Woonsocket Radio News Room

 


WEEKLY MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

 

Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz : It's time to vote on pay raises
When Governor Dan McKee requested pay raises for his cabinet directors for the second time in barely a 6-month span, Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers were quick to respond by calling for an up or down vote by the General Assembly.  Read the full press release here.

WEEKLY  LEGISLATIVE  HIGHLIGHTS

Morgan bill would limit who can mail voters’ mail ballots.
Senator Elaine Morgan (R-Dist. 34, Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond, West Greenwich) introduced the legislation (S-0395), ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS – MAIL BALLOTS. The bill Requires that only the mail ballot voter or their spouse/court appointed guardian/cohabitant/or adult person related to the voter by blood or marriage, be allowed to physically mail the voted mail ballot. The bill was referred to Senate Judiciary.  On March 7, the committee recommended the measure be held for further study.

Paolino bill would increase aggregate limit for tax credits.
Senator Thomas Paolino (R-Dist. 17, Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield) introduced the legislation (S-0267), ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- TAX CREDITS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCHOLARSHIP ORGANIZATIONS.  The legislation would increase the aggregate amount of tax credits for contributions to scholarship organizations to $5,000,000 for 2024.  The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

SESSION  HIGHLIGHTS

The Senate Minority Caucus was excited to welcome Leader Emeritus Dennis L. Algiere back to the Senate chamber on Thursday, March 16, as the General Assembly honored Irish and Italian cultures with their traditional celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day.  The Senate session included an Irish heritage address delivered by former Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey and an Italian heritage address delivered by former Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere. 

Read the Senate Resolution honoring Senator Dennis L. Algiere for his service to the people of the state of Rhode Island here. 

SENATE MINORITY NEWS

The Senate Minority Office extends proud congratulations to Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers on his appointment to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Advisory Council. Read full release here.
 

COMMUNITY  ENGAGEMENTS

Senator Anthony DeLuca welcomed students from Tollgate High School in Warwick to visit the Senate Minority Office during their tour of the State House March 16th.  

It's the fifth-anniversary of the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. A large group of Trump supporters overwhelmed police and swarmed the Capitol as lawmakers worked to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Over 15-hundred people convicted of crimes connected to January 6th received clemency from President Trump on his first day back in the White House in January 2025.        The first court appearance is today for the suspect in an incident at Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home. William DeFoor has been charged with criminal damaging, obstructing official business, criminal trespass and felony vandalism. Video from the scene shows windows apparently damaged in what may have been an act of vandalism or an attempted break-in.        Venezuela's new president is Delcy Rodriguez. The former vice president was sworn in Monday, after the U.S. captured and removed President Nicolas Maduro to face criminal charges in New York. Rodriguez, an ally of Maduro, condemned the U.S. military action and referred to Maduro and his wife as heroes being held hostage.        There's new video of a person of interest in connection with the murder of a dentist and his wife at their Ohio home last week. Authorities say the footage shows a person walking in an alley near the residence of Spencer and Monique Tepe in Columbus between 2 and 5 a.m. local time on December 30th, the morning they were killed. Investigators say both Spencer and Monique were found shot to death and there were no signs of forced entry at the house.        General Motors is at the top of the list for most vehicles sold in the U.S. last year. The automaker beat their top competitor Toyota with over a five-percent increase in sales from 2024. The company is reporting 2.85 million vehicles were sold last year.        Tens of thousands of people are supporting a petition calling for rapper Nicki Minaj to be deported back to Trinidad. The Change.org petition was published alongside a photo of Minaj high-fiving new Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk. The description reads, "this is personal for those of us who watched Nicki rise as a beacon of hope, only to feel abandoned by her shift in values."       

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