by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current September 9, 2026 Gov. Dan McKee won’t be in office to see through his promised “day of reckoning” over the Washington Bridge closure, after losing his reelection bid to Democratic challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes on Wednesday, according to preliminary, unofficial results. Foulkes had 62% of votes, compared with McKee’s 38%, […]
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
Newport’s Senate District 13 primary pits a progressive incumbent against a progressive challenger
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current August 28, 2026 At 47 years old with nine years in elected office, Sen. Dawn Euer is hardly the most seasoned lawmaker in a chamber where many members are retirees with multiple decades in their seats.But her Democratic primary opponent — her first since winning office in a 2017 […]
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What’s next for contentious Tiverton oyster farm proposal? More meetings.
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current August 26, 2026 The more than six-year saga of an oyster farm proposed for Tiverton’s Sapowet Cove continues with no end in sight, after a state coastal lawyer rejected neighbors’ attempt to scrap the project.A small crowd packed the second-floor state office where the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management […]
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McKee narrows gap but still trails Foulkes by 15 points in new WPRI poll
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current August 25, 2026 Gov. Dan McKee is finally gaining ground among Democratic primary voters, but remains 15 points behind challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes, according to a new WPRI-TV 12 poll published Tuesday.The survey of 1,000 likely voters, conducted Aug. 21 and Aug. 22 by Emerson College Polling, marks the […]
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Under financial pressure, Brown University Health mum on Newport Hospital birthing center
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current August 21, 2026 Brown University Health is back in the black, but its financial forecast remains grim as costs associated with uncompensated care, insurance denials and federal Medicaid restrictions take hold.“If you’re sitting at zero, you’re not where you need to be,” Peter Markell, executive vice president and chief […]
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Same arguments, new insults: McKee and Foulkes clash in first TV debate
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current August 13, 2026 Familiar arguments over opioids, infrastructure and who cares more about everyday Rhode Islanders dominated the first televised Democratic gubernatorial debate of the 2026 election cycle.Yet Gov. Dan McKee and his challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, still managed to infuse their usual talking points with fresh insults during […]
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Influential AFL-CIO opts not to endorse in RI Democratic gubernatorial race
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current July 15, 2026 The focus of the governor’s race temporarily shifted one block west of the State House Wednesday to a nondescript office building where leaders of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO met but opted not to endorse in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The labor federation boasts more than 80,000 members, […]
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RI coastal regulators reluctant to shore up entire Newport Cliff Walk
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current July 14, 2026 More than four years after a section of Newport’s Cliff Walk collapsed, shutting down public access to a section of the famed overlook, a repair plan has taken shape.But before the city can proceed with the $23 million project — repairing two broken sections of the […]
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CRMC approves key SouthCoast Wind permit over objections from fishing industry
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current June 10, 2026 The murky future for SouthCoast Wind gained a small but significant sign of clarity Tuesday with a key permit approval from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC).The panel’s unanimous vote — the first decision made by the newly retooled council —- followed a four-hour […]
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Local Democratic party leaders endorse Foulkes and Khamsyvoravong over incumbents
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJune 9, 2026 The Democratic challengers for governor and lieutenant governor, Helena Buonanno Foulkes and Xay Khamsyvoravong, won the backing of local party leaders during a closed-door meeting at the Rochambeau Library in Providence Monday night. The Rhode Island Association of Democratic City and Town Chairs did not disclose vote […]
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House approves $15.2B FY27 budget with marquee acquisition: millionaire’s tax
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJune 5, 2026 A record $15.2 billion fiscal 2027 budget breezed through the Rhode Island House of Representatives in near record time Friday, with the 65-10 vote finalized with an hour to spare before sunset. The approved budget is almost identical to the version given preliminary vetting by the House […]
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As Brown Health operating losses deepen, pressure mounts to save Newport Hospital birthing center
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current May 21, 2026 Staring down another quarter of operating losses, Brown University Health executives are unwilling to contribute a share of the $4.9 million needed to keep Newport Hospital’s birthing center open.“We want to see the money come from outside Brown Health,” Peter Markell, executive vice president and chief […]
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Brown Health wants state aid for Newport Hospital birthing center. Lawmakers want answers first.
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current May 5, 2026 Brown University Health made a hazy promise to keep Newport Hospital’s birthing center open if it can secure an extra $4.9 million in state and philanthropic aid. But lawmakers aren’t ready to deliver any taxpayer money without assurances.“We don’t just take what somebody puts on a […]
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Newport Hospital birthing center will stay open. But it needs another $4.9M a year to survive.
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentApril 3, 2026 Newport Hospital’s Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center will remain open, Brown University Health announced on Friday. The commitment comes amid doubts over the award-winning labor and delivery unit’s future, which appeared in jeopardy due to decreasing births on Aquidneck Island and financial strain across the health care […]
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Outlook for Newport Hospital birthing center dims after Brown University Health logs $18M Q1 loss
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentMarch 19, 2026 Executives at Brown University Health never mentioned the Newport Hospital birthing center during a 30-minute call with investors Thursday, nor was it included in a 17-slide PowerPoint presentation detailing the health care system’s first quarter financial results. But the accredited labor and delivery unit — the only […]
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We’ve got the power: Revolution Wind begins delivering electricity to regional grid
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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. […]
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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 […]