Good Tuesday morning!
The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory for the Rhode Island coast including Block Island from 6 a.m. today through 8 p.m. Thursday. Large breaking waves of 4 to 10 feet are expected in the surf zone.
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High tide in Newport is at 2:21 p.m. Low tide is at 6:58 a.m. and 8:40 p.m. Sunset is at 8:13 p.m.
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The Department of Environmental Management hosts an in-person workshop from noon to 2 p.m. to solicit public input on a beverage redemption, packaging, and recycling plan in Room 300 of its third floor office at 235 Promenade St., Providence. A virtual workshop is from 6-8 p.m.
The Community College of Rhode Island welcomes new and returning students for Enrollment Day from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Knight Campus in Warwick. Guidance on course registration, financial aid, and transfer options is available.
The new Inspector General Independent Advisory Committee meets at 3:30 p.m. The five-member panel has 90 days from July 1 to develop a selection process and recommend three candidates to the governor. The panel’s members are the secretary of state, the attorney general, the general treasurer, an Ethics Commission representative and a member of the Association of Inspectors General.
The Quonset Development Corporation Board of Directors meets at 5 p.m.
Former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi leaves a Kent County Superior Court courtroom following a nearly two-hour hearing on his lawsuit seeking to halt a state ethics investigation into his Rhode Island Supreme Court application on July 20, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
The fate of the state Ethics Commission's investigation into whether former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi can join the Rhode Island Supreme Court will be determined within a week, a Kent County Superior Court judge said Monday. “It’s probably going to the Supreme Court,” Judge Richard Licht said of the ultimate outcome.
Mount Pleasant High School in Providence is seen under construction on Friday, July 17, 2026. The $110 million project is set for completion next summer. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
State declares its seven-year takeover of Providence Public Schools a success. What the metrics say.
By Alexander Castro
By some metrics, things are looking up for the Providence Public School District in a report released last week by the Rhode Island Department of Education. Students are coming to class more often. More of them are graduating high school. And six new or renovated schools opened since 2019, compared to only one built in the 15 years prior. But more than four out of five Providence students remaining below grade-level expectations.
Rhode Island State Police Training Academy recruits march during the 2025 Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
By Nolan Page
Seventeen new Rhode Island state troopers are expected to graduate 17 from the State Police training academy in August — up from 16 last year. Class sizes are still down from the 29 troopers who graduated in 2024. Now recruitment is happening for the Class of 2027, with a new academy set to start in March, marking the fifth consecutive year of training classes. Classes were previously held in 2019 and 2022.
The main entrance of Food and Drug Administration Building 1 on the FDA campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Photo by Michael J. Ermarth/FDA)
By Sam Guntt | D.C. Bureau
A top U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said Monday that a false positive report for the parasite cyclospora from a Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce sample does not change the basis for an ongoing agency investigation.
For decades, federal wildlife officials have protected old-growth forests as critical habitat for northern spotted owls. But a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act issued by the Trump administration removes protections for wildlife habitat. (Photo by Tom Kogut/U.S. Forest Service via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Flickr)
By Alex Brown | Stateline
The Trump administration is removing protections from the key places where endangered species live, saying states can keep the areas safe. But experts say states aren’t equipped for the task. Earlier this month, the Trump administration finalized a major change to the Endangered Species Act, rolling back protections for the forests, wetlands, deserts and other critical habitats that many plants and animals rely on.
ICYMI
Middletown water main breaks prompt boil water advisory| Janine L. Weisman and Nancy Lavin
COMMENTARY: Digital tools expedite road and bridge work repairs. Make them eligible for federal highway funds. | David Lieberman
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