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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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 …

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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…

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.

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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.