Rhode Island

Independent state Senate candidate challenges R.I. Democratic Party’s nomination of Urso to replace Cano on ballot – The Boston Globe

Published

10 months ago

September 17, 2024

Independent state Senate candidate challenges R.I. Democratic Party’s nomination of Urso to replace Cano on ballot – The Boston Globe

Gorham is asking the Board of Elections to declare Urso’s nomination void, which would leave Palocsik as the only Senate District 8 candidate on the Nov. 5 ballot. The Board of Elections is set to take up the matter when it meets at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Beretta-Perik said she took extra steps to ensure that the proper process was followed in replacing Cano last week, including a unanimous vote for Urso by the Senate District 8 Democratic Committee.

“We took a lot of extra steps that I thought were necessary in an incredibly short time period,” she said. “We have a letter from the District Committee. If they would like the letter, they can have the letter. That is what we based our decision off of.”

Cano, a Pawtucket Democrat, resigned from the Rhode Island Senate on Thursday amid State House buzz that she’s being vetted by President Biden’s administration for a job with the US Small Business Administration. Cano also withdrew from the Senate District 8 race, just two days after winning an uncontested Democratic primary on Tuesday.

On Friday, Rhode Island Democratic officials picked Urso, president and CEO of the Old Slater Mill Association in Pawtucket, to replace Cano on the ballot. Beretta-Perik sent a letter to Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, saying the party executive committee had met and voted to submit Urso’s name ahead of Friday’s deadline.

But in a statement Monday, Palocsik announced that she is challenging Urso’s nomination.

“The upcoming hearing at the Board of Elections will reveal how the attempted coronation of a new candidate by the state Democrat Party leaders has failed,” she said. “I am running to represent the interest of the great people of Pawtucket; not the special interests, insiders and party bosses.”

Urso told the Globe that she provided all the information requested by party officials, and that the Senate District 8 committee did vote for her nomination.

“I believe the process was followed,” Urso said. “I am very excited to campaign for the office. It is a huge honor. I was not handed a Senate seat. I was given an opportunity to campaign and run for office, and that is what I’m doing. A coronation is when you install a king or queen. That is not what is happening.”

On Tuesday, Beretta-Perik provided a detailed explanation of the steps the party followed in replacing Cano.

She said she received a phone call at 3:15 p.m. Thursday from John E. Fleming Jr., chief of staff to Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio. She said Fleming was in Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore’s office with Cano, Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien and others, and they alerted her that Cano was resigning.

Beretta-Perik said she spoke with the party’s longtime compliance consultant, Susann Della Rosa, who had also spoken with Deputy Secretary of State Rob Rock. Beretta-Perik said Della Rosa and Rock concurred that party bylaws gave her as the state party chair the power to pick a replacement for Cano.

“But I was uncomfortable with that,” Beretta-Perik said. “I didn’t think it was appropriate that I decide for District 8 who their Senate candidate would be.”

So Beretta-Perik said she asked that the Senate District 8 Democratic Committee vote on the matter, and the committee voted unanimously for Urso on Thursday night. The committee members voting were chairman Kevin Crawley, vice chairman Patrick J. McBurney, Laureen Grebien (who is married to Mayor Grebien), and state Representative Karen Alzate.

“We firmly believe Lori Urso can make an impact in the Senate 8 seat,” those committee members said in a statement. “She was unanimously backed by everyone to support her and vote for her in the upcoming election.”

Beretta-Perik said she asked Urso to send her a letter explaining why she wants to be the Senate candidate, and she asked her team to do a quick background check on Urso’s voting record, campaign contributions, and social media posts. The rapid vetting turned up no problems, she said.

At 11 a.m. Friday, the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee met in Zoom meeting and interviewed Urso for about 30 minutes, Beretta-Perik said. “She really did a very, very good job,” she said.

Beretta-Perik said Urso talked about her role in nonprofits such as the Old Slater Mill Association and the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, in Kingston. She also talked about working as deputy chief of staff/senior policy adviser and director of executive operations for state General Treasurer James A. Diossa, who is Cano’s fiancé.

