By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Friday morning!
A year ago today, unionized workers at Butler Hospital in Providence went on strike. It lasted 96 days and became the longest hospital labor action in state history.
On Thursday, SEIU 1199 New England, which represents registered nurses, mental health workers, dietary staff, environmental service workers, clerical staff, and others at Butler, announced that worker salaries are up and incidents of workplace violence are down.
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High tide in Jamestown is at 7:11 a.m. and 7:35 p.m. Low tide is at 12:29 p.m. Sunset is at 7:57 p.m.
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Gov. Dan McKee attends the University of Rhode Island College of Business commencement ceremony at 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas M. Ryan Center in Kingston.
The Providence City Council has at 6 p.m. special meeting to vote on whether to override Mayor Brett Smiley’s veto of a proposed rent stabilization ordinance the council has passed twice on a 9-6 vote. The council needs to flip just one vote to get the ordinance passed.
Rhode Island House Majority Leader Katherine Kazarian, left, and House Speaker Christopher Blazejewski, right, present the case for establishing a new Office of Inspector General at a State House press conference Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
With six weeks until the end of the legislative session, Rhode Island House Speaker Christopher Blazejewski’s first act as the chamber’s new leader is to introduce legislation to create an office of inspector general, an initiative that has generated bipartisan support for over two decades.
SEIU Local 580 President Matthew Gunnip speaks at a rally in Providence on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, for Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families unionized staff to protest proposed staff cuts to address an anticipated $4.6 million deficit. But the deficit goes unaddressed in Gov. Dan McKee’s plan for what to do with a state surplus. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Gov. Dan McKee has an eight-part plan for how to spend the state's $228 million surplus, with an eye on helping ease the pain of rising healthcare and energy costs. The governor’s memo to legislative leaders offers an unusual level of detail for a late-in-the-session update to McKee's initial spending framework.
U.S. Department of Justice attorneys Jordan Campbell, left, and Brantley Mayers leave U.S. District Court in Providence after a Tuesday, May 12, 2026, hearing over a federal subpoena seeking Rhode Island Hospital records tied to transgender minors’ medical records. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed notice Thursday morning that it will appeal a Rhode Island federal judge’s order Wednesday night blocking a federal attempt to secure transgender youths’ medical records. It is the latest volley in a back-and-forth court saga with a cache of sensitive medical records at its core, namely six years of patient information from minors prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy via Rhode Island Hospital providers.
Thirty-nine new affordable apartments, part of The Avenue development in Providence’s Federal Hill and the Elmwood neighborhoods, are shown under construction at 434 Atwells Ave. on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Tim Henderson | Stateline
Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey are the only states that have lost housing units per capita since 2020, according to a Stateline analysis of housing data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Most other states have built more than enough housing to account for population growth.
Thirty-nine new affordable apartments, part of The Avenue development in Providence’s Federal Hill and the Elmwood neighborhoods, are shown under construction at 434 Atwells Ave. on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
COMMENTARY
By Sandra Negron
The appeal of rent stabilization is understandable given the pressure renters face, a Providence landlord writes. But the focus on affordability in Providence should instead be on expanding multifamily construction, legalizing accessory units, streamlining permitting, and converting vacant lots.
ICYMI
RI federal judge voids DOJ subpoena for trans youth medical records | Alexander Castro
Bill to reduce maximum misdemeanor sentences by one day passes RI Senate | Christopher Shea
US House members scrutinize ‘big, beautiful’ law’s loan limits for nursing degrees | Shauneen Miranda, D.C. Bureau
Senate votes to freeze members’ pay during future shutdowns | Jennifer Shutt, D.C. Bureau
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