Rhode Island

Rhode Island secures millions for new energy rebate program – The Boston Globe

Published

1 year ago

September 18, 2024

Rhode Island secures millions for new energy rebate program – The Boston Globe

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island has received nearly $32 million from the federal government to help residents make their homes more energy efficient and reduce the cost of their utilities, the first program of its kind in New England, Governor Dan McKee’s office said Tuesday.

The Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program run by the state’s Office of Energy Resources secured the money from the Department of Energy to fund the rebate-based initiative.

“The state is using its federal Home Energy Rebates funding to help its residents update their electrical panels and wiring, and upgrade to electric stoves and heat pump clothes dryers,” US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a news release.

The new program is geared toward low- and moderate-income residents. Rhode Islanders can learn if they qualify for the rebates through what Governor McKee’s office said was a free energy audit that can be conducted through a local Community Action Agency, entities that work on issues affecting economically disadvantaged communities.

If a resident qualifies for the funds, they can receive $2,500 for updated electric wiring, $4,000 for electric load service centers (the panels that distribute power in a home), and a little over $1,800 for energy-efficient appliances. Moderate-income households can secure $1,250 for electric wiring, $2,000 for electric load service centers, and $420 for energy-efficient appliances, McKee’s office said in a statement.

“This initiative is another positive step in reducing our state’s carbon emissions,” McKee said in the statement. “We are looking forward to the next phase of the program, when moderate-income households will have access to these rebates.”

The funds granted to Rhode Island are part of billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law two years ago.

“I was very glad to help secure federal funding in Democrats’ historic Inflation Reduction Act to jumpstart Rhode Island’s Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program, which was designed to help working families who are getting squeezed by high utility bills,” Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in a news release.

US Senator Jack Reed said “these rebates will lower household energy costs and fight climate change.”

Omar Mohammed can be reached at omar.mohammed@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter (X) @shurufu.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island GOP chairman Joe Powers to step down Jan. 15

Published

5 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island GOP chairman Joe Powers to step down Jan. 15

Journal Staff
| Providence Journal

Rhode Island Republican Party chairman Joe Powers will resign effective Jan. 15, the party announced on Saturday, Jan. 3.

“Chairman Powers is stepping down due to the increased demands of his professional workload and an extensive travel schedule that no longer allow him to give the Chairmanship the full attention the position requires,” the party said in a news release. “The role of Chairman demands constant focus, and daily engagement especially moving into an election year, neither of which Chairman Powers can provide at this time.”

Powers a, real estate agent and unsuccessful 2022 candidate for a Cranston Senate seat, was elected to lead the state’s Republican Party in March 2023. He was reelected to a second two-year term in March.

During his tenure, Powers “oversaw meaningful organizational progress, including the successful update of the Party’s ByLaws and the full staffing of Party committees for the first time in over 20 years, establishing a strong and durable foundation heading into the next election cycle,” the GOP news release said.

Powers will remain on the GOP’s state Central Committee as chairman emeritus and will “continue to support Rhode Island Republicans in a smaller capacity,” the release said, thanking him “for his leadership and service.”

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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Lucky For Life, Numbers Midday winning numbers for Dec. 28, 2025

Published

6 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

12-17-25-34-42, Lucky Ball: 09

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

Midday: 5-2-7-6

Evening: 9-5-9-8

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

01-13-20-24-34, Extra: 16

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Rhode Island

Will RI’s housing stock improve by 2050? Claudia Wack is optimistic.

Published

7 days ago

December 28, 2025

Press Room

Will RI’s housing stock improve by 2050? Claudia Wack is optimistic.

Predicting the future isn’t easy. Back in 2000, who would have thought that by 2025 the Pawtucket Red Sox would no longer exist, or Rhode Island’s first female governor would be telling people to “knock it off” as a pandemic shut down the state?

Now, as we embark on the second quarter of the 21st century, what could Rhode Island look like in 2050? The staff at The Providence Journal asked leaders in their field for their thoughts on what Rhode Island will look like in 2050. Here’s what they had to say.

Name: Claudia Wack

Hometown: Providence

Title: President, Neighbors Welcome! RI, a housing advocacy group

What will Rhode Island look like in 2050?

“My optimistic vision is I think Rhode Island will actually do a good job, eventually over the next 25 years, of getting back to our roots and really allowing more housing and more vibrant walkable neighborhoods in village centers and city centers,” she said.

“I think we will actually infill some of the city and village centers that maybe people don’t realize the extent to which some of these areas have actually been depopulated compared to what they used to be. You know, the city of Providence has a smaller population now than it did historically.”

“There’s neighborhoods that, when you think about zoning, you couldn’t replicate today under modern zoning,” she continued. “And so to some extent, I think the 2050 vision that is possible is actually a return to our roots in some ways of allowing that infill in central areas.”

On a slightly more “pessimistic note,” Wack said that she anticipates the state having to grapple with a “managed retreat” in coastal areas that will be affected by sea level rise, erosion and increased hurricane risks.

“I think we will see less housing being built in certain coastal areas, if only because it’s going to be harder and harder to insure housing in those areas,” she said. “I think in certain communities we will see shifts in where housing is being built and seeing housing production sort of migrate away from at-risk areas and toward areas where it’s going to be more sustainable.”

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