By Christopher Shea | Reporter
Hiya,
As four of the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor made their cases during a tightly timed debate on WPRI-12 Friday, former state Sen. Cindy Coyne’s campaign secured an additional 60 seconds of TV time with her first ad of the five-way primary.
Filings made with the Federal Communications Commission show Coyne’s campaign paid $500 to air it twice on WNAC, the Providence Fox affiliate that shares operations with WPRI-TV.
No additional filings for airtime on Rhode Island’s other television networks have been made by Coyne or any of the other lieutenant governor candidates. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the FCC’s website for any additional ad buys.
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High tide in Tiverton on Saturday is at 10:18 a.m. and 10:32 p.m. Low tide is at 3:51 p.m. Sunset is 8:02 p.m.
High tide in Newport Sunday is at 10:59 a.m. and 11:16 p.m. Low tide is at 4:13 a.m. and 4:31 p.m. Sunrise is 5:41 a.m. Sunset is at 8:01 p.m.
***
Here’s your look at the week that was:
Democratic candidates for Rhode Island attorney general participate in a debate hosted by OpenDoors at the Southside Cultural Center in Providence on July 30, 2026. From left: Keith Hoffmann, Jason Knight, Kim Ahern, and Joe Solomon. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
Rhode Island's four Democratic attorney general candidates mostly agreed on criminal justice priorities during a debate Thursday, but sharper differences emerged over the state’s federal detention facility and one candidate’s past votes in the State House.
Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor, from left, former state Sen. Cindy Coyne, Newport City Councilor Xay Khamsyvoravong, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and Providence City Councilor Sue AnderBois stand behind WPRI 12’s new podiums during a debate taped in East Providence on Friday, July 31, 2026. (Photo by James Bartone/WPRI 12)
By Alexander Castro
By Rhode Island standards, the Democratic primary for the lieutenant governor’s job is a packed one. Yet the five-candidate contest for the seat currently occupied by Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos has received somewhat scant attention, WPRI 12 politics editor Ted Nesi remarked to four of the candidates shortly before the cameras rolled on a debate taped Friday morning at WPRI’s studios in East Providence.
Democrat Helena Buonanno Foulkes, is shown speaking at at Grow Smart RI's 2026 Power of Place Summit Gubernatorial Forum on June 26, 2026. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Philip Eil
A review of Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Buonanno Foulkes' record leading CVS Pharmacy examines campaign claims about opioid prescribing, pill mill doctors and drug takeback efforts.
A Providence federal judge has tossed the town of Johnston’s attempt to take land from a family-owned homebuilding corporation for a new municipal complex. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Nolan Page and Christopher Shea
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose on Tuesday ruled Johnston's attempt to seize land for a new town hall and public safety complex violated constitutional requirements, handing a victory to developers planning a 252-unit affordable housing development on George Waterman Road.
Left-handed Gov. Dan McKee signs the fiscal 2027 budget at Children's Friend in Providence on Friday, June 12, 2026. In center background looking on is Senate President Valarie Lawson. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
A dual-language public charter school blocked from opening in Providence in the fall of 2027 under a moratorium passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Providence. De La Comunidad Bilingual Public Charter School had moved partially, but not entirely, through the necessary approval pipeline when the state legislature OK’d a three-year moratorium on new charter school approvals.
Former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, left, has landed on the governor's shortlist of nominees for the Rhode Island Supreme Court. At right is retired Rhode Island Superior Court Presiding Justice Alice Gibney, who testified in support of Shekarchi's application before the Judicial Nominating Commission on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
Shekarchi makes the list of Rhode Island Supreme Court potential nominees. But will he make the cut?
By Christopher Shea
Two judges, a state prosecutor, an appellate litigator who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, and former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi made the list of potential nominees to fill an open seat on the state’s high court the Judicial Nominating Commission approved Tuesday. But only four of these applicants received unanimous support from the nine-member panel in a vote at the end of a three-and-a-half hour interview and public comment session.
ICYMI
Washington Bridge closure lengthened East Bay ambulance trips, study finds | Alexander Castro
Dems ramp up TV ad spending in primary race for AG | Christopher Shea
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