The East Providence plant that exploded in April could reopen this week, if it passes inspection. The city found multiple code violations, some connected to the explosion and others that were not: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/12/m...

“Our democracy is strongest when there is a diversity of both free thought as well as of people, and our libraries want to support that.” A homage to public libraries that work hard to welcome everyone in their communities.

Ethics complaint alleges former House Speaker Skekarchi is violating revolving door ban by applying for a Supreme Court position www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/08/m...

The roll call produced several variations of @chrisblazejewski.bsky.social's last name. He later clarified it's four syllables: Blazz-a-joo-ski

@rihouseofreps.bsky.social elects @chrisblazejewski.com speaker after @joeshekarchi.bsky.social steps down to apply to Supreme Court. House Democrats elected @katherinekazarian.bsky.social as majority leader, making her the first woman to serve in that role. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/07/m...

@rwulaw.bsky.social's Yelnosky: "It’s bad for the reputation of the Supreme Court..It’s bad for the Assembly because it suggests it’s just a step on the way to the court..It’s bad for the rule of law because this is a plain violation of the revolving door statute” www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/07/m...

Shekarchi steps down as R.I. House speaker to seek state Supreme Court seat. The Warwick Democrat who has $4.7 million in campaign cash said he is suspending all fundraising and disbursements from his campaign account, and will make no endorsements. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/07/m...

NEW: When a Providence couple got their rent renewal in March, they were shocked by the 44% increase to their $2,550 rent If they wanted to go month-to-month? $14,398 The city is now going after their landlord for algorithmic price fixing, which was banned last year Read more:

Blazejewski says he has support to succeed Shekarchi as R.I. House Speaker. Although Joseph Shekarchi has not submitted his resignation, he is expected to announce on Thursday that he is applying for a R.I. Supreme Court vacancy. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/06/m...

RI legislators expect @rihouseofreps.bsky.social speaker to step down to seek Supreme Court seat. @joeshekarchi.bsky.social is expected to step down as House speaker to apply for a Supreme Court seat, clearing the way for @chrisblazejewski.com, a PVD progressive www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/05/m...

NEW: Rhode Island has done a lot of bridge repairs, but still has the sixth-worst bridges in the country The ramp that partially collapsed over train tracks in Cranston last month was one of 94 bridges in "poor" condition. See where they are ⬇️ www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/05/m...

The Trump administration is fighting Brown Health for records of children who have received gender-affirming care at their Providence hospital, including the names of the patients and their parents www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/04/m...

The Rhode Island US Attorney’s Office committed a “massive breach” of trust when it did not disclose that a man who was released last week was wanted for homicide in the Dominican Republic, a federal judge said on Monday. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/04/m...

Living in the moment — Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s prom is a glamorous night for teens living with complex medical issues. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/02/m...

NEW: DHS slammed an RI federal judge over the release of a suspect it said is wanted for murder in the Dominican Republic. But in court, the federal government never said anything about it. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/01/m...

UPDATE: The highest bidder for the mall, who wasn't selected, wanted to build 300 apartments *on top* of the building But the ambitious proposal was contingent on getting a new tax treaty from the city within 60 days of closing Lots of updates here: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/m...

UPDATE: A judge has approved the $133 million pending sale of the Providence Place mall to Pyramid Management Group and Paolino Properties. The proposed buyers say they want to keep it primarily a mall, and are interested in getting a supermarket tenant www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/m...

Pyramid offered $133 million to buy Providence Place, lower than Houston-based SR Capital Management, which offered $152 million But the receiver says SR Capital has no experience with malls and had contingencies including a new tax treaty from the city www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/m...

BREAKING: The Providence Place mall has a potential buyer. The receiver is recommending Pyramid Management Group of Syracuse, N.Y., partnering with Paolino Properties in Providence There were two other bidders. Decision is up to a judge. Hearing ongoing right now www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/m...

US District Court for Rhode Island opts not to name new interim US Attorney. The court received six applications but took no action as Charles “Chas” Calenda’s 120-term expired Tuesday. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/m...

By @chrisgavin.bsky.social and @stephmachado.bsky.social -- R.I. highway bridge wall that collapsed onto Amtrak tracks suffered ‘decades of neglect,’ @govdanmckee.bsky.social says www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/27/m...

SCOOP: Three Brown University students who were injured in the December shooting have sued the school, alleging school officials ignored repeated warnings about the gunman’s behavior and failed to provide basic security measures www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/27/m...

President Trump was reported uninjured and other top leaders of the US were evacuated from the annual White House correspondents dinner after an unspecified threat. trib.al/kIXNM0L

Former American journalist talks about what Orbán’s ouster in Hungary can tell the US. “This election has inspired a young generation who now believe democracy works,” said Tom Popper, former editor-in-chief of The Budapest Business Journal www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/24/m...

