Latest news with #GetRhodeMap
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Familiar faces and newcomers battle for Ruggerio's seat in R.I. Senate District 4
Stefano Famiglietti (D) The North Providence councilman and lawyer begins the race as the heavy favorite with the endorsement of the Senate 4 District Committee and the support of the majority of the elected officials in town. He also understands how to win a tight Democratic primary, having defeated an incumbent 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 Marcia Ranglin-Vassell (D) Advertisement No one understands how to win a close race better than Ranglin-Vassell, who stunned the Rhode Island political class in 2016 when she beat then-House Majority Leader John DeSimone Lenny Cioe (D) The good news for Cioe is that he has run in three consecutive Democratic primaries in the Senate District 4. The bad news is that his vote count against Ruggerio fell from 1,633 in 2020 to 845 last year. Still, there will be familiarity in the district with this progressive candidate, who works as a registered nurse. Advertisement Manny Taveras (D) An account executive for a pharmacy benefits manager, Taveras has a good person to ask about how to win a multi-candidate primary where the establishment appears to be supporting someone else: his brother, Angel Taveras, swept to victory in the 2010 Providence mayoral race despite not being the endorsed Democrat. Alexander Asermely (R) The attorney has never run for office before, and is running in a district where residents tend to vote reflexively for Democrats in local elections. But President Trump's vote count has increased steadily in North Providence in three consecutive presidential elections. Stephen Tocco (I) A former member of the Smithfield Town Council, Tocco earned just 6 percent of the vote during his campaign for Senate District 4 last year. 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
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
New poll shows R.I. Governor Dan McKee's approval rating at 19 percent
The bigger picture: McKee announced plans to 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 So what now? Advertisement If you're Foulkes, you do you. You keep raising money, and you cross your fingers that McKee stays in the race and any other top tier contenders take a pass. If you're Shekarchi, this is when you ramp up behind-the-scenes talks with union leaders to suggest that it's time to nudge McKee into retirement with the old 'for the good of the Democratic Party' argument. Translation: Your point is, 'If you don't want Foulkes, you need me.' Advertisement If you're Neronha, you capitalize on your moment. Your But campaigns don't magically come together, so you have to start raising money and building a team. If you're McKee, you brace yourself and buckle in. You and your team have always known this campaign was going to be a slog. Yes, but: The poll asks relatively generic questions that offer voters the ability to vent their frustrations, but it doesn't demonstrate the decision they'll have to make between the candidates, which McKee has consistently won during three successful campaigns for statewide office in the past. Still, McKee is in desperate need of a UNH poll shows President Trump's job approval at 37 percent – nearly twice McKee's. He might get a boost in the next week or so because 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 e-mail Monday through Friday, Dan McGowan can be reached at
Boston Globe
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘'Jaws'-esque' video of Block Island shark sighting lures millions of views on social media
Related : No, this And the short clip showing a basking shark in the island's Great Salt Pond has quickly gone viral since the organization shared it on 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 Advertisement Video embedded with permission from the Atlantic Shark Institute. 'It's kind of 'Jaws'-esque,' he told the Globe, drawing a comparison to a But that wasn't the case on Monday. 'In reality, it's a basking shark, which is a filter-feeding shark, so it's harmless to humans,' Dodd said. 'But that didn't prevent people from getting real excited and really anxious and all 'Jaws'-esque.' 'There's been thousands of comments, and of course they've all been the same thing: 'We're going to need a bigger boat,'' he added. Advertisement Indeed, Instagram users took glee in drawing comparisons between the movie and the striking sight captured on Block Island. 'It was a bunch of high school kids swimming with card board fins trying to scare off tourists,' one user quipped in the comments. Another, borrowing a few words from the movie's stubborn mayor, wrote: 'The beaches will be open for the 4th of July!' 'Where's the Ki[n]tner boy?' quipped a third, referencing one of the movie's young victims. According to Dodd, sharks typically migrate around Block Island, but apparently this particular shark decided to enter the pond, which connects out to the Block Island Sound on the island's western shore. Dodd said the shark was only in the pond for about a day, as it had already left by Wednesday morning. 'This happens several times a summer, sharks will go in there,' he said. 'Quite often through a tide change or frankly at night when things quiet down, they'll find their way back out.' Dodd said the institute estimates the shark is at least 20 feet long, based on the video and other clips taken from the pond that it received. According to Dood, these kinds of videos can be valuable, as researchers can't be everywhere all the time. 'Citizen science is really important today,' Dodd said. 'With everybody having a cell phone, it's remarkable what people are able to capture, and it's all valuable.' Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Providence mayor signs order setting new rules after Palestinian flag controversy
Related : Advertisement The mayor's office quickly crafted the policy this week after 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 Smiley called it 'divisive,' while Council President Rachel Miller, who requested to raise the flag, said it was meant to celebrate Palestinian cultural contributions. 'I know that it is a very heated topic,' Miller said last week. 'The message is that we all have a right to exist in the city of Providence, and we all make contributions to the city of Providence.' Smiley traveled to Israel earlier this month, and the request from Miller to raise the Palestinian flag came in while he was there. He said he felt he had to approve it based on Providence's lack of policy. Advertisement The full council did not vote on the decision to fly the flag, and some councilors objected to it. Around 200 people attended the rally at the flag event: those celebrating that Palestinians were being recognized and counter-protesters who decried the decision to raise the flag as appearing to glorify Hamas, the terror group that governs Gaza. The new order was crafted with a In its opinion, the high court said since Boston didn't have a written policy about flags, and the city routinely approved hundreds of flag requests — including one from a local bank — it was allowing its flagpole to be a forum for private free speech. But the court noted that a city could have a policy declaring its flagpole to be a forum for 'government speech,' and then the government could approve or deny flags based on the content of the flag. The legal issue has continued to plague towns and cities since the decision came down. A Smiley's new order says the eastern flagpole, which juts out in front of Providence City Hall, is 'not intended to serve as a forum of free expression by the public.' The Pride flag is expected to be the next ceremonial flag to be raised. Advertisement It's unclear if the Palestinian flag would be allowed to fly again under the new order. Since Smiley has said he would not approve it, it would need to survive a vote by the City Council. In an email sent out by the Rhode Island Democratic Party on Friday, Smiley said it was time to 'turn down the temperature' on the Israel-Palestinian debate, following the 'Providence's Jewish community is strong and vibrant - but we are also frightened,' Smiley said. 'We can all agree that the loss and destruction on both sides is devastating. We can all agree that de-escalation and dialogue is necessary for a path to peace. And we can all agree that we cannot - we must not - let this conflict halfway around the world breed further division, hate, and violence in our own backyard.' Steph Machado can be reached at
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
What promises were made in the battle for the R.I. Senate leadership?
