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Rhode Island Current
Sale of Roger Williams, Fatima hospitals can proceed if conditions are met
An Atlanta-based nonprofit can take over Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence and Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence if it agrees to a long list of conditions, state regulators announced Thursday afternoon. The application of Centurion Foundation to buy the two safety-net hospitals from Prospect Medical Holdings received approval from the Rhode […] The post Sale of Roger Williams, Fatima hospitals can proceed if conditions are met appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Democrats stress reproductive rights in fight for control of Congress, White House
WASHINGTON — Top Democratic campaign officials Thursday pressed their case for control of Congress and the White House by pointing toward the upcoming two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to an abortion. More than a dozen Democrats also introduced legislation in Congress to prevent a future Republican administration from using […] The post Democrats stress reproductive rights in fight for control of Congress, White House appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Lifespan and Brown University renew their vows with rebranding and investment
Brown University plans to invest $150 million over the next seven years in Rhode Island’s largest health system under a name change announced Thursday. Brown and Lifespan have been affiliated since 1969, and the latter’s Rhode Island Hospital serves as the teaching hospital for Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School. The newly expanded agreements would rechristen […] The post Lifespan and Brown University renew their vows with rebranding and investment appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Connecticut diesel tax to jump 3 cents after yearlong freeze
Connecticut’s trucking industry will face a small tax hike next month when the state tax on diesel fuel rises slightly more than 3 cents per gallon. Truckers dodged a much larger increase over the past year when legislators and Gov. Ned Lamont froze the tax, blocking a projected hike of nearly 12 cents per gallon. […] The post Connecticut diesel tax to jump 3 cents after yearlong freeze appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Commission calls for expanding quahog transplant program, rejects call for more nitrogen discharges
A new report calls for expanding a seven decade-old program for transplanting quahogs in Narragansett Bay to ensure Rhode Island’s official state shell doesn’t disappear. But the report by the joint legislative study commission studying the quahog’s decline does not recommend increasing nitrogen discharges from wastewater treatment facilities during the winter. The report published May […] The post Commission calls for expanding quahog transplant program, rejects call for more nitrogen discharges appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
How hot weather can tamper with your words
Heat waves don’t just make you sweat — they can also mess with your brain. It’s been established that hot weather can result in lower scores on math tests and higher rates of aggression, ranging from mean-spirited behavior to violent crime. A small but growing body of research suggests it can also influence how people […] The post How hot weather can tamper with your words appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state
The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state since 2022, better aligning the numbers of unfilled jobs and people seeking work. Nationally, for the first time since before the pandemic, the number of job openings and unemployed people is roughly in balance: a little more than one opening per person looking for […] The post The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Swing-state legislatures diverge on election-year gun measures
States continued to diverge on gun policy this year, with especially intense debate in the swing states that will decide November’s election. In Michigan, legislators are considering at least half a dozen gun bills that would create storage requirements and establish gun-free zones. In Pennsylvania, lawmakers are still debating measures that would ban sales of […] The post Swing-state legislatures diverge on election-year gun measures appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
6 books that explain the history and meaning of Juneteenth
After decades of being celebrated at mostly the local level, Juneteenth – the long-standing holiday that commemorates the arrival of news of emancipation and freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 – became a federal holiday in 2021. In honor of Juneteenth, The Conversation reached out to Wake Forest University Divinity School […] The post 6 books that explain the history and meaning of Juneteenth appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
It’s going to be a hot week in Rhode Island. Here’s how to keep cool.
