By Nancy Lavin | Senior reporter
It’s Wednesday.
I initially opened this email greeting with a very confident declaration of “it’s Thursday.” Summer holidays and vacations shortening the typical five-day work week has put my internal calendar on “break mode.”
Not getting a break this week are the candidates for local, state and federal office. After a week of frantic signature-gathering to make the ballot, they are now hitting “refresh” on the Rhode Island Department of State online portal as local boards of canvassers review and verify the authenticity of the signatures on their nomination papers. A few candidates remain just below the signature threshold at the time of this writing Tuesday afternoon.
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High tide in Newport is at 9:08 a.m. and 9:34 p.m. Low tide is at 2:38 p.m. Sunset is at 8:17 p.m.
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Right from the Start, a coalition of advocacy groups led by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, will gather with lawmakers and parents at Child Inc. in Warwick at 10 a.m. for a press conference to celebrate wins for children and families from the 2026 legislative session.
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A traveling art exhibit by Kayem Foods opens today at Narragansett Brewery in Providence, featuring a series of paintings of famous historical scenes reimagined with hot dogs. The “tongue in cheek” pop-up will be featured in the brewery taproom until July 19, before it journeys to Patriots Training Camp.
Sen. Victoria Gu, right, rises on the Senate floor alongside Sen. Lou DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, on June 11, 2026. Both senators serve on the Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies. Gu, a Westerly Democrat, is the committee chair. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Rhode Island lawmakers passed limited AI regulations for companion models and use in healthcare. Broader tech regulations, including data centers, largely stalled, although a cryptocurrency study commission is finally coming to the State House.
The collapsed portion of the Cliff Walk in Newport as viewed from south of Webster Street is shown on Jan. 2, 2023. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
More than four years after a section of Newport’s Cliff Walk collapsed, a repair plan has taken shape. But before the city can proceed with the $23 million project to repair, two broken sections of the walking path and stabilize the rocky bluffs below, it needs approval from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.
Frank Nocera presents for the National Weather Service at the Drought Steering Committee's meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Photo by Nolan Page/Rhode Island Current)
By Nolan Page
Recent rainfall hasn’t been enough to pull Rhode Island out of its drought watch, and the July heat hasn’t worsened conditions enough to warrant the next stage of drought monitoring, the Drought Steering Committee determined Tuesday morning
U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, left, Republican of South Carolina, participates in a reenactment of her swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol on July 14, 2026, alongside her husband, Larry Nordone, and Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, president pro tempore of the Senate. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)
By Shauneen Miranda | D.C. Bureau
Sen. Darline Graham joined the U.S. Senate Tuesday, temporarily filling the seat of her late brother, Lindsey Graham.
The new Consumer Price Index released on July 14, 2026, showed gasoline prices cooled, compared to $4.99 a gallon at this station in Silver Spring, Maryland, on May 17, 2026. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
By Ashley Murray | D.C. Bureau
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh faced a grilling by members of the House Committee on Financial Services Tuesday in his first appearance before Congress since he was confirmed to lead the central bank.
ICYMI
US House passes bipartisan bill to make daylight saving time permanent | Amelia Twyman, D.C. Bureau
After 2 deadly shootings, ICE reportedly ordered to end vehicle enforcement stops | Ariana Figueroa, D.C. Bureau
After US Sen Lindsey Graham’s death, Trump recommends Graham’s sister to fill out term | Jennifer Shutt, D.C. Bureau
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