Rhode Island

RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know

Published

2 months ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know

Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has introduced a new package of housing legislation.
Highlights include allowing property owners to divide single-family lots and legalizing single-staircase, four-story apartment buildings.
The package also seeks to expand the Homeless Bill of Rights and streamline the creation of emergency shelters.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is once again taking aim at the regulations he says are stifling new homebuilding.

The Warwick Democrat unveiled his sixth annual suite of housing legislation on Thursday, Feb. 26, a few weeks after announcing he would not be running for governor this year.

“We are still trying to play catch-up for all the years that Rhode Island was dead last in the country for new housing starts,” Shekarchi said. “While Rhode Island remains a relatively affordable option for people moving here from other states, our own residents are too often priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.”

The legislative text of the nine-bill housing package, and with it the specifics of how it would work, were not available for Thursday’s news conference.

But highlights of the package, according to summaries, include:

Infill housing. Allow property owners to divide lots in single-family zoning districts, creating multiple dwellings instead of one, provided they have water and sewer service.
Parking maximums. Put new limits on how much off-street parking communities require for new apartment buildings.
Homeless Bill of Rights. Expand the state’s Homeless Bill of Rights to require 15-day notice to the occupants of encampments before local authorities clear them.
Emergency shelters. Let communities build temporary shelters, such as the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence, during a state of emergency.
Stairs. Legalize the construction of four-story apartment buildings with a single staircase.
Affordable housing taxes. Overhaul the tax system for income-restricted housing covered by the state’s “8 Law.”

Is land-use reform working?

Since Shekarchi was elected speaker in 2021, the General Assembly has passed dozens of bills he backed that tweaked state land-use statutes or streamlined the process for building.

How successful this approach has been is subject to debate.

Many local elected officials wary of development in their communities continue to rail against efforts to erode their power over construction.

Others in the growing Yes In My Back Yard movement see Rhode Island’s piecemeal approach as inadequate in comparison with the scale of the affordability problem and what other states are doing.

As evidence that his changes are making a difference, Shekarchi said Rhode Island saw a 70% increase in building permits in 2023 and a more modest increase in 2024. (Statistics for last year were not immediately available.)

Gov. Dan McKee’s 2030 plan calls for 15,000 new housing units built by that year.

Democratic primary challenger Helena Foulkes is slated to roll out her housing plan on Monday.

It is expected to include a millionaires tax to fund affordable housing, a revolving fund and target of 20,000 new homes.

What would the new laws do?

Letting property owners put multiple homes on a plot of land is one of the most direct ways that lawmakers can encourage the construction of more homes, but it is also one of the most controversial.

That’s especially true in areas zoned for large lots and single-family homes.

How far the new bill allowing lots to be subdivided in single-family zones goes is unclear. It is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Casey, D-Woonsocket.

Legislation setting maximum parking requirements for new developments, introduced by Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would apply to areas accessible by public transit.

Critics of off-street parking requirements say they make it harder to build new apartments and make the units that are built more expensive.

Shekarchi proposed the emergency shelter bill last year. It passed the House and died in the Senate.

It was the result of how long it took state officials to navigate Rhode Island’s building code and open the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence.

The staircase bill, sponsored by Rep. June Speakman, a Warren Democrat and chair of the House’s home affordability study commission, follows a wave of cities and states relaxing rules on how many exits are required in new construction.

Currently, the state building code requires two stairways in buildings with more than three stories, and fire officials have opposed all efforts to change that.

Speakman’s bill would allow four-story buildings with a maximum of 16 units with a single staircase.

Supporters of single-stair buildings say they allow development of small sites that would otherwise sit vacant and allow family-sized units with more light and better ventilation.

A previous Rhode Island single-stair bill would have allowed six stories, but it died in committee.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order in mid-February to study the idea.

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Rhode Island

Severe Tick-Borne Meat, Dairy Allergy Disease On Rise Across RI: What You Need To Know

Published

8 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Severe Tick-Borne Meat, Dairy Allergy Disease On Rise Across RI: What You Need To Know

The tick-borne illness that causes those infected to become severely allergic to meat and dairy products is emerging as an increasing concern in Rhode Island.

