Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News and co-hosts Behind the Story. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter and Bluesky.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island to relinquish control of Providence schools on July 1
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — In an unexpected development, R.I. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green announced Wednesday she is recommending the state relinquish control of the Providence schools by July 1.
The commissioner will make the recommendation to the R.I. Council on Elementary and Secondary Education on May 26, saying her decision came after “deep deliberation and consultation” with city and state leaders.
“This is an important moment, and I want to be clear: this conversation is happening now because of the work you — the students, families, educators and support staff, the community,” Infante-Green wrote in an open letter to the Providence Public Schools community.
If the handoff is successful, Providence would regain control of its school district for the first time since November 2019, following a devastating Johns Hopkins University report documenting systemic failures.
Infante-Green’s decision represents an about-face from Tuesday when she told reporters that she wanted to begin transitioning the district back to Providence this summer, but with the eventual handoff not happening until July 2027.
“I’m the one who put the line in the sand and said it’s going back in 2027,” Infante-Green said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, internal negotiations spilled into public view, exposing tensions over how the transition would unfold. On Tuesday, Infante-Green spokesperson Victor Morente chastised the Providence School Board for making those internal discussions public.
“Violating the confidentiality of these meetings undermines the mutual trust needed for a successful transition and raises serious questions about board leadership’s ability to manage complex, high-stakes negotiations,” Morente said in a statement.
In a draft order Infante-Green plans to recommend to the council, the commissioner outlined a series of steps the district should take to support its “long-term success.”
“The commissioner hereby states her firm conviction that the progress made by PPSD while it was under state control will not continue, and in fact student achievement in the district will regress, if the following measures, or substantially similar measures, are not undertaken by the responsible parties,” she wrote in the order.
The recommendations include hiring a board coordinator, commissioning a third-party review of governance strategies, properly funding schools and requiring training on the R.I. Code of Ethics.
The state’s nearly seven years running the problem-plagued school district has been a mixed bag. In her letter, Infante-Green cited examples of “measurable progress” during state control, including stronger academic outcomes, higher graduation rates and improvements in chronic absenteeism.
Yet only a third of students are proficient in English language arts, and just 31.4% are proficient in math, according to the latest standardized test scores. Many local and state leaders have also characterized the state takeover as a failed experiment, accusing RIDE of repeatedly moving the goalposts on measures of success and the return of local control.
The timing of the handoff to local control would come at the same time state and local politicians are vying to keep their jobs.
Gov. Dan McKee is trying to fend off a challenge from Democratic rival Helena Foulkes. Foulkes has said, if elected governor, she would fire Infante-Green and return local control to Providence.
McKee said Tuesday “the time has come” for the schools to go back to Providence.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley is facing his own Democratic primary challenge from state Rep. David Morales. Both men have supported regaining control of the Providence schools.
According to her draft order, Infante-Green said she would maintain authority over the schools until they are handed off. Until that time, she would retain “the right to rescind or modify” the order, she wrote.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated.
Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Facebook, X/Twitter and Bluesky.
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Three people were stabbed on a Rhode Island beach Tuesday as hundreds of teenagers packed the area, forcing beachgoers to flee.
The victims were found at Narragansett Town Beach after police officers responded to the crowded scene amid reports of violence. The three unidentified individuals sustained minor stab wounds and were taken to a local hospital for treatment, Narragansett Police said.
WATCH: ROWDY TEENAGERS SWARM DC NAVY YARD IN WATERFRONT TAKEOVER DESPITE POLICE JUVENILE CURFEW ZONE
Three people were stabbed Tuesday as hundreds of beachgoers packed Narragansett Town Beach in Rhode Island, police said. (Narragansett Police Department)
No suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with the stabbings.
However, several other disturbances broke out as hundreds of people on the beach attempted to leave simultaneously, officials noted. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene.
OUT-OF-CONTROL TEEN MOB IN DC REVEALS FAILURE OF BLUE CITY SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES
Two unidentified adults were arrested and charged with simple assault, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice. Police noted these arrests did not appear to be related to the stabbings.
The incident came amid a wave of teen violence across the country. Over the weekend, teenagers in Washington, D.C., got into a chaotic brawl inside a Chipotle restaurant. About eight teens could be seen throwing punches and hurling restaurant furniture at one another as innocent bystanders huddled for safety in a corner of the establishment.
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All of the suspects were dressed head-to-toe in black, with some wearing hoods and masks.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Helena Foulkes has opened up a 20-point lead over incumbent Dan McKee in the Democratic primary for governor, with just three months left before the first ballots are cast, an exclusive 12 News/Emerson College poll released Tuesday shows.
The survey of 565 likely Democratic primary voters finds Foulkes at 40% and McKee at 20%, with 37% undecided and 3% saying they support someone else. The 12 News/Emerson poll is the third survey in the last two months showing McKee down by double-digits.
“The race for governor hasn’t moved in six months,” 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming said. “Helena Foulkes is still holding a commanding lead. McKee has done nothing that’s moved the needle to close that gap. And he’s running out of time very quickly.”
McKee — who is seeking to extend his tenure as governor to 10 years — is viewed unfavorably by 60% of all voters and favorably by only 21%. McKee’s numbers are better but still negative among likely primary voters, 50% of whom view him unfavorably. Among registered Democrats only, McKee’s unfavorable rating is 43%.