The barbed exchange is pulling back the curtain on a Senate leadership battle that played out even on the day of the late 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 The dispute began when Ciccone was interviewed for this week's Advertisement Ciccone, a Providence Democrat, was asked for his reaction to a progressive group that called him 'Trump Lite,' describing him as 'anti-choice, anti-LBGTQ+, anti-gun safety, anti-climate.' As part of his response, Ciccone said that during the leadership battle he 'wasn't one of the people that were out there telling (senators) if you vote for this, I'll grant you money for your schools, I'll grant you this, I'll reduce the tax on clothing.' Advertisement Ciccone confirmed that he was referring to Pearson, a Cumberland Democrat and former majority leader who lost the leadership battle to Lawson and Ciccone on April 29. 'I know (Pearson) called the mayor of Johnston, offered him $10 million for a school, called one of the ... senators in Pawtucket, offered $5 million for their schools,' Ciccone said. 'And then he called another senator and said, on the sales tax on clothing, we'll eliminate that. So in that one day, just prior to the vote, I think he gave away over $30 million of state money.' When asked what he thought of that, Ciccone said, 'I think it was totally illegal.' When asked for his response, Pearson did not deny he offered those deals, but said he did nothing illegal. He said he has long supported increases in state education aid in communities such as Pawtucket and Johnston, and said there's nothing wrong with discussing what legislation you would support or oppose. 'As far as I know, every senator — when making commitments to vote for someone — asks for certain things,' Pearson said. 'This is how it works. Every senator had different things they asked me for, as I'm sure they asked him for. I know they promised no assault weapons ban. Was that illegal?' Pearson said conservative senators told him they were voting for the Lawson/Ciccone leadership team because they were promised that Lawson would put the assault-weapons ban 'up for committee vote to let it die.' 'The conservatives were promised [Lawson] would have no power because her Number 2 and Number 3 would be conservative men in the chamber,' Pearson said, referring to Ciccone and Senate Majority Whip David P. Tikoian, a Smithfield Democrat. Advertisement Lawson and Ciccone issued a statement Wednesday, saying, 'No such promises were made.' Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard hours of testimony on the assault-style weapons ban, introduced by Senator Louis P. DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat who said he has 24 of the 37 senators as co-sponsors. The committee held the bill for further study. The 10-member committee is viewed as being evenly split between supporters and opponents of the bill. The attention is focused on whether Lawson, Ciccone, and Tikoian will use their ex officio power to vote on any committee and send that legislation to the Senate floor. As the April 29 leadership vote approached, Pearson said he had secured 18 votes — one shy of the 19 needed to become president. He said 'swing' senators who preferred him as president told him they had committed to the Lawson/Ciccone team because of their commitment to kill the assault weapons ban. 'So I said, 'Fine, I'll kill it too,' Pearson said. 'I knew it was already dead. I remain in support of it, and would love to see it become law, but I knew it would ensure [Lawson] is the president.' On the day of the leadership vote, Pearson and his supporters did not enter the Senate Lounge for the Democratic caucus until well after the Lawson and Ciccone supporters entered. Pearson confirmed that if he could get 19 votes, he and his supporters were planning to skip the caucus and go straight into the Senate session in which all senators, including Republicans, would vote for president. But that plan fell apart when Pearson couldn't secure the 19th vote. In the end, Lawson received 24 votes while Pearson received 8 votes, and Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, a North Smithfield Republican, received 4 votes. Advertisement Pearson said Ciccone had approached him in 2023 and 2024, looking to become majority leader if Pearson became president. 'He kept shopping until he found someone who would give him that, and that person was Val,' he said. Pearson said the Lawson/Ciccone team told conservative senators they would hold sway while they told liberal senators 'it would be the most progressive Senate leadership in the history of the state.' And, he said, 'I don't know which one of those two will be true.' Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
