By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Wednesday morning!
A rare fall session is in store for state lawmakers to consider filling nine judicial vacancies.
The House and Senate must separately confirm Gov. Dan McKee’s Supreme Court nominee, Luis Matos, although as of Tuesday, McKee had yet to formally transmit the nomination to both chambers.
The full Senate is already planning to meet Nov. 5 to formally receive appointments and refer them to the Judiciary Committee, Christopher Shea reports.
The Senate committee is scheduled to hold hearings Nov. 17 and 18, and the Senate is set to consider nominations on Dec. 1, with a second session the following day if needed.
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High tide in Westerly is at 10:56 a.m. and 11:25 p.m. Low tide is at 6:18 p.m. Sunrise is at 7:14 a.m. Sunset is at 5:47 p.m.
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The East Bay Chamber of Commerce hosts two of the three leading gubernatorial candidates for a nonpartisan Governor’s Forum from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at The Event Room at Cutler Mill, 16 Cutler Street, Warren (behind Tom's Market). Independent Ken Block and Republican Aaron Guckian accepted invitations to participate. Bay Media Group Publisher Scott Pickering moderates the discussion on small business policy, regional economic development and state priorities.
The Public Utilities Commission meets at 10 a.m.
The Long-Term Care Coordinating Council meets at 10 a.m.
A special legislative commission studying water supply planning and housing development in rural communities meets at 3 p.m. with experts from the University of Rhode Island and representatives of the state Water Resources Board and the Charlestown Climate Resiliency Commission.
Rhode Island Superior Court Associate Justice Luis Matos stands alongside Gov. Dan McKee during an Aug. 12, 2026, news conference announcing his nomination to the state Supreme Court. McKee has yet to formally submit the nomination to lawmakers for advice and consent. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
For the first time in six years, state lawmakers are set to reconvene after the November election to consider the appointments of five magistrates and potentially four other judges, including Gov. Dan McKee’s pick for the Supreme Court. The Senate is scheduled to meet Nov. 5 to formally receive appointments and refer them to the Judiciary Committee. The governor has yet to formally transmit his Supreme Court nomination to both the House and Senate. The House has yet to set a date to meet.
Democratic Rep. Megan Cotter, left, is seeking reelection to her third term in the House District 39 race against Republican Hopkinton Town Councilor Jasmin Roy, right. (Photos courtesy of Megan Cotter and League of RI Businesses)
By Nancy Lavin
They are both moms in their 40s who want to lower energy bills and preserve western Rhode Island’s rural beauty. The similarities between Democratic Rep. Megan Cotter of Exeter and her Republican challenger Jasmin Roy of Hopkinton end there.
Richard Charest, secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, left, attends an event at the State House in April 2025. Rhode Island Medicaid Director Kristin Sousa, right, will become interim secretary this week as Charest departs for a new role. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Kristin Sousa, Rhode Island’s Medicaid program director, will serve as interim secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services starting Oct. 29, Gov. Dan McKee announced Tuesday. She fills the opening left by Richard Charest, who is leaving the cabinet-level position at the end of the month to take a job as CEO of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital.
Voters line up outside Shiloh Hills Baptist Church in Kennesaw, Georgia, on Election Day, May 19, 2026. (Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
By Jonathan Shorman | D.C. Bureau
For decades, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has deployed election monitors across the country to watch the voting process. But the 2026 monitoring program is larger, with a presence in all 50 states. DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels told States Newsroom that about 1,000 monitors will be involved but that the department won’t disclose the full list of monitored locations until Election Day — Nov. 3.
ICYMI
Rhode Island is first state to sue Meta over alleged profits from scam ads | Christopher Shea
Brighter streetlights cut nighttime violence, but only for a while, study finds | Amanda Watford, Stateline
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