In advance of the extreme cold expected this weekend, Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee and health officials are urging all residents to prepare and take advantage of ways to stay warm, healthy and safe.
CHARLESTOWN — Like other municipalities in Rhode Island, Charlestown is looking at how its existing laws treating the retail sale of marijuana, and whether changes need to be made.
CHARLESTOWN — The Town Council is working on a plan to quickly select an acting administrator for Charlestown, just a week after accepting the resignation of longtime administrator Mark Stankiewicz.
One current and one former Rhode Island police officer are facing charges related to the alleged embezzlement and misuse of police union funds. The state attorney general’s office says former North Providence Lt. Dennis Stone was indicted by a grand jury on embezzlement and a false tax return charges. Authorities say North Providence Detective Christopher Petteruti faces embezzlement charges. Stone’s attorney had no comment. Petteruti's attorney said his client has an impeccable record. Both men pleaded not guilty.
Massachusetts sports fans who want to wager on their favorite teams are finally getting their chance as the state kicks off sports betting at casinos Tuesday. Online betting is likely to follow in a few months. The kickoff comes just weeks ahead of the Super Bowl being held in Arizona. Lawmakers have estimated sports betting could generate about $60 million in annual tax revenue and $70 million to $80 million in initial licensing fees that must be renewed every five years. At first, sports betting will be allowed only at kiosks set up at the state’s three casinos.
PROVIDENCE — Motorists are paying a little more at the pump this week as prices in the state rose 6 cents while oil prices remained stagnant at $80 per barrel.
Rhode Island’s Democratic governor and top officials have urged the state legislature to pass a bill banning assault weapons. Gov. Dan McKee, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Secretary of State Gregg Amore, Attorney General Peter Neronha and General Treasurer James Diossa say they want to ban the sale of assault-style weapons in Rhode Island to help keep communities safe. They met at the State House on Tuesday with Democratic state Rep. Jason Knight, state Sen. Joshua Miller and gun control advocates. Knight and Miller plan to introduce legislation this week. There have been similar proposals to ban assault weapons that have stalled over the past decade in Rhode Island.
The owners of four Rhode Island lead-contaminated properties have agreed to fix the problems and pay fines that combined total more than $700,00 in value. The state attorney general’s office announced Tuesday that in all four cases — three in Providence and one in Burrillville — it took action to enforce state lead poisoning prevention laws based on findings of significant lead hazards and lead poisoning of a child. The office says the landlords refused to follow the law despite multiple notifications from the Department of Health and opportunities for low-cost abatement and remediation.
KINGSTON — A University of Rhode Island professor of mechanical, industrial and systems engineering spoke recently about the U.S. Department of Energy announcement in December that fusion ignition had been achieved at its Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
CHARLESTOWN — A resolution before the Charlestown Town Council would support efforts to name the Sand Trail in town a state public right of way, and also back Westerly’s efforts to get a similar designation for Spring Avenue.
KINGSTON — The U.S. Navy has announced that a future Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship will be named in honor of University of Rhode Island alumnus and Professor of Oceanography Robert Ballard.
WESTERLY
The man charged with killing a 66-year-old Vietnam veteran and retired postal worker who was out for his morning run in a Rhode Island park nearly a decade ago has been found guilty by a judge who rejected the suspect’s mental illness defense. Michael Soares was convicted Friday of first-degree murder in the May 2013 stabbing and beating death of John “Jack” Fay, whose body was found in a trash barrel in Warwick City Park. DNA linked Soares to the crime scene in 2019. Soares originally pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea at the beginning of his jury-waived trial on Jan. 4 to not guilty by reason of insanity.
WESTERLY — Advocates hoping to preserve or expand public access to Rhode Island’s coastal waters heard Wednesday from legislators who have introduced a bill they say will better define where people have a right to use the state’s shores.
The deadline to apply for the 2024 Rhode Island State Police Training Academy Class is Saturday, Jan. 28.
A Rhode Island police officer who was off duty and out of uniform when he shot the 18-year-old driver of a car he had witnessed speeding past him on the highway has been acquitted by a jury. Pawtucket Officer Daniel Dolan was cleared Thursday of three counts of felony assault and one count of discharge of a firearm when committing a crime of violence in connection with the encounter in West Greenwich in June 23, 2021. Dolan said he thought the car was fleeing the scene of a crime and feared for his life. The driver said he did not think Dolan was a real police officer.
