By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Monday morning!
Candidate nomination form signature counts — tracked online in real time by the Rhode Island Department of State — won’t be final until later this week. But it was not looking good for eight of the nine independent candidates who declared their candidacy in the governor’s race to qualify for the ballot. They needed to turn in a minimum of 1,000 validated signatures from registered voters by the 4 p.m. deadline on Friday.
Candidates for U.S. senator also need to collect 1,000 signatures. The online tracker shows one of two Democratic challengers looking to challenge Sen. Jack Reed has failed to meet that threshold so far.
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High tide in Little Compton is at 7:12 a.m. and 7:41 p.m. Low tide is at 12:51 p.m. Sunset is at 8:18 p.m.
A sunny day is in the Providence forecast. The high temperature will be near 86.
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Gov. Dan McKee signs legislation (S2504A/H7364A) requiring warehouse distribution center employers to provide each employee with written descriptions of quotas and responsibilities at a 10:30 a.m. ceremony in the Governor’s State Room at the State House. McKee will be joined by Teamsters Local 251 along with bill sponsors and others.
If you missed Senior Reporter Nancy Lavin on WPRI-TV’s “Newsmakers” over the weekend, you can watch it here.
Left to right are independent candidates Ken Block who is running for governor; Brittany Kubicek, running for House District 5; Rep. Jon Brien, running for reelection to House District 49; Allan Fung, running for House District 15; and Brian Coogan, running for Senate District 14. (Courtesy photos)
By Nancy Lavin
Twenty one independent candidates filed to run for state legislative and general office seats this election cycle, hoping voters' frustrations with the status quo will provide an opening for a third option. But Rhode Island's election history shows slim odds for independents in a system designed to benefit the two major political parties.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks as South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster looks on during a press conference in the governor’s office at the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, on Aug. 9, 2022. (File photo by Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)
By Jane Norman | D.C. Bureau
President Donald Trump said Sunday afternoon he has ordered all U.S. flags lowered to half staff until July 18 to honor Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died on Saturday night at age 71. Graham’s office, citing the District of Columbia medical examiner, said he died following an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. "Lindsey was a giant in the Senate,” Rhode Island Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement Sunday afternoon. “No one loved being a Senator more, or was more energetic. The Senate will be a lesser place without him. I’ve lost a dearly cherished friend.”
Secretary of State Gregg Amore addresses graduates of the state Election Training and Certification Program in a ceremony at the Rhode Island Board of Elections offices on June 18, 2026. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
Secretary of State Gregg Amore’s office on Friday released a July 7 letter from the U.S. Department of Justice asking for an outline of the steps the state is taking to maintain “clean voter lists” and how it's complying with federal law within five days. “Any election officer, including the chief election officer of the state, who knowingly retains noncitizens on the state’s (statewide voter registration list) or facilitates noncitizens in receiving and casting ballots could be subject to criminal liability,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote.
More than 9,000 Rhode Islanders have had medical debt forgiven under a state program that began in October 2024. (Getty image)
By Nancy Lavin
More than 9,000 Rhode Islanders have had $16.3 million in medical debt forgiven in the 19 months since the state debt relief program began, Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa’s office announced last week.
What a body camera records may not be what a police officer fully remembers during a moment of intense stress. (Photo by Bayne Froney/Cronkite News)
COMMENTARY
By Joe Broadmeadow
A retired East Providence police captain supports proposed changes that would allow police officers in Rhode Island to review body camera footage before giving formal statements after use-of-force incidents, citing research on stress, memory distortion and officer accountability. The ACLU of Rhode Island submitted testimony against the proposed changes now under consideration by the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety.
Graduate-level programs such as nursing are, for now, considered “professional” degrees by the U.S. Department of Education after a court order in late June halted the agency’s new “professional” definition while a legal challenge unfolds. (Photo by Getty Images)
By Shauneen Miranda
A federal court order has temporarily expanded higher student loan limits to more graduate programs, including nursing and occupational therapy, while a legal challenge over the Education Department’s definition of "professional" degrees continues.
ICYMI
Smiley goes on the attack in his 2026 Providence mayoral race ad debut | Christopher Shea
Applications open for new round of Wavemaker Fellowships | Rhode Island Current staff
15 states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts | Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline
Trump administration targets state AI laws over ideology | Robbie Sequeira, Stateline
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