Latest Rhode Island Headlines

All the headlines from our Rhode Island Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Rhode Island Regulator Dwyer Named to Financial Stability Oversight Council

Apr 1 2022 // The Executive Committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has appointed Beth Dwyer, superintendent of Banking and Insurance for Rhode Island, to serve as NAIC’s representative on the...

Rhode Island Doctor Faces More Allegations by Labor Department

Mar 24 2022 // Federal labor officials are seeking a restraining order to bar a North Providence doctor from retaliating against a former employee who complained that a co-worker with COVID-19 put her at risk while she was pregnant.The...

Rhode Island Reaches $107M Opioid Settlements With Teva and Allergan

Mar 22 2022 // Rhode Island’s attorney general on Monday announced settlements he valued at $107 million against the drugmakers Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and AbbVie’s Allergan unit to resolve claims over their roles in...

Rhode Island AG Sues 4 Landlords Over Lead Poisoning Hazards

Mar 16 2022 // Four Rhode Island landlords who own properties in which children with lead poisoning live have been sued by the state for alleged noncompliance with state lead poisoning prevention laws, the attorney general’s office...

Trial Against Teva Begins in Rhode Island Multibillion-Dollar Opioid Case

Mar 15 2022 // Rhode Island is set to square off on Monday against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., as a multibillion-dollar trial begins over whether the Israeli company contributed to an opioid crisis that has caused more than...

Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules ‘Civil Death’ Law for Inmates Is Unconstitutional

Mar 9 2022 // An archaic Rhode Island law that says prison inmates serving life sentences are considered civilly dead in terms of their civil rights is unconstitutional, the state Supreme Court ruled in a landmark decision released...

FTC Sues to Stop Merger of Rhode Island’s Two Biggest Hospital Firms

Feb 18 2022 // The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday that it would file a lawsuit aimed at stopping the merger of Rhode Island’s two largest health care providers, Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System.The...

Rhode Island Bus Service Says Data Breach Affected 22,000

Feb 2 2022 // A data breach at the state agency that operates Rhode Island’s public bus service compromised the personal information of about 22,000 people, significantly higher than the previously announced number of 17,000,...

Rhode Island Fines Medical Transport Firm Over Fatal Crash by Unqualified Driver

Jan 11 2022 // The company contracted by the state to provide nonemergency medical transportation to Rhode Island residents was fined $600,000 Thursday in connection with a crash involving an unqualified driver that led to the death of a...

Butler & Messier Insurance Acquires Two Rhode Island Agencies

Dec 22 2021 // Butler & Messier Insurance recently acquired two Cranston, Rhode Island, insurance agencies to add to its expanding statewide footprint.Effective October 1, 2021, Butler & Messier successfully closed on the final...

Two Rhode Island Contractors Face $75K in Penalties for Worksite Cave-In Risks

Dec 21 2021 // A federal inspection at a Warwick, Rhode Island, excavation found two area contractors ignoring cave-in risks and placing their workers in serious danger.On July 8, 2021, a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and...

Rare November Tornadoes Hit Connecticut, Rhode Island

Nov 16 2021 // Three tornadoes that hit Rhode Island and southeast Connecticut this weekend were the first since at least 1950 to strike the area in November, the National Weather Service said Sunday.The service confirmed the three...

Rhode Island Woman Is Awarded $1.3M After Botched Surgery

Sep 30 2021 // A jury has awarded $1.3 million to a Rhode Island woman who underwent gallstone surgery that resulted in months of complications because of negligence from Kent Hospital.The jury reached a verdict Thursday, finding both...

Rhode Island Governor Vetoes Auto Body Insurance Claims Legislation

Jul 19 2021 // Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee has vetoed legislation regarding auto body insurance claims that he said would ultimately burden consumers.“While I recognize the stated intent of this bill is to protect consumers,...

Rhode Island Senate Approves Legalizing Marijuana for Adults

Jun 29 2021 // The Rhode Island Senate approved legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults, marking the first time either chamber of the state Legislature has voted on a bill to legalize cannabis.The proposal was introduced by...

Blind Teen Alleges Rhode Island Eatery Violated Her Rights

May 12 2021 // A blind Rhode Island teen and her family have filed a lawsuit with the Providence County Superior Court against a restaurant they say refused to seat them due to the presence of the teen’s service dog.Haylee Mota and...

Worker Dies in Accident at Submarine Building Facility in Rhode Island

Apr 23 2021 // An employee at Electric Boat’s facility in Rhode Island has died from injuries suffered in a workplace accident, the company said.Sean Davies, a vice president for the Connecticut-based submarine builder, told...

Rhode Island Governor Signs Climate Change Bill Into Law

Apr 12 2021 // A wide-ranging climate bill that requires Rhode Island to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 was signed into law Saturday by Governor Daniel McKee.“With four hundred miles of coastline, urban and rural...

Rhode Island Lawmakers Introduce Police Reform Bill

Apr 8 2021 // Two Rhode Island lawmakers introduced legislation that would ban police from using chokeholds and require body-worn cameras for officers in every department statewide, among other things.The bill proposed by Sen. Jonathon...

Ex-Employee Gets Five Years for Stealing from Rhode Island Law Firm

Apr 1 2021 // A former bookkeeper and office manager at a Rhode Island law firm who previously pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly three-quarters of a million dollars from her employer has been sentenced to five years in prison, federal...