Latest news with #Nesi'sNotes
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FBI questions North Providence fire officials about concrete project
NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — FBI agents visited a North Providence firehouse twice last week, asking questions about concrete work conducted under Mayor Charlie Lombardi's administration, Target 12 has learned. Fire Chief John Horan confirmed Tuesday multiple FBI agents visited his department last week, asking questions about concrete work that happened three to four years ago at the firehouse on Fruit Hill Avenue. 'They just showed up at the firehouse,' Horan said about the FBI agents. 'My members at the firehouse let me know they were there.' 'It's obviously concerning when the FBI is anywhere — that they were at the firehouse, it was extremely concerning,' he added. 'They discussed a facility problem that's a building maintenance issue.' Lombardi told Target 12 he'd been briefed about the inquiries but didn't think the FBI agents were asking questions about him specifically. The mayor said he's not concerned about the inquiry, but hasn't looked into what they were doing there. 'I am being hands off,' he said. 'I am not concerned because I don't want to know more about it.' An FBI spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation. Jay Petrillo, president of the North Providence firefights union, said he was also informed about the agents' visit, and urged his members to answer their questions truthfully. 'I can't tell you what they were there for,' he said. The inquiry comes at the same time Lombardi is facing allegations by a former town employee who said he was fired for refusing to work on the mayor's personal properties. Michael Charbatji sent a demand letter to North Providence officials in December, giving them notice of his intent to file a lawsuit seeking back pay, lost benefits, and damages he claims to have experienced since getting fired in 2022. Lombardi refuted the claims, saying, 'Anyone who has worked for me has gotten paid by me. They haven't gotten work on the town's dime.' Eli Sherman (esherman@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Tim White (twhite@ is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Census: RI near bottom for new housing construction in 2024
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island remains near the bottom of national rankings for housing production despite several years of State House activity aimed at increasing supply. New data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau shows Rhode Island had the slowest growth rate for new housing in the continental United States in 2024, with a year-over-year increase of just 0.2%. Only Alaska (0.2%) and Hawaii (0.1%) ranked lower. Massachusetts ranked a bit higher at 43rd, with an increase of 0.4%. The states at the top of the list added housing far faster, with top-ranked Idaho increasing its supply by 2.2% in 2024, followed by Utah (2%) and North Carolina (1.9%). Census estimates indicate Rhode Island added fewer than 1,000 housing units in total last year, increasing the statewide supply of houses, condos and apartments to 488,030. The number of units has increased by about 4,500 since 2020. The Census estimate of statewide housing supply is slightly higher than the R.I. Housing Department's estimate, published in an annual report last month, which pegged the total number of housing units in Rhode Island at 485,533 as of 2024. Whatever the exact number, both reports offer fresh evidence of the way limited supply is helping to fuel Rhode Island's ongoing housing crisis. The median price of a single-family home in Rhode Island was $465,000 in March, up from $206,000 a decade earlier, and apartment rents in Greater Providence are going up faster than in most other major metro areas. TARGET 12: Out-of-state residents now buying nearly 1 in 4 homes sold in RI House Speaker Joe Shekarchi has been a leading advocate on Smith Hill for efforts to increase housing supply, helping to shepherd nearly 50 bills on the subject into law over the last four years. He is pushing a dozen additional housing bills this year. 'The new Census data is sobering, but not surprising,' Shekarchi, D-Warwick, told 12 News in a statement Thursday. 'Rhode Island was dead last in the country for new housing starts for multiple years consecutively, and this data is reflective of that.' At the same time, Shekarchi pointed to signs that activity is increasing. The Housing Department's annual report found 2,655 new housing units were permitted in 2024, an increase of 86% since 2022. 'While a building permit is not the same as a new unit – construction takes time – this is an improvement,' he said. The Housing Department has not yet responded to a request for comment. The Census Bureau estimates Rhode Island's population topped 1.1 million for the first time in 2023, and has increased by about 15,000 people since the start of this decade. Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RI Senate will allow raises for McKee cabinet members
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island Senate leaders announced Thursday they will give the green light for Gov. Dan McKee's controversial cabinet raises, declining to join the House in passing a measure to block the pay hikes. The House voted unanimously on Tuesday to pass a resolution disapproving of the raises, which if also passed by the Senate would have prevented the salary increases. House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said while the cost of the raises was relatively small — roughly $80,000 in a $14 billion budget — they were inappropriate at a time when the state is facing a budget deficit. But Senate President Val Lawson announced Thursday she had decided against bringing the resolution to the floor of her chamber for a vote, effectively killing the measure. 'The Senate leadership considered whether this action by the executive branch warrants a highly unusual intervention by the legislative branch,' Lawson, D-East Providence, said in a statement. 