Rhode Island
What slowdown? RI revenues revised up $80M despite recession fears.
Everything you need to know about a recession
Economic downturns and falling stock markets can bring hardship and fear. Here’s what you should — and shouldn’t — do when a slump looms.
The Republic
Despite concern that the national economy is at risk of a recession, Rhode Island revenue collections have been revised up nearly $80 million for this year and next, according to new projections from state fiscal analysts.
The latest projections, released Friday, May 9, show state revenue for the year ending June exceeding expectations by $60.7 million.
And they predict revenue in the fiscal year starting July 1 to be $19.3 million higher than they expected last November.
The rosier-than-expected revenue forecast will take some pressure off House Democratic leaders writing a state budget for next year by eating into what had been a projected $250 million budget deficit.
Legislative leaders take a conservative stance
Despite state revenues continuing to climb, General Assembly leaders remained downbeat, at least in part to discourage their members from demanding lots of new state spending.
“The revenue results preview the effects of the weakening U.S. economy linked to turmoil in Washington, D.C., House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi said in an email. “Any short-term positive news is overshadowed by the magnitude of that uncertainty and the many related or unsolved budget issues.”
New Senate President Valarie Lawson and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis DiPalma said: “While we are pleased that revenue and caseload estimates remain relatively stable compared to the estimates made in November, we are experiencing a more challenging budget, and more difficult choices, than in recent years.”
Tax revenues climbing, with one exception
The new numbers from the twice-a-year Revenue Estimating Conference expect current-year revenue to reach $5.6 billion on increases in personal income tax, corporate tax, utility tax, insurance premium tax, cigarette tax, alcohol tax, estate tax and lottery profit. The major exception to the upward tax revisions was sales tax, which is now expected to come in $22 million short of the November estimate.
At the end of April, economists from Moody’s Analytics told the Revenue Estimating Conference that they expect the economy to slow in the years ahead and unemployment to rise, but stopped short of predicting recession.
Looking forward to next year, the revenue estimators predict collections of $5.7 billion on a modest increase in personal income tax, insurance tax and lottery collections. They expect sales tax to continue to slide back next year.
Rhode Island
Who is ‘Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ star Kelsey Swanson’s second boyfriend?
Kelsey Swanson is laying it all out there. In tonight’s episode of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Swanson sits down with the other man in her life, who, unlike her boyfriend, is not afraid to put himself in front of the cameras.
Swanson’s unconventional relationship has stirred up a lot of interest in the rookie reality star. She shared in the first episodes that her much older, unnamed boyfriend of 10 years allows her to live a life of leisure in his New England mansion, even when he is with his other girlfriend in Miami for the first part of the year. Unfortunately for Swanson, the arrangement no longer seems to be serving her as she enters her 30s. While she wants marriage and kids, she said her boyfriend “will never budge” on the latter as he already has children of his own from a previous marriage. So, what else is she to do than find someone who will give her what she wants?
According to Swanson, she and her boyfriend have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” relationship. If he can have a second girlfriend in Miami, then she can have a Rhode Island side piece to keep her company when he’s gone. In tonight’s episode of RHORI, we get to meet said side piece. And honestly? We’re kind of rooting for him!
So, who is Swanson’s other boyfriend? Keep reading for everything you need to know!
Who is Kelsey Swanson’s other boyfriend? Meet Bill L’Europa:
In Episode 3 of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, we are introduced to Kelsey Swanson’s other man, Bill L’Europa. Swanson and L’Europa have known each other since the seventh grade, making him an age-appropriate match for her, who also wants to have kids “eventually.” We don’t know much else about L’Europa, other than the fact that his mom used to pack Swanson’s lunch in high school, and Swanson’s mom refers to him as her “future son-in-law.” Oh, and he drinks his coffee black. While they may seem like a perfect match, Swanson says she’s keeping L’Europa at an “arm’s length” until she can figure out where her other relationship is going. Swanson says that while L’Europa is “very successful,” he is not in the position to offer her the same job-free life that her other boyfriend can give to her. “I don’t have a problem working. I can do it,” she says in her confessional. “It’s just, do I want to? No.”
What are Bill L’Europa’s legal issues?
If you do a quick Google search on Bill L’Europa, a whole slew of legal issues involving a “William L’Europa” will pop up. Just this January, William L’Europa from Cranston, RI, who was previously convicted for federal tax charges on two separate occasions, was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay over $1.3 million in restitution to the IRS for his most recent tax evasion case. It should be noted that this man is NOT Swanson’s second boyfriend. While they share the same name and hometown, the man listed in the court docs is 60 years old, whereas Swanson’s side piece is much closer in age to her. However, the William L’Europa with the legal issues is, seemingly, the father of Swanson’s other man, according to this Facebook post.
