Sen. Sheehan Calls for Actions Against Supreme Court Campaign Spending Decision

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Fri, 2010-03-19 11:12

Sheehan asks Senate backing on resolution criticizing Supreme Court ruling on corporate campaign spending

STATE HOUSE – The U.S. Supreme Court, in mid-January, ruled that the government cannot ban corporate spending in elections. The 5-4 decision lifted restrictions on corporations’ spending on political candidates or issues, effectively eliminating any bars to corporations giving unlimited amounts of money to campaigns.

As a New York Times editorial put it, the court ruling “thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century.”

Sen. James C. Sheehan (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown) announced he will be introducing a Senate Resolution that expresses disappointment with the Supreme Court ruling and that calls on Congress to “enact legislation to strengthen regulations and enhance disclosure of corporate and union election spending.”

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Unemployment Insurance Relief and Waivers Available to Flood-Damaged Businesses

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Fri, 2010-03-19 10:00

Rhode Island employers forced to lay off workers temporarily as a direct result of last weekend's flooding may be able to help their employees connect to unemployment insurance benefits sooner if the employers apply for a waiver with the Department of Labor and Training.

Rhode Island Law 28-44-14 waives the usual one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance if a worker's unemployment is caused by a natural disaster or state of emergency.

Also, employers whose storm-related property damage resulted in worker layoffs may be granted relief from related unemployment benefit charges if their businesses are deemed eligible under another weather related law, § 28-43-3. Under ordinary circumstances, employers are charged against their unemployment insurance account every time one of their employees draws on unemployment insurance.

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New Juror Named for Selection of 2010 Grantham Prize

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Thu, 2010-03-18 18:14

New Juror Named for Selection of 2010 Grantham Prize

NewsLab’s Deborah Potter Joins Grantham Prize Jury

NARRAGANSETT, RI – March 15, 2010 –The Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting has announced that Deborah Potter, founder and executive director of NewsLab, will be joining the team of jurors to select the 2010 Grantham Prize for excellence in reporting on the environment.

The Grantham Prize, the largest journalism cash prize in the world, honors the work of a journalist or team of journalists for exemplary reporting on environmental and/or natural resource issues with an award of $75,000.

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Special RI Commission Endorses Decriminalizing Ounce or Less of Pot

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Tue, 2010-03-16 18:08

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A special Rhode Island legislative commission has endorsed a proposal to decriminalize the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana.

The commission voted on Tuesday to endorse a report recommending a more lax approach to having small quantities of the drug. The report said the state would save money and avoid unnecessary arrests through the law change.

Though few people are jailed for marijuana possession alone, current state law makes it a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum $500 fine and up to a year behind bars.

Senate spokesman Greg Pare said the commission voted 11-2 to approve the report.

The issue now goes to the full Senate.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Big Storm, Big Waves...

Submitted by BenSienko on Tue, 2010-03-16 11:09

By: Ben Sienko

I can hear the heavy surf pounding Monahan's Dock from my living room. Torrential downpours, 40mph winds, 42 degrees in March, and we're going surfing. The excitement of long awaited swell buzzes throughout the surf community. My phone is ringing, boards strapped tightly to roof racks and poking out of passenger seats zip passed on Ocean Road, its here.

Cars line both sides of the street as we arrive to the local surf spot. Covered in a soft shell of neoprene wetsuit, my face is the only thing exposed to the 38 degree water. The lineup is packed. So many surfers are out testing their abilities in 5 to 8 ft waves, battling each other for the chance to ride the best one.

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RI Shellfishing Beds Closed Due to Storm

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Tue, 2010-03-16 09:06

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The weekend storm has forced the closure of some shellfishing beds in Rhode Island.
      
The state Department of Environmental Management has announced that all waters of Bristol Harbor and part of the east middle portion of Narragansett Bay will be closed to shellfish harvesting for a week starting Tuesday.
      
The closure is being enacted because of sewage overflows from the Bristol Wastewater Treatment Facility's collection system. The overflows were caused by high flows in the collection system from the rain.
      
The agency will collect water samples to test for fecal coliform bacteria levels beginning Wednesday, weather permitting, and will extend the closure if necessary.
      
The closure is in addition to all other shellfish closures currently in effect.

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ABC6 WEATHER: We Had A Wet Weekend, What's Ahead?

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Fri, 2010-03-12 18:41

The weekend was wet and miserable, What's in store for us this week? Stay with ABC6 Weather for more...

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RI Tax Revenue Collections Ahead of Estimates

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Fri, 2010-03-12 17:52

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Revenue collections are outpacing estimates in Rhode Island so far in the current fiscal year.

Fiscal advisers for the House of Representatives released data this week showing that total tax revenues are nearly 18 percent ahead of estimates. Sales tax revenues, typically seen as an indicator of economic activity, are $16.3 million ahead of projections.

The figures could offer a glimmer of hope for the economy, along with last week's news that the unemployment rate in January had held steady rather than decline further.

Leonard Lardaro, a University of Rhode Island economist, says the numbers are not surprising since the economy could not stay in a "free fall" forever.

The figures are being presented to the House Finance Committee,
which can rewrite the governor's budget proposals.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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RI DMV Extending Wednesday Closings

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Fri, 2010-03-12 16:22

The Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) today announced the agency will be extending the Wednesday closings to complete extensive cleanup of DMV data and to provide further training for DMV staff and its many interface partners.  The conversion to the new system is expected to occur by the end of June 2010.

To accommodate the extended training schedule, DMV branch locations in Woonsocket, Middletown, Wakefield, RI Mall, and Warren will continue to change their days of operation (see attached sheet for current days and hours of operation).   Road exams will continue to be offered each weekday, including Wednesdays, from the DMV's road test site in Pawtucket, and the DMV safety and emissions garage (Melrose St., Providence) will remain open Monday to Friday.  In addition, the public will be able to process transactions on-line at www.dmv.ri.gov, at local AAA offices, and through the mail.  

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Program to Give RI Small Businesses a Fighting Chance

Submitted by Chris Boardman on Thu, 2010-03-11 19:30

Rhode Island lawmakers are rolling up their sleeves to help small businesses survive the recession so they can thrive when it's over. ABC6 Reporter Paul Mueller has more...

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