by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentMarch 16, 2026 Rhode Island’s electric grid now includes some power from its first utility-scale offshore wind project, Revolution Wind, project developers announced Friday night. The initial power delivery is not the final achievement: The 65-turbine project is 93% complete and not expected to hit its full 704-megawatt nameplate capacity […]
Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current
Nancy Lavin is a reporter covering State House politics along with energy and environmental issues for Rhode Island Current.
Posted inCity & Government
Shekarchi opts out of governor’s race
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentFebruary 3, 2026 After more than a year of hinting at a possible gubernatorial run, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi released three paragraphs to explain why he decided against it. “The best way for me to serve the people of Rhode Island is to continue my work as Speaker of […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport lawmaker proposes comprehensive review before closing hospital maternity unit
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current January 26, 2026 Aquidneck Island residents breathed a sigh of relief when Brown University Health committed to keeping the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital open through Sept. 30, 2026. But Rep. Lauren Carson, a Newport Democrat, remains worried about the future of the award-winning labor and […]
Posted inCity & Government
CRMC approves Jamestown oyster farm expansion
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current January 16, 2026 A Jamestown oyster farm is poised for expansion, after receiving unanimous approval from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council on Tuesday. The council’s swift stamp of approval lets Rocky Rhode Oyster Co. owner Brad Boehringer add 3.5 acres to his existing, 7.8-acre oyster farm in […]
Posted inCity & Government
Federal judge grants RI and CT attorneys general request to join Revolution Wind developers’ lawsuit
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current January 8, 2026 Rhode Island and Connecticut attorneys general and the Revolution Wind developers are now taking on the Trump administration under one lawsuit rather than two. Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday granted the request made two […]
Posted inCity & Government
RI, CT attorneys general move to join forces with Revolution Wind developers in case against feds
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current January 6, 2026 Rhode Island and Connecticut attorneys general in legal filings Monday asked to consolidate their federal lawsuit against the Trump administration with a separate complaint lodged by the developers of the Revolution Wind project. Both lawsuits were initially filed in the wake of an Aug. 22 stop […]
Posted inNews
Revolution Wind developers seek second court order against Trump administration
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJanuary 4, 2026 The year is new, but the argument is the same: The Trump administration has no constitutional authority to halt work on a major offshore wind project nearing completion south of Rhode Island’s coastline. Hundreds of pages of legal filings submitted in federal court on Jan. 1 and […]
Posted inCity & Government
R.I. lawmakers are back in action on Tuesday. Here’s what awaits them.
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJanuary 2, 2026 Heading into his sixth year leading the chamber, Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has mastered the art of satisfying a flurry of funding requests despite an ever-present budget deficit. This year feels different. “It’s going to be a challenging year,” Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, said […]
Posted inNews
Rhode Island Energy proposes increases in customer electric and gas service charges
More bad news for Rhode Islanders struggling to pay their energy bills: Hikes are coming. Rhode Island Energy unveiled its long-anticipated request to increase service charges for gas and electric customers in a press release the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. An application was simultaneously submitted to the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission for review. […]
Posted inNews
Revolution Wind developer records $77M impairment due to stop work order
Revolution Wind is back on track, but the monthlong pause prompted by the Trump administration continues to ripple down the project developer’s balance sheet, according to third-quarter earnings reported Wednesday. Ørsted A/S, the Danish renewable energy company co-developing the project, ended the three-month period $261.8 million in the red, a marked reversal from the $795 […]
Posted inCity & Government
R.I. energy regulators approve SouthCoast Wind transmission line plan
The financing and federal permitting for SouthCoast Wind remains murky. But the path is clear for the Massachusetts offshore wind project to run power lines up the Sakonnet River and across Portsmouth to Mount Hope Bay, with approval from the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board on Tuesday. Power purchase agreements between the project developer […]
Posted inNews
Good news for Revolution Wind. Bad news for Rhode Island union painters
Orimartin Lima’s graduation from a weeklong offshore wind safety training program last Friday was bittersweet. The completion of the global certification through the Community College of Rhode Island was supposed to lead directly to a union job with the Revolution Wind project. But instead of shipping out to sea to climb towering turbines in Rhode […]
Posted inNews
Rhode Island food pantries slammed as SNAP beneficiaries brace for funding to run dry
Six hundred dollars can’t cover an entire month of groceries for Yolanda Robertson’s family of five. But it’s a critical piece of how the 36-year-old single mom can put food on the table. Or at least, it was. Robertson is among the 42 million low-income people nationwide, including 140,000 Rhode Islanders, who stand to lose […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Coast Guard revises buoy removal plan after public feedback, but 20 markers still at risk in R.I.
