08/20/2008

Judicial nominees go for Senate vote
The judiciary committee approves selections for several new judges and magistrates.

Lynch: Judicial panel erred in withholding letters
In an advisory opinion, the attorney general says the panel that selects judicial nominees may only withhold letters or portions of letters that contain “personal and medical information” about the candidates.

08/16/2008

8 make resignations official
One said the departing members of the governor’s Hispanic Advisory Commission were voicing a vote of no confidence in Governor Carcieri.

08/15/2008

‘Red flags’ leads state backtrack on cleaning contract
Questions are raised over whether the newly selected janitorial firm is linked to a company that had previously had its contract revoked.

‘Red flags’ leads state backtrack on cleaning contract
Questions are raised over whether the newly selected janitorial firm is linked to a company that had previously had its contract revoked.

08/13/2008

State signs 90-day deals with cleaners
Some of the vendors who gained a contract had lost out before to the two companies now barred by the state.

08/11/2008

Some arrested in raids to seek asylum in U.S.
Most detainees rounded up last month at courthouses in Rhode Island “have some claim to political asylum,” says a lawyer handling several of their cases.

08/08/2008

Carcieri: Unionized workers who fought increased health premiums will pay retroactively
As a Superior Court judge reviews his order compelling higher premium contributions, the governor says he will make up for lost time.

08/07/2008

Carcieri’s plan for union health insurance now on hold
Judge Patricia A. Hurst delays her ruling for up to two weeks on whether the governor’s planned cost increases should be barred.

08/03/2008

Immigrants got cleaning jobs through connections
Two suspected illegal immigrants who got courthouse cleaning jobs say they were indirectly hired by people they knew.

After courthouse raids, scrutiny now on hiring
Raids at courthouses shed light on the practice of hiring “independent contractors” — a practice unknown to many of the workers themselves.

08/04/2008

Carcieri taps pay accounts of agencies served by his staff
Governor Carcieri is charging the salaries of some of the top people in his office, including policy director Tim Costa, to other state agencies.

08/02/2008

RWU conference examines public’s right to know
Government officials, lawyers, law enforcement personnel and others gather for the 10th annual Open Government Summit.

08/01/2008

Carcieri hikes health-care payments
Governor Carcieri increases what most state workers will have to pay for their health care.

Carcieri hikes health-care payments
The governor says the higher health-care co-shares are needed to balance the budget. Union officials vow a court fight.

Judge: Governor can lay off state sheriffs
PROVIDENCE — Governor Carcieri has the “inherent power” under the Rhode Island Constitution to lay off state sheriffs when the state faces financial difficulties, state Superior Court Judge Judith Colenback Savage ruled in a decision released yesterday.

07/31/2008

Courts retain cleaning companies
The state judiciary says the two companies will be retained as long as they can ensure their workers are properly identified.

Governor’s panel on immigration order meets tomorrow
At least one person on the 27-member commission is stepping down, in the wake of the arrests of suspected illegal immigrants last week.

PUC questions its own rules regarding utility cutoffs
One commissioner suggests lowering the down payment for overdue customers and giving them more time to pay the balance.

07/29/2008

Cleaning firm loses bid to keep state contracts
Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Hurst refuses to stop the Carcieri administration from canceling the contracts.

Cleaning firm loses bid to keep state contracts
Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Hurst refuses to stop the Carcieri administration from canceling the contract.

07/26/2008

Family Court appointee is legal counsel to majority leader
Colleen M. Hastings, assistant legal counsel to Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed, is chosen as Family Court magistrate along with Armando O. Monaco II.

07/25/2008

State ends contracts with Falcon, TriState
Thirty-one workers for the two companies, which had contracts to clean dozens of state buildings, were arrested last week on suspicion of being illegal immigrants.

07/24/2008

Cleaning workers charged in identity thefts from URI
Since the arrest of the two women who work for TriState Enterprises, URI has taken Social Security numbers off employee timecards.

07/20/2008

Advocates want more information on detainees
Dozens of illegal immigrants have been arrested in Rhode Island in recent weeks, but civil-rights advocates say much of the information about them stops there.

07/19/2008

Courthouse sweep results in rash of no-show janitors
All the absent employees work for the companies whose workers were targeted in the roundup.

07/18/2008

Court raids put focus on companies suspected of hiring illegal immigrants
State officials talk tough about employers of suspected illegal immigrants who were taken into custody while working in the state’s courthouses.

Court raids put focus on companies suspected of hiring illegal immigrants
State officials talk tough about employers of suspected illegal immigrants who were taken into custody while working in the state’s courthouses.

Court raids put focus on companies suspected of hiring illegal immigrants
State officials talk tough about employers of suspected illegal immigrants who were taken into custody while working for the state.

