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RI AG Neronha joins lawsuit against Trump admin for canceled disaster prevention grants

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RI AG Neronha joins lawsuit against Trump admin for canceled disaster prevention grants


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  • Trump administration terminated a billion-dollar program aimed at protecting communities against natural disasters through infrastructure upgrades.
  • RI joined coalition of 20 states in filing the lawsuit against FEMA and Kristi Noem.
  • FEMA and Noem have come under scrutiny for their lackluster response to the Texas floods.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha sued the Trump administration on July 16 to stop the termination of a multibillion-dollar grant program aimed at protecting communities against natural disasters through infrastructure upgrade projects.

Neronha joined a coalition of 20 mostly Democrat-led states in filing the lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Boston federal court.

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“There’s no denying that Rhode Island is particularly susceptible to the ever-increasing effects of climate change, which is why we need to stay ahead of the curve on mitigating risk,” said Neronha in a press release. “It’s high time we seriously ask ourselves if this is a federal government for the people, or for itself. Anyone who’s paying attention already knows the answer.”

The lawsuit comes just a couple weeks after devastating flooding in Texas killed over 130 people. In the weeks since, FEMA and Noem have come under scrutiny for their lackluster response to the disaster. According to reporting from The New York Times, the agency struggled to answer calls from survivors because call center contracts had not been extended. Noem has denied the reporting.

Joining Neronha in filing this lawsuit are attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. 

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What is the BRIC program?

Neronha is suing over FEMA’s termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program in April.

The BRIC program provides communities with resources to fortify their infrastructure before natural disasters strike. It covers 75% of the costs of infrastructure programs (90% in rural areas) that are meant to protect communities from natural disasters. 

According to the lawsuit, BRIC has provided about $4.5 billion in grants for nearly 2,000 projects over the past four years. 

What is the disaster funding used for?

According to the Attorney General’s office, the funding has been used for “difficult-to-fund projects” like evacuation shelters and flood walls, safeguarding utility grids against wildfires, protecting wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, and fortifying bridges, roadways, and culverts.

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In Rhode Island, the University of Rhode Island is currently using funding from the program to develop new and enhanced tools to map flood risk in Rhode Island for coastal and inland waters. 

Why are the attorneys general suing?

FEMA said they terminated the BRIC program because it had been wasteful, ineffective and politicized.

But the attorneys general say that mitigation projects reduce injuries, save lives, protect property and save money, and that the ending of the program means that Americans face a “higher risk of harm from natural disasters.”

They say that the move to cancel the program is in violation of Congress’s decision to fund it and violates the Separation of Powers and the Administrative Procedures Act. They are also claiming that Cameron Hamilton, who gave the directive to terminate the BRIC program as the acting director of FEMA, was not properly appointed and therefore did not have the authority to cancel it.

“The President understands that he and his Administration do not have the power to unilaterally withhold Congressionally allocated funding to the states, and yet here we are again,” said Neronha. “Over the past six months, Democratic attorneys general from across the nation have sued to claw back rightfully allocated funds for everything from education and infrastructure to public health and emergency management.”

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The attorneys general are seeking to prevent the termination of the BRIC program and restore the funds. 

Contributing: Reuters



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Toy giant Hasbro accelerates Boston move, begins hiring for new office – The Boston Globe

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Toy giant Hasbro accelerates Boston move, begins hiring for new office – The Boston Globe


The company — whose iconic brands include Monopoly, Scrabble, My Little Pony, Nerf, and Potato Head — had long been headquartered in Pawtucket, and will soon relocate operations to 400 Summer St. in Boston’s Seaport District, a 630,000 square-foot, 16-story laboratory building.

A view of 400 Summer St. in Boston.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

The new space will be home to at least 700 full-time employees, who are expected to fully transition from Rhode Island to Boston by the end of 2026.

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A hiring push for the Boston office began in September, just after the toy maker announced it would leave its Pawtucket offices at 1027 Newport Ave. Some of the Boston postings were tagged as “company priority,” signaling urgency to fill those roles.

Hasbro’s relocation underscores the powerful allure of Boston’s vast talent pool and healthy corporate ecosystem. While Hasbro’s relocation will force Rhode Island to grapple with losing tax revenue, Pawtucket has long struggled to reinvent its downtown, which has plenty of vacant buildings, homelessness, and underperforming schools. Hasbro still owns its aging offices on Newport Avenue, and it’s unclear whether the company plans to lease or sell them, and when.

Andrea Snyder and Bertie Thomson, two spokespeople for Hasbro, could not be reached for comment. The company has not responded to state or city officials either.

