Woonsocket Radio News Room

 


WEEKLY MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

 

Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz : It's time to vote on pay raises
When Governor Dan McKee requested pay raises for his cabinet directors for the second time in barely a 6-month span, Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers were quick to respond by calling for an up or down vote by the General Assembly.  Read the full press release here.

WEEKLY  LEGISLATIVE  HIGHLIGHTS

Morgan bill would limit who can mail voters’ mail ballots.
Senator Elaine Morgan (R-Dist. 34, Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond, West Greenwich) introduced the legislation (S-0395), ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS – MAIL BALLOTS. The bill Requires that only the mail ballot voter or their spouse/court appointed guardian/cohabitant/or adult person related to the voter by blood or marriage, be allowed to physically mail the voted mail ballot. The bill was referred to Senate Judiciary.  On March 7, the committee recommended the measure be held for further study.

Paolino bill would increase aggregate limit for tax credits.
Senator Thomas Paolino (R-Dist. 17, Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield) introduced the legislation (S-0267), ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- TAX CREDITS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCHOLARSHIP ORGANIZATIONS.  The legislation would increase the aggregate amount of tax credits for contributions to scholarship organizations to $5,000,000 for 2024.  The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

SESSION  HIGHLIGHTS

The Senate Minority Caucus was excited to welcome Leader Emeritus Dennis L. Algiere back to the Senate chamber on Thursday, March 16, as the General Assembly honored Irish and Italian cultures with their traditional celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day.  The Senate session included an Irish heritage address delivered by former Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey and an Italian heritage address delivered by former Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere. 

Read the Senate Resolution honoring Senator Dennis L. Algiere for his service to the people of the state of Rhode Island here. 

SENATE MINORITY NEWS

The Senate Minority Office extends proud congratulations to Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers on his appointment to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Advisory Council. Read full release here.
 

COMMUNITY  ENGAGEMENTS

Senator Anthony DeLuca welcomed students from Tollgate High School in Warwick to visit the Senate Minority Office during their tour of the State House March 16th.  

Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to impact the east coast. At two p.m. Eastern, New York City was listed as having the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir-dot-com. Major League Baseball postponed games in Philadelphia and New York City tonight due to air quality conditions in those cities.       President Biden's age is impacting how some voters view his ability to be president. A new Economist-YouGov poll found 48-percent of independent voters think his health and age "severely" limits his ability to be president. Just 11-percent said they believe Biden's age and health have "no effect at all" on his job performance.        Mike Pence says the U.S. is in "a lot of trouble" thanks to the Biden administration. The former Vice President made that comment during his speech kicking off his presidential campaign in Iowa today. He stressed new leadership is needed in the White House and Republican party, which is why he's running for president.        The U.S. could see more bank consolidation. In an interview with CNBC, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she wouldn't be surprised to see further consolidation among small banks in the banking sector as some are experiencing pressure on earnings. Yellen's comments come after several mid-sized banks failed and were seized and sold by federal regulators earlier this year.       Rory McIlroy is still speaking out against LIV Golf, one day after a merger with the PGA Tour was announced. The four-time major champion told reporters he "still hates" it. He added that he hopes it goes away after the 2023 season and expects that it will.        Actress Shannen Doherty says her breast cancer has spread to her brain. The "Beverly Hills 90210" star was first diagnosed in 2015. She shared the update on Instagram with an emotional video that captured a vulnerable look into her health journey, documenting the moment where she was crying while getting radiation treatment.        

Old News Archives