When we first learned that the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) had adopted a new system for rating the strength of Rhode Island high school sports teams, we were dubious. Now that it took …
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11/13/24
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Regardless of who wins next Tuesday, the sun will rise next Wednesday. The Earth will keep spinning. Schools will welcome their students. Businesses will open their doors. Life will be much the same …
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10/30/24
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The League of Women Voters of Rhode Island is providing a fantastic public service throughout the month leading up to Election Day. League volunteers, led by a group more robust and active than we …
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10/3/24
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An article in this week’s edition of the Sakonnet Times contained a misquote of Little Compton school superintendent Dr. Laurie Dias-Mitchell.
Asked about the district’s policy that …
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9/19/24
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Among the flurry of bills being passed out of the Rhode Island General Assembly is a new law with big impact for the communities along the East Bay Bike Path. The “e-bikes bill” creates a …
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6/14/24
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Committees in both the Rhode Island House of Representatives and Rhode Island Senate have listened to testimony on a bill that would update and improve the state’s public records law. …
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4/4/24
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Recently ConsumerAffairs, a consumer-focused news outlet, rated Rhode Island’s roads as the worst in the country in their 2024 report. The “All That” state slipped from …
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3/20/24
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Government works best in the light. When its actions are open, seen and transparent, they can be measured. They can be scrutinized. They can be questioned. They can be challenged.
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3/14/24
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In the years leading up to the pandemic, most Americans were hyper-focused on national-level politics, with Trump, the Democrats or the Republicans seemingly responsible for everything good or bad in …
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1/26/24
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While this service could potentially be a fun concept to bolster tourism between Providence and the East Bay during the summer, it is far too costly to continue utilizing as an ineffective traffic mitigation tool.
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12/28/23
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The impact of the Interstate 195 bridge closure cannot be overstated. It suffocates areas of Providence and East Providence, both economically and functionally, for months.
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12/14/23
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Former U.S. Rep. David Cicilline put Rhode Island in a precarious position when he left office months after winning re-election to take another, more lucrative job. The result is an important federal …
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8/30/23
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A year ago, no one could have imagined that the Barrington School Committee would quickly become the model for openness in government.
For much of the past five years, that board was mired in …
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6/7/23
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Rhode Island needs to pass a law regulating electric bicycles and their use on bike paths. A bill before the General Assembly would do that, but the current version is flawed and potentially …
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5/10/23
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An array of bills before the Rhode Island General Assembly would chip away at both newspapers and transparency in government. They seek to alter numerous state laws that require governments, both …
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4/19/23
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A package of 14 housing bill may be a boon to private developers, but without further legislative action it is unlikely to result in helping those most in need of housing in the state.
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3/15/23
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Setting aside journalists and citizen watchdogs, most people don’t care about public records laws — until they do care. When they find themselves in a land dispute with a neighbor, preparing a legal defense for their son’s disputed arrest, or questioning why a school district is building a new school instead of renovating an old one, they will care a lot about public records laws.
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3/1/23
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Rhode Island's affordable housing law has long been in need of adjustments and a fresh look. We're anxiously awaiting the results of just such an examination by state legislators.
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1/18/23
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A frustrating new trend emerged this election season, as a disturbing number of candidates declined, refused or were unavailable to take part in public campaign forums with their opponents.
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11/3/22
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In many cases where demand exceeds supply, forces realign and come into balance. Unless something like the Rhode Island General Assembly stands in the way.
Through a little-known program created …
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9/21/22
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There are myriad dangers on every bike path. Tour de France wanna-bees weave through the crowds, believing the path should be theirs alone. Children wobble helmet-less on their tricycles with light …
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8/25/22
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The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (DOT) will soon re-number all the exits on Interstate 95, marking the end of an era — the era of common sense.
Unlike a rim-rattling pothole, …
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8/10/22
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The Sakonnet area’s legislative delegation should hit the brakes on bills that would severely restrict oyster farms along the Sakonnet River. With the legislative session expected to adjourn …
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6/22/22
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Rhode Island has enacted a handful of smart gun laws in the past decade, but it is not enough. At least five common-sense gun regulation bills sit stagnant in the Rhode Island General Assembly, where …
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6/2/22
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The benefits of more people accessing, following and interacting with their government far exceed the negative, or potential negative, impacts. Government is best when it not only represents citizens, but involves them.
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3/24/22
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