Who is Kelsey Swanson’s rich boyfriend?
Swanson’s main boyfriend is allegedly John Caprio, the 50-something-year-old son of the late Judge Frank Caprio, whose courtroom clips went viral before he passed away last summer. Swanson and John have been dating for over 10 years, and he allows her to live in his 16,000 square-foot mansion job-free — even when he’s in Miami with his other girlfriend.
How to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island:
Those looking to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island will need access to Bravo and/or Peacock. If you have a cable subscription, you can access the network on the BravoTV website, or stream the show live on platforms like Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV when it airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes also become available the next day on Peacock.
Peacock currently offers two subscription types: Premium with ads and Premium Plus ad-free. Peacock Premium costs $10.99/month, while Premium Plus costs $16.99/month.
You can save a bit by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10. These cost either $109.99 with ads or $169.99 without ads.
Peacock Premium Plus is also available to subscribe to via Prime Video with a seven-day free trial that you can’t get by subscribing directly on Peacock.
Rhode Island
Early data promising on RI’s evolving behavioral health model | Opinion
Governor’s executive order targets Rhode Island health care costs
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee takes action to lower health care costs and improve affordability through new executive order.
Across Rhode Island, there has been a shared commitment in recent years to strengthening our behavioral health system, expanding access, improving coordination, and ensuring people can get the care they need, when they need it. One of the ways the state has moved that work forward is through the implementation of certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs).
Today, eight organizations across Rhode Island are part of this model, each serving different regions and populations. At Thrive Behavioral Health, which serves Kent County, we’ve been operating a CCBHC for nearly a year and a half. With that milestone comes something equally important: the opportunity to reflect on what the data is beginning to show.
While 17 months is only an early snapshot, the results we are seeing are encouraging and offer useful insight into how this model is functioning in practice.
Access to care is one area where the impact is already visible. Since becoming a CCBHC, we’ve seen a 60% increase in client intakes, connecting more individuals and families to services across Kent County. In total, more than 3,700 Rhode Islanders received care through our services last year.
That increase reflects a model designed to meet people where they are, with an emphasis on accessibility and a “no wrong door” approach. Individuals can enter care through multiple pathways and receive support regardless of their circumstances.
Equally important are the outcomes associated with that access.
Over the past year, we’ve seen a 28% increase in clients reporting improved overall mental health, along with a 19% increase in those able to remain in their homes and communities, outcomes that reflect greater stability and continuity of care. These are meaningful indicators, particularly in a field where progress is often measured over time and across many touchpoints.
The data also suggests progress in how care is coordinated across the broader system.
In Kent County, there has been a reduction in emergency department utilization among adults, alongside strong rates of connection to care for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. These trends point to the value of integrating crisis response, outpatient services, and community-based supports in a more coordinated way.
The CCBHC model is designed to support exactly that kind of coordination. It brings together a comprehensive range of services, emphasizes partnerships with other providers and systems, and aligns funding in a way that supports continuity of care.
Each of Rhode Island’s CCBHCs serves a different community, and continued evaluation across all sites will be essential to understanding the full impact of the model. At the same time, early data like this plays an important role. It helps inform decision-making, highlights areas of progress and identifies opportunities to strengthen the system.
Behavioral health care is complex, and meaningful change does not happen overnight. But it does happen through thoughtful implementation, collaboration, and a willingness to learn from what the data is telling us.
More than a year in, the CCBHC model is offering a clearer picture of what coordinated, community-based behavioral health care can look like in Rhode Island.
Sustaining that progress will require continued commitment, including stable, long-term funding that allows providers to maintain and expand access to care. With thoughtful support from policymakers and continued collaboration across the system, Rhode Island has an opportunity to build on this early momentum and ensure these gains are not temporary, but lasting.
Dawn Allen is the president and CEO of Thrive Behavioral Health in Warwick.
Rhode Island
The Garden Experience by Central Nurseries at Rhode Island Home Show+
Central Nurseries has a breathtaking exhibit at this year’s 76th annual Rhode Island Home Show +. In this segment of Studio10, Krystin Rae has the opportunity to interview Gianna Pagliarini of Central Nurseries to talk all about their business which has been around for 90 years! Every season, there is a new theme of the Garden Experience.
This year, their displays are loosely set up around different rooms of the home to help inspire home owners on incorporating plants and greenery in a new way.
The Rhode Island Home Show + offers a plethora of opportunities to grow and inspire our local home owners and builders. This year, the event features over two-hundred exhibitors.
Tickets to the event can be purchased at the door. The event continues with its last day on Sunday, April 12th.
More information can be found at the website link, available when clicking here!
More information on Central Nurseries can be found at the website link, here!
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