Latest news with #DanMcKee
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A first date or a power move? Basketball columnist says McKee's meeting raises questions
Was this just an introductory meeting? The business equivalent of a first date? Perhaps an attempt to gain some leverage while negotiating elsewhere? All we have is speculation following a reported Friday rendezvous between Gov. Dan McKee and an unnamed potential investor in the Connecticut Sun, the WNBA team that currently plays its home games at Mohegan Sun Arena. McKee and the investor reportedly toured Amica Mutual Pavilion, a potential new home for the franchise should the Mohegan Tribe decide to sell its controlling stake. ESPN reported in May the team was exploring its financial options, including taking on potential limited partners. Was this a little public flirting with Providence to spur some action at home? The Sun are one of few remaining teams in the league without a dedicated practice facility, using their home arena for both training and games. XL Center in Hartford is set to undergo a $100 million renovation, a possible in-state option if ownership — current or new — would like to leave the casino grounds but stay nearby. The Mohegan Tribe bought the team for $10 million in 2003 and moved it from Orlando to its home for the last 22 years. The logic at the time was obvious — a new arena that needed an anchor tenant and a market that boasted one of the most passionate women's college basketball followings in the nation. The University of Connecticut just won its 12th national championship under coach Geno Auriemma and has sent dozens of players on to the professional ranks. The WNBA is big business now That was a different WNBA than the one that tipped off this spring. Nielsen reported a 201% spike in viewership from 2023 to 2024. That climb is now at 791% since the start of 2017. Sportico estimated the Sun's value at $80 million last year, a significant growth from the last time ownership changed hands. This is a league with major crossover appeal at the moment, and that starts with the college game. Name, image and rights legislation implemented by the NCAA has allowed players to both get paid and reach wider audiences than ever before. Caitlin Clark had major brand deals with Nike, Gatorade and State Farm in hand before she graduated from Iowa and became the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft. Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are the three most followed players in the league on Instagram, and they all arrived within the last two years. Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith are both in the top 10 and have played less than two seasons. Juju Watkins, the standout guard at Southern California, will be next. WNBA schedule lines up with Providence's downtown The current WNBA schedule runs from May to September, a pocket that coincides with several dates typically available downtown. The Providence Bruins open their regular season in October and finish in April — only an extended run in the Calder Cup playoffs would create any overlap. The Providence College men's basketball team plays its home games between November and March, heading off to the Big East Tournament about two months before the women would take center stage. Is recruiting the team worth it? It's worthwhile for McKee or any other state official to explore such an opportunity. Men's college basketball has meant big business downtown since the former Providence Civic Center opened in the 1970s, including a return of the NCAA Tournament in March. Bars, restaurants and hotels were jammed over a four-day weekend that featured visits from big programs like Kansas, St. John's, Arkansas, Clemson and Purdue. Could a professional women's team capture some summer attention here? The possibility is certainly generating some discussion. Where it goes from here is anybody's best guess. bkoch@ On X: @BillKoch25 This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: McKee's WNBA meeting wasn't just optics — it was opportunity | OPINION
Boston Globe
01-08-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Foulkes and Shekarchi lead the pack in summer campaign fundraising
Here's a look at where things stand. Governor Dan McKee (D) Cash on hand: $879,207 Slices of cake that buys: 79,710 The governor brought in $206,000 during the second quarter, but spent $75,000 as he began to staff up for his reelection campaign. His team knows it will need to ramp up fundraising for the rest of the year. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos (D) Advertisement Cash on hand: $14,611 Slices of cake that buys: 1,324 Matos had a quiet second quarter as Democratic primary opponents began to line up against her. She also repaid herself $5,000 from previous campaign loans. Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) Cash on hand: $142,496 Slices of cake that buys: 12,919 The secretary of state raised about $42,000 in the second quarter of the year, and he doesn't appear likely to have a serious opponent next year. Attorney General Peter Neronha (D) Cash on hand: $119,203 Slices of cake that buys: 10,807 Advertisement The attorney general still isn't ruling out a run for governor, but he has not been actively raising money in 2025. Treasurer James Diossa (D) Cash on hand: $215,377 Slices of cake that buys: 19,526 It's unlikely that Diossa will have a Democratic primary challenger next year, so he and Secretary of State Amore are already basically raising money for whatever they want to do in 2030. House Speaker Joe Shekarchi (D) Cash on hand: $3,858,818 Slices of cake that buys: 349,847 The speaker's campaign fund is so large that he generates more bank interest than Lieutenant Governor Matos has in her entire account. Senate President Val Lawson (D) Cash on hand: $205,439 Slices of cake that buys: 18,625 It pays to be No. 1. The new Senate president nearly raised as much in one quarter as she raised for all of 2022, 2023, and 2024 combined. House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski (D) Cash on hand: $360,445 Slices of cake that buys: 32,678 The speaker-in-waiting is in a holding pattern while Shekarchi considers a run for governor. He didn't have much activity in the second quarter, although he did pay himself back for a $4,800 loan he made to his campaign back in 2010. Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone (D) Cash on hand: $115,286 Slices of cake that buys: 10,452 Ciccone may have avoided a Democratic primary next year by allowing some version of an assault weapons ban to move forward, and he should see his campaign fund swell in the coming months. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (D) Cash on hand: $1,003,616 Slices of cake that buys: 90,989 The mayor doesn't yet have an opponent in next year's Democratic primary, but he's going to have a massive financial advantage in the race. State Representative David Morales is considering challenging him from the left. Advertisement Helena Foulkes (D) Cash on hand: $2,105,532 Slices of cake that buys: 190,891 Foulkes hasn't formally announced her campaign for governor, but she has hired the firm run by Eric Hyers as a consultant in the race. Hyers ran David Cicilline's first two campaigns for Congress, and Gina Raimondo's 2014 race for governor. He also ran Andy Beshear's campaign for governor in Kentucky, and Steve Bullock's reelection campaign for Montana governor. This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Dan McGowan can be reached at
CNBC
10-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
46. Rhode Island
Governor: Dan McKee, Democrat Population: 1,112,308 GDP growth (Q1 2025): 0.2% Unemployment rate (May 2025): 4.9% Top corporate tax rate: 7% Top individual income tax rate: 5.99% Gasoline tax: 56.52 cents/gallon Bond rating (Moody's/S&P): Aa2, Stable/AA, Stable Economic profile sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federation of Tax Administrators, Energy Information Administration (including 18.40 cent/gallon federal tax), Moody's Investor Service, S&P Global Market Intelligence
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'A powerful step': McKee signs ban of 'assault weapons' sales in RI into law. What to know.
PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island's squabbling political leaders put aside their political differences over the budget – among other issues – long enough to celebrate a ban on the sale of "assault weapons" in Rhode Island being signed into law. Before he signed the legislation on Thursday, June 26, Gov. Dan McKee hailed "this historic day" in the 13-year battle for an "assault weapons" ban that began after the 2012 mass shooting by a lone gunman of 26 children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in neighboring Newtown, Connecticut. The battle ended, for now, with a compromise that prohibits the manufacture, sale and transfer, but not the possession, of certain high-powered firearms after July 1, 2026. The official signing of the legislation into law was hailed by the lead Senate sponsor, Sen. Louis DiPalma, as a "transformative" step in the fight to limit the proliferation of deadly weapons. And it gave McKee a moment in the spotlight to thank the lawmakers who played a key role in forging the compromise that won over the doubters in the House and Senate who wanted a full ban, including Senate President Valarie Lawson. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi went unmentioned, but Shekarchi in his own turn got in a dig at McKee for putting an "assault weapons" ban in his proposed budget, where the speaker said he and Rep. Jason Knight, the House sponsor of the legislation, agreed it did not belong. In her own turn, Lawson hailed the bill as "the most significant gun legislation to ever come before the General Assembly." "We're taking a powerful step to take weapons of war off the streets and make our communities safer. And as a former educator and as a Rhode Islander, it means a great deal to me," she said. As the author of a wider-reaching "assault weapons" ban that won House approval before hitting a wall in the Senate, Knight said there were many lessons to be learned from what happened along the way, among them that "this is what successful popular action looks like." Knight voiced gratitude to "everyone in this room who knocked doors, gave money, showed up [at the] committee hearings, lobbied [on] those hot [days] in May and June, went up to legislators and said, 'Can I talk to you about this?'" "One word got us here. Leadership got us here," said DiPalma, thanking in particular Lawson, who has only been Senate president since April 29. "She said: 'We're going to get this done.' The speaker said: 'We're going to get this done.' "Guess what? When the folks at the top speak, people rally around and say, let's figure out how to get there." The June 26 signing ceremony at the State House followed the exchange of public jabs over the budget the day before between McKee and Shekarchi, a potential primary challenger in the 2026 race for governor. McKee announced that he would not sign the $14.3 billion budget, but allow it to become law without his signature to show his objection to the many new and higher taxes within it. Shekarchi, in turn, blamed fellow Democrat McKee for handing lawmakers a proposed budget riddled with holes that failed to address major issues, including a critical Rhode Island Public Transit Authority funding gap and the relatively low reimbursement rates contributing to Rhode Island's primary care shortage. That did not come up Thursday. When asked after the gun-bill signing if he intended to renew the push for a full "assault weapons" ban in 2026, McKee said: "Well, let's see what happens with this. I think this is really good progress, and I'm going to celebrate that today and let's see what the impact is of this in terms of the objectives that were set." In the year before the new law takes effect, he said, Rhode Island can look, for example, at how a similar law has worked in Washington state. "We'll be reaching out to the governor there and talking to them about the impact that that legislation has on them," he said. As it stands, he said, the gun control measures passed year after year have made Rhode Island "leaders in the country." This story has been updated to correct a photo caption. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI 'assault weapons' sale ban signed into law by Gov. McKee
