South County Hospital officials defending against accusations of mismanagement by a group of doctors have stressed that state and federal regulators recently found “no deficient practice” after a review at the hospital. But state and federal regulators last year cited the 100-bed hospital in Wakefield for several “deficiencies,” including one of the highest severity, according […]
Local
Posted inLocal, Shoreline Access, South County Bureau
Westerly Town Council holds ‘infomercial’ for embattled solicitor, prevents public comment at meeting
Westerly Town Solicitor William Conley Monday night defended himself against criticism from the public and some members of the Westerly Town Council over his office’s failure to submit legal research and analysis to the federal government prior to the transfer of the Watch Hill Lighthouse to a private non-profit earlier this year. Conley also denied […]
Posted inBusiness, Local, Politics
Rhode Island officials surprised by Hasbro’s potential move
Rhode Island officials are scrambling after being surprised by the news that the iconic toy-maker and entertainment company Hasbro is considering moving its headquarters out of state. “It’s all hands on deck to keep Hasbro in Pawtucket,” Governor Dan McKee said in a statement. McKee said Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien and he are seeking a […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Can Rhode Island voters make a difference in swing states?
Marti Rosenberg is a longtime liberal activist in Rhode Island. So it’s no surprise when she asks the more than 50 people gathered at the Blue Room, a bar and music venue in the Pawtuxet Village section of Cranston, to contribute to Kamala Harris’ campaign for president. “Give big, give now, spread the word,” Rosenberg […]
Posted inLocal, Shoreline Access, South County Bureau
Property owner suing RI over beach access law faces vandalism charges
A Westerly property owner making a legal challenge against Rhode Island’s new shoreline access law has been charged with repeatedly vandalizing a beach right-of-way sign near his home. Police say David M. Roth, who owns a $10.8 million property in Watch Hill with his wife but resides in West Hartford, Conn., spray-painted a beach access […]
Posted inHousing, Local
A RI town manager on how the state should, and shouldn’t, spur more housing
From the urban core to the beachfront, Rhode Island is looking for solutions to its housing crisis. At the statehouse, there’s been some pressure on cities and towns to change their zoning laws to allow more housing. But there has also been pushback. For our series Zoned Out: How local zoning hurts efforts to solve […]
Posted inBusiness, Health, Local
South County Hospital defends against outcry from doctors, patients
South County Hospital is losing money and some longtime clinicians – and its top administrators are at odds with a group of doctors about what ails the hospital and how to treat it. Patients and community members are joining a mounting public outcry over one of Rhode Island’s last remaining independently-operated community hospitals. And they’re […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Sept. 13, 2024
Say it with me now: triskaidekaphobia. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** STORY OF THE WEEK: For all the yak about cranky Rhode Islanders […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Local, South Coast Bureau
Making sense of Rhode Island’s latest offshore wind procurement
Rhode Island officials have set a goal of meeting the state’s electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2033, and there’s still a long way to go. Last week, the three southern New England states were hoping to procure enough offshore wind to make serious progress toward their climate goals. But Rhode Island only secured […]
Posted inLocal, Shoreline Access, South County Bureau
Is Westerly’s solicitor botching legal work on shoreline access? Town councilors want answers.
Some members of the Westerly Town Council are questioning whether the town misspent taxpayer money on legal research into a closely-watched public access matter involving the Watch Hill Lighthouse that wasn’t submitted before a critical deadline and still hasn’t been released to the public. The matter is expected to come up at a special town […]