facilitate reconstruction in states affected by Hurricane Sandy last October. Three months later, the East Coast is still recovering from Sandy, which left wreckage and destruction in Rhode Island’s coastal areas. The state ...
Same-sex marriage The Rhode Island House overwhelmingly approved a bill last Thursday that would make Rhode Island the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill now goes to the Senate — the branch of the General Assembly historically less supportive of same-sex marriage — where its ...
Harry Belafonte — ‘the King of Calypso’ — was greeted with a standing ovation upon taking the stage last night to deliver the Rhode Island School of Design’s annual the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. keynote address, part of a larger celebration of Dr. King’s work. The crowd’s enthusiasm ...
Mayor Angel Taveras outlined Providence’s past fiscal struggles and indicated the beginning of an economic recovery at the annual State of the City address Tuesday night at City Hall. Providence faced a $110 million structural deficit when Taveras assumed office in 2011. He embarked on a campaign ...
The vacant historical building known as the Dynamo House, located in the Jewelry District, has become the subject of renewed speculation as government and local university officials push to redevelop the neighborhood into a hub of science, technology and research. The University has “shown interest ...
A state representative introduced a joint resolution to the House Judiciary Committee Jan. 17 that would impose a three-term limit on state lawmakers in the General Assembly and lengthen the span of a term from two years to four years. If adopted by both houses, the resolution, introduced by Rep. John ...
Two city ordinances banning the sale of flavored tobacco products and eliminating discounts on tobacco products went into effect in Providence Jan. 3. Mayor Angel Taveras logged a strong victory over tobacco companies last month when U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary Lisi ruled in the city’s favor ...
Providence College announced it will pay $3.84 million to the city in additional funds over the next 10 years, joining several other local tax-exempt institutions that provide voluntary aid to help ameliorate Providence’s financial strife. The private school has agreed to contribute $1 million of ...
City police officers voted to approve their union’s deal with the city Dec. 13, accepting pension and healthcare cuts in order to help the city stave off bankruptcy. The deal saves the city $18.5 million in fiscal year 2013 and reduces the unfunded pension liability by $170 million, according to ...
Consultants will submit bids at a Board of Contract and Supply meeting in City Hall this afternoon for a project spearheaded by a committee of College Hill stakeholders to focus on the commercial and residential development of Thayer Street and the surrounding area. A committee headed by the City of ...
The Rhode Island House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill last night to legalize same-sex marriage — the first time a branch of the General Assembly has approved such a measure — but the bill’s fate remains to be determined. The bill passed 51-19 — with 14 Democrats joining five ...
This year’s flu outbreak has been responsible for more deaths and hospitalizations in Rhode Island than any influenza virus within the past 10 years. Rhode Island recorded 90 cases of the flu during last year’s season but has reported 458 cases as of Jan. 17, said Dara Chadwick, chief officer of ...
The Rhode Island House of Representatives will vote today on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, marking the first time such a bill has been put to a floor vote in either chamber. Legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in Rhode Island has been introduced unsuccessfully for more than a decade. ...
Rhode Island’s minimum wage increased from $7.40 to $7.75 Jan. 1, the first time the state has enacted an increase since 2007. Among the 10 states that instituted similar hikes this year, Rhode Island saw the largest increase. Rhode Island’s minimum wage increase was mandated by legislation passed ...
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