By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Saturday morning!
A gorgeous weekend is ahead! The Providence forecast calls for sunny with a high near 75 today and sunny with a high near 84 for Sunday.
* * *
High tide in Bristol is at 8:08 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Low tide is at 1:13 p.m. Sunset is at 7:58 p.m.
* * *
Rhode Island College has its Baccalaureate Degree Commencement Ceremony today at 10 a.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.
Salve Regina University has its commencement exercises Sunday at 10 a.m. on the Newport campus.
Quahog Week starts Sunday!
The interior of Providence City Hall. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
The Providence City Council’s signature policy effort this year — an effort to install a 4% ceiling on annual rent increases for select apartments in the city — failed to overpower a mayoral veto during a special vote Friday night. Five of the six councilors who voted against the ordinance did not attend the roughly 40-minute meeting, and the one opponent in attendance, Councilor Jo-Ann Ryan, was unlikely to flip. All nine supporters voted to cancel out Smiley’s veto.
U.S. Department of Justice attorneys Jordan Campbell, left, and Brantley Mayers leave U.S. District Court in Providence after a Tuesday, May 12, 2026, hearing over a federal subpoena seeking Rhode Island Hospital records tied to transgender minors’ medical records. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing Rhode Island U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy order Wednesday night blocking its attempt to secure sensitive medical records of transgender youth treated over six years at Rhode Island Hospital. McElroy’s 24-page order came a day before the deadline set by a Texas federal judge for the hospital to submit the requested records. The judge criticized DOJ's conduct in the ongoing legal battle.
A man fishes along the shoreline immediately north of the rock wall built without permission by the Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The attorney general’s office sued the country club over the wall on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Save the Bay)
By Nancy Lavin
After years of unsuccessful efforts by state coastal regulators to negotiate with the owners of Quidnessett Country Club and later, pursue legal action against them for a rock wall built without permission along its shoreline, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha's office filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Providence County Superior Court to force the North Kingstown country club to remove it.
Rhode Island House Majority Leader Katherine Kazarian, left, and House Speaker Christopher Blazejewski, right, present the case for establishing a new Office of Inspector General at a press conference Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
With six weeks until the end of the legislative session, new Rhode Island House Speaker Christopher Blazejewski looked to merge pragmatism with impact in his first act as the new heavyweight of the chamber. He announced Thursday he will introduce legislation next week calling for the creation of an office of inspector general, a proposal familiar to and widely supported among lawmakers and voters across the political aisle.
The exterior of U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island at 1 Exchange Terrace, Providence. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
The Trump administration is doubling down its criticism of Rhode Island U.S. Disstrict Court Judge Melissa DuBose after an attorney for the Department of Homeland Security defended keeping an online press release labeling her an activist judge for releasing a detainee wanted for homicide in the Dominican Republic.
Jay Gotra, former CEO of Smart Green Solar, is now running as a Democratic candidate for governor. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Jay Gotra, who led a solar sales company now being sued by the Rhode Island Attorney General's office for deceptive sales tactics, launches gubernatorial campaign. He is the fourth Democrat in the race, along with Gov. Dan McKee, Helena Buonanno Foulkes and Gregory Stevens.
ICYMI
Bill to reduce maximum misdemeanor sentences by one day passes RI Senate | Christopher Shea
How the Strait of Hormuz affects the price of filling your gas tank | David Lightman, D.C. Bureau
RI attorney general makes final push to boost enforcement powers against pharmaceutical middlemen | Alexander Castro
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.