She said Diossa, who is the state Democratic Party’s first vice chairman, did not take part in the Zoom call with Urso or vote on her nomination. But the rest of the Democratic State Committee ended up voting unanimously for Urso.

And Beretta-Perik then sent a letter to Amore, stating, “The members of the Executive Committee of the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee met this morning. In accordance with Rhode Island General Laws 17-12-5 and 17-15-38 the committee voted to appoint the following candidate to fill the vacancy for Rhode Island Senate District 8: Lori Urso.”

Gorham said Section 17-15-38 does allow for a substitute nominee for a Senate seat such as this, but he argued that it allows only the Senate district committee to nominate Cano’s replacement.

“It is unclear why the Senate District Committee was not allowed to make the nomination,” Gorham wrote. “According to their report, they were duly organized and could easily have made the nomination, but they did not. In such circumstances, only the Senate District Committee, not the State Committee, may meet, vote, and file such a nomination. They did not, and it is now too late.”

Palocsik thanked Gorham for representing her in the matter before the Board of Elections.

Gorham, a former Republican state legislator from Coventry, said he was asked to represent Palocsik. “I have always believed the General Assembly would be better if there was more balance, and there isn’t,” he said. “It’s perhaps the most one-sided state legislative body in the country, and that is never good for a body politic.”

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.

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Rhode Island

Neil Steinberg stepping down as chair of RI Life Science Hub. What we know.

Published

4 hours ago

July 15, 2025

Press Room

Neil Steinberg stepping down as chair of RI Life Science Hub. What we know.

PROVIDENCE – Neil Steinberg is stepping down as the chairman of the board of the Rhode Island Life Science Hub, a role he assumed in October 2023 after he retired from the Rhode Island Foundation five months prior.

In a three-page resignation letter dated July 15, Steinberg wrote that he wants to spend time with his family and travel as part of his retirement, along with working on “other key” priorities in the state including public education, health care and housing.

“Given the SUBSTANTIAL time I have invested in the past few years, and the solid foundation now established, I am willing to make this resignation effective on a day of your choosing, but not later than September 30, 2025,” he wrote to Gov. Dan McKee.

Steinberg was volunteering his time on the board.

The Life Science Hub was initially funded with $45 million from the state. Its president and CEO is Mark Turco.

What has the RI Life Science Hub been doing?

Among the other achievements is this last legislative session when the hub secured changes to its enabling statute, the organization convened a 500-person summit and a $10-million agreement to establish Ocean State Labs, an incubator for life sciences, to be housed inside of the new seven-story building that also will house the new State Health Laboratory.

“Our progress confirms the potential for the life sciences to contribute to Rhode Island’s broader economic development strategy over the long term,” Steinberg wrote. “Realizing this potential will, of course, require additional financial resources beyond the ARPA funds which will fund the agency through 2026.”

Steinberg also lauded landing Organogenesis Holdings preparing to open a manufacturing facility for advanced biomedical supplies in Smithfield.

McKee: Steinberg established a ‘strong foundation’

In a written statement, McKee wrote that Steinberg helped establish a “strong foundation for this growing industry” and lauded his efforts to land Organogenesis in Rhode Island.

“We’re excited to build on that momentum with Hub President Dr. Mark Turco and the board as we continue expanding opportunities in life sciences and strengthening Rhode Island’s economy,” McKee wrote.

Read Steinberg’s resignation letter below:

This story has been updated with new information

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Rhode Island

Bodies of two missing Mass. brothers recovered near R.I. beach

Published

1 day ago

July 14, 2025

Press Room

Bodies of two missing Mass. brothers recovered near R.I. beach

The bodies of two Massachusetts brothers who went missing near a Rhode Island beach Saturday night were recovered by authorities Sunday morning, according to police.

Stoughton residents Aldino and Valdir Centeio, 27 and 31, respectively, went missing following an incident near Warrens Point Beach in Little Compton on July 12, according to an email from Little Compton police. Little Compton Fire Rescue and a state emergency management department boat recovered their bodies around 11:15 a.m. the following day near where they were last scene.

The Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office has taken custody of the Centeios’ bodies, police said.

The initial distress call reported that a man had fallen from rocks along the shoreline into the water near the Warren’s Point Beach Club, The Boston Globe reported. Witnesses told police a second fisherman jumped into the water to try to rescue the first man, but both were swept away by the current.

A third man also went into the water to try to help the first two men, but he had to be rescued, the Globe reported.

No further information has been released.

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Rhode Island

Newport City Council fights to save hospital birthing center from closure – What’s Up Newp

Published

2 days ago

July 14, 2025

Press Room

Newport City Council fights to save hospital birthing center from closure – What’s Up Newp

The Newport City Council will convene a special meeting Tuesday evening to consider a resolution advocating for the continued operation of the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center at Newport Hospital, as the facility faces potential closure due to budget constraints.

The meeting, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, in the Council Chamber at City Hall, comes as Newport Hospital’s parent company, Brown Health, grapples with “substantial budget shortfalls” that are forcing consideration of cuts to programs and services across the system.

In his weekly newsletter to supporters Sunday, Councilor Xay Khamsyvoravong outlined the stakes facing the community, warning that closure of the birthing center would create “The Last Generation of Newporters” if expectant mothers are forced to travel off-island for delivery services.

“Newport Hospital is considering cuts to services and is specifically considering closing the Birthing Center, where the next generation of Newporters are delivered,” Khamsyvoravong wrote in the email titled “The Last Generation of Newporters?”

The timing is critical, as Newport Hospital welcomes a new president on Monday who will immediately begin working on the hospital’s fall budget—with the birthing center’s fate “put squarely on his agenda.”

Economic and Safety Concerns

The proposed resolution outlines several concerns about closing the birthing center, including impacts on emergency services and the local economy. According to the document, expectant mothers typically make 2-4 impromptu trips to a delivery unit before giving birth, and without local services, they would likely overwhelm Newport Hospital’s already strained emergency room before being diverted elsewhere.

The resolution also warns that closure would increase demand on the city’s Fire and Rescue Department, whose ambulances would be “increasingly called upon to transport expectant mothers to off-island hospitals, potentially during time-sensitive and medically urgent situations.”

From an economic perspective, the resolution argues that poor access to healthcare would be “yet another reason young families with flexibility won’t move here,” further exacerbating Newport’s challenges with attracting and retaining families.

Personal Stakes

Khamsyvoravong brought a personal perspective to the issue, sharing memories of accompanying his mother, pediatrician Dr. Linda Rexford, on weekend hospital visits throughout her nearly five-decade career. He noted the irony that he wasn’t born at Newport Hospital himself, but spent countless hours there as a child.

“I have forty-one years of being told the people we rely on most are valued the least,” Khamsyvoravong wrote, referencing the compensation challenges facing primary care providers in Rhode Island.

Call to Action

The councilor is urging community members to make their voices heard before Tuesday’s meeting. He specifically called on residents to contact Sarah Frost, Executive Vice President and Chief of Hospital Operations at Brown University Health, as well as members of the Hospital Foundation’s boards and major donors.

“We need you to tell your story,” Khamsyvoravong wrote. “Newport Hospital and their parent, Brown Health, needs to hear it from you.”

The resolution, if passed, would be sent to Brown Health leadership, the President of Newport Hospital, the Governor of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Health, Newport County state legislators, the Rhode Island Congressional delegation, and the town councils of Jamestown, Middletown, and Portsmouth.

The special meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at Newport City Hall, 43 Broadway. The resolution is sponsored by Councilors Xay Khamsyvoravong, Stephanie Smyth, Jeanne-Marie Napolitano, Ellen Pinnock, and David R. Carlin III.

Ceddanne Rafaela, Brayan Bello power Red Sox past Rays 4-1, extend winning streak to 10 games

Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer, Brayan Bello pitched one-run ball into the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 4-1, series-sweeping victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

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