Latest news with #OceanState
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RIPTA to consider spending cuts, layoffs, fare hikes. Here's why
PROVIDENCE – Bus fares are set to rise throughout the Ocean State and routes scaled back − including termination of the South County Beach Bus − as the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority cuts spending to close a projected $18 million budget gap. The exact size of the fare hike and details on which routes will be axed or see frequency reduced, is expected to be announced in July. In anticipation of the announcement, RIPTA has announced a series of nine legally-required public hearings starting July 28 where riders throughout the state can share their thoughts about the changes. "RIPTA's primary source of operating funds, the state gas tax, has failed to keep pace with inflation, making it inadequate to sustain a quality transit system and contributing to the agency's budget deficit,' RIPTA CEO Christopher Durand said in a Thursday, June 26 news release. 'We've worked diligently to manage our operations with limited resources, and an independent efficiency study has confirmed what we already knew: there are no hidden savings left to be found. At this point, in order to close the budget gap, we must reluctantly consider reducing service, increasing fares and laying off our workforce. Without new revenue, we simply have no other choice.' Riders should anticipate the "elimination of routes or route segments, decreased service frequency, reduced service span, and reduced or eliminated weekend service, the news release said. "The reductions would include the elimination of South County Express Beach Bus service." A consultant's "efficiency study" of how the statewide bus system can operate without federal pandemic funding is now expected to be released in "early to mid July," according to RIPTA spokesperson Cristy Raposo Perry. Cuts became inevitable when the General Assembly passed a state budget June 20 that provided RIPTA an extra $15 million next year through an increase in the state gas tax, but still left the agency facing an $18 million hole. At a June 26 meeting of the RIPTA Board of Directors, board members braced for bad news. How critical are RIPTA's money woes? Bad enough that after discussing the budget, the Board of Directors opted to go without insurance next year to protect the agency from catastrophic medical claims by employees. Called stop-loss insurance, these policies are used by employers who self-insure workers to guard against a sudden spike of expensive, unexpected claims. In most years, including each of the last five RIPTA has had a policy, claims exceeding the $400,000 threshold where the stop-loss policy kicks in have cost the agency less than its premiums. This past year, for example, the insurance only covered $100,000 in claims. The policy for next year would have cost $480,000 in premiums and fees. So, facing layoffs and route reductions that could exacerbate ridership losses, the board decided to roll the dice and go uninsured starting in July. "Maybe this is the year to go naked on this?" board member Normand Benoit suggested. Durand said the $480,000 saved by not buying a policy should be enough to save five jobs. Of course, that's unless there's a bad accident or a few people get really sick. RIPTA began buying stop-loss insurance after getting socked with $1.1 million claim in fiscal 2017-2018. "This will be the one opportunity I can think of off the top of my head to save some significant money," Benoit said. "Yes, we take on some additional risk. We're not going to know what the end result of this decision is until a year later." The rest of the board agreed, and the insurance policy was tabled. Like most mass transit agencies across the country, RIPTA saw ridership plunge during the COVID pandemic. Some of those bus passengers returned in recent years, but not all, and federal pandemic aid has now run out. Through May, RIPTA ridership was 300,000 people short of where it was at the same period in 2024, suggesting that ridership may have plateaued despite far fewer canceled bus trips than a year ago. The reduction in canceled trips is the result of a driver recruitment effort and pay raises that cured a persistent shortage. The budget shortfall could reverse some of those gains. Sections of the consultant efficiency study that have been released project that RIPTA might need to cut as much as 20% of its service and 90 employees. To try to find new riders and revenue, Durand said RIPTA is exploring partnerships with major employers, such as a deal with Amazon to serve its Johnston distribution center. RIPTA is in talks with Ocean State Job Lot to serve its headquarters in the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cash-strapped RIPTA awaits efficiency study to plan best route ahead
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Best beach town in RI? Condé Nast says it's this one
Everyone knows that Rhode Island has some great beach towns. And one of them just landed on the Condé Nast Traveler list of the 17 best beach towns on the East Coast. "Whether you're looking to lay out on the sand in summer or prefer walking along the water spotting wildlife and collecting rocks, the shores of the East Coast have a little something for everyone," Condé Nast stated on its website. Here's what beach town in the Ocean State made the list. What they said: "Newport is a beach town known for its houses, though a very different sort. Ten enormous, historic mansions—once the summer homes of the Vanderbilts, Nevada silver heiresses, and other Westerners of unimaginable wealth—remain standing along the famous cliff walk. Today however, they are museums. The most famous two are The Breakers and Rosecliff. "The Newport mansions famously earned the ire of writer Joan Didion, who wrote in her essay 'The Seacoast of Despair,' 'To stand in the dining room of 'The Breakers' is to imagine fleeing it, pleading migraine.' Today, in lieu of the 'Great Gatsby'-esque lawn parties of yore where swans roamed the grounds, Newport attracts visitors of all stripes for events such as the Newport Folk Festival." According to Condé Nast, they include: Bar Harbor, Maine Kennebunkport, Maine Rockport, Massachusetts Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts Hampton Beach, New Hampshire Madison, Connecticut This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The RI beach town named one of the best on the East Coast. Here's why
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
RIFC battle back for 1-1 draw against Monterey Bay F.C.
PAWATUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Despite trailing Monterey Bay F.C. 1-0 in the second half, a goal in the 77th by Rhode Island FC's Joe Brito helped the team from the Ocean State go on to earn a point in a 1-1 draw on Saturday. 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
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
401 area code; Centreville Bank Stadium opens; Aaron Thomas testifies: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of May 4, supported by your subscriptions. The , when most of the legislative sausage is made. State House reporter Katherine Gregg sets the table with a primer on the key issues that remain: How much of the governor's $14.2 billion spending plan will survive? Will there be an income tax hike? Will the proposed ban on assault-style weapons pass, given the change in Senate leadership? And will lawmakers take steps to ease the state's health care shortage? Here are the key players to watch. The Ocean State has always played an outsize role in the reality TV universe, and now comes news that "The Real Housewives of Rhode Island" will be coming to Bravo sometime in 2025. Mark Patinkin says it's . Just days after Rhode Island FC played its debut game at Centreville Bank Stadium, the team welcomed the New England Revolution to Pawtucket on May 7 for the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32. For a game recap, as well as the latest and sports news, go to . Walking Rhode Island columnist John Kostrzewa takes you along on a hike to Grass Pond Preserve in Richmond, where he was treated to a rare sight: a nesting colony of great blue herons. Sunday, May 11, is Mother's Day. Here are . Here are the week's top reads on So, how long has Rhode Island had its ubiquitous 401 area code? The answer is since January 1947. It was one of the 86 original area codes assigned by AT&T, then the dominant telephone company since the invention of the telephone in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell, according to Today, Rhode Island is one of only 11 states that have a single area code. Before the creation of area codes, callers relied on operators to put calls through. As the population grew, operators needed a faster method, which led to the three-digit area code. What and Why RI looks into the evolution of phone service in Rhode Island, and how long the nation's smallest state can expect to keep its lone 401 code. What & Why RI: When did RI get its 401 area code ... and how long will it last? Crunching the numbers PAWTUCKET – Rhode Island Football Club fans greeted the opening of Centreville Bank Stadium on May 3 with praise for virtually every aspect of the new soccer venue: The sell-out crowd of 10,700 proclaimed the stadium was clean and modern and easy to get around in. They raved about the food, from upscale premium club eats to chicken fingers at the concession stand, Chick-fil-A sandwiches and California tacos to corned beef sandwiches at Maven's Delicatessen. The views from the seats in locations around the stadium got a thumbs-up. People couldn't stop talking about the beautiful scenery of the setting on the west bank of the Seekonk River. Yes, people used "beautiful" to describe downtown Pawtucket. Read on for more fan reaction from RIFC's home opener, as well as a recap of the game against San Antonio FC and thoughts on whether the new stadium may fill the hole created by the departure of the PawSox. Sports: Sunny skies – and bright dispositions by fans – mark Pawtucket stadium opening for RIFC SOUTH KINGSTOWN – For more than two hours, jurors in the Aaron Thomas trial on May 5 heard how meticulous the former North Kingstown High School basketball coach was when it came to testing the body composition of student athletes. Starting in the early 1990s through 2020 – two years beyond when school officials told him to stop meeting alone with student athletes – Thomas testified that he used the same testing and measurement methodology, the same spreadsheets, the same mathematical formulas to calculate body fat composition, the same abbreviations for body parts. But the man of data and details conceded under questioning by his own lawyer that his spreadsheets had an error in them when listing one location on the student athletes' bodies he always measured. Read the full story for details of his testimony, as well as prosecutors' questioning Thomas about about why he never saw a "bright red stop sign" indicating he should stop performing 'naked fat tests' on athletes. Courts: On the stand, Aaron Thomas denies giving students puberty tests. Here's how his testimony went. As Valarie Lawson settles into her new role as president of the Rhode Island Senate president, Political Scene sits down with her to discuss her legislative priorities for the final weeks of the session. And The Journal's Katherine Gregg also looks back at a pivotal part of her history: her leadership of the East Providence teachers union during a brutal, years-long budget war against the unilateral health insurance hikes and pay cuts levied by the city. Now, with Lawson planning to lead the Senate while keeping her day job as president of the National Education Association Rhode Island, will she seek the state Ethics Commission's advice on how to avoid conflicts of interest in her new role? And will her alliance with conservative Democrat Frank Ciccone as Senate majority leader affect her support of the proposed "assault weapons" ban and other legislation prized by progressives? Read the full column to find out. Political Scene: Fun facts and a few other things you might not know about new RI Senate President Val Lawson Rhode Island transportation officials are targeting the summer of 2027 to open two new highway ramps between Route 4 and Interstate 95. The state Department of Transportation held a groundbreaking on May 5 for a $144 million project that includes the I-95 "missing move" ramps and three new ramps on Route 403 in North Kingstown serving the Quonset Business Park. The new Route 403 ramps will be built first and are expected to be finished in the summer of 2026. Work on the ramps at Route 4 and I-95 is slated to begin in "early 2026," with the projected summer 2027 completion target, according to a DOT news release. 'This project has been talked about for decades, and today we're finally turning words into action," Gov. Dan McKee said in a news release. Transportation: New ramps connecting Rt. 4 and I-95 are coming as construction starts. What to know. To read the full stories, go to Find out how to subscribe here. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 401 area code; RIFC stadium opens; Aaron Thomas testifies: Top stories
E&E News
09-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Chevron shifts tactics in climate case: Show us proof
Chevron is trying to turn the tables on Rhode Island officials who filed a climate lawsuit by demanding that they show proof the oil giant produced fossil fuels in the state. In a Providence courtroom Thursday, an attorney for the oil company pressed the judge to require the state to cough up documents that would prove Rhode Island's allegations that Chevron 'extracted, refined, manufactured, or sold a significant portion' of its products there. The hearing marked the second time in less than a month that Chevron has appeared before Rhode Island Superior Court Judge William Carnes to argue details in the case. Advertisement Carnes last month dismissed the company's bid to strike some of the allegations in the lawsuit, which argues that Chevron and other oil majors should be held financially accountable for misleading the public about the dangers of burning fossil fuels. The company had argued there was no evidence that the state ever investigated whether Chevron extracted or refined products in the Ocean State.
