Rhode Island

With Ruggerio still in the hospital, RI state senators are talking about succession.

Published

9 months ago

March 4, 2025

Press Room

With Ruggerio still in the hospital, RI state senators are talking about succession.

Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio is recovering from pneumonia in the hospital and is expected to remain there through March 12.
Ruggerio’s prolonged absence has raised questions about the Senate’s succession rules.

PROVIDENCE – With news that Senate President Dominick Ruggerio remains at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and will be unable to preside over the state Senate for at least one more week, his colleagues are beginning to tiptoe around the rules that govern succession.

The 76-year-old Ruggerio – a political warhorse who has served in the Rhode Island legislature for more than four decades – has given no indication that he plans to step down barely two months after his reelection to the Senate’s top post.

But several of his colleagues openly discussed, and questioned, how the process of choosing his successor would play out during a Monday meeting of the Senate committee that is working on the proposed rules for the 2025-26 session that began on Jan. 7.

The visibly fragile Ruggerio, who in November survived a bid by Democratic colleagues to unseat him, was reelected president on opening day of this year’s legislative session with support from 26 of 38 senators, including all four Republicans.

Eleven Democratic senators, including all nine who voted against Ruggerio in a November caucus, voted “present” that day instead of yea or nay on another term as president for Ruggerio.

How is Ruggerio doing?

Hospitalized since Feb. 19 with what a note to his Senate colleagues called a “touch of pneumonia,” Ruggerio has for the last week been in a rehab unit in the hospital and is expected to remain there through March 12, according to his chief of staff, John Fleming.

He is no longer battling pneumonia, but “everybody’s seen him,” Fleming said.

“He’s fragile, so they are trying to build him up, and he’s in this program and they got him up walking every day. He’s eating like a bear,” Fleming said.

Fleming said the goal of keeping Ruggerio at Fatima is to “put some weight back on him.”

“He’s doing wonderful,” Fleming continued. “I spent two hours with him Saturday talking business. He was very, very alert. He was the best I’ve seen him in a long time. He’s put on some weight, and they figured that they want to keep him there to build him up to stop what he’s been going through.”

With his absence on Tuesday, Ruggerio will have missed four of the eight once-a-week Senate sessions so far this year. Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna Gallo is expected to preside again in his place.

What about succession rules?

Monday’s rules committee conversation ranged from Sen. Jonathan Acosta’s renewed objections to the Senate dress rules to a proposed new rule, which was roundly applauded, to have the Senate post written testimony online as the House has done for several years.

The kudos came from the senators who sit on the rules committee and others, including Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island, who said the House move in this direction has been a tremendous boon to promoting transparency and the public’s right to know.

No votes were taken during Monday’s meeting of Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight, which recessed until Thursday to consider some other tweaks suggested that day.

Acosta broached the Senate president succession question, reading the current rule out loud and noting that it could be interpreted in more than one way.

“To prevent any conflict a year from now, a month [or] God forbid, a week or so from today, I think it’d be better that we address this and agree upon this as a body … so that we have a collective understanding of how to interpret,” Acosta said.

Acosta pointed to lines pertaining to a vacancy in the office of the Senate president.

The current rule says: “Should the office of president become vacant during the session, the president pro tempore shall preside over an election …”

Acosta said he thinks the rules mean that an election for Senate president would be held at the next “regular meeting of this body,” but it could be interpreted as the president pro tempore presiding for an unlimited period of time.

It is not yet clear if the committee will consider any potential amendments to this rule.

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Rhode Island

RI school superintendent resigns amid antisemitic hazing investigation

Published

8 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

RI school superintendent resigns amid antisemitic hazing investigation

A Rhode Island school superintendent has resigned amid an investigation into alleged antisemitic hazing in the district, NBC affiliate WJAR-TV reports.

Smithfield Superintendent Dr. Dawn Bartz announced her resignation in a letter addressed to the school community. Bartz has been on leave since November after a report of hazing at Smithfield High School.

The Jewish Alliance of Rhode Island said five high school football players locked a freshman student in a bathroom, sprayed Lysol at the student and yelled antisemitic slurs.

In her resignation letter, Bartz focused on her successes surrounding academic outcomes, special education and STEM opportunities and other positives for the district, and thanked the community.

“As Smithfield moves forward, I am confident the district will continue to build on this progress
and momentum. I wish all our students, staff, and families continued success in the years ahead,” she wrote.

The letter did not specify a reason for the resignation.

WJAR-TV first reported on the situation on October, when the Bartz released a statement on its investigation.

