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Washington Bridge updates: McKee lobbies feds, and keeping tabs on eastbound side • Rhode Island Current

Published

2 years ago

September 13, 2024

Washington Bridge updates: McKee lobbies feds, and keeping tabs on eastbound side • Rhode Island Current

Gov. Dan McKee spent part of this week in Washington D.C. as the state’s top lobbyist in an attempt to secure federal funding to cover the still-to-be-determined cost of rebuilding the westbound Washington Bridge.

The governor met with Senior White House Adviser Tom Perez Wednesday to get President Joe Biden’s administration to approve a $221 million grant application currently pending before the U.S. Department of Transportation. State officials expect to know whether Rhode Island is awarded the federal money sometime in the fall.

So how did the lobbying effort go? “Good,” McKee said during his weekly “Ask the Governor” interview with WPRO’s Gene Valicenti Thursday.

“We just made it clear that this is a high priority,” McKee said. “It is a competitive bid, we’re competing with the country — but I believe the case we’re making is one that represents how critical this is and how much an issue this is for the people that live in our state.”

The governor also connected with his predecessor, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, about trying to sway the Biden administration on the state’s behalf, McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha said in an emailed statement.

“What we’re doing is taking every possible person who could help us be successful,” McKee told Valicenti.

Financials behind the rebuild project are expected to be clarified after the state issues a second request for proposals. The initial request — posted April 30 with a July 3 deadline to respond — drew no bidders.

When the new round of bidding opens is anyone’s guess.

Vendor feedback to shape new Washington Bridge bid specs not being made public

“It should be soon, but no dates have been put out,” Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) spokesperson Charles St. Martin said in an interview Thursday.

The state’s continued push for federal dollars comes as bridge deck and beam demolition is underway on the westbound highway, which has been closed to traffic since December. That work is being done under a $45.8 million contract between the state and Warwick-based Aetna Bridge Co.

RIDOT does not expect traffic on the eastbound span to be affected by the ongoing demo work — though it has resulted in ongoing night time closures to portions of Gano Street in Providence for the next couple of weeks. State transportation officials also plan to close Waterfront Drive in East Providence for one week starting Sept. 17.

The superstructure of the bridge is expected to be torn down by the end of January, according to the proposal Aetna submitted to RIDOT. Rhode Island Current submitted a records request for Aetna’s full demolition plan on Sept. 3, but still has not received a response from RIDOT as of Friday.

State monitoring weight on eastbound bridge

No implosions will occur, St. Martin said — that way debris doesn’t fall into the Seekonk River and it will protect the adjacent eastbound span, which now carries traffic in both directions.

Increased traffic on the eastbound has caused some concerns at RIDOT, as the state in May paid $2.8 million to Swiss-based technology company Kistler to install monitoring systems meant to keep track of the bridge’s structural health.

“The eastbound Washington Bridge has become considerably more sensitive since the closing of the westbound bridge,” RIDOT engineer John Priess wrote in an April 25 request form.

Kistler was chosen through a sole source procurement — meaning a public bid process was not required. St. Martin said Thursday that was because “no other companies contacted about this technology could provide the combined analysis RIDOT sought.”

He added the new monitoring system is a precautionary measure.

“One of the great things about this system is that it will use multiple communications channels to notify RIDOT in real time if any issues are detected,” St. Martin said in an emailed statement. “This purchase should provide peace of mind to anyone who has concerns about the increase in traffic now that there are six active lanes on the bridge.”

There are no plans for weight restrictions. Installation is expected to be complete in October.

What about that lawsuit?

Litigation against the 13 firms who previously worked on or inspected the bridge before its sudden closure is still in its early stages. As things pick up, the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General confirmed Friday it will post filings on its website as they become available.

Spokesperson Timothy Rondeau declined to say when that would begin.

There have been no major filings since the lawsuit itself was filed in mid-August aside from one hearing to get on the Superior Court’s business calendar and attorneys signing on to represent the defendants.

