
By Alexander Castro | Reporter
Happy, happy, happy Monday.
It’s May 11, id est, almost halfway through May, ergo, getting closer and closer, approaching nearer and nearer, tunneling relentlessly toward the midpoint of the year that is June. Now’s a great time to check in on those New Year’s Resolutions you may have forgotten about, non? 😉

Prescription drug costs and pharmacy benefit managers are central concerns in several healthcare bills backed by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha this legislative session. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
With less than two months in Rhode Island’s lawmaking session, outgoing Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha still has some legislation he’d like to see cross the finish line before he leaves office early next year — namely a quartet of legislative proposals aimed at improving healthcare delivery, access and pricing for Rhode Islanders.

Senior employees from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management moved into this lodge at the entrance to the W. Alton Jones campus in West Greenwich in April. (Photo by Ryan Arruda for Rhode Island Current)
By Ryan Arruda
Six years after pandemic lockdowns forced state officials to shut down the University of Rhode Island’s 2,300-acre environmental camp, nature preserve and conference center in West Greenwich, the site is finally set to reopen on Labor Day.

A still from a video of Christopher Cotham at work collecting signatures from registered voters is included in court documents. (Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General)
By Nancy Lavin
Nearly three years after forged signatures felled Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’ congressional campaign, the criminal cases against her campaign workers have concluded following a sentencing hearing in Providence County Superior Court on May 4.

New loan limits and repayment plans for federal student loans go into effect on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Shauneen Miranda | DC Bureau
The federal student loan system is set to see a dramatic overhaul beginning this summer, with two of the major changes including new loan limits for graduate and professional students as well as a restructured repayment system for new borrowers which offers two plan options.

Ethernet cables are pictured in a home server setup. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
COMMENTARY
By Daniel Shin
In today’s increasingly digital world, internet access is not a superfluous luxury but rather a practical necessity. A bill under consideration in the Rhode Island Senate would guarantee reliable and equitable service to all Rhode Islanders, writes Daniel Shin, a junior studying Economics & International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
ICYMI
ICE misses Rhode Island federal judge’s deadline to re-detain immigrant | Christopher Shea
Ethics complaint challenges Shekarchi’s bid for Rhode Island Supreme Court | Christopher Shea
DCYF warning to union leader raises First Amendment concerns, ACLU says | Alexander Castro
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