Spokesman Greg Pare said Ruggerio missed Thursday’s fundraiser in Warwick because he will be undergoing “a minor procedure” next week to alleviate jaw pain stemming from a case of shingles. He said the decision had nothing to do with the cancer Ruggerio was battling earlier in the year.

“He is recovering well from the cancer,” Pare said. “He was advised by his doctors not to go to fundraisers. They don’t want him in crowds because there are viruses going around. Nonetheless, he was planning to go, but his staff insisted he heed his doctors’ advice.”

Cioe, a registered nurse who lost Senate District 4 primaries to Ruggerio in 2020 and 2022, issued a statement earlier Thursday, “For the past few months Ruggerio has been nowhere to be seen, completely absent from representing Senate District 4 in our state Senate.”

He cited news stories about how Ruggerio did not attend Senate sessions for six weeks as he was battling cancer, the flu, and shingles. He said District 4 residents “demand and deserve responsive, accountable and professional representation up at the State House.”

“Last week we saw an act of incredible political courage by President Joe Biden, when he decided to step down from the race for president and pass the torch to Kamala Harris,” Cioe said. “Biden stepped down for the country. Dominick Ruggerio needs to do the same for Rhode Island.”

But Ruggerio, who has represented Senate District 4 since 1985, reiterated that he remained “deeply involved” in Senate business even as he dealt with medical issues during the last legislative session, and he said he has run a “robust campaign” this summer.

“This is the type of negative politics that people are sick of,” Ruggerio said of Cioe’s statement. “I am not surprised in the least that my opponent would prefer not to have to face me at the ballot box. He knows he can’t win.”

The response from Ruggerio’s campaign included quotes from House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, North Providence Mayor Charles A. Lombardi, Providence Mayor Brett P. Smiley, state Representative Arthur J. Corvese, state Senator David P. Tikoian, and North Providence Town Council President Dino Autiello.

For example, Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, said, “President Ruggerio is a wonderful friend and a truly outstanding partner at the State House. I know the most recent session was challenging for him, but he was just as deeply engaged in our work as he has always been — maybe even more than ever, based on how often the two of us spoke.”

Corvese, a North Providence Democrat, said, “What is most appalling to me about Mr. Cioe’s stunt (Thursday) is the complete lack of compassion and understanding being shown by a registered nurse.” He said Ruggerio “has a physical medical condition, from which he is expected to make a full recovery. Mentally, he is as sharp as ever, and I have continued to work closely with him daily to deliver results for our constituents.”

And Tikoian, a Smithfield Democrat and former North Providence police chief said, “I underwent a serious medical procedure which prevented me from attending a few session days in person, as well. Should I not run for reelection? What a shameful assertion.”

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

Watch out, folks, it’s a hot one out there.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for New England for today, Friday, as portions of the region will experience highs of 95 degrees Fahrenheit to 100 degrees and will remain that hot until 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday.

The areas most affected will be parts of northern Connecticut, northern Rhode Island and most of Massachusetts, according to the heat advisory.

The weather service recommends caution, as hot temperatures and high humidity could cause heat illnesses. They also say that people should drink plenty of liquids, remain in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun and check in on relatives and neighbors.

MA weather forecast: How hot will it be this weekend?

This weekend is going to continue to be hot. The heat advisory will continue through 7 p.m. on Saturday, with heat index values that range from 95 to 100 degrees.

The forecasters’ discussion said that Saturday may be a mixture of hot and wet, as there is a low chance of early morning showers that could become thunderstorms combined with the continuing heat wave sweeping Massachusetts.

Forecasters predict that Sunday will most likely be warm and muggy, with the main concern being rainfall which may become heavy momentarily throughout the day.

Will the tropical storm impact New England?

A tropical storm is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, spelling trouble for Florida and the rest of the United States if it develops into something stronger.

The National Hurricane Center is giving a medium chance — 60% — for development over the next 48 hours. Chances for development over the next seven days also have increased, to 90%.

Even though New England does not seem to be in the tropical storm’s path, a state government profile on cyclones said that the Commonwealth should be on alert for hurricanes and tropical due to its vulnerability to those weather events.

