By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Friday morning!
What can a union official say in a public hearing about specific reports of child abuse?
A First Amendment question underlines a back-and-forth between an SEIU local president and the director of the state’s child welfare agency.
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High tide in Newport is at 1:15 p.m. Low tide is at 6:24 a.m. and at 6:24 p.m. — yes, a perfect pairing. Sunset is at 7:50 p.m.
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It’s the last day of the state’s twice-a-year Revenue Estimating Conference with a session starting at 9 a.m.
Rep. Christopher Blazejewski, with his wife, Ami Gada, and their son, Liam, at his side, is sworn in as the new Rhode Island House speaker by Secretary of State Gregg Amore on Thursday, May 7, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Providence Democratic Rep. Christopher Blazejewski was elected as speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives by his colleagues Thursday, with East Providence Democratic Rep. Katherine Kazarian chosen as majority leader. The mid-session leadership elections came the same day House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi resigned from the rostrum to seek the open seat on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Protesters march outside the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls on Monday, May 4, 2026, in support of legislation introduced in the Rhode Island General Assembly that would prohibit. municipalities from contracting with the federal government to detain people for civil immigration violations. (Photo by Philip Eil/Rhode Island Current)
By Philip Eil
For the first time since 2021, the corporation that oversees the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility has made a $250,000 payment to the city of Central Falls for hosting the 770-bed quasi-private facility that serves as Rhode Island’s only Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention center.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi waves from the House rostrum on June 17, 2025. Shekarchi announced late Thursday morning he has indeed applied for an opening on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea and Nancy Lavin
Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi announced Thursday morning he was stepping down from the chamber’s rostrum to seek an open seat on the Supreme Court. At an afternoon briefing with reporters, he said he will not seek an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission regarding the potential for violating the state's revolving door statute.
SEIU Local 580 President Matthew Gunnip testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on April 16, 2026. (Screenshot/Capitol TV)
By Alexander Castro
On April 16, SEIU Local 580 President Matthew Gunnip, a DCYF social caseworker, sat before the House Committee on Judiciary and testified in his union capacity on a slate of bills. During testimony on a bill about camp safety, he detoured to tell lawmakers about his broader anxieties with the Child Protective Services division in DCYF. His remarks included two brief examples of alleged physical and sexual abuse that led to a rebuke from Department of Children Youth and Families Director Ashley Deckert.
Opening prison facilities to outside visitors for non-essential purposes risks turning incarceration into a spectacle. (Getty photo)
COMMENTARY
By Michelle Begin
Opening up the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston to outside visitors one night every May for Family Night for correctional officers risks turning incarceration into a spectacle and ignores the lived reality of prisoners.
ICYMI
RI lawmakers weigh extended bar hours during World Cup | Alexander Castro
When the helpers ‘feel helpless’: First responders get a boost in mental health support | Amanda Watford, Stateline
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