A key challenge for McKee: he is underwater by 14 points among undecided primary voters, with 26% viewing him favorably, 26% viewing him neutrally, and 40% viewing him unfavorably.
“If you’re being viewed unfavorably by the undecided voters, how are you going to get their votes?” Fleming said. “He’s had the last five or six months as the governor who’s out there all the time to try to move the numbers — the numbers have never moved.”
(Story continues below.)
Foulkes, a former CVS executive who placed a close second to McKee after a late surge in the 2022 primary, remains less of a known quantity to voters despite her lead in the primary. Her numbers among all voters are slightly negative, with 27% viewing her favorably and 29% viewing her unfavorably, but over 40% of voters either view her neutrally or have never heard of her.
Unlike McKee, however, Foulkes is viewed positively by likely primary voters, at 35% favorable and 23% unfavorable, though even among that group 42% express no opinion about her. Her numbers are similar among registered Democrats.
Fleming noted Foulkes has a significant financial advantage to reach voters who haven’t formed an opinion yet, with $3.6 million in cash on hand compared with McKee’s $1.4 million. “She can spend it over the next three and a half months,” he said.
Less than three hours before release of the 12 News/Emerson poll, the McKee campaign announced that it had conducted its own survey last week. But the campaign didn’t reveal whether McKee was behind or ahead, and the governor told 12 News on Tuesday, “I don’t have those numbers.”
McKee’s campaign poll tested a variety of attacks on Foulkes, and his campaign released a memo arguing that the attacks would shift some voters against her. The Foulkes campaign did not immediately respond.
The 12 News/Emerson poll was conducted May 14-16 and surveyed 1,000 likely Rhode Island voters using text-to-web and online panel interviews. The overall credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error, is plus or minus 3 percentage points, rising to 4.1 points for the Democratic primary subset.
McKee, Foulkes both lead November election
Yet the 12 News/Emerson poll also shows that if McKee finds a way to turn around his campaign and defeat Foulkes in the primary, he is in position to win another four years as governor.
Among all 1,000 likely voters surveyed, McKee leads a hypothetical November election matchup with 33%, against 22% each for the Republican nominee and independent Ken Block, while 17% are undecided and 6% are supporting someone else.
(Story continues below.)
Foulkes fares even better in the general election matchup, with 39% support, followed by the Republican nominee at 21% and Block at 19%, with 18% undecided. Two Republicans, Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino, are vying for the GOP nomination.
Block, a Barrington businessman who ran for governor as a third-party candidate in 2010 and a Republican candidate in 2014, pulls votes from across the political spectrum. In a race against McKee, Block wins 16% of Republicans, 14% of Democrats and 30% of independents.
“Ken Block is going to divide Republican votes,” Fleming said. “So if he’s dividing the Republican vote, it’s going to be very difficult for a Republican or an independent to win the race over whoever the Democratic nominee is.”
(Story continues below.)
Block is better known than Guckian, who was the 2022 GOP nominee for lieutenant governor. Among all voters, Block is viewed favorably by 19% and unfavorably by 23%, with the rest neutral or unfamiliar. Guckian is viewed favorably by 10% and unfavorably by 15%, but nearly half of voters have never heard of him.
Most voters on the fence in AG primary
The 12 News/Emerson poll also tested the Democratic primary for attorney general, which is an open contest since incumbent Peter Neronha is term-limited.
The race is wide open.
The survey shows former R.I. Cannabis Control Commission chair Kim Ahern and Warwick state Rep. Joe Solomon Jr. tied at 9% each, trailed slightly by former Neronha policy chief Keith Hoffmann and Barrington state Rep. Jason Knight, both of whom are at 5%. But almost three out of four voters — 72% — are undecided.
Fleming said all the candidates need to continue raising money to get their message out to voters.
“What could help in this election is the Democratic Party endorsement,” Fleming said. “A lot of times an endorsement doesn’t mean that much, but right here you have four candidates running, and none of them are well known at all. If you have the party endorsement, that might pick you up 4% or 5% of the vote.”
More results from the poll will be released tonight on 12 News at 10 and 11 p.m.
Ted Nesi (tnesi@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi’s Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, Bluesky and LinkedIn.
Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter and Bluesky.
Alexandra Leslie contributed to this report.
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra on Monday announced the schedule and theme for its Summer Pops program, an annual series of free outdoor concerts featuring well-known songs performed in a classical style.
This year’s show, “Outstanding Overtures,” features beloved introductory tunes from theater, film and classical music.
“There’s something magical about an overture,” said David Beauchesne, executive director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School. “It sets the stage, stirs the imagination, and invites you into a story.”
The program includes overtures ranging from “William Tell” and “The Marriage of Figaro” to “Phantom of the Opera,” “West Side Story,” “Mary Poppins,” and “Wicked.”
“Experiencing these masterpieces performed by a full symphony orchestra in a relaxed, outdoor setting is something truly special,” Beauchesne said. “And best of all, it’s completely free.”
R.I. Philharmonic’s 2026 “Outstanding Overtures” Schedule
Narragansett
Friday, July 10, at 8 p.m. (rain date: Saturday, July 11, at 8 p.m.)
North Beach Clubhouse, 77 Boston Neck Road
Providence
Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. (rain date: Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m.)
Roger Williams Park Temple to Music, F C Greene Memorial Boulevard
Newport
Sunday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m.
Rosecliff Mansion, 548 Bellevue Avenue
Bristol
Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.
Independence Park, Thames Street
For more information and the full program, click here.
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Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
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