@helenabfoulkes.bsky.social’s lead over R.I. Governor @govdanmckee.bsky.social grows to 34 percentage points, UNH polls finds. “McKee is fairing poorly in the Democratic primary because he is an unpopular governor,” the UNH Survey Center wrote. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/23/m...

An about-face from Gov. McKee on a proposed 3-year moratorium on charter school expansion In 2021 he threatened to veto it if it reached his desk But now he tells @fitzprov.bsky.social he would sign it

The parents of a woman who drowned in the waters off of Conimicut Point Beach in Warwick, R.I., in 2023 are suing the city, alleging officials knew of the dangerous conditions there after a series of other drownings but failed to ensure the safety of visitors. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/22/m...

A contentious grandparents visitation rights trial could come to a halt this week, as the Rhode Island Supreme Court decides whether or not to stop it. Father Scott Naso says the state law and trial violates his parental rights. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/21/m...

NEW: As RI lawmakers again consider halting charter school expansion, a charter school group commissioned a poll to show the schools have public support House Education chair tells me the 3-year-moratorium bill will get a vote in his committee www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/22/m...

RI legislators vote for bill to save Crook Point Bridge. @rihouseofreps.bsky.social and @risenate.bsky.social approve bill to create Crook Point Bridge Authority, aiming to stop state from demolishing drawbridge that’s been in the upright position for 50 years. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/21/m...

NEW: Paul McCartney was in Providence last night and spoke at a private screening of "Man on the Run" hosted by Brown University at The VETS. McCartney and filmmaker Morgan Neville spoke about the movie with Brown President Christina Paxson: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/21/m...

NEW: Independent gov candidate Ken Block's poll is out, and puts him in second place behind either Democrat in November, though he fares better against McKee He's now fully in the race, he says: "I like the way I stack up." www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/20/m...

More than 2 million visitors from around the world are expected to descend on New England during the World Cup. Providence wants a share of their business, and officials believe they might have an irresistible lure: late-night boozing. @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/18/m...

Widowed father wants R.I. Supreme Court to review whether state law allowing grandparent visitation is unconstitutional www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/19/m...

NEW: Mayor Smiley has vetoed rent control in Providence. The City Council has 30 days to override, but does not currently have enough votes. More: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/17/m...

The Providence City Council has approved its rent stabilization ordinance for a second time, again on a 9-6 vote. Still not enough to survive a veto from Mayor Smiley. It goes to his desk next.

By @stephmachado.bsky.social -- In Rhode Island’s messy cannabis rollout, worker-owned stores have yet to materialize www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/16/m...

Something to watch: After Mayor Smiley submitted his budget to the City Council tonight, they tabled it instead of referring it to the Finance Committee, an unusual move. Finance is chaired by Jo-Ann Ryan, a Smiley ally Council President Miller would not explain why

NEW: Mayor Smiley's stance on rent control could be make-or-break for his political future Tonight, he laid out his own housing plans in a public address to the City Council. Tomorrow, the council sends rent control to his desk, where he'll veto it

Students at the Croft School in Providence, which could close amid fraud allegations, are helping raise money to keep paying their teachers through the summer. And they had a playground press conference to tell everyone why: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/10/m...

Update: City officials in East Providence say Aspen Aerogels pulled a permit to install the piece of equipment that exploded, but "never called for a final inspection to close the permit." www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/10/m...

NEW: The state fire marshal says the explosion at an East Providence manufacturing plant Wednesday was caused by “an accumulation of ethanol vapors in a drying oven,” and was an accident www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/10/m...

East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva says a piece of equipment blew up at an industrial plant last night with enough force to blow out walls and send metal flying across the facility. “One is left in wonder that nobody died.” www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/09/m...

NEW: A federal judge has halted Rhode Island's upcoming cannabis lottery, siding with plaintiffs who challenged the state's residency requirement It further upends the long-delayed rollout of new pot shops since RI legalized cannabis in 2022 www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/09/m...

From columnist Shirley Leung: There’s really one big unanswered question about the stunning implosion of the Croft School: Where was the board?

Ethics Commission finds former R.I. state administrator James E. Thorsen did not violate state ethics code www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/08/m...

Brown's former campus police chief is officially out following a settlement, and Col. Hugh Clements is the new permanent campus chief The former chief, Rodney Chatman, had been placed on leave soon after December's mass shooting. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/08/m...

Irish contractor sentenced to 4 years 8 months for bilking R.I. and Mass. homeowners. John O’Brien, of Dublin, delivered a tearful apology after victims gave heart-wrenching descriptions of the savings lost and the trust broken by his home repair scams. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/07/m...

I feel like this was the reason the guy in this (wonderful) @stephmachado.bsky.social man-on-the-street interview went viral. He was totally unimpressed with RHORI for completely valid reasons. He had not bought the hype. And it was so refreshing to hear.

NEW: The artist behind a controversial mural of a Ukrainian refugee killed on a N.C. train last year — the partially completed piece outside a Providence LGBT+ club that was abruptly canceled last week — is painting a new mural of the woman. @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/06/m...