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Rhode Island
Where to see live music in R.I. this weekend – The Boston Globe
JOE SAMBA in WAKEFIELD, R.I.
Joe Samba may be a New Englander, but he sure has found a (musical) home in the Caribbean. The Massachusetts-born reggae-rocker was behind 2019′s moody “The Wrong Impression,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart that spring. Samba followed it with 2022′s “Far From Forever” and last year’s genre-shifting “Lifeline,” a collection threaded together with Samba’s smooth voice. Samba plays Ocean Mist (with special guest Dudemanbro) in Wakefield, R.I. on Friday at 9 p.m. Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day of show.
THE GILDED AGE ORCHESTRA OF NEWPORT in CRANSTON, R.I.
Rhode Island’s own Ambassador J. William Middendorf II may be best known as the former secretary of the US Navy and as the US Ambassador to The Netherlands. But Middendorf is also a composer, with symphonies and more than 100 marches to his name. On Saturday, the Gilded Age Orchestra of Newport will present “To Rhode Island, with Love,” an evening of music composed by Middendorf in celebration of his 100th birthday this past September, featuring a performance of the ambassador’s “Ocean State Symphony.” The orchestra will perform at The Historic Park Theater and Event Center in Cranston, R.I., on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets: $54.
RUMFORD JUNCTION in EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I.
One could say The Band brought it all back home with its iconic 1968 release, “Music From Big Pink,” having named the landmark debut album after the colorful rented home the group once shared in Woodstock, N.Y. And in that way, Rumford Junction may be following The Band’s homespun footsteps even beyond their shared roots-rock sound. The East Providence band started as a group of neighbors playing together on lawns and front porches to pass the time during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and now it has released an album, “Tributaries.” The nine-track release was inspired by music from artists the band frequently covers, including Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Jason Isbell, and, yes, The Band. Rumford Junction (with opener CRYS) will perform a few at Myrtle in East Providence, R.I., on Sunday at 2 p.m. during a record release party. There is no cover charge.
KAT & BRAD in WESTERLY, R.I.
Brad Bensko and Kathleen Parks, known collectively as the duo, Kat & Brad, put an incredibly wide range of influences through their folksy pairing. The two said they find inspiration in everything from American Songbook standards to 1950s and ′60s pop, and impressively funnel it all through their two voices, a guitar, a violin, and a mandolin. Their latest travels throughout New England will bring them to The Tap Room at The Knickerbocker in Westerly, R.I., on Sunday at 7 p.m. There is no cover charge.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island shifts its primary to Wednesday, Sept. 9, easing a Labor Day poll setup crunch
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island’s primary elections will now be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9, moving it back from the typical Tuesday election day because it fell too close to Labor Day.
Gov. Dan McKee, a Democrat, signed off on the change earlier this week. The primary election had been scheduled for Sept. 8, which is the day after the holiday weekend.
State and local officials had requested the change after raising concerns about having enough time to set up polls for voters. However, under the legislation enacted, the filing deadlines will remain the same.
“We have to set up over 400 polling places around the state on the day before the election,” Nick Lima, the registrar and director of elections for the city of Cranston, told lawmakers at a hearing in January. “That’s very difficult to do on a holiday because many of our polls are schools, social halls and churches.”
It’s not unusual for states to change their election day. Lawmakers in neighboring Massachusetts changed the state’s 2026 primary election day from Sept. 15 to Sept. 1, arguing that doing so will help improve voter turnout.
Only four states hold their primary elections in September: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Delaware, which has the latest primary date in the U.S., taking place this year on Sept. 15.
Legislation seeking to move up Delaware’s primary election by several months has been introduced in the statehouse, but previous attempts to do so have stalled.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island State Police are investigating a crash that happened on I-295 North in Cumberland Tuesday night.
The crash happened in the right lane near Exit 22 just before 9 p.m.
It’s unclear exactly what caused the crash or if anyone was injured.
12 News has reached out to Rhode Island State Police for more information but has not heard back.
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Scandals shake up Capitol Hill ahead of midterm elections
Congressional reporter Zachary Schermele dives into the latest scandals on Capitol Hill and how they’re shaking up politics ahead of midterms.
Rhode Island’s Democrat and Republican primary elections will officially be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9 this year, instead of the usual Tuesday election day.
Lawmakers passed the bill at the urging of state and local officials, who were concerned that an election day falling the day after Labor Day would not give them enough time to set up polls for the arrival of voters.
Gov. Dan McKee signed the bill on April 20, officially moving the primary day for 2026.
Which races will be on the ballot? The Republican and Democrat nominees for a swath of local offices – most notably governor but also lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Why was RI’s primary day moved?
At a hearing on the bill earlier this year, Randy Rossi, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns explained the “significant logistical and financial challenges” municipalities otherwise would have faced having an election the day after Labor Day.
“Beyond cost, municipalities face serious logistical challenges accessing and setting up more than 430 polling locations on a major federal holiday, a process that often requires many hours and access to facilities that are typically closed and unstaffed on Labor Day,” he said.
“Compounding these challenges, many municipalities conduct early voting in city or town halls that must also serve as primary day polling locations,” Rossi noted.
Without changes to current law, he said, “municipalities would be required to conduct early voting and primary day polling simultaneously, often in the same limited space and with the same poll workers, requiring additional staffing and facilities.”
By the time this legislative hearing took place in January, other states facing similar issues, including Massachusetts, had already adjusted their primary dates, “and Rhode Island itself has demonstrated that alternative scheduling can be successful, as occurred during the statewide Wednesday primary in 2018,” Rossi said.
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