Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
What We Have Learned from Rhode Island’s Harm Reduction Vending Machines
JPHMP Direct
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June 25, 2025
Our new study, published in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, evaluates the two-year implementation of Rhode Island’s harm reduction vending machines (HRVMs) and their role alongside in-person harm reduction services. These...
Food Action Plan Addresses Rhode Island’s 100K-Ton Problem
ecoRI News - Rhode Island
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June 25, 2025
Costing Rhode Island taxpayers some $6.5 million annually, wasted food in landfills is also one of the leading producers of climate-changing methane emissions in the state. The Wasted Food Solutions Action Network (WFSAN), a statewide group under...
Rhode Island Senate to consider payday lending reform bill
WJAR - Rhode Island
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(WJAR) — Payday lending reform is up for consideration in the Rhode Island Senate Friday. A proposal would limit the amount of interest storefront payday lenders would be allowed to charge on loans. Currently, supporters of the bill say Rhode...
It’s decision time for Speaker Shekarchi in the Rhode Island governor’s race
The Boston Globe - Massachusetts
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As the clock ticked down on Rhode Island’s legislative session last week, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi found himself in a can’t-lose situation on a thorny issue that he’s never been especially passionate about – guns. He could pass the Senate’s...
What is the Taylor Swift tax proposed in Rhode Island? Bill proposal explained
Sportskeeda
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June 25, 2025
The Taylor Swift tax has been included in the list of the latest budget proposals by officials of Rhode Island. A report by the Daily Mail on June 21, 2025, stated that the second houses owned by the residents of the place will be targeted due to...
BankFive receives two residential lending awards
Providence Business News - Rhode Island
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July 1, 2025
FALL RIVER – Fall River Five Cents Savings Bank, which is also known as BankFive, has received two residential lending awards, the bank announced last week. Wilfredo Salvador, vice president and community lending officer, was recognized as one of...
Developer Craig Smith mixed hard-nosed business with generous heart, global curiosity
Baltimore Banner - Maryland
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July 6, 2025
Craig McCormick Smith was sick, and his oldest daughter was getting ready for a scuba-diving trip in Papua New Guinea. She jokingly told him nothing could get her to cancel the vacation, but his response was serious: “Go.” Though Smith spent...
The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Presents Summer Pops
Cranston Herald - Rhode Island
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The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra announces their 2025 Summer Pops schedule for “Don’t Touch That Dial: TV Classics” with Troy Quinn, conductor. All concerts are free and open to the public, no tickets required. The Summer Pops series will...
Rhode Island OKs $17 Minimum Wage, But Experts Warn of Lost Entry-Level Jobs
Newport Buzz - Rhode Island
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June 19, 2025
In a vote Wednesday, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation to raise the state’s minimum wage from $15 to $17 by Jan. 1, 2027. Under the bill, wage earners would see a $1 bump to $16 next year and then another to $17 the following...
Rhode Island Senate Finance Committee approves $14.3 billion budget
WLNE - Rhode Island
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June 19, 2025
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Senate Finance Committee has approved the state’s budget for fiscal year 2026. But there are some draw backs for some state agencies. The $14.3 billion spending plan includes money to protect Medicaid and...
US Rhode Island Current Three years, $98M dollars later state-of-the-art RI public health lab nears completion
Yahoo News
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Dr. Richard Huard, who leads the Rhode Island Department of Health's Center for Biological Science Laboratories, discusses the state's new laboratories in a June 24, 2025, walkthrough for press. At right is health department Director Dr. Jerry...
Rhode Island House approves $13.9 billion budget with new real estate taxes
Straight Arrow News
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June 18, 2025
Rhode Island could add a “Taylor Swift Tax” to charge semi-vacant mansion owners thousands more. State lawmakers are working on a budget that includes two significant changes to real estate taxes. The state House of Representatives approved the...
Dave Portnoy slams Rhode Island’s ‘Taylor Swift tax’: “Don’t give Massachusetts any ideas!”
Newport Buzz - Rhode Island
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June 24, 2025
Barstool Sports founder and noted second-home enthusiast Dave Portnoy is not shaking it off when it comes to Rhode Island’s latest real estate bungle — the so-called “Taylor Swift tax.” Appearing on Fox Business’ Varney & Co., Portnoy called the...
More than 60% of beaches test positive for fecal contamination
KFDX - Texas
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July 16, 2025
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – If you’re headed to a beach or lake this summer you could face health risks from contaminated waterways. Environment America is sounding the alarm about their new report that found dangerous levels of contamination in over...
CDER Employees Leave FDA in Droves Amid HHS Overhaul
BioSpace
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July 17, 2025
Hundreds of employees have resigned from the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research since the start of the year, exacerbating the staffing losses at the agency amid the ongoing overhaul of the health department. According to recent hiring...
Fitch: Private nonprofits see lowest operating margins in a decade
Higher Ed Dive
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July 17, 2025
Dive Brief: Operating margins at private nonprofit colleges have plummeted to their lowest levels in over a decade due to growing financial challenges, especially for tuition-dependent institutions, according to a new Fitch Ratings analysis. The...
‘They were sons, brothers, uncles, friends’: Stoughton family launches fundraiser after 2 brothers die while fishing
Boston.com - Massachusetts
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July 17, 2025
Local News By Sana Muneer July 16, 2025 1 minute to read Share Close Send this article to your social connections. Share Send this article to your social connections. In the wake of the deaths of two brothers from Stoughton who both died while...
Rhode Island is poised to end high-interest payday loans
The Boston Globe - Massachusetts
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After more than a decade of trying, advocates are on the brink of repealing the law that lets “payday lenders” charge high annual interest rates for short-term loans in Rhode Island. On Monday, the House voted 70 to 0 for the legislation, with...
Rhode Island can do more. Lawmakers must strengthen support for needy families.
The Boston Globe - Massachusetts
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Rhode Island Works, the state’s cash assistance and workforce development program, is designed to help very low-income families meet their basic needs — like food, housing, child care, and health care. The revised House budget for Rhode Island’s...
'Taylor Swift Tax' Targets Rhode Island Real Estate Owners With More Closing Taxes And Penalties If They Leave Seasonal Homes Vacant
Benzinga
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Rhode Island lawmakers want to balance next year's budget with a pair of real-estate levies that critics have nicknamed the "Taylor Swift tax," citing the pop star's $17 million Watch Hill mansion as an example of who would pay. What Happened:...