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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reed: Musk-Trump fight ‘won't hurt' efforts to stop ‘big beautiful bill'
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — As Senator Jack Reed continues a tour around Rhode Island to warn of the proposed effects of President Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' a fight is unfolding between Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, just days after Musk left the White House. 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful,' Musk told CBS Sunday Morning's David Pogue last week. 'But I don't know if it can be both. My personal opinion.' Republicans in the House passed $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to offset trillions more in tax cuts, which President Trump said would provide financial relief for Americans. But with the bill moving to the Senate, Democrats need three Republicans to stop the legislation. 'Will it help? It certainly won't hurt to have Musk suddenly being [Trump's] chief critic,' Reed said. 'In the long run, it's still too soon to say that people will break with the president.' At a news conference at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank on Friday, Reed warned Rhode Islanders to prepare for cuts to food assistance programs like SNAP, should the 'big beautiful bill' pass. 'It's a lifeline to more than 144,000 Rhode Islanders,' he said. 'Particularly low-income families, particularly children and seniors.' Under the proposed bill, the Congressional Budget Office estimates, the federal government would spend $267 billion less on SNAP between 2026 and 2034. Reed said that cut could mean 17,000 Rhode Islanders losing SNAP benefits, adding that state leaders would have to decide how to cover $85 million in federal funds. Lisa Roth Blackman, the chief philanthropy officer for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, said nonprofits won't be able to fill that gap either. 'The charitable system is not equipped to fill in that size of a hole,' she said. Blackman said the food bank is also facing a state budget cut of roughly 30%. She is asking the General Assembly to instead pass a bill that would raise the food bank's allocation from the $800,000 it received last year up to $1 million. 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How RI plans to spend $571 million on the Washington Bridge
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Gov. Dan McKee announced Friday that taxpayers will spend $427 million to rebuild the westbound Washington Bridge by November 2028 — but that figure doesn't reflect the full cost of the project. A Target 12 analysis of monthly status reports, along with new documents released Friday, shows the total cost of the infrastructure crisis has grown to $571 million, a roughly 21% increase compared to estimates from nearly one year ago. That figure is roughly double state leaders' earliest estimates of how much it would cost to demolish and replace the bridge, which they initially pegged at between $250 million and $300 million. They had also suggested the new bridge would be open by the fall of 2026, more than two years earlier than is now expected. State leaders say they are now confident about the $571 million and insist it can be paid for with already earmarked taxpayer funds through a mix of debt, federal grants and leftover money from COVID-19 aid. The funding sources break down as $335 million in borrowing against future federal transportation funding; $221 million in federal grants won last year; $108 million from the state's cash account for capital projects; $35 million in redirected pandemic relief money; and $15 million from a prior bridge award. MAIN STORY: Washington Bridge rebuild will cost $427 million and take until 2028, McKee announces Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Eli Sherman (esherman@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Ted Nesi 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
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Matunuck Oyster Bar could operate outdoors this summer under new legislation
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — State lawmakers are attempting to pass legislation that would allow the Matunuck Oyster Bar to open back up on a limited basis. The South Kingstown mainstay went up in flames last month and has been closed ever since. The cause of the fire has since been deemed accidental in nature. Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski introduced legislation Friday that would allow the restaurant to set up outdoor seating in the parking lot across the street, which is owned by Matunuck Oyster Bar's Perry Raso. Hagan McEntee's legislation is set to be reviewed by the House Committee on Small Business next Tuesday. Sosnowski's companion legislation will also be discussed Tuesday in the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government. SEE ALSO: Rhode Islanders distraught by fire at beloved oyster bar The goal of the legislation is to keep the restaurant up and running throughout the busy summer months. The legislation would allow the restaurant to establish a mobile kitchen and serve patrons at outdoor tables. 'The award-winning Matunuck Oyster Bar is a beloved part of the South Kingstown and Rhode Island community and everyone was devastated when the fire broke out a few weeks ago,' Hagan McEntee said. 'Its success elevates the town and both locals and tourists alike have made this restaurant a true destination in Rhode Island.' 'This legislation is the least we could do to help weather the difficulties resulting from the fire, including keeping some of the restaurant's workers employed during the busy summer season,' she continued. Specifically, it amends the 'Take It Outside' law that allowed food service establishments to operate outdoors during the pandemic. The proposed change would allow restaurants to provide temporary outdoor dining service 'any time a building or other structure used as a food service establishment is rendered uninhabitable by virtue of a casualty,' such as a fire or flood. MORE: Fundraisers launched for Matunuck Oyster Bar If passed, the restaurants would be allowed to do so for 18 months 'or until the building is fit for occupancy.' The current proposal notes that the legislation would sunset and expire on June 30, 2027. 