By Christopher Shea | Reporter
Hiya,
This is your final reminder: Sunday is the deadline to register to vote or update your registration before the Nov. 3 general election. If you’ve moved, changed your name or recently moved to Rhode Island, make sure your registration is up to date before the deadline.
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The Governor’s Cup is up for grabs Saturday as the University of Rhode Island takes on Brown University for the 44th time. Kickoff is at noon at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket.
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Here’s your look at the week that was:
Unionized resident doctors and interns picketed outside Rhode Island Hospital on Friday, Oct. 2, amid nearly one year of contract disputes with Brown University Health. (Courtesy of the Committee of Interns and Residents/Service Employees International Union)
By Nancy Lavin
Brown University Health announced a series of cost-cutting measures Thursday on the first day of its fiscal year, including executive layoffs and non-clinical buyouts. The hospital operator projects a $64 million deficit due mostly to federal budget cuts.
A fleet of Rhode Island Public Transit Authority buses, including diesel and battery-electric models, is parked across the street from the agency’s Providence headquarters in January 2024. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
A favorable diesel price lock that helped the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority narrow last year’s budget gap ended three months ago. But the financial woes facing the statewide bus agency from skyrocketing fuel prices is just beginning with the cost of diesel now over two and a half times what was budgeted for this year.
Democrat Helena Buonanno Foulkes, left, and independent Ken Block, right, both said they supported a line-item veto during a gubernatorial forum at Roger Williams University School of Law on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. The forum was broadcast live on Ocean State Media. (Photo by Brianna Frissora/ Roger Williams Hawks' Media)
By Nancy Lavin
In the first head-to-head of the gubernatorial general election cycle, Democrat Helena Buonanno Foulkes and independent Ken Block both emphasized government transparency and cost-of-living solutions at Roger Williams University School of Law Wednesday night. Subtle differences emerged on questions related to government spending and taxation, while Republican Aaron Guckian skipped the event, broadcast live on Ocean State Media.
Music teacher Danielle Trial Lucini accompanies students on the trumpet during her first-period Concert Band class at Mount Pleasant High School in Providence on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
A new study commissioned by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts found students who took four years of music classes had lower chronic absenteeism rates than peers who did not. The findings are playing out in Providence classrooms, where educators say sustained music participation can help keep students engaged in school.
The exterior of U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island at 1 Exchange Terrace, Providence. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose on Tuesday struck down the Trump administration’s attempts to restrict federal grants for organizations serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Her summary judgment order resolves a lawsuit brought by the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other organizations challenging conditions imposed on grants administered through Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women and Office of Justice Programs.
The University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees meets in the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center on Upper College Road on the Kingston campus. (URI photo)
By Alexander Castro
A colossal software overhaul of the University of Rhode Island’s administrative and payroll systems on track to launch next fall may need to change course after the state Department of Administration asked university officials to possibly take over a big responsibility it previously told them not to pursue: payroll processing duties for the university’s full-time employees.
ICYMI
These 5 changes for Rhode Island Medicaid take effect Oct. 1 | Alexander Castro
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