Rhode Island Current

The governing body of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility has asked a Rhode Island bankruptcy judge to approve a plan that would waive more than $100 million in debt and allow the facility to make guaranteed annual impact payments of $250,000 to the city of Central Falls. (Photo by Philip Eil/Rhode Island Current)Rhode Island’s only privately-operated detention facility filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in Providence federal bankruptcy court Friday, in hopes of resolving long-running dis

Left to right are independent candidates Ken Block who is running for governor; Brittany Kubicek, running for House District 5; Rep. Jon Brien, running for reelection to House District 49; Allan Fung, running for House District 15; and Brian Coogan, running for Senate District 14. (Courtesy photos)When Rep. Jon Brien of Woonsocket refers to Rhode Island’s independent caucus, he’s talking about himself — the lone nonpartisan in the 113-person state legislature. But Brien’s party of one could expa

Graduate-level programs such as nursing are, for now, considered “professional” degrees by the U.S. Department of Education after a court order in late June halted the agency’s new “professional” definition while a legal challenge unfolds. (Photo by Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Students pursuing several advanced degree programs can now access higher loan caps, but the temporary relief has ushered in a wave of uncertainty amid an ongoing legal battle.   Graduate-level programs such as nursing, occu

What a body camera records may not be what a police officer fully remembers during a moment of intense stress. (Photo by Bayne Froney/Cronkite News)I spent 20 years in East Providence and retired as a captain. I’ve written after-action reports on calls I could describe in detail years later, and reports on calls where the first thing I wanted to know when it was over was whether I had actually done what I was sure I had done. Anyone who has been in one of those calls knows the difference.

More than 9,000 Rhode Islanders have had medical debt forgiven under a state program that began in October 2024. (Getty image)More than 9,000 Rhode Islanders have had $16.3 million in medical debt forgiven in the 19 months since the state debt relief program began, Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa’s office announced last week. The update on July 8 comes nearly two years after state lawmakers created the Rhode Island Medical Debt Relief Program, with a $1 million appropriation in the s

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks as South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster looks on during a press conference in the governor’s office at the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, on Aug. 9, 2022. (File photo by Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) WASHINGTON  — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” the South Carolina Republican’s office announced early Sunday. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks f

A laptop shows Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk's company xAI. The Trump administration is continuing its pushback against state AI laws that it views as ideologically biased. (Photo by Robbie Sequeira/Stateline) The Trump administration is continuing its pushback against state artificial intelligence laws that it views as ideologically biased, proposing a new Federal Trade Commission policy. The proposed policy statement, which is open for public comment through J

Student backpacks seen on the first day of school last year at Harborview Elementary School in Juneau, Alaska. Fifteen Democratic-led states are suing the Trump administration over cuts to a $1 billion school mental health grant program. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)Fifteen states on Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent millions of dollars in cuts to school-based mental health funding. The new lawsuit is part of an ongoing legal battle between Democratic-led states and the U.

Secretary of State Gregg Amore addresses graduates of the state Election Training and Certification Program in a ceremony at the Rhode Island Board of Elections offices on June 18, 2026. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore says he is being threatened with criminal charges by the Trump administration if state and local election officials fail to prevent noncitizens from voting in the upcoming midterm elections. Amore’s office on Friday releas

Left to right are Gov. Dan McKee; his Democratic rival Helena Buonanno Foulkes; independent Ken Block; Republican Aaron Guckian and Republican Elaine Pelino. (McKee, Foulkes and Guckian photos by Michael Salerno; contributed photo by Block; Pelino photo by Nancy Lavin)A field of 19 gubernatorial candidates has been whittled down to, potentially, just five — including Gov. Dan McKee — based on signatures totals on candidates’ nomination papers, which were due to local boards of canvassers by 4 p

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley launched a 30-second campaign ad Thursday claiming state Rep. David Morales would reverse the city's progress on crime if elected mayor. (Screenshot/Brett Smiley for Mayor)Providence Mayor Brett Smiley attacked his Democratic challenger over past calls to defund the city’s police department in his first ad of the 2026 primary season this week. The 30-second spot launched Thursday claims State Rep. David Morales would effectively “turn back the clock” on the city’s p

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on July 3, 2026 in Keystone, South Dakota. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)President Donald Trump said Friday morning he would not sign federal legislation aimed at lowering the cost of housing, but the bipartisan package became law at 12:01 a.m. Saturday anyway. In a post to his social media site, Trump again said that as a protest against Congress not passing an elections bill known as the SAVE Americ

July 31 is the deadline to apply for the latest round of Wavemaker fellowships available through Rhode Island Commerce’s student loan reimbursement program for STEM professionals. (Rhode island commerce logo)Applications are open for Rhode Island Commerce’s student loan reimbursement program for professionals working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), certain design fields, healthcare and education.  The Wavemaker Fellowship awards eligible college graduates refundable

The Rhode Island House of Representatives debates the fiscal year 2027 state budget at the Rhode Island State House in Providence on Friday. June 5, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)When Rhode Island’s candidate filing deadline passed last month, nearly two-thirds of incumbent state legislators had drawn no opponents. Of 75 House seats, only 32 face a contest; in the Senate, it’s just 13 of 38. This isn’t a fluke, and it isn’t just a Rhode Island story.  Ballotpedia&#8

The National Museum of American History sits on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy National Museum of American History) WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s latest attack on the Smithsonian Institution represents an attempt to replace a shared American history with his own ideology, academics said as the Smithsonian defended its longstanding position as a nonpartisan actor. A July 4 White House report accused the Smithsonian Institution and its National Museum of American His

Flowers are shown in the women's restroom at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current) For the second consecutive year, Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport has landed Travel + Leisure magazine’s top honor as the nation’s best airport — scoring higher than its first stop at No. 1 spot. T.F. Green earned a score of 85.16 in the annual rankings, based on reader surveys evaluating airport access, check-in an

A section of the the ramp connecting Route 10 to Interstate 95 North was closed for over a week after a concrete barrier collapsed on to the train tracks below on the evening of April 24, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)Despite Gov. Dan McKee’s repeated emphasis on “J-O-B-S,” Rhode Island’s business climate is one of the worst in the country, according to CNBC’s 2026 Top States for Business list published Thursday. The annual ranking puts the Ocean State 48th in terms of bu

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the Trump administration's attempts to restrict homeless service grants 'will cause tens of thousands of people to lose their homes.' (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)The latest federal lawsuit in the battle over homelessness service funding involves nearly the same coalition of Democratic-led states, the same Rhode Island federal judge, and advocates’ hopes of the same outcome: stopping the Trump administration from changing its gr

Firearms for sale are displayed at the Centennial Gun Club in Centennial, Colo., in June 2026. Nearly 45,000 people died from firearm-related injuries in 2024, down about 5% from the previous year, according to a new analysis of CDC mortality data. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) Firearm homicides in the United States fell sharply in 2024, but gun suicides reached a record high, according to a new analysis of federal mortality data by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Viol

Republicans in Congress are quarreling on social media and rebelling on the House floor as they try to pass legislation prior to the November midterm elections and keep their majority. In this photo,  Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., left,  and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., appear at a news conference on the Upper West Terrace of U.S. Capitol Building on Oct. 1, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Republicans are campaigning to keep control of