'We determined it does not.' McKee has steadfastly defended the raises, saying the increases were necessary to ensure competitive pay for the leaders of state departments. Much of the discussion has centered on the proposed $3,835 pay bump for R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti, who has faced withering criticism for the last year and a half over the Washington Bridge crisis. (Story continues below.) Lawson said that while she thought Shekarchi had expressed a valid concern, 'particularly with regard to optics,' she also saw validity in McKee's argument that the raises 'are necessary to keep salaries competitive with other states.' 'In some cases, director's salaries have fallen behind the salaries of the staff in the departments they oversee,' Lawson said. Shekarchi, D-Warwick, said he respected Senate leaders' decision but still disagreed. 'All 75 members co-sponsored the House resolution to block the raises and I stand behind the unanimous vote that was taken on Tuesday,' he said. 'These are challenging and uncertain economic times and House members believe that cabinet raises are not appropriate right now.' Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump removes Cicilline from Holocaust Memorial board
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Former Congressman David Cicilline is among the members of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council who have been terminated from their positions by the Trump administration, Cicilline confirmed Tuesday afternoon. The New York Times reported earlier in the day that the administration had begun firing a number of people appointed to the board by former President Joe Biden, including Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris. Cicilline served as a Democratic congressman for Rhode Island's 1st District from 2011 to 2023, when he resigned to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. He served as one of the impeachment managers during President Trump's second impeachment trial following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The 55-member Holocaust Memorial Council oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and organizes remembrance events. Biden had named Cicilline to the board just over a year ago. 'I received communication today from the White House Presidential Personnel Office that my position as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council has been terminated, effective immediately,' Cicilline said in a statement. 'This action is deeply disappointing,' he continued. 'The Museum's work has always been nonpartisan and should remain so. It is meant to challenge us all to think critically and clearly about our role in society, to confront antisemitism, and all other forms of hate. I will continue to do all that I can to support those efforts.' Trump has ordered similar shakeups of the boards of other cultural institutions, including the Kennedy Center, since he returned to office in January. Asked by 12 News about Cicilline's removal, the White House issued a statement from press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 'President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,' Leavitt said. Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Shannon Hegy contributed to this report. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ruggerio's funeral Mass to be celebrated Monday
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Funeral arrangements were announced Tuesday for the late Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, as lawmakers mourn his passing and privately discuss who should succeed him in the job. Ruggerio died early Monday at age 76 after an extended battle with cancer. The North Providence Democrat was the longest-serving member of the General Assembly and had served as Senate president since 2017. Ruggerio's funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony Church in North Providence. Calling hours will be held Sunday from 3 to 8 p.m., and again Monday from 8:30 to 10 a.m., at the Maceroni Funeral Home on Smith Street in Providence. The Senate has canceled its session scheduled for Tuesday and is not expected to meet for the remainder of the week. Out of public view, senators are engaged in intensive conversations over the selection of the next Senate president. Three names — Majority Leader Val Lawson, former Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, and Labor Committee Chairman Frank Ciccone — are being frequently mentioned, though other compromise candidates could emerge. The House will convene Tuesday afternoon and begin with a moment of silence in memory of Ruggerio, according to an email sent by Larry Berman, a House spokesperson. A resolution in honor of Ruggerio will be the only one considered by the House on Tuesday as a sign of respect for the deceased lawmaker, with other resolutions that had been scheduled for consideration moved to Thursday, the email said. Tributes to Ruggerio have poured in from across Rhode Island politics in the 24 hours since his death was announced. In an interview Monday, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed described Ruggerio as 'a real gentleman and a dear, dear friend to me.' Reed also recalled their days playing high school football together when they were both on the team at their alma mater, La Salle Academy. 'He was a remarkable gentleman,' Reed told 12 News. 'Even then, his kindness and his willingness to reach out to the young kids on the team and buck them up — that's not common. Usually it's a little bit more hostility from the upperclassmen. But he was just terrific.' As a young man, 'Donny was very quiet — a very good football player, tough as nails — but a gentleman,' Reed said. 'Quiet, compassionate, kind. And also he looked out for the other kids, particularly, you know, the little guys like me.' Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