“Massachusetts’s 78 coastal communities are more susceptible to damaging impacts of high windsand storm surge associated with hurricanes and tropical storms,” the report said.

Cheryl McCloud contributed to the reporting of this story.

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.

PAWTUCKET — Olivia Williams will bid for a third consecutive title and three fellow finalists will be in search of their first entering the last day of the 105th Rhode Island Junior Amateur. 

Lily Dessel, Jesse Hellring and Brayden Dickinson all hope to join the party at Pawtucket Country Club. Thursday’s semifinals saw the top two seeds advance for the girls and the upsets continue for the boys. 

More: More drama at the Rhode Island Junior Amateur quarterfinal match play. Here’s what happened.

Williams rallied past Adriana Eaton, 3 and 2, while Dessel won the first two holes on each side to beat Claire McTaggart, 2 up. Hellring won the 16th and 17th holes to top Rocco Capalbo, 3 and 1, while Dickinson survived the final two holes to outlast Ian Dunham, 1 up. 

Eaton won the first two holes and three of the first six to hold a 2-up lead before Williams kicked into gear. She made par to take the seventh and birdie to capture the ninth, pulling level at the turn. Williams won four of five holes between the 12th and 16th to close it out, bracketing that stretch with two more birdies. 

“I started to come back toward the end of the front nine and I went up on the beginning of the back nine,” Williams said to the Rhode Island Golf Association. “I was just trying to stay focused, play my game and take one shot at a time.” 

Williams could see Eaton again next week at the Women’s Amateur. They’ve played for the state’s biggest prizes in recent years, including a meeting in last year’s final and a matchup in the Junior Amateur semifinals. Both are Interscholastic League stars at La Salle Academy and Moses Brown, respectively. 

“She’s very good,” Williams said. “It was a tough match today. We definitely have a lot of fun when we play together.” 

Dessel reached the quarterfinals in her 2021 debut at this event and has improved her game steadily since then. She never trailed against McTaggart but couldn’t build more than a 2-up lead against her Barrington High teammate and fellow Rhode Island Country Club member. Dessel won the 18th with a routine par to book a spot in her first final. 

“It took me a while today to figure out the speed of the greens,” Dessel said. “It was definitely faster than the past couple of days. Once I got that going, I was kind of steady for the rest of the match.” 

Hellring’s bogey was good enough to win the par-4 11th, and he carried a 1-up lead to the 16th after halving six of the previous seven. Two straight pars were enough to slip past Capalbo, the reigning Interscholastic League champion who’s fresh off a strong debut at Prout. Hellring avoided the 18th hole for second time in three matches, playing it only during a 1-up win over Joey Iaciofano in the Round of 16. 

“Winning this would be great,” Hellring said. “What you get as well — going to the U.S. Junior [Amateur] would be awesome.” 

Dickinson was one of the last players to reach match play as the No. 15 seed and has made the most of his chance. He lost the 16th hole with a bogey to trail late, but that’s a minor inconvenience at this point for the North Kingstown standout. Dickinson was sidelined for the end of spring and beginning of summer after suffering an ankle injury in physical education class at school — he’s just now rounding back into form. 

“It really put into perspective how much this game means to me, how much I really just love coming out here and competing with the guys and putting together a good score,” Dickinson said. “It was a tough couple months.” 

Hellring and Dickinson will open their finals match at 7:30 a.m. Williams and Dessel will have the tee eight minutes later. Two other matches also will go off in the boys first division and boys 14U — Connor Ahlborg and Conner Rabbitt in the first, Aidan Connell and Raj Mammen in the second. 

Boys championship 

Jesse Hellring def. Rocco Capalbo, 3 and 1; Brayden Dickinson def. Ian Dunham, 1 up. 

Girls championship 

Olivia Williams def. Adriana Eaton, 3 and 2; Lily Dessel def. Claire McTaggart, 2 up. 

Boys first division 

Connor Ahlborg def. Luke Cavanaugh, 3 and 1; Conner Rabbitt def. Zachary Taraian, 2 and 1. 

Boys 14U 

Aidan Connell def. Mitch McTaggart, 3 and 2; Raj Mammen def. Nico Capalbo, 4 and 3. 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25