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Rhode Island Current
New poll shows R.I. likely voters back inspector general. But Gov. McKee has some work to do.
Twice as many likely voters back a state inspector general than their own governor, according to a new survey published Tuesday by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University. Nearly three-quarters of the 1,450 likely voters surveyed from June 5 to 14 support a new Rhode Island Office of the Inspector General to root out […] The post New poll shows R.I. likely voters back inspector general. But Gov. McKee has some work to do. appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Racist slurs and death threats: The dangerous life of a Georgia elections official
Editor’s note: This story contains profanities and racist slurs. DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — When Milton Kidd leaves work at the end of the day, he slips out the back door of the domed Douglas County Courthouse, avoiding the public entrance where people might berate him or demand his home address. He never takes the same route home […] The post Racist slurs and death threats: The dangerous life of a Georgia elections official appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Over 120 statewide and federal candidates declare to run on first day to file for 2024 elections
Monday marked the official start to the 2024 election season as the state opened up its three-day period for local, state and federal candidates to declare their intention to run for office. And candidates were quick to declare, as over 120 statewide and federal office seekers filed their papers as of Monday evening. You can […] The post Over 120 statewide and federal candidates declare to run on first day to file for 2024 elections appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Deal or no deal? Roger Williams, Fatima owner may negotiate ‘non-negotiable’ hospital sale terms
“Non-negotiable” was how Attorney General Peter Neronha described the long list of conditions set by his office in its June 20 decision approving sale of two local “safety net” hospitals. But the private equity firm looking to offload Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center might not have gotten the memo. In […] The post Deal or no deal? Roger Williams, Fatima owner may negotiate ‘non-negotiable’ hospital sale terms appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
SurveyWorks results examine Rhode Island public schools from different viewpoints
More Rhode Island public school teachers are satisfied with having enough professional development activities at their schools, according to the results from the annual survey of school engagement by the state education department Approximately 41% of teachers responded favorably to questions about the frequency of professional development activities at their schools. That was a 7 […] The post SurveyWorks results examine Rhode Island public schools from different viewpoints appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Only two vendors submit bids to tear down the western Washington Bridge
Only two companies are vying to demolish the western Washington Bridge — and one of them is among the contractors that worked on the now shuttered span. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s (RIDOT) public bid portal Monday revealed bidders responding to the state’s request for proposals to tear down the bridge by March 2025 […] The post Only two vendors submit bids to tear down the western Washington Bridge appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
The Dobbs effect today: Abortion ballot initiatives, expected higher mortality, more litigation
In Arizona, the state’s highest court upheld a Civil War-era abortion ban. Florida and South Carolina moved to restrict abortion to six weeks — before many people know they are pregnant. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are “children,” temporarily throwing fertility treatments, such as IVF, into uncertainty and igniting a national debate. […] The post The Dobbs effect today: Abortion ballot initiatives, expected higher mortality, more litigation appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
For both sides, abortion policy two years after Dobbs decision hinges on November
WASHINGTON — Exactly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, the battles rage among both advocates and lawmakers over the future of reproductive rights at the state and federal levels. Anti-abortion groups that have achieved considerable success in deep-red parts of the country are working to sway voters […] The post For both sides, abortion policy two years after Dobbs decision hinges on November appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
A State House exhibit got us thinking: What do people think about ‘the people’s house’?
You could walk by a new exhibit installed in the Rhode Island State House and not notice it. But its subject matter — the State House itself — looms over Smith Hill in Providence and is hard to miss. Secretary of State Gregg Amore, the Rhode Island State Archives and the Snowtown Project collaborated on […] The post A State House exhibit got us thinking: What do people think about ‘the people’s house’? appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
How important is competitiveness? Consider history of Fall River and New Bedford mills
It’s rare for a work of academic history to brim with as much contemporary relevance as Manufacturing Catastrophe: Massachusetts and the Making of Global Capitalism, 1813 to the Present. Through 200 years of manufacturing in the South Coast communities of Fall River and New Bedford, Shaun Nichols outlines cycles of growth and decline in multiple […] The post How important is competitiveness? Consider history of Fall River and New Bedford mills appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Super Bowl Parade shooting survivors await promised donations while bills pile up
Abigail Arellano keeps her son Samuel’s medical bills in a blue folder in a cabinet above the microwave. Even now, four months after the 11-year-old was shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, the bills keep coming. There’s one for $1,040 for the ambulance ride to the hospital that February afternoon. Another for […] The post Super Bowl Parade shooting survivors await promised donations while bills pile up appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Don’t give up on the FAFSA, advocates for student financial aid urge
WASHINGTON — Though the new version of the form to apply for federal financial student aid has had its fair share of highly publicized hiccups, U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal says the department has made a lot of progress in the past couple of months. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — […] The post Don’t give up on the FAFSA, advocates for student financial aid urge appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Despite GOP headwinds, citizen-led abortion measures could be on the ballot in 9 states
For abortion rights supporters in Florida, it was a tumultuous day of highs and lows. On April 1, the Florida Supreme Court paved the way for the state to ban nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. But it also OK’d a ballot measure that would allow Florida voters to overturn the ban this […] The post Despite GOP headwinds, citizen-led abortion measures could be on the ballot in 9 states appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signs bill to poach Kansas City Chiefs, Royals from Missouri
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday signed legislation that offers hundreds of millions of dollars to the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs and Major League Baseball’s Royals to relocate from Missouri. The legislation, an expansion of one of the state’s tax incentive programs, could help finance up to 70% of the […] The post Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signs bill to poach Kansas City Chiefs, Royals from Missouri appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Mosquitoes in Tiverton, Coventry test positive for EEE
A sure sign of summer in southern New England: mosquitoes, and the diseases they carry. Rhode Island had its first positive test of mosquitoes with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Rhode Island Department of Health announced Thursday. The virus was detected in mosquitoes collected from Tiverton and Coventry […] The post Mosquitoes in Tiverton, Coventry test positive for EEE appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
U.S. Supreme Court upholds law that prevents domestic abusers from owning guns
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Friday upheld a federal law that bars people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from owning a firearm. In an 8-1 decision on United States v. Rahimi, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion that “our Nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm […] The post U.S. Supreme Court upholds law that prevents domestic abusers from owning guns appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
A sampling of winners and losers of the 2024 legislative session
Lawmakers introduced more than 2,500 bills, resolutions, acts, condolences and congratulations during the nearly six-month legislative session that ended last week. But, as always, only the fittest survived. Only 350 pieces of legislation would be considered “essential” bills, according to information shared by the General Assembly. (Resolutions, charter revocations and committee creations are excluded.) About […] The post A sampling of winners and losers of the 2024 legislative session appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Congress silenced free speech in TikTok law, platform tells federal court
TikTok and its parent company argued Thursday in a federal court in the District of Columbia that the recently enacted law forcing a nationwide ban or sale of the popular platform violates the First Amendment. TikTok Inc., which operates the video-sharing service in the United States, and its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., which was founded […] The post Congress silenced free speech in TikTok law, platform tells federal court appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
‘Extremely low pay’ cited at U.S. Senate hearing as prime reason for teacher shortage
WASHINGTON — The only reason John Arthur is able to be a public school teacher is because his wife makes much more money than he does. Arthur — the 2021 Utah Teacher of the Year — testified on Thursday at a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the […] The post ‘Extremely low pay’ cited at U.S. Senate hearing as prime reason for teacher shortage appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
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