Attorney general asked to rule on access to judicial nominating letters
The Judicial Nominating Commission says the public should be kept from seeing letters regarding judicial candidates.

07/16/2008

State’s stance on new contract raises questions
PROVIDENCE — With voting already under way on a controversial contract proposal for state workers, it remains unclear what will happen if a majority rejects it.

More water tests set for Narragansett beach
The Department of Health will conduct an extra test of the water at the Narragansett Town Beach today, after unsafe levels of bacteria were found at the adjacent Dunes Club Beach. The results will be in tomorrow.

07/14/2008

Forum’s focus is concerns of Rhode Island’s disabled residents
People with disabilities and their families are invited to express their concerns about services they receive at any of six forums to be held throughout the state next week by the Rhode Island Department of Health on behalf of 20 sponsoring organizations.

07/11/2008

PUC OKs increased electricity, gas rates
Commissioners say they are aware what the decision means in difficult economic times, but maintain they had no choice.

State workers taking a hard look at contract proposal
Given Rhode Island’s fiscal condition, some believe they have no option but to accept the offer designed to reduce the budget deficit.

PUC OKs increased electricity, gas rates
Commissioners say they are aware what the decision means in difficult economic times, but maintain they had no choice.

State workers taking a hard look at contract proposal
Given Rhode Island’s fiscal condition, some believe they have no option but to accept the offer designed to reduce the budget deficit.

07/10/2008

PUC has little choice in National Grid rate hike
One thing is all but certain: when the Public Utilities Commission meets this afternoon, it will approve National Grid’s request to sharply increase the rates customers pay for electricity and natural gas.

07/08/2008

State takes steps to protect its gambling take
Revenue director Gary Sasse says extra measures are in place to ensure the state gets its gambling money.

State’s health chief: Don’t raid Landmark staff
Dr. David R. Gifford asks hospitals not to recruit from the financially ailing Woonsocket hospital while it works to stay afloat.

07/06/2008

Hospital special master: Everything on the table at Landmark
Jonathan N. Savage, the court-appointed special master, says he’ll “be looking at a number of possible scenarios by which the hospital will move forward.”

Court reversal on lead poisoning stuns a longtime advocate for lead poisoning victims.
The first person attorney Jack McConnell called last Tuesday with news of the Rhode Island Supreme Court’s big decision on the state’s landmark lead paint case was Liz Colon. She was having a meeting in her office, and what McConnell said left her speechless.

07/02/2008

Veroni named chief of AG’s criminal division
Assistant Attorney General Stacey Pires Veroni has become the first woman to be named chief of the office’s criminal division, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch announced this week. She succeeds Alan R. Goulart, who recently became a Traffic Tribunal magistrate.

New pension eligibility rules for judges, state police
New troopers will have to work longer, and new judges will have to make do with 90 percent of their former salaries.

07/01/2008

Lynch opts out of support for news shield law
Rhode Island’s attorney general says his office’s unique position makes it inappropriate for him to join 42 of his colleagues in calling for passage of federal legislation to protect reporters’ sources.

06/28/2008

Carcieri vetoes renewable-energy bill
The bill, which passed by wide margins in the General Assembly, sought to boost private investment in alternative-energy projects.

Governor vetoes courthouse construction bill
In his veto message, the governor questions the logic of the authorization in light of the state’s struggle to close a multimillion-dollar deficit.

06/27/2008

Governor joins lawmakers to sign budget
Cooperation was the theme yesterday when Governor Carcieri and General Assembly leaders spoke of the state’s finances and their decision to hold the line on taxes.

Governor joins lawmakers to sign budget
Cooperation was the theme yesterday when Governor Carcieri and General Assembly leaders spoke of the state’s finances and their decision to hold the line on taxes.

06/26/2008

Case of illegal immigrant fires political feud
The arrest of Marco Riz on kidnapping and rape charges and Providence police’s relationship with federal immigration officials sets off an exchange between Governor Carcieri and Mayor David N. Cicilline.

06/25/2008

More lawmakers pay toward health plan
At this point, 33 of the 57 state representatives and 9 of the 31 state senators receiving state-provided health insurance are voluntarily paying 10 percent of their premiums.

06/24/2008

Carceiri vetoes mandatory minimum, pre-register bills
The governor raised the same issues as he did when he objected to earlier versions of the same legislation.

Nominations to bench come at end of session
In the final two days of the legislative session, three new judges were selected for the District Court and the Traffic Tribunal.

06/22/2008

These aren’t your typical construction bidders
The companies vying to win a state contract to construct and operate a huge offshore wind farm are not the ones that typically bid on Rhode Island state contracts.

Fishermen angling to build wind farm
Perhaps the most unlikely company hoping to build Rhode Island’s wind farm is Fishermen’s Energy of Rhode Island.