By Christopher Shea | Reporter
Hiya,
It’s springtime in the city. Should you find yourself enjoying Providence’s local businesses any weekend this month, the first two hours of metered parking in a number of the city’s major commercial corridors may be free.
The gratis parking is part of a new “Found in Providence” campaign encouraging residents, visitors and businesses to share their favorite spots online for a chance to win prizes. A full list of eligible parking areas is available on the campaign website.
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Johnson & Wales University will hold two commencement ceremonies Saturday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The class of 2026 for the New England Institute of Technology will receive their diplomas at the downtown arena Sunday.
AIDS Project Rhode Island hosts its annual Run/Walk for Life at Pierce Memorial Stadium in East Providence starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.
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Here’s your look at the week that was:
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Chas Calenda took the unusual step of clarifying that Judge Melissa DuBose had no knowledge at the time of her ruling that Bryan Rafael Gomez was wanted on a murder charge by authorities in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
Rhode Island’s U.S. Attorney’s Office on Friday formally apologized to a federal judge for failing to disclose the criminal history — including a murder charge — of a Dominican national released from detention earlier in the week.
Democratic rivals Helena Buonanno Foulkes and Gov. Dan McKee speak during the North Kingstown Town Council meeting held Monday, April 27, 2026, in the town’s high school auditorium. (Screenshots)
By Nancy Lavin
Gov. Dan McKee and his Democratic rival, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, each reported the largest fundraising hauls of their campaigns for the first quarter of 2026. Foulkes' $1.1 million in donations is more than twice the $490,000 contributed to McKee's campaign.
Interim Rhode Island of Transportation Director Robert Rocchio speaks to reporters near Route 10 on April 27, 2026. To his left is Gov. Dan McKee, who directed transportation officials to inspect seven bridges along electrified rail lines. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
Gov. Dan McKee on Monday ordered the immediate inspection of seven bridges over electrified rail lines after part of a Route 10 on-ramp collapsed onto the tracks in Cranston Friday evening, temporarily disrupting rail service across the Northeast.
Quonset Development Corporation, the quasi-public agency that oversees Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown, is one of several state agencies named in a new lawsuit filed by town residents over a sludge processing plant. (Photo by Laura Paton/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
North Kingstown residents are asking a state judge to toss an air quality permit and lease agreement approved for a sludge project in Quonset Business Park, alleging the state agencies that authorized the agreements violated constitutional due process rights
A collage of commencement speakers in Rhode Island this graduation season. (Courtesy photos)
By Alexander Castro
Rhode Island colleges have tapped CEOs, Olympians, artists and broadcasters more to address the Class of 2026 at commencement ceremonies statewide in the coming weeks.
The Providence Place Mall is poised for new ownership under a $133 million sale approved by a state judge Wednesday. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Developer Joe Paolino Jr. helped set in motion the development of Providence Place while serving as the city’s mayor. Now his Paolino Properties and Pyramid Management Group are finalizing a purchase and sale agreement approved by a Rhode Island Superior Court judge Wednesday morning to purchase the struggling mall for $133 million. Their offer wasn’t the highest of three final bids. The key to it being approved? “No conditions,” Paolino Jr. said.
ICYMI
State officials say they’re ready for the ‘Rhode Island Summer of Soccer’ | Christopher Shea
A URI medical school is a decade away. This residency program can make a difference next year. | Robert B. Hackey and Chloe Silva
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