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Washington

Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say

Published

2 days ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say

Charging documents reveal the U.S. Park Police officer who was shot Monday in Southeast D.C. had arrested one of the suspects the day before and was following that suspect at the time.

The suspects are brothers, 22-year-old Asheile Foster and 21-year-old Darren Foster, of Southeast. They appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon.

Court documents state the Park Police officer who was shot had arrested Asheile Foster on Sunday on suspicion of dealing drugs. The officer said he followed Foster after he was released from jail on Monday and came to Park Police headquarters to get his personal belongings.

According to prosecutors, Foster told police he knew he was being followed by a white Tesla, and he confronted the officer on Queens Stroll Place SE, jumping out in front of the Tesla before the officer swerved around him.

Then, dozens of gunshots went off, the officer told police. He said in charging documents he was shot in the shoulder as he kept driving several blocks to the intersection of Benning Road and Southern Avenue SE, where police found him. A helicopter then took him to a hospital. According to charging documents, the officer was treated and released the same night as the shooting.

A U.S. Park Police officer who was shot in Southeast D.C. on Monday is recovering from what authorities say was likely a targeted attack. Multiple law enforcement sources tell News4’s Mark Segraves that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday.

Photos in the charging documents show the brothers firing at the officer’s Tesla, according to prosecutors.

The shooting drew a massive police presence to the Southeast neighborhood near the D.C-Maryland border Monday night.

Shell casings littered the middle of the street. Police said they recovered two weapons: a Glock 9 with an extended magazine and an AR-15.

Prosecutors said that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday. No one was injured in that shooting.

Darren Foster was located and stopped shortly after the shooting, D.C. police said. Asheile Foster was found on Tuesday.

The brothers were charged with assault on a federal officer, assault with intent to kill and weapons charges. They could face up to 60 years in prison if they’re convicted.

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Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors

Published

3 days ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors

Washington just became the latest state to regulate artificial intelligence.

Under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will have to include new disclosures in their popular chatbots for Washington users.

Ferguson asked legislators to craft House Bill 1170 to crack down on AI-generated misinformation. When content is substantially modified using generative AI, that information will now have to be traceable using watermarks or metadata. The new law applies to large AI companies more than 1 million monthly subscribers.

“ I’m confident I’m not the only Washingtonian who often sees something on my phone and wondering to myself, ‘Is that AI or is it real?’ And I feel like I’m a reasonably discerning person,” Ferguson said during the bill signing. “It is virtually impossible these days.”

RELATED: WA Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions

House Bill 2225 establishes new guard rails for AI chatbots that act like friends or companions. It applies to services like ChatGPT and Claude, but excludes more narrowly tailored chatbots, like the customer service windows that pop up when visiting a corporate website.

Chatbots that fit the bill will have to disclose to users that they are not human at the start of every conversation, and every three hours in an ongoing chat. The tools will also be barred from pretending to be human in conversation with users.

The rules go further if the user is a minor. Companies that operate chatbots will have to disclose that the tools are not human every hour, rather than every three hours, if the user is under 18. The bill forbids AI companions from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users. It also bans “manipulative engagement techniques.” For example, a chatbot is not allowed to guilt or pressure a minor into staying in a conversation or keeping information from parents.

“AI has incredible potential to transform society,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, of course, there are risks that we must mitigate as a state, especially to young people. So I speak partly as a governor, but also as the father of teenage twins who grapple with this as a lot of parents do every single day.”

Under the law, AI chatbots will not be allowed to encourage or provide information on suicide or self-harm, including eating disorders. The companies behind these tools will be required to come up with a protocol for flagging conversations that reference self-harm and connecting users with mental health services.

The regulations come in the wake of several high-profile instances of teenage suicide following prolonged interactions with AI companions that showed warning signs. Many more AI users of all ages have reported mental health issues and psychosis after heavy use of the technology.

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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Published

3 days ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.

The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.

The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.

The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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