Rhode Islanders will contend with some high temperatures as summer begins this week: The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory late Tuesday afternoon for the Ocean State. The advisory remains in effect from noon on Wednesday, June 19, through 7 p.m. on Friday, June 21. Heat index values — which measure air temperature and […] The post It’s going to be a hot week in Rhode Island. Here’s how to keep cool. appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
After U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow bump stocks, U.S. Senate rejects bill to ban them
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts blocked a bipartisan bill Tuesday that would ban bump stocks following a Supreme Court decision that repealed a Trump-era rule against using the gun accessory. Ricketts, a Nebraska Republican, objected to New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich’s request that the chamber approve his bill — cosponsored by Nevada Democratic […] The post After U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow bump stocks, U.S. Senate rejects bill to ban them appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Bus driver applicants line up at job fair as RIPTA offers paid CDL training
PROVIDENCE — It only took five minutes for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) to run out of the dozens of pens handed out to driver applicants at a job fair Tuesday morning. After a quick resupply two minutes later, another dozen pens quickly vanished as the line of applicants continued to grow out […] The post Bus driver applicants line up at job fair as RIPTA offers paid CDL training appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Scientists argue over the origins of COVID-19 before U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — Scientists debated the origins of COVID-19 on Tuesday, trading barbs over whether the bulk of evidence available points to a natural spillover event from a wild animal or a virus designed in a lab and then let loose through an inadvertent leak. The hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and […] The post Scientists argue over the origins of COVID-19 before U.S. Senate panel appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
U.S. House ethics panel adds allegations to Matt Gaetz investigation
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Ethics Committee released a statement Tuesday saying it has “identified additional allegations that merit review” based on its investigation of prior allegations that Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz had inappropriate sexual relationships and violated rules by accepting gifts. The committee is investigating allegations that Gaetz may have “engaged in […] The post U.S. House ethics panel adds allegations to Matt Gaetz investigation appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Rename Logan Airport for Celtics legend Bill Russell? Mass. officials don’t rule it out.
The ball is now in the politicians’ court. Longtime journalist Mark Leibovich last week pitched renaming Logan International Airport after the late Boston Celtics basketball player and coach Bill Russell. Russell, who wore the No. 6, died in July 2022 at the age of 88. The obituaries laid out his career in basketball: 11 championship […] The post Rename Logan Airport for Celtics legend Bill Russell? Mass. officials don’t rule it out. appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Even after FAFSA chaos, URI forecasts healthy enrollment in both summer and fall semesters
Summer vacation season may be approaching, but Rhode Island’s largest public university won’t be empty in the coming months. Summer enrollment is up 8% at the University of Rhode Island (URI) this year, university officials shared during a Monday meeting of the school’s Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs and Research Committee. That means about 4,500 […] The post Even after FAFSA chaos, URI forecasts healthy enrollment in both summer and fall semesters appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Seeking a right to medical aid in dying in Massachusetts
Margaret Miley is frustrated, in pain, and dying. But Massachusetts law says she cannot die on her own terms. The state has thus far resisted the movement, now law in nearly a dozen other states, to allow patients near their end of their life to obtain medication that would hasten their death. “Who benefits from […] The post Seeking a right to medical aid in dying in Massachusetts appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Biden to unveil protections for some undocumented spouses, easier DACA work visas
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration Tuesday will announce deportation protections for long-term undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens, along with quicker approval of work permits for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. President Joe Biden will formally make the announcement during an afternoon White House event to celebrate the 12th anniversary of […] The post Biden to unveil protections for some undocumented spouses, easier DACA work visas appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
Two-sub build rate uncertain as Congress hashes out defense bills
The push to continue the pace of building two Virginia-class submarines per year is in limbo as Congress works through defense authorization and funding bills that are currently at odds on procurement. Connecticut lawmakers fear a reduction will have an outsized effect on suppliers around the state and the U.S. who work with Electric Boat […] The post Two-sub build rate uncertain as Congress hashes out defense bills appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
New Hampshire Gov. Sununu signs bill raising marriage age to 18
Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Friday that will bar those under 18 from getting marriage licenses in New Hampshire, adding the Granite State to a list of 11 other states that have fully banned marriage for minors. Senate Bill 359 states that: “No person below the age of 18 years shall be capable of […] The post New Hampshire Gov. Sununu signs bill raising marriage age to 18 appeared first on Rhode Island Current.
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