“The investigation confirmed inappropriate conduct among a small number of students,” Superintendent Dawn Bartz said in a provided statement. “Disciplinary action has been taken in accordance with district policy, and several student-athletes will not participate for the remainder of the season.”

The statement went on to say that there would be mandated training and education in response. However, the involved players were back at practice, which didn’t sit well with the victim’s family. His parents said his son walked into practice and found himself face-to-face with his alleged assailants.

Five football players were initially removed from the team for the remainder of the season but were later reinstated. When asked about the reversal in October, Bartz issued a one-sentence statement saying, “The disciplinary process has concluded and we will not be discussing details involving students.”

Smithfield Town Council President John Tassoni said the situation has deeply divided the community.

“It’s a long time coming,” Tassoni said of Bartz’s resignation. “A lot of people are angry about what happened. A lot of people don’t know the truth of what happened, nor do I.”

An investigation is underway by the school committee’s attorney and a report is expected to be delivered to the school committee sometime next year, Tassoni added. However, some people have concerns about transparency and have floated the possibility of hiring an independent investigator.

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island said they want the focus to be on student safety.

“While we can’t speculate on the specific reasons behind the superintendent’s decision to resign, we remain focused on what matters most: that Smithfield schools become a place where Jewish students and all students feel safe, valued, and protected from bias and harassment,” President and CEO Adam Greenman wrote in an email.

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Rhode Island

Prosecutors in Rhode Island drop charge against former Bay View athletic director

Published

20 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Prosecutors in Rhode Island drop charge against former Bay View athletic director

Prosecutors in Rhode Island dropped a fugitive from justice charge against a former Catholic school athletic director.

John Sung was arrested in East Providence last month. He was wanted in Florida for a non-violent felony.

After his arrest, he was fired from his position at St. Mary Academy Bay View in Riverside.

Broward County court records show Sung was taken into custody last week. He posted bond.

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Rhode Island

The top returning girls wrestlers? Here are 10 to watch this season

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

The top returning girls wrestlers? Here are 10 to watch this season

Girls wrestling took off last winter in its second year of state championships.

Exactly 50 participants, across a dozen weight classes, competed in the March extravaganza at the Providence Career and Technical Academy. Each weight class was contested, unlike the first year of the tournaments, and new title winners were crowned.

Pilgrim’s Allison Patten was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for her win at 107. The Patriots’ star also finished runner-up at the New England Championships and is among this year’s returnees. But who else should we be keeping an eye on this winter?

Here are 10 standouts who we think might shine this year.

Enjoy!

Athletes listed in alphabetical order.

Yasmin Bido, Hope

Senior

Bido snagged her first individual crown with a 16-0 decision at 152 pounds. The Blue Wave grappler also finished runner-up at 165 in Year 1 of the tournament.

Irie Byers, North Kingstown

Sophomore

Byers stormed onto the scene with a title in her first year on the mat. She captured the 120-pound championship with an 11-1 win in the finals. The Skipper returnee is one of a few wrestlers who could repeat.

Jolene Cole, Scituate

Sophomore

Cole helped Scituate to the team title in the first year that the award was handed out. Scituate is a bit of a girls wrestling factory, and Cole added to that lineage with her pin at 114 pounds.

Alei Fautua, North Providence

Sophomore

Fautua breezed to the title at 235 pounds with a pin in just 25 seconds. She led the Cougars to a runner-up finish as a team as Scituate edged the Cougars by just seven points. Fautua then finished fourth at the New England championships.

Kamie Hawkins, Exeter-West Greenwich

Junior

This year is all about redemption for Hawkins. She was one of the first state champions and came back last year looking to defend her 120-pound title. It wasn’t meant to be, but make no mistake, Hawkins is one of the state’s best.

Abigail Otte, Exeter-West Greenwich

Junior

Otte was a repeat champion at 138 pounds as she seized the title with a pin in 24 seconds. It’s likely a safe bet that Otte might capture her third crown in three years.

Allison Patten, Pilgrim

Junior

A repeat season isn’t out of the question for Patten. She won the 107 pound title with a pin in 49 seconds. What’s next for the junior? End the season with a New England title, too.

Chloe Ross, Scituate

Sophomore

It was quite the debut for Ross. The state crown was a breeze as the freshman won via pin in 1:16. But then came the New England tournament where the Spartan star snagged second place. Might there be a different ending to her season this year?

Meili Shao, La Salle

Senior

Shao was one of the first wrestling champions when she captured the 132 title two seasons ago. A repeat crown wasn’t in the cards as she finished runner-up in the class. But the Ram has returned and could be out to avenge last year’s finish.