Follow us on social media:
Rhode Island
A crossroads at the Cumberland-Woonsocket line in Senate District 20
A box of Portuguese pastries is seen outside the Senate chamber on the last night of the legislative session on June 13, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
Democratic Sen. Roger Picard opted not to run for election after 16 years in the Rhode Island Senate, and a combined 30 years on Smith Hill. Now, three Democrats are vying for the open seat in Senate District 20, which straddles Cumberland and Woonsocket, in Tuesday’s primary.
Rhode Island Current reached out to all three candidates with a questionnaire.
Candidate Marian Juskuv declined to provide answers.
Key Events
2 days ago
Woonsocket City Councilor Brian Thompson eyes seat in Rhode Island Senate
2 days ago
Denis Collins thinks R.I. should look to Mass. on bolstering state pension fund
2 days ago
Woonsocket City Councilor Brian Thompson eyes seat in Rhode Island Senate
Name: Brian Thompson
Party: Democrat
Race: Senate District 20
Age: 43
Job: General foreman
Years lived in Rhode Island: 22
Residence: Woonsocket
Political bio: Woonsocket City Council since 2022
What are your top three legislative priorities if elected?
Working to address the education funding formula to make it more equitable. Making our state more affordable for working families. Addressing environmental issues related to climate change that are harming our communities.
Should Rhode Island have an assault weapons ban? Why, or why not?
As a father of six children, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about their safety — especially from the scourge of gun violence. It has become too normal to see news about school shootings in our country and it needs to end. Honestly, I used to think that banning certain guns wouldn’t make an impact on the shootings, but it is very clear to me that when you have too many assault weapons on the market, they can easily fall into the wrong hands. We need to make sure that we are in line with our neighbors in Massachusetts and Connecticut. It would be terrible if something bad happens in our neighboring states that can be tracked back to Rhode Island.
Should the state offer more to state pensioners beyond the COLA restoration approved in the FY25 budget? If so, what would you propose?
Yes. This year saw the first meaningful changes to the pension system in decades, and I supported that very much. We need to work to restore COLAs for those who didn’t get the new COLA and expedite the timeline for the pension fund to be funded adequately. The bottom line is people will continue to not choose jobs that rely on the pension system if they can’t plan for retirement — and it will be all of us who suffer for it.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Last updated: 6:20 pm
2 days ago
Denis Collins thinks R.I. should look to Mass. on bolstering state pension fund
Name: Denis Collins
Party: Democrat
Race: Senate District 20
Age: 46
Job: U.S. history teacher at Taunton High School
Years lived in Rhode Island: 16
Residence: Cumberland
Political bio: Cumberland School Committee since 2019
What are your top 3 legislative priorities if elected?
Full funding for public education and child care (including making state universities more affordable), tackling the mental health crisis in the state (which is also rooted in crime and addiction), and passing the assault weapons ban.
Should Rhode Island have an assault weapons ban? Why, or why not?
I do support an assault weapons ban, and I believe I am the only candidate in the Senate District 20 race who does. I agree that mental health is the underlying cause of these mass shootings, but it is also the underlying cause of the opioid epidemic. You do not see any organizations arguing that the solution to the opioid crisis is to put more opiates on the street. High-capacity assault weapons are the weapons of choice in mass shootings. We have a moral obligation as elected officials to protect society, and an assault weapons ban is a step forward in keeping innocent people and school children safe. Thoughts and prayers after the fact have done nothing to stymie the plague of gun violence.
Should the state offer more to state pensioners beyond the COLA restoration approved in the FY25 budget? If so, what would you propose?
It is terrible that pensioners did not get what they were promised. They did their part, and the politicians let them down. I am currently relying on my own pension when I retire one day, so this issue is personal for me as a teacher. We need to do right by those we made promises to. We fund what we value, but, at the same time, I cannot give a definitive answer on HOW it will be funded without sitting down with all stakeholders and financial personnel. One thing I think the state should consider is what we have done in Massachusetts, which is allow a pathway for those nearing retirement to pay extra into the pension system in their next three years, with the promise that they can retire early. This would provide necessary budget relief for local municipalities by replacing top-step employees with people early in their career.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Last updated: 6:20 pm
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Rhode Island
Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than $500K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Scott-Naso-022526-1-079e2e33c43a473590695ebdb06147b3.jpg?ssl=1 "Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than 0K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe")
As the two-year anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, widowed single father Scott Naso is sounding an alarm to fellow parents across the country — and especially in Rhode Island, where he lives with his now 4-year-old daughter, Laila.
-
Sports3 minutes agoAfter 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town
-
World15 minutes agoBulgaria votes in eighth election in five years
-
News45 minutes agoReal estate investors are buying up long-term care facilities. Residents can suffer
-
Detroit, MI3 hours agoFormer Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoEastbound I-80 closure in San Francisco snarls traffic, slows business
-
Videos3 hours agoCan Keir Starmer survive the latest Mandelson revelations? | BBC News
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoPetar Musa’s Brace Not Enough as FC Dallas Draws LA Galaxy 2-2
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMLS: Messi double helps Inter Miami slay Rapids in front of huge crowd