“The State and City Commerce departments, in partnership with Governor [Dan] McKee’s office and Mayor [Don] Grebien’s office, have reached out to Hasbro numerous times – all calls, emails, and letters have gone unanswered,” said Grebien spokesperson Jennifer Almeida, in a statement to the Globe. “While we recognize that Hasbro is a private company and made the decision to leave, the lack of communication is frustrating.”

“We hope that Hasbro will work with us to ensure their employees are taken care of and that the property remains viable for future development,” Almeida said.

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Hasbro has been located in Rhode Island since its founding in 1923 by the Hassenfeld family. One of the few publicly traded companies based in Rhode Island, it employs roughly 5,500 people worldwide.


Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.





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Silver Alert canceled for missing man in Barrington

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Silver Alert canceled for missing man in Barrington


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BARRINGTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Police have canceled a Silver Alert for a 78-year-old man reported missing out of Barrington Thursday.

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Jeffrey Rockwell had been last seen in person on Wednesday, but police said his vehicle was spotted Thursday morning taking the Broadway exit off I-195 West.

Police located Rockwell Thursday around 8:30 p.m.

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Prime Healthcare withdraws bid for bankrupt Rhode Island hospitals owned by Prospect Medical – The Boston Globe

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Prime Healthcare withdraws bid for bankrupt Rhode Island hospitals owned by Prospect Medical – The Boston Globe


PROVIDENCE — Prime Healthcare Foundation has withdrawn its bid to acquire two Rhode Island hospitals owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, leaving the Centurion Foundation, a Georgia-based nonprofit that has struggled to secure financing, as the hospitals’ sole suitor.

Prime, which first publicly signaled interest in Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in early November, had been in talks with state officials and executives with California-based Prospect Medical Holdings. In late October, Prospect filed a motion in bankruptcy court to shut down the hospitals, a scenario state officials and health leaders said would destabilize Rhode Island’s entire health system.

Prime’s exit leaves The Centurion Foundation, which has struggled for months to finance a deal, as the sole remaining prospective buyer once again. Centurion has been unable to attract investors and is expected back in US Bankruptcy Court on Friday to update Chief Judge Stacey Jernigan on the status of their financing. Jernigan said in late November she was frustrated by Centurion’s continued inability to secure the necessary capital for a deal she approved in February.

“No one wants these closed,” said Jernigan during a court hearing on Nov. 24. “But, as I expressed last time, I’m beyond frustrated with Centurion.”

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha confirmed to the Globe Thursday morning that Prime advised him on Wednesday that they view the “collective hurdles presented by the proposed transaction as too big a challenge for them to take on at this time.”

“They wanted to see how the Centurion transaction played out,” said Neronha. “I told them that I understood, and I do.”

The collapse of Prime’s bid comes at a critical moment for Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence, two safety-net hospitals that care for many of the state’s most vulnerable, including the uninsured and many who are covered by public insurance. If Prospect is given approval by the court to shutter these hospitals, Rhode Island’s emergency departments would be overwhelmed, and other systems spread thin.

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Part of the reason Prime pulled out was because it would have had to assume existing labor contracts, according to Neronha.

Brad Dufault, a spokesman for United Nurses and Allied Professionals, which is the union represents many of the workers at the hospitals, told the Globe that with time quickly running out, the union is “pleased that the state can now keep the focus 100 percent on closing the Centurion deal.”

“Prime Health has an abysmal record here in Rhode Island and across the country – a record of greed, fraud and deceit,“ said Dufault. ”Rhode Islanders who need quality health care services dodged a major bullet by keeping them away from these important community hospitals.”

Prime owns and operates Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, where UNAP also represents workers.

Prime and Prospect have been in discussions over the last few weeks on how to address the nearly $90 million in post-bankruptcy petition expenses that either the buyer or the seller would be required to pay. Centurion has agreed to cover those expenses if they close their deal. It’s unclear if Prime was willing.

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Neronha said in a statement that Prime has been in discussions with his office and the Rhode Island Department of Health about “certain necessary commitments regarding capital improvements, assumption of existing labor contracts, preservation of existing lines of medical services, who would cover anticipated losses while they managed but did not yet own the hospitals, a management fee they would be paid (none versus how much), and more.”

Noel True, a spokesperson for Prime, could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.

Centurion’s executives recently warned the state that seeking an alternative buyer, like Prime, would spook investors and undermine their deal to acquire the hospitals, which was first approved by regulators in 2024. Centurion’s President Ben Mingle could not be immediately reached for comment.

This story has been updated with a comment from Brad Dufault.


Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.

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