Guided by the comments of more than 3,000 New England boaters and advocates, the U.S. Coast Guard has scaled back plans to remove hundreds of navigational buoys across the region, including in Rhode Island.Rhode Island is now poised to lose 20 buoys, rather than 37, under a revised plan unveiled by the Coast Guard in […]
Posted inNews
‘No risk free path:’ Fed Chair Jerome Powell calls for moderation on monetary policy
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave no indication that future interest rate cuts are coming, despite mounting pressure from President Donald Trump and Trump-appointed officials for the central bank. Speaking to more than 500 business, nonprofit and political leaders at The Crowne Plaza in Warwick Tuesday, Powell emphasized the need for a cautious approach to […]
Posted inBusiness
Hasbro to move to Boston Seaport by end of 2026
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current September 8, 2025 Pawtucket-based Hasbro Inc. will abandon its century-old Rhode Island roots with a move to the Boston Seaport by the end of 2026, the company announced Monday. The announcement cements the fate Rhode Island officials and business leaders have spent the last year trying to avoid by […]
Posted inCity & Government
State regulators seek public feedback on banning new gas connections on Aquidneck Island
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current August 20, 2025 Do supply problems and state decarbonization goals warrant an end to new natural gas connections on Aquidneck Island?State regulators are asking Newport residents to weigh in at a 6 p.m. meeting Wednesday night at Innovate Newport. The event kicks off an exploratory review over the abstract […]
Posted inNews
Sewage-contaminated water made 60% of R.I. beaches unsafe for swimming in 2024
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 11, 2025 Steven Spielberg never made a cult-favorite thriller about the dangers of sewage-infested waters. But the amount of fecal matter lurking in the water surpassed federal safety recommendations at least one time in 2024 at nearly six in 10 of the 66 Rhode Island beaches tested, new data […]
Posted inCity & Government
Fourth delay for SouthCoast Wind contract comes with a first: a warning it might not happen at all
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current June 30, 2025 Rhode Island’s plan to bring in more offshore wind power appears at risk of washing away after a fourth delay to a scheduled contract signing with a project developer.Caroline Pretyman, a spokesperson for Rhode Island Energy, confirmed in an email Monday that the utility provider has […]
Posted inCity & Government
Former Newport mayor fined for campaign finance violations
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJune 24, 2025 Three-time former Newport mayor and current city council member Jeanne-Marie Napolitano faces a $1,000 fine for violating state campaign finance laws over the last year. The Rhode Island Board of Elections voted to approve a consent agreement with Napolitano at its June 17 meeting, following results of […]
Posted inCity & Government
R.I. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, dean of chamber, friend of working class, dies at 76
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current April 21, 2025 Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, the “dean” of the chamber who married an uncanny listening ability with shrewd negotiation strategy, died early Monday morning from his third battle with cancer, according to a statement from his office. He was 76. “It is with deepest sorrow that we […]
Posted inCity & Government
R.I. Senate plays musical chairs after divided caucus vote for Ruggerio
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current January 7, 2025 Senate President Dominick Ruggerio repeatedly assured colleagues there would be no retribution against those who voted against him in a contested caucus election two days after the November general election. But the new leadership roles bestowed upon his supporters and taken away from opponents might suggest […]
Posted inNews
$16M deal reached to open biotech and medical incubator in Providence’s 195 District
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentDecember 4, 2024 Aspirations to bring a dedicated life science incubator to Rhode Island became a legally binding reality under a trio of agreements approved by the Rhode Island Life Science Hub board on Wednesday. The board’s unanimous vote, with one abstention, authorizes the sublease, operations and escrow agreements — […]
Posted inElection
Rhode Island saw highest voter turnout in Nov. 5 election since 2008
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current November 25, 2024 Nearly 66% of Rhode Island’s registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 election, with the highest turnout in 16 years, according to certified results approved by the Rhode Island Board of Elections on Friday. The board’s 5-0 vote followed a report presented by Miguel Nunez, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Late to the livestreaming party, R.I. Commerce finally arrives with remote access to board meetings
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentNovember 13, 2024 Rhode Island’s economic development agency has finally embraced livestream meeting culture, complete with its own YouTube page. Rhode Island Commerce Corporation quietly debuted its first livestream at its Oct. 28 meeting, notifying participants that they could watch the meeting, live or later, on the agency’s YouTube page. […]