by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentApril 24, 2024 NEWPORT — There’s a glimmer of hope in what seems like an increasingly divisive national political atmosphere: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they value the nation’s founding principles of equality and pursuit of happiness, according to a new survey out of Salve Regina University’s The Pell Center. […]
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
With federal money filling funding hole to repair Newport Cliff Walk, why bother with a state bond?
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentApril 9, 2024 Now that a newly awarded federal grant will cover most of the cost to repair Newport’s Cliff Walk, borrowing $8 million in state bonds appears unnecessary. Members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation announced on Monday that the city was awarded a $11 million federal grant to shore […]
Posted inAP
Turnout cracks 5% as Rhode Island primary voters back Biden and Trump
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentApril 2, 2024 Rhode Island’s lackluster presidential contest fizzled to a close Tuesday, with President Joe Biden and Donald Trump declared winners by the Associated Press 10 minutes after polls closed. Both Biden and Trump have already clinched their party nominations unofficially based on delegate counts from prior states primaries […]
Posted inAP
Rhode Island has a new political party. But it still hasn’t picked any candidates
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentMarch 20, 2024 Rhode Island voter registration forms will soon have a new political party for voters to choose from: No Labels. Yet the bipartisan group planning to prop up a third-party candidate in the 2024 presidential election still hasn’t named a ticket. Meanwhile, alleged signature fraud on its petition […]
Posted inNewport County
Portsmouth Town Council begrudgingly approves host agreement with SouthCoast Wind
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJanuary 17, 2024 Faced with receiving $23 million or nothing, the Portsmouth Town Council begrudgingly approved an agreement that allows a Massachusetts offshore wind farm developer access to town property under which to bury power cables. The 18-page host community agreement, approved by a 5-1 vote of the council Tuesday, […]
Posted inCity & Government
‘Painstaking choices’ and ‘difficult decisions’ await legislators this year
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJanuary 2, 2024 The Rhode Island State House awakened from its winter slumber Tuesday afternoon with the bang of a gavel, springing lawmakers to attention for the 2024 legislative session. Leaders of both chambers reiterated their policy priorities for the year in opening remarks, striking a mix of optimism and […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island has a long way to go to fix problems caused by short-term rentals
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentDecember 7, 2023 The complex web entangling short-term rentals in Rhode Island has a new twist. Namely, that the licensing process more than half a dozen cities and towns have adopted to regulate Airbnb, VRBO and other short-term rentals, might be breaking state law. That’s what Michael Marcello thinks. The […]
Posted inAP
Protecting Newport’s Gilded Age mansions takes a new turn: Suing the feds.
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentNovember 29, 2023 Trudy Coxe relentlessly pursued funding to preserve Newport’s acclaimed mansions. She helped bring the city’s “Gilded Age” icons before a national TV audience through the HBO series by the same name. Now, she’s turning that single-minded focus to protecting Newport’s cultural and historic identity, including its iconic […]
Posted inCity & Government
Regulators approve temporary extension on Portsmouth LNG facility for upcoming winter
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentOctober 2, 2023 For the fourth consecutive winter, a Portsmouth liquified natural gas facility will serve as a temporary, backup heating source for Aquidneck Island. The Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board (ESFB) on Monday unanimously approved extending a temporary waiver allowing the LNG storage tank and vaporization facility for […]
Posted inCity & Government
PUC approves 25% hike in winter electric rates despite protests
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentSeptember 26, 2023 Despite warnings that a nearly 25% hike in winter electric rates would hurt financially struggling residents, state regulators approved Rhode Island Energy’s seasonal supply prices within minutes on Tuesday. The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) 3-0 vote authorizes the state’s primary electricity supplier to increase rates […]
Posted inCity & Government
Revolution Wind project clears major federal regulatory hurdle
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentAugust 22, 2023 The first utility-scale offshore wind farm powering Rhode Island cleared another major hurdle with federal regulators on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) record of decision allows developers of the Revolution Wind Farm to move ahead with plans for a 704-megawatt […]
Posted inBusiness
Report: Newport leads post-pandemic hotel rebound
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentAugust 14, 2023 Newport summers are back in earnest, having exceeded pre-pandemic tourism levels in at least one marker of activity. Indeed, the $1.9 million in inflation-adjusted tax revenue Newport hotels brought in fiscal 2022 is 32% more than fiscal 2019, according to a new report by the Rhode Island […]
Posted inCity & Government
Matos breaks silence on signature scandal, pledges to remain in the race
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 21, 2023 Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos condemned fellow candidates for using the signature fraud scandal surrounding her campaign for their own political gain, while affirming her commitment to the race, and to voters. Her comments – breaking silence on the allegations that began swirling earlier this week – came […]
Posted inPolitics
Jamestown police investigating Matos campaign for alleged signature fraud
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 18, 2023 The Jamestown Police Department is investigating potentially fake signatures submitted by Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’ campaign in the 1st Congressional District race. The police investigation was spurred by the island community’s Board of Canvassers, which asked police to look into the signatures on a candidate’s nomination papers […]
Posted inNews
State energy regulators press pause on Sakonnet River transmission line review
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 13, 2023 It doesn’t make sense to review a project application when there’s no money to fund it. So concluded state energy regulators, who on Thursday opted to pause their review of an offshore wind farm’s transmission line if and until the developer secures new agreements guaranteeing the project’s […]
Posted inBusiness
Cannabis dispensary lawsuit challenges labor provisions of recreational marijuana law
by Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island CurrentJuly 11, 2023 Amid growing tensions with its workers over labor standards and unionization, a Portsmouth marijuana dispensary is taking aim at the state’s recreational cannabis law. On Monday at Greenleaf Compassion Center a process server delivered the summons and filed a complaint in federal court, marking the official start […]
Posted inNews
R.I. GOP endorses Jamestown Marine Corps veteran in CD1 race
This story originally appeared on Rhode Island Current. It has been republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. A Jamestown resident and former U.S. Marine Corps officer has secured the backing of the Rhode Island GOP in the 1st Congressional District special election. The Rhode Island Republican Party endorsed Gerry W. Leonard Jr. in […]