Hamilton Spectator
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
How Rhode Island finally pushed a partial assault weapons ban over the finish line
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Passing a new law restricting assault weapons took Rhode Island lawmakers more than 10 years, but it may offer a road map to other states looking to ease the proliferation of such firearms. For advocates, the fight is a prime example of the current challenges to passing gun control measures in the U.S., particularly surrounding semiautomatic rifles that have become the weapon of choice among those responsible for most of the country's devastating mass shootings. When Rhode Island's bill was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Dan McKee late last month, its sponsor, Democratic Rep. Jason Knight, told jubilant supporters: 'What was once the impossible became the inevitable.' How? Persistent advocacy, a change in legislative leadership and a last-minute overhaul to note the broader legal landscape. What did Rhode Island do? Rhode Island's ban, which goes into effect in 2026, prohibits the sale, manufacturing and distribution of certain high-powered firearms that were once banned nationwide. The law does not prohibit possessing such weapons, a key distinction compared with other assault weapon bans enacted elsewhere in the U.S. Currently, only Washington state has a similar law . A leadership change helped propel momentum The assault weapons ban got a much-needed boost from Senate President Valerie Lawson, who secured the Senate's top spot in the middle of session after her predecessor, Sen. Dominick Ruggiero, died in April. Lawson turned to the bill's sponsors and others to find common ground between lawmakers in the House and Senate who remained split on how far the law should go. Lawson's endorsement was seen as critical to securing the bill's passage, whereas Ruggiero had previously deferred action, pointing instead to the need for Congress to act rather than a state Legislature taking the lead. 'There are issues at certain points that meet the moment,' Lawson said. 'I think it was the time for this.' Gun control advocates also acknowledged that banning assault weapons in Rhode Island hadn't previously been a top priority given that the state has largely been spared from national high-profile shootings that sometimes help propel legislative change. Assault weapons bans consistently face court challenges In the U.S., just 11 states and Washington D.C. have some sort of prohibition on certain high-powered firearms that were once banned nationwide . Rhode Island's version is the only one not yet facing a constitutional challenge — though a lawsuit against it is all but assured. Certain state legal battles are on hold until others make their way through lower federal courts. To date, none of the lawsuits have been completely thrown out, but the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to have the final say. As Rhode Island lawmakers were in the middle of their gun debate, the high court declined to hear a challenge to Maryland's assault weapons ban — a move that some of the more conservative justices opposed. Justice Brett Kavanaugh even signaled that laws banning assault weapons are likely unconstitutional. 'Opinions from other Courts of Appeals should assist this Court's ultimate decision making on the AR–15 issue,' Kavanaugh wrote, referencing a popular style of high-powered rifle. Yet the legal focus on banning such weapons often hinges on possessing firearms such as AR-15-style rifles and AK-47s, rather than on the distribution process. Rhode Island lawmakers hope that by tailoring their assault weapons ban to sales, manufacturing and distribution, they might will bypass the thorniest legal questions raised by the Second Amendment. What other states are doing Attempts to expand Democratic-dominated Hawaii's assault weapons ban to rifles in addition to pistols stalled this year. In New Mexico, Democratic lawmakers who control the General Assembly adjourned without taking up an assault weapon ban. In Rhode Island, advocates say their work isn't over. 'It's progress,' said Melissa Carden, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence. 'But we know that a true assault weapons ban includes an enforceable ban on possession as well.' Defenders of Rhode Island's law bristle that their version could be considered weak. They point out that residents looking to purchase an assault weapon from nearby New Hampshire or elsewhere will be blocked. That's because federal law prohibits people from traveling to a different state to purchase a gun and returning it to a state where that particular of weapon is banned. 'Some of my constituents have already called me and made comments about 'bad, bad bad, I'm going out and buying three and four of them now,'' said Sen. Louis DiPalma, the Senate sponsor of the statute. 'Okay, come July 1st next year, you will not be able to do that anymore.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
