By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Thursday morning!
Catch Senior Reporter Nancy Lavin on WPRI’s “Behind the Story,” talking about her reporting on the Woonsocket City Council’s crucial stopgap vote Monday to keep the city’s regional sludge incinerator running for now while pursuing its goal to close the facility. Watch the show here.
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High tide in Narragansett is at 12:52 p.m. Low tide is at 6:38 p.m. Sunrise is at 6:28 a.m. Sunset is at 6:52 p.m.
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The Rhode Island Airport Corporation meets at 9:30 a.m.
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts meets at 1 p.m. with three artists selected as finalists for a commission to create public art for the Ocean Robotics Laboratory and the University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus. The budget for the art is $140,000.
The Inspector General Independent Advisory Commission meets at 2 p.m.
The special legislative commission studying water supply planning for new housing developments in rural communities holds its first meeting at 3 p.m.
Rhode Island’s state employee payroll transparency portal is displayed on a laptop on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Anyone visiting Rhode Island’s payroll transparency portal to find out how much a certain state employee makes will be looking at not-quite-fresh numbers. The portal hasn’t been updated since Oct. 9, 2025, as the state continues working to integrate data from its new $99 million ERP system.
United Nurses & Allied Professionals workers picket outside Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
As contract talks between the union representing 1,200 workers at Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and The Centurion Foundation reach their fifth month in a stalemate, union workers have soured on the new owners of the pair of hospitals. They claim Centurion misled workers over its plans to close a critical home health service line.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore addresses graduates of the state Election Training and Certification Program in a ceremony at the Rhode Island Board of Elections offices on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
The U.S. Department of Justice has directed Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore not to destroy records from the 2024 election because he is “under investigation and ongoing litigation” over his compliance with federal election laws. Amore had not responded to the DOJ’s Sept. 4 letter as of Wednesday, Secretary of State office spokesperson Faith Chybowski confirmed.
The Independent Man stands atop the State House marble dome on Sept. 15, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
The public has until noon Thursday to submit written comment on the six finalists seeking to become the state’s first inspector general. The contenders for the new statewide office are scheduled to be interviewed by the state’s search panel Sept. 24.
Former Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Liz Tanner, who has joined the Community College of Rhode Island as interim vice president for workforce and institutional advancement. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Former Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Liz Tanner has joined the Community College of Rhode Island as interim vice president for workforce and institutional advancement after working a part-time summer gig at the community college. Applications for the permanent position with an annual salary range between $200,000 and $219,000 opened for submissions Tuesday and will close on Sept. 29.
ICYMI
Rhode Island archery hunters get earlier start under new deer rules | Alexander Castro
Fed raises interest rates for first time in 3 years, battling persistent inflation | Ashley Murray, D.C. Bureau
US House to leave for campaign break without action on AI, affordability | Jennifer Shutt, D.C. Bureau
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