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The progressives’ plan for 2024 in Rhode Island – The Boston Globe

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The progressives’ plan for 2024 in Rhode Island – The Boston Globe


Governor Dan McKee has given his State of the State address. The GOP has delivered its response. The House speaker and the Senate president have held their big fund-raising kickoffs.

Now it’s the progressives’ big day to roll out their plans for 2024.

At least 20 members of the House and Senate are holding a 3 p.m. press conference at the State House to roll out what they call their Working Families agenda for the year, backing legislation that includes the expansion of paid leave for families, free school lunch for all students, and granting homeowners the right to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to provide housing that’s affordable.

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The Working Families Party – which in Rhode Island equals Democrats who have the backing of the group – is also planning to announce support for several other housing-related bills as well as legislation that would provide more funding for RIPTA, allow the state to wholesale cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, and reform the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.

Stepping back: The Working Families group unabashedly backs progressives in the state, but unlike some of the other left-leaning coalitions, they routinely have a targeted plan and message – especially in an election year. They have played a crucial role in slowly moving both chambers to the left in recent years.

This year’s legislative agenda is no different. The lawmakers know that not all of their bills have a chance to pass this year; for example, it’s highly unlikely the General Assembly will raise taxes on people who earn more than $1 million a year. But they are standing side by side with House Speaker Joe Shekarchi – the ultimate moderate – on ADUs because they view it as both good politics and good policy.

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Stepping back further: Working Families does have something to prove heading into an election year. The group went all-in on supporting Aaron Regunberg for Congress last year, and he was beaten rather handily by former President Biden aide Gabe Amo in the Democratic primary. Not every progressive was thrilled with that endorsement.

Under the hood: The proposal to expand paid family leave from six weeks to 12 weeks (Representative Joshua Giraldo from Central Falls is the House sponsor) already has a high-profile support in Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. That’s a bill that could get a serious look this year.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.


Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.

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CRMC asks RI Superior Court to force Quidnessett Country Club to take down rock wall

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CRMC asks RI Superior Court to force Quidnessett Country Club to take down rock wall


The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) filed a counterclaim against Quidnessett Country Club in Providence County Superior Court Tuesday. It wants a judge to force the North Kingstown country club to remove the 600-foot stone wall built without permission roughly three years ago.



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Why a Taylor Swift wedding might shut down Westerly streets

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Why a Taylor Swift wedding might shut down Westerly streets


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  • The potential wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, presents a significant logistical challenge.
  • Transporting celebrity guests would likely occur in three phases: from airports, to wedding events, and back to airports.
  • A large, out-of-state limousine company would probably be needed to handle the transportation for the high-profile event.
  • Using large coach buses would be necessary to move guests to wedding activities and ease traffic in the small village.

As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce eye possibly getting married at her Watch Hill, Rhode Island, mansion, The Providence Journal is surveying various wedding vendors about what it would take for the Ocean State to host a wedding befitting the most popular woman in the world.

Imagine a crowd of A-list celebrities descending on the village of Watch Hill in Westerly this summer to attend the wedding of mega celebrity Taylor Swift and football star Travis Kelce.

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To Chuck O’Koomian, who owns Airline Express Limousine and Car Service with his wife Ginny Cauley, it’s like a scene out of a horror movie.

“It’s gonna be a logistical nightmare,” O’Koomian told The Providence Journal.

How will guests arrive at Taylor Swift’s wedding in Westerly?

While Swift has not announced when or where her wedding will be, O’Koomian talked about what would be involved in getting a large celebrity crowd to the wedding, if it were held at her Bluff Avenue mansion, the nearby Ocean House resort or the Watch Hill Chapel, where Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo tied the know with football player Christian McCaffrey in 2024.

O’Koomian, who has provided transportation for comedian Jay Leno, who has a home in Newport, said there would be three distinct phases of ground transportation:

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  1. Getting people from airports to their hotels
  2. Getting people from their hotels to the wedding activities
  3. Getting them back to the airports

The middle phase, delivering people to wedding activities, very well may not be just a one-day affair. Many say Swift won’t have a wedding day; they’re expecting a wedding week.

While some guests, especially those in New York or Connecticut, would probably just have their drivers bring them to Westerly, others would fly in by private jets, probably landing at Westerly State Airport or Quonset State Airport, whose military runway is long enough to handle larger jets. From there, guests would need a ride to where they are staying.

What Westerly residents have to say

Folks in Westerly have surmised that, even if it’s not the site of the ceremony or reception, the Ocean House, along with its sister property the Weekapaug Inn, plus several rented, private mansions would be needed to accommodate guests.

O’Koomian expects that a large limousine company – such as Boston Corporate Coach or Carey Limousine, in Massachusetts, or Hy’s Limousine, in Connecticut – with more than 120 cars each, would get the contract to serve Taylor Swift’s wedding. “There’s not even 120 cars in Rhode Island, all the companies combined,” he said, adding that, as a subcontractor, he would hope to get a piece of the business.

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Could a fleet of private cars filled with stars snarl traffic in Westerly?

This first phase of local transportation would involve many trips of smaller parties. “They may come in two, three, four at a time,” he said.

While that is suitable for limousine service, getting from hotels to the ceremony, reception and other events, would require a different strategy for that second phase. “It’s like they’re transporting a football team,” he said.

That would mean “coaches,” the upscale version of buses. They would ease the traffic burden that would be created by limousines ferrying some 300 wedding guests around the tiny village of Watch Hill.

“It’s gonna take a lot of coordination if it’s Westerly,” O’Koomian said. “They’re going to have to shut down half the city. Police would have to shut down streets.”



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Rhode Island man crashes into house in Raynham after apparent medical episode

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Rhode Island man crashes into house in Raynham after apparent medical episode


A car crashed into a home in Raynham Tuesday afternoon.

Police said they responded to a report for a vehicle that crashed into a home shortly before 1 p.m. on Broadway Street.

Officers at the scene said they found a sedan that had crashed into the lower brick portion of the home.

Investigators said a man from Rhode Island appeared to suffer from a medical episode before leaving the roadway and crashing into the home.

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Police said the driver suffered non life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Boston Medical Center – South in Brockton.

Officers said the home was empty at the time of the crash.

The Raynham Building Department responded to assess the home for structural damage.

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The crash is under investigation.



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