The Centers for Disease Control said nearly a half-million people are affected by the condition nationwide — with symptoms that can vary in severity with each exposure to meat or dairy.

See also: Cranston Man Killed In Paramotor Aircraft Crash

The CDC said symptoms include the acute onset of any one or more of the following allergic and/or gastrointestinal symptoms that occur 2–10 hours after ingestion of pork, beef, lamb, any other mammalian meat, or any mammalian-derived product (e.g. gelatin), or within two hours after intramuscular, intravenous, or subcutaneous administration of alpha-gal containing vaccination or medication:

Abdominal pain
Nausea
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Heartburn/indigestion
Hives
Itching
Anaphylaxis as diagnosed by a provider
Swelling of one or more of the following: lips, tongue, throat, face, eyelids, or other associated structures
Shortness of breath
Cough
Wheezing
Acute episode of hypotension

See also: Greenville Man Sentenced to 28 Months In Federal Prison For Bank Fraud

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Rhode Island

2 injured, 1 in custody after stabbing at home near Oakland Beach

Published

20 hours ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

2 injured, 1 in custody after stabbing at home near Oakland Beach

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — A portion of Ottawa Avenue in Warwick was blocked off by crime scene tape Monday afternoon as police investigated a double stabbing.

According to Warwick police, the initial call they received around 3:30 p.m. indicated someone with a knife was trying to break into an Ottawa Avenue home as part of an ongoing domestic incident. As they headed to the scene, police said, additional calls came in letting them know that people had been stabbed.

Capt. Matthew Higgins said officers arrived at the scene and took 29-year-old Caleb Brown into custody immediately. They reportedly found two stabbing victims with critical injuries, one inside an Ottawa Avenue home, while another was found outside in a front yard.

The stabbing victims — a woman who was stabbed in the abdomen and a man who was stabbed in the neck — were both rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery, and both are expected to survive, according to police.

Brown is also being treated at the hospital for minor injuries to his hands, police said.

Police tell 12 News they are still interviewing eyewitnesses, but are not looking for any other suspects, as this was an isolated incident. They say the suspect will be facing felony charges.

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

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

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Rhode Island

‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ Taglines Are Here, and They’re Iconic

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ Taglines Are Here, and They’re Iconic

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island just dropped their official intro—with taglines!
The cast features Kelsey Swanson, Rulla Nehme Pontarell, Alicia Carmody, Ashley Iaconetti, Rosie DiMare, Liz McGraw, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi.
The Real Housewives of Rhode Island airs Sundays at 9:00 pm ET, and streams the next day on Peacock.

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island is already my entire personality, and now the show has secured its position as a new franchise favorite with some seriously iconic taglines.

Kelsey Swanson: “Who needs a sugar daddy when my life is this sweet?”

Rulla Nehme Pontarell: “I have a blessed life, and I’m a loyal wife.”

Alicia Carmody: “Why settle for just a slice when you can have the whole damn pie?”

Ashley Iaconetti: “My life is like a rom-com, when I’m not crying I’m laughing.”

Rosie DiMare: “I used to report the news, but now I’m the headline”

Liz McGraw: “In the Ocean State, I dispense the weed and the truth.”

Jo-Ellen Tiberi: “I’m not trying to be mean, I just mean what I say.”

God bless them all.

In case, for some unfathomable reason, you haven’t watched Real Housewives of Rhode Island yet, it’s currently airing on Bravo and is truly amazing. Think: early days of RHONJ levels of incredible. Here’s the show’s log-line if you need more convincing: “Welcome to the Ocean State. It’s America’s smallest, but don’t be fooled—the drama is wicked wild. In a place where everyone knows everyone, nothing is ever truly forgotten. Friendships are built over decades, loyalties are deeply rooted, and secrets are guarded at all costs…until betrayal strikes and the cracks show.”

As Andy Cohen put it at SXSW, “There is not a dud episode in the bunch. You’re going to love it. And I’m not over hyping. We were worried about saturation, like eight Housewives ago. It appears there is a market for new places.”

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