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Rhode Island files lawsuit against 13 companies that worked on troubled Washington Bridge

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Rhode Island files lawsuit against 13 companies that worked on troubled Washington Bridge


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee announced Friday that the state has filed a lawsuit against 13 companies that provided design, construction and inspection services related to the troubled Washington Bridge.

The bridge was partially shut down over safety concerns in December. McKee said in March that the bridge would need to be demolished and replaced.

McKee’s comments at the time came after an independent review of the bridge — which carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to East Providence and serves as a key gateway to Providence — found additional structural deficiencies requiring that it be replaced.

McKee said the lawsuit filed Friday seeks to hold accountable those companies responsible for the near-miss catastrophic closure of the bridge and to recover the significant resources required to rebuild the bridge and compensate the state.

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In the lawsuit, the state argues that the companies failed to timely and adequately identify worsening structural issues that ultimately led to the sudden and unexpected closure of the bridge.

The lawsuit also alleged there were multiple failures over multiple years to bring problems with the bridge to the attention of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

“In the nearly nine months since the abrupt closure, our economy has borne an immense cost, and our state has and will continue to have to expend significant resources as a result,” state Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a written statement.

During the demolition and construction of the new bridge, the state will reroute six lanes of traffic — three in each direction — on the eastbound bridge structure.

The sudden westbound closure in mid-December initially wreaked havoc on traffic, turning a 40- to 45-minute drive into several hours, stranding commuters for hours and sending others veering off their normal path. Some schools closed and held classes remotely.

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The bridge carries nearly 100,000 vehicles every day.



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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC

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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC


Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce initially had their sights set on a marvelous coastal wedding, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly.

“Taylor and Travis really wanted their wedding in Rhode Island, and June 13 was the date, but security wouldn’t have worked because it could get out of hand with that kind of scale of an event,” an insider says.

Though everything was initially being planned in Rhode Island — where Swift, 36, has a mansion in the lavish Watch Hill neighborhood of Westerly — the insider notes the pop star had booked multiple venues from coast to coast on different dates.

According to the source, “Ocean House [in Westerly] was planned at one point, and then plans changed to New York.”

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Taylor Swift’s Wedding Guests Don’t Know Ceremony Location — Yet

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are keeping wedding day details under wraps  — even from their invited guests. “Taylor and Travis told guests to be in NYC. No other location was provided,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly, noting that invitees only know to be in the Big Apple on Thursday, July 2 and Friday, […]

The insider, meanwhile, tells Us that Swift’s security “had to assess all the venues to see what made sense.”

“Rhode Island wasn’t great because the nature of the access and the perimeters were too difficult to secure,” the source explains. “So the main issue with Rhode Island ended up being security.”

GettyImages-2277907006traviskelcetaylorswiftweddingvenueri.jpg

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
Getty Images

“Everything was being planned in Rhode Island,” added a source. “And so many people wanted to come that plans had to change because it became bigger.”

Swift and Kelce, 36, are now rumored to be tying the knot at Madison Square Garden in New York City over the July 4 holiday weekend. While the exact location and date of the nuptials have not yet been confirmed, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to hint at the wedding taking place in the city during a June 15 press conference earlier this month.

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“I am fully confident in the work of the NYPD, as well as our state partners, in delivering that safe experience,” he told reporters. “We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events, and we are incredibly excited for the [World Cup]. We know it coincides with the Knicks’ [NBA] Finals run. We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”

Additionally, a permit was filed with NYC in June, the mayor’s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed to Us after The New York Times reported on a permit to close the streets surrounding MSG from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3.

City sources also confirmed to Us that the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO), which issues the permits, is in touch with the NYPD regarding a possible influx of street and pedestrian traffic.

Though Swift and Kelce’s Rhode Island wedding plans fell through, the “I Knew It, I Knew You” singer’s Watch Hill mansion had an uptick in action last week when security was spotted swarming the area. A group of unidentified women were reportedly seen on the balcony wearing matching robes — three in black and one in white — sparking speculation about a bachelorette party.

A woman who appeared to be Swift’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson Berard was also seen on the property with her 2-year-old son.

