Government
Public services and government action
Governor McKee boasts about tax breaks for businesses at Chamber breakfast
At the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce Breakfast held at the Kirkbrae County Club in Lincoln Monday morning, Governor McKee talked up tax breaks for businesses that he championed in the latest state budget.
Eviction Lab's new report on Rhode Island evictions shows alarming trends
The Eviction Lab at Princeton University is now tracking evictions in Rhode Island and Providence. There have been 16,294 evictions filed in Rhode Island since March 15, 2020.
DARE blasts lack of access and accountability in Providence police chief selection
"Mayor Smiley, you promised community. We are concerned Providence community members because we will not be given an opportunity to speak directly with police chief candidate during the forum. We're speaking now. Under the last Providence Police Chief we witnessed countless assaults by Providence Police on our families and neighbors..."
Providence Mayor holds police chief candidate Q&A Forum
Mayor Smiley said that the public should get an announcement as to who the next police chief will be "in the coming days."
Governor and new Housing Secretary hold press event on housing and homelessness in RI
Governor Daniel McKee holds first public event with incoming Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor.
The heat in Rhode Island's largest unhoused warming center failed last night
“This is supposed to be a warming shelter, not a goddamned frozen shelter," said a man to Uprise RI who identifies as unhoused.
Pawtucket opens temporary warming shelter at 1139 Main Street
The shelter opens Friday, February 3rd at 7am and will run around the clock, through Monday, February 6th. The Pawtucket Soup Kitchen will also be preparing 3 fresh meals per day.
Pawtucket's only warming center closes days before severe winter freeze
The Black Lives Matter RI Warming Center on 92 East Avenue in Pawtucket has been closed. About 30-40 people get meals at the warming center every day, and 16 people spend the night, avoiding the freezing winter temperatures.
New report details dark side of RI's criminalization of sex work
In a new report, COYOTE RI organized and analyzed misdemeanor prostitution related cases in Rhode Island going back to 2000, and state felony sex trafficking and pandering cases from 2016 to late 2022.
Improved ProvPort deal on its way to full City Council for approval
The Providence City Council Finance Committee approved the passage of an ordinance establishing a new 30 year tax exemption agreement (TEA) for ProvPort, Inc, a non-profit operator in the Port of Providence on the city’s south side. It's not perfect, say community members and environmental activists, but it is a start.