
By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Thursday morning!
I spent way too long looking for a raccoon photo on Getty Wednesday afternoon. There were photos of sad raccoons, curious raccoons, guilty raccoons and even a sexy raccoon that looked like it knew how to be a model.
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High tide in Warwick is at 1:23 p.m. Low tide was at 5:51 a.m. and happens again at 6:40 p.m. Sunset is at 6:13 a.m. Sunset is at 7:15 p.m.
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Gov. Dan McKee and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed attend the 11 a.m. ceremony for the reopening of Eleanor Slater Hospital’s Regan Building in Cranston after a two-year, $74.5 million renovation of the psychiatric hospital facility.

Health Insurance Commissioner Cory King, right, speaks alongside Gov. Dan McKee during a press conference at the Rhode Island State House on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Rhode Island’s primary care providers could see a big boost to their Medicaid reimbursements under a $16 million proposal Gov. Dan McKee pledged on Wednesday to include in his next state budget if reelected. McKee’s promise accompanied the release of a yearlong review by the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, which looked into reimbursements across Rhode Island.

Twenty raccoons have tested positive for rabies in Rhode Island so far this year, according to the state Department of Health. (Getty image)
By Christopher Shea
Three people and two dogs were treated for possible exposure to rabies after two raccoons that tested positive for the disease were found about 5 miles apart in Warwick neighborhoods this week, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. The raccoons were found near Walter Street and Duncan Road and are the latest cases in a year when the state’s tally of rabid animals has climbed well above its five-year average.

A Utah County election worker picks up mailed ballots from the United States Postal Service office on Oct. 26, 2020, in Provo, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
By Jacob Fischler | D.C. Bureau
Ballots are typically designed and printed months ahead of being mailed out to voters. But President Donald Trump’s executive order placing new restrictions on mail-in voting would assign state officials a Herculean task to reach compliance before the crucial midterm elections.

Clients at Good Neighbors Community Kitchen and Food Pantry in East Providence wait in line for food assistance on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. The food pantry is one of the 140 agencies participating in the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s network.(Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
COMMENTARY
By Melissa Cherney
The leader of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank reflects on Hunger Action Month, rising food insecurity and why long-term solutions are needed to ensure no Rhode Islander goes hungry.
ICYMI
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