By Alexander Castro | Reporter
Hey there. Happy Thursday.
April 23 is traditionally celebrated as William Shakespeare’s birthday. I hmm’d skeptically when reading this. Surely that’s some after-the-fact distortion of the record, right?
Well, my suspicion was valid — Shakespeare was born on or around April 23, 1564, but the exact date on which the Bard materialized is not quite known. Alas, April 23 is still celebrated as his birthday, partly because he died on that same date in 1616.
One April 23 birthday we can ascertain with more certainty: American professional wrestler John Cena, whose most famous coinage is “You can’t see me!” One must admit there’s some poetry in there.
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At 6 p..m. at the Rhode Island Convention Center, Gov. Dan McKee will make an appearance at the kickoff of FountainHead RI’s 2026 Spring Educational Panel & Networking Series.
A construction worker retrieves plywood sheets lifted to the roof of the Ade Bethune House, a 54-unit affordable housing complex for seniors under construction on Bristol Ferry Road in Portsmouth on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
Rhode Island’s push to build new homes has gained traction over the last year, but the affordability of existing housing stock still remains a critical concern for the state. The latest integrated housing report released April 15 by the state’s Executive Office of Housing, which noted 3,778 building permits issued across each of Rhode Island’s municipalities in the last year — the highest level since the 1980s.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a rally earlier this year in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Whitney Downard/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Steve Crane | Maryland Matters
A federal district judge in Oregon overturned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s directive that said health care facilities providing gender-affirming care to minors are barred from Medicare and Medicaid.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
By Jennifer Shutt | DC Bureau
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats will use the unlimited number of amendment votes they are allowed on Republicans’ budget resolution to illustrate policy differences on cost-of-living issues and immigration activities.
(Illustration by Amelia Bates / Grist)
By Zoya Teirstein | Grist
As climate change warms coastal waters, the bacteria Vibrio, which can cause a rare but sometimes deadly infection, is moving farther up the Atlantic Coast, creating new concerns for swimmers, shellfish eaters, and health officials. But the situation is more complicated than a simple doomsday scenario involving so-called flesh-eating bacteria.
ICYMI
In Medicaid fraud crackdown, feds now looking to audit all 50 states | Shalina Chatlani/Stateline
Roger Williams University announces retirement of its president | Rhode Island Current Staff
Congress struggles with questions about ethics investigations after 3 members resign | Jennifer Shutt/DC Bureau
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