'Our community was heartbroken by the fire at Matunuck Oyster Bar, and so many people have rallied behind Perry Raso and his employees during this difficult time,' Sosnowski said. 'The fact that this happened on the cusp of the busy summer season is particularly devastating for Perry, the restaurant's workers, and our entire community.' 'As this cherished establishment works to rebuild, it's important we do everything we can to support that process and the many people who rely on the restaurant for their livelihood,' she added. 'Utilizing the successful approach of the 'Take It Outside' law is a common-sense step that will help immediately.' The proposed legislation requires municipal approval before it can be considered by lawmakers. The South Kingstown Town Council is scheduled to consider a resolution of support for it on Monday. RELATED: Matunuck Oyster Bar fire appears accidental House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson have already expressed 'strong support' for the legislation. Shekarchi said Raso was the one who came up with this 'creative approach.' 'I pledged my strongest support to expedite this process with the House,' he said, adding that he will also work with the Senate and town to 'make this happen quickly.' Lawson stressed that she also plans on ensuring the passage of this legislation. 'While the news of the fire was truly devastating, the way Rhode Islanders have responded to support Perry and his employees has been extraordinary,' Lawson said. 'Along with our partners at the State House and in South Kingstown, we will continue working to support everyone impacted as the restaurant rebuilds.' 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
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
$427M to rebuild Washington Bridge by November 2028, McKee announces
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rebuilding the westbound Washington Bridge is expected to cost $427 million and be completed by November 2028, Gov. Dan McKee announced Friday, delivering long-awaited news about the project. McKee said the state has hired Walsh Construction Co. of Chicago to rebuild the heavily traveled bridge that abruptly closed to traffic in December 2023 after a structural failure. Walsh Construction won the contract after a lengthy competitive bidding saga that began just months after the bridge closed. State officials initially in early 2024 estimated the bridge would cost between $250 million and $300 million, though they cautioned at the time those figures were highly preliminary. A later, more concrete estimate put the price tag at $368 million, making the new $427 million estimate a 16% increase. 'I understand that this has been a challenging time for those who rely on the Washington Bridge, especially in the early days before we were able to restore six lanes of traffic,' McKee said at a State House news conference. The rebuild contract is only one part of the overall cost of the Washington Bridge crisis. When demolition and emergency costs are added to the overall total, taxpayers are currently expected to pay $571 million for the infrastructure failure, according to a Target 12 analysis of state documents. 'The bridge is part of a major artery in Rhode Island that impacts thousands of people every day,' he added. 'We owe it to you to deliver a bridge that is safe and will ultimately make your life easier.' More than 96,000 vehicles traveling on I-195 Westbound drove over the bridge each day before the closure, according to the R.I. Department of Transportation. The state has since rerouted traffic on the eastbound Washington Bridge, a newer span, to go in both directions with additional lanes. RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said the new bridge has been designed to carry 80,000 vehicles every day for 100 years. (Alviti said he expected daily traffic to be lower than pre-closure levels because of the reopening of the Henderson Bridge, another connection between Providence and East Providence.) 'We're ready to build this bridge,' Alviti said. While the bridge was initially expected to reopen within a few months after its closure, further inspections revealed it couldn't be salvaged, and it is currently being demolished. But the effort to engineer a quick process for constructing the new bridge failed last July when no companies bid, leading the McKee administration to regroup and change its approach. The initial price tag for demolition was set at $40.5 million, but that cost quickly ballooned to nearly $100 million after the McKee administration decided to expand the project to include tearing down the bridge's substructure. Walsh Construction has built other bridges throughout New England, including the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, also known as the Q Bridge, in New Haven, Connecticut. The losing bidder will be paid $1.75 million as a consolation prize for participating in the process. 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. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on 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
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Community meeting held to discuss South Coast Rail frustrations
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) hosted a community meeting on Thursday, letting people share their frustrations regarding the South Coast Rail. Officials also gave a presentation highlighting the improvemenets they have made so far to the new rail line since it opened in March. A person who lives nearby said more change is needed. 'When I'm walking my dog at 5 a.m., that horn is going on for like a minute and a half straight,' he explained. 'And that's what, 15 times a day, all day? I mean, that's unbelievable. That is torture.' RELATED: MBTA reports issues with South Coast Rail service The MBTA's Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan acknowledged complaints on the noise plus other issues like train cancellations and staffing shortages. He said crew shortages have improved and most trains are back on track. MBTA officials also highlighted the Noise Mitigation Program that reimburses participating home owners. Nearly $2 million in grants have already been given out to area residents. 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.
