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RI HEALTH

R.I. could be the next state to establish a prescription drug affordability board

State legislators are working on making the health care system “less complicated and less costly.”

Latest Politics Headlines

RI BUSIneSS

Providence rejected transfer of Skyline lease over concerns about new tenant’s finances

The commissioners unanimously rejected the license transfer at their Feb. 12 meeting.
ri NewS

President Biden approves major disaster declaration for Rhode Island

The president ordered federal funds to help recovery efforts in areas affected by December and January storms, including in Kent, Providence, and Washington counties.
INFRASTRUCTURE

Washington Bridge Blues: A Rhode Island traffic jam playlist

Rhode Map readers provided an inspired collection of tunes for motorists who'll be stuck in traffic as R.I. tears down and rebuilds the westbound side of the I-195 bridge over the next two years.

WASHINGTON BRIDGE
Providence may ban heavy trucks from local roads as highway closure drags on
The weight restriction is just one of several infrastructure changes being considered in light of the long-term Washington Bridge closure.

PODCAST
R.I. sees high interest in its new soccer team, but high interest rates for the new soccer stadium
On the Rhode Island Report podcast, the Globe’s Brian Amaral reports on the crowd that turned out for Rhode Island FC’s first match, and the stadium financing that one professor called “pure insanity”.

TELEVISION
R.I. House to recognize actress Kali Reis with hero award
Reis, of East Providence, who stars in HBO's “True Detective: Night Country,” will be recognized for her advocacy on behalf of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.

COMMENTARY | MARTINA HAGGERTY
Providence must lean into modern transportation solutions during bridge rebuild, not undo them
City and state leaders must move away from outdated approaches and embrace proven strategies to tackle traffic congestion head-on, writes an urban planner who helped lead expansion of Providence’s network of bike lanes.

ELECTION 2022

2022 election in Rhode Island: results, news, and analysis

Rhode Island voters are deciding on Nov. 8 whether Democratic Governor Daniel K. McKee will get to serve his first full term in office, and whether the Democratic Party will retain its three-decade hold on a U.S. House seat. Follow along as the Globe Rhode Island team brings you coverage of the 2022 General Election.
See: All of the results from the 2022 R.I. general election

More Rhode Island Politics Headlines

RHODE MAP

R.I. Congressman Seth Magaziner wants to guarantee workers paid vacation days

Unlike the EU, the US doesn't require companies to provide any paid time off, leaving nearly 27 million workers without paid vacations.

RI POLITICS

R.I. Senate passes gun safe storage bill

Opponents say the bill infringes on Second Amendment rights, but the sponsor says “It only acknowledges that with those rights come the responsibilities to keep the weapon safely away from being used by children.”

BUSINESS

President of Barletta construction firm steps down, will remain chairman

Vincent Barletta, head of the company that was working on the Washington Bridge westbound when problems were discovered late last year, is stepping down as president, though he will retain the title of chairman.

INFRASTRUCTURE

R.I. timeline for reopening Washington Bridge is ‘aggressive,’ US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says

Secretary Buttigieg toured the shut-down bridge Tuesday, days after Rhode Island officials announced it would need to be replaced

RI ENVIRONMENT

R.I. need not choose between open space and housing, poll suggests

Governor McKee’s “green economy” bond did not include funds to preserve open space because of the need to build housing. But the Nature Conservancy’s AnderBois says, “We can and should do both.”

CRIME

Child advocate says response to serious problems at St. Mary’s Home for Children ‘is wholly inadequate’

Rhode Island's acting child advocate says that St. Mary's Home for Children is failing to address serious problems of mismanagement that led to neglect and abuse at the nonprofit serving vulnerable children.

RI BUSINESS

Small businesses are being decimated by the Washington Bridge debacle, and help really isn’t on the way

Business owners said they’ve had to work harder for less sales, and the traffic crisis is ultimately killing their bottom lines,

CRIME

Chinese billionaire pleads guilty to straw donor scheme in New York and Rhode Island

A Chinese billionaire has pleaded guilty to federal election crimes, admitting that he made thousands of dollars in contributions to New York and Rhode Island political candidates in the names of others.

RI Political Briefs

Rhode Island political news: January 2023