Toymaker Hasbro is cutting about 1,000 jobs as part of moves announced last year to save up to $300 million annually by 2025. The nearly century-old Rhode Island-based company behind Monopoly, Play-Doh and My Little Pony toys says the layoffs amount to 15% of its global full-time workforce. Hasbro also said its president and chief operating officer is leaving the company. CEO Chris Cocks said Hasbro’s consumer-products division performed poorly in the final three months of 2022 against the backdrop of a challenging holiday consumer environment.
RICHMOND — The Rhode Island Supreme Court will decide who will serve as the next member of the Chariho School Committee after dueling lawsuits were filed this week by Democrat Jessica Purcell and Republican Clay Johnson.
A Texas woman who played a role in internet romance scams that cheated victims out of a total of about $2.6 million has been sentenced to over six years in prison on federal fraud and conspiracy charges. Federal prosecutors in Rhode Island say 31-year-old Dominique Golden, of Houston, personally collected nearly $1.3 million in cash, checks, money orders, and wire transfers from people across the U.S. in 2018 that was deposited into bank accounts opened under the names of fake people and businesses that she controlled. She pleaded guilty in September to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
RICHMOND — In a lawsuit filed with the Rhode Island Supreme Court on Monday, Democrat Jessica Purcell argues that the Richmond Town Council overstepped its authority and impeded her rights when it ignored the town charter when it chose to appoint Republican Clay Johnson to fill a Chariho Sch…
CHARLESTOWN — In a move that stunned residents and Town Hall employees, the Town Council on Monday night accepted the resignation of longtime Town Administrator Mark S. Stankiewicz.
The venue of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District's Public Scoping Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m., has been changed to the Chariho Middle School Auditorium, 453 Switch Road in Wood River Junction.
PROVIDENCE — Anticipation of a spike in demand has led to a 10-cent increase in the price of gasoline over the past week.
RICHMOND — A former candidate for Chariho School Committee is seeking a legal opinion after concerns that the Richmond Town Council filled a vacancy on the committee Thursday in violation of the town’s charter.
LAWRENCE + MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
WESTERLY
A young Rhode Island girl has finally figured out how to determine if Santa Claus is real — DNA. Cumberland police Chief Matthew Benson said Friday that the local girl sent a partially eaten cookie as well as a couple of gnawed-on carrot sticks to the police department to ask if they can be tested for DNA. Her name and age were not disclosed. Benson forwarded the evidence to the state’s Department of Health-Forensic Sciences unit for analysis. The charge? Failure to finish snacks. Results are pending. Benson praised the girl for her “keen sense for truth and the investigative process.”
RICHMOND — Chariho Superintendent of Schools Gina Picard told elected officials Wednesday that to maintain the current level and availability of services in the coming fiscal year, it would require a more than 6% increase in funding — a request she knows cannot remain as high as it currently…
Rhode Island’s governor submitted a $13.75 billion state budget plan to the General Assembly on Thursday that seeks to invest in schools, provide tax relief to residents and repair roads and bridges. Democratic Gov. Dan McKee says he wants to demonstrate a commitment to education at all levels, so Rhode Island students will do as well as Massachusetts students on standardized tests by 2030. McKee’s proposal for fiscal year 2024 is an increase of $930 million over last year’s proposal, and an increase of about $150 million, or 1.1%, from the enacted budget for the 2023 fiscal year. In the budget plan, McKee keeps the campaign promise he made to expand the 2019 state law that enshrined abortion protections.
CHARLESTOWN — Deep in Charlestown’s code of ordinances is a provision that makes it illegal to throw a snowball at a tree.
A prosecutor says the husband of a Massachusetts woman who's been missing since New Year’s Day went online to look up ways to dismember and dispose of a body, and clothes and other items belonging to the woman were found at a trash processing facility. The details were given Wednesday at his arraignment on murder and other charges. Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of 47-year-old Brian Walshe. He was held without bail in Quincy District Court at Wednesday's arraignment. He did not speak except to tell the judge he understood the charges. His attorney did not contest bail but in the past has said her client has cooperated with investigators.
