By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Wednesday morning!
Happy Tax Day. Today is the deadline for tax filing.
And it’s an appropriate time for U.S. Sen. Jack Reed to send out a release highlighting red flags to spot tax scams. The Internal Revenue Service will not contact you via social media, demand immediate payment, or offer to pay out your refund over the phone. It will never threaten to call law enforcement; demand your driver’s license number or business license; request immediate payment through gift cards, wire transfers or crypto; or direct taxpayers to a non-IRS website.
The IRS, Reed says, “does not use pressure tactics to force taxpayers into making spur of the moment decisions. If you feel you are being rushed and something seems suspicious, it is.”
If you received a suspicious e-mail, text, or contact from someone impersonating the IRS or U.S. Treasury, here’s how to report it to the IRS.
The Rhode Island Division of Taxation also never contacts taxpayers via text message regarding bills, balances, or refunds. Here is how to report state tax scams.
***
High tide on Block Island is at 6:38 a.m. and 6:57 p.m. Low tide is at 12:37 p.m. Sunrise is at 6:06 a.m. Sunset is at 7:26 p.m.
***
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority Board of Directors meets at 8:30 a.m.
The House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing meets to vote on six of nine bills from Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s housing legislation package at 4 p.m.
The Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs meets at 4:30 p.m. Among the bills to be heard is one that would authorize the use of campaign funds for security-related expenses, including home and office security systems for elected officials or candidates.
The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission meets at 5 p.m.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley presents his fiscal year 2027 budget address to the Providence City Council at 5:30 p.m.
Rhode Island’s Cannabis Control Commission is appealing an April 8 federal ruling that halted its plan to award 20 new retail licenses as early as May. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission and staff met behind closed doors for around an hour Tuesday morning to discuss last week’s federal court order halting the process that was set to award 20 new retail licenses as soon as May. Three and half hours later, the commission filed an appeal against the April 8 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Dubose in three federal lawsuits challenging the state’s requirement that all cannabis license holders must be majority owned by Rhode Island residents.
A student from Alfred Lima Elementary School in Providence examines a display of books and other library offerings in the Rhode Island State Library on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Students from Alfred Lima Elementary School in Providence students came to the State House to champion legislation that would mandate a dedicated library and certified school librarian in every public school in Rhode Island. But their passionate statements supporting the measure must confront budget concerns in the real world. “In an ideal world, we would prioritize this,” one Rhode Island Department of Education official told lawmakers.
Katherine D’Arezzo, senior staff attorney for the Rhode Island Ethics Commission speaks to the panel on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Seated at left is Patrice Milos, who requested an advisory opinion from the ethics panel to serve as a paid advisor for the Rhode Island Life Science Hub, despite recently serving as an agency board member. (Screenshot)
By Nancy Lavin
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission unanimously approved a staff recommendation Tuesday allowing Patrice Milos to serve as a paid advisor to the Life Science Hub, despite Milos' recent role on the 15-person, volunteer board for the agency.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Effective prevention efforts strengthen family social networks to reduce isolation and promote resiliency. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
COMMENTARY
By Marcy Shyllon
Child abuse is far more common and far more preventable than many people realize with nearly one in seven children experiencing abuse or neglect each year. That means every community is affected, the executive director of Boys Town New England writes. National Child Abuse Prevention Month during the month of April highlights programs that protect children and strengthen families.
ICYMI
Vineyard Wind sues GE Renewables to block it from abandoning project | Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light
Immigration enforcement to be funded for 3 years under US Senate GOP plan | Jennifer Shutt, D.C. Bureau
Thanks for reading Swell. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.