Meanwhile, Travis celebrated what was perceived as his bachelor party in Los Angeles and San Diego. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, Jason Kelce, as well as Travis’ teammate Patrick Mahomes and others, were spotted at a Chris Lake concert, a Dave Chappelle comedy show, a night out at the members-only Bird Street Club and more.

Swift and Kelce began dating in the summer of 2023 and got engaged in August 2025.

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When will RI see promised Time-Varying Rates on electric bills? | Opinion

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When will RI see promised Time-Varying Rates on electric bills? | Opinion


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  • Rhode Island Energy is installing advanced smart meters for all electricity customers.
  • The new meters allow for Time-Varying Rates, which can lower costs for customers and the grid.
  • While the utility profits from the $188 million meter investment, the system for customer benefits is delayed.
  • The utility is currently seeking to increase its profit margin in a new rate case before state regulators.

Rhode Island Energy is currently installing advanced smart meters for all electricity customers. Clean energy and environmental advocates have championed advanced metering for decades because the systems enable incentives for conservation, solar integration and energy storage. The primary vehicle for realizing these benefits is Time-Varying Rates (TVR).

Unlike legacy meters, advanced meters track when electricity is used, not just how much is used. TVR encourages customers to shift heavy usage, like running a clothes dryer or charging an electric vehicle, to off-peak overnight hours when wholesale power is cheap and cleaner. This flattens the grid’s peak demand, brings down wholesale energy costs for everyone and reduces our reliance on polluting “peaker” power plants.

The Rhode Island Public Utility Commission (PUC) is charged with balancing the interests of utility customers with value to utility shareholders. It sets the formulas by which the utility is compensated.

The primary means the utility is compensated is based on a Return on Equity invested (ROE) that is predetermined by the PUC and currently set at 9.275%.  Rhode Island Energy’s capital investments are funded through roughly 51% equity (shareholder capital) and 49% debt. For every $100 million the utility spends on infrastructure, about $51 million is financed via equity, allowing shareholders to collect an annual pre-tax profit of 9.275% on that portion, or roughly $4.73 million. The more the utility spends, the more their shareholders earn.

At a cost of over $188 million for the new meters, Rhode Island Energy shareholders will collect nearly $9 million a year in profit for 20 years from the equity portion of that investment alone, while also saving money on labor by eliminating the need for truck based drive-by meter readers. 

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But advanced metering was supposed to benefit ratepayers as well as the utility. Though the meter expenditures were approved by the PUC in 2023 and the meters installations are expected to be completed by the end of this year, it is expected to take until at least 18 months after the meter rollout is completed to implement the billing system infrastructure needed to enable Time-Varying Rates.

The upgrades that deliver more profit to the utility bottom line was fast tracked, while the investment needed to implement the primary benefits to ratepayers is being slow walked. Why weren’t the software upgrades and hardware deployment run in parallel?

Right now, the PUC is weighing a huge general rate case (Docket No. 25-45-GE). Rhode Island Energy has proposed aggressively hiking its profit margin, seeking to raise its ROE from 9.275% to 10.75% and expand its equity share from 51% to 57%.

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In their 2022 advanced metering filing, Rhode Island Energy suggested the new infrastructure would yield $729 million in benefits over 20 years. So far, the utility is seeing plenty of that benefit on its bottom line, while ratepayers have mostly seen higher costs. The PUC should reject the utility’s requested rate increases, preserve the current rate structure, and insist that Time-Varying Rates be fully operational before any further rate changes are considered.

Fred Unger is a retired energy project developer and clean energy advocate based in Providence.



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Target 12: State of RI’s fire hoses

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Target 12: State of RI’s fire hoses


With wildfires becoming more frequent in Rhode Island, the state’s stockpile of specialty hoses to battle these blazes is being stretched thin.

Target 12 investigator Tim White got a firsthand look at the condition of the critical firefighting tools in Rhode Island and learned what’s being done to repair or replace them.

Watch the Target 12 exclusive Tuesday at 5 p.m. on WPRI 12.

Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.

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Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.

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