Rhode Island’s governor said in his State of the State address Tuesday that he will propose broad tax relief in his forthcoming budget plan. Democratic Gov. Dan McKee laid out his administration’s legislative plans and budget priorities in the address to the General Assembly. McKee said in his prepared remarks the budget he will submit to the General Assembly this week will propose a broad tax relief plan to help Rhode Island residents navigate inflationary pressures and make the state a more competitive place to do business. McKee wants to reduce the state sales tax from 7% to 6.85%, which equates to about $35 million annually in taxes.
RICHMOND — Members of the Richmond Town Council on Tuesday evening will discuss and potentially appoint a new member to the Chariho School Committee after the committee’s vice president stepped down last week after accepting a job offer in Florida.
PROVIDENCE — The average price for a gallon of gas is no longer in decline, with prices rising 1 cent in Rhode Island over the past week.
Ohio's restrictive new election law significantly shortens the window for mailed ballots to be received — despite no evidence that the extended timeline has led to fraud or any other problems — and that change is angering active-duty members of the military and their families because of its …
WESTERLY
CHARLESTOWN — Changes to a state law governing accessory dwelling units have rendered Charlestown’s own ordinance regulating such housing unenforceable, local officials say.
PROVIDENCE — Sen. Victoria Gu (D-Dist. 38, Charlestown, Westerly, South Kingstown) will serve on the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government, the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture, and the Senate Committee on Commerce.
The Department of Environmental Management is extending the renewal period of commercial fishing licenses, previously set to expire Jan. 13, until Jan. 31. DEM is experiencing a license renewal backlog as it continues to transition from combining several outdated licensing systems into one m…
CHARLESTOWN — The Cross' Mills Public Library is looking to tap into some more of Charlestown’s American Rescue Plan funds to work on building an outdoor pavilion and classroom.
PROVIDENCE — An increase in U.S. gas prices caused by a combination of frigid weather and robust holiday travel may be coming to an end after prices fell nationally for the first time since Christmas Eve.
Federal ocean regulators say a new fishing plan has a chance to rebuild the New England cod stock, which is a goal even many commercial fishermen have long regarded as far fetched. Atlantic cod were once a cornerstone of the New England economy, but the catch has plummeted after years of overfishing, environmental changes and restrictive quotas. The majority of cod sold in the U.S. come from overseas because American fishermen mostly avoid them altogether. But the regulatory New England Fishery Management Council has approved a new strategy that it says has a 70% chance of rebuilding the stock by 2033.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting applications for funding from the Rhode Island Forest Health Works Project for fiscal year 2023. The project is a Regional Conservation Partnership Program agreement between the conservation service, the…
STONINGTON — The Eugene Atwood Fund is accepting applications for its Trade/Tech School and Certification/Licensing Interest-Free Loan Program on a rolling basis. Students must be New London County residents and attending a trade/tech school or acquiring certification/licensing for their car…
LAWRENCE + MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
WESTERLY
The Department of Environmental Management is now offering 2023 state beach season passes and gift certificates for the 2023 beach season online for resident, non-resident, or senior parking passes.
WESTERLY — The Westerly Hospital has been awarded re-accreditation by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists based on results of a recent on-site inspection of the hospital’s medical laboratory.
CHARLESTOWN — The town charter would receive a mandatory annual review in Charlestown under a proposed ordinance change set to go before the public.
RICHMOND — With large increases in operating expenses as a result of inflation and energy costs and a zero-increase budget in the current school year, a reasonable increase in spending will be needed in the coming fiscal year in order for the Chariho School District to maintain its current l…
RICHMOND — The Chariho Career and Technical Center will host an open house for prospective students on Jan. 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The program is a way to allow prospective students and families to learn more about CTC’s pathways and other programs.
PROVIDENCE — A spike in national demand as a result of holiday travel and decline in production as a result of winter storms has led to a spike in national costs in the past week, but local prices have remained relatively stable.
RICHMOND — State police said a 43-year-old Massachusetts man was killed on New Year’s Eve after crashing into the center median and rolling over along Interstate 95 near Kingstown Road.
