Latest Rhode Island Headlines
All the headlines from our Rhode Island Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Rhode Island Bank to Pay $9M to Resolve Discriminatory Lending Allegations It Denies
Sep 29 2023 // A community bank in Rhode Island agreed to pay $9 million to resolve allegations that it engaged in lending discrimination by redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, a U.S. attorney announced Wednesday. A...
Weather Service Confirms 4 Tornadoes Hit New England This Week
Sep 15 2023 // Four tornadoes touched down in the New England area on Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Boston has confirmed. A severe thunderstorm produced four tornadoes for about 90 minutes beginning at 4:00 p.m. They...
New England Braces for Lee After Days of Torrential Rains
Sep 14 2023 // Soaked and stunned residents in neighborhoods across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut have begun surveying and fixing damage from several days of flooding and a reported tornado, while they and others in the...
Historic Rhode Island Hotel Damaged in Blaze to Be Torn Down; Cause Under Investigation
Aug 28 2023 // The historic Rhode Island hotel ravaged by a fire last weekend is a total loss that will be torn down, authorities said Wednesday. The Harborside Inn on Block Island was severely damaged in a blaze that started late last...
Weather Service Confirms Five Tornadoes Hit New England Last Week
Aug 23 2023 // The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down in Connecticut last Friday, joining a spate of four other twisters detected Friday in New England, including three in Massachusetts and another in Rhode...
Rare New England Tornado Damages Homes, Floods Roads, Topples Trees
Aug 21 2023 // A rare Rhode Island tornado lifted a car off an interstate highway Friday as severe weather swept already storm-weary New England, damaging homes, flooding roads and toppling trees. Tornadoes were reported in several spots...
Fire Tears Through Historic Block Island Hotel Off Rhode Island Coast
Aug 21 2023 // A fire tore through a historic hotel early Saturday on Block Island, prompting officials on the summer vacation spot off the coast of Rhode Island to declare a state of emergency and urge the public to stay away. The fire...
Shipping Firm Fined $2.25M for Discharging Oily Bilge Off Rhode Island
Aug 16 2023 // The owner of a Greek oil tanker has been ordered by a U. S. judge to pay $2.25 million in fines and penalties after discharging oily bilge water into the ocean during a trans-Atlantic voyage and admitting to other...
Actor Sues, Claiming She Was Sexually Harassed by Rhode Island Resort Owner
Jul 18 2023 // An actor and model who had roles in the soap opera “Guiding Light” and movies including “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” says in a lawsuit that she was sexually harassed by the owner of a Rhode...
Rhode Island AG Lawsuit Says Landlord Puts Tenants at Risk
Jun 8 2023 // A Rhode Island landlord whose tenants have long complained about lead hazards, rodent infestations and other problems with their apartments was sued Tuesday by the state attorney general, who said conditions at many...
Rhode Island AG Sues Manufacturers of Forever Chemicals
May 26 2023 // Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha yesterday filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, for allegedly causing significant harm to the...
Home Heating Oil Leak Is Covered Due to Pollution Ambiguity, Rhode Island Court Rules
Feb 20 2023 // The Rhode Island Supreme Court for the first time has found the definition of pollution in a commercial policy ambiguous enough to justify vacating a lower court’s summary judgment in favor of the insurer. The...
Rhode Island AG Reaches Lead Abatement Agreements With 4 Landlords
Feb 7 2023 // The owners of four Rhode Island lead-contaminated properties have agreed to fix the problems and pay fines that combined total more than $700,00 in value, the state attorney general’s office announced last week. In...
Home Heating Oil Leak Is Covered Due to Pollution Ambiguity, Rhode Island Court Rules
Feb 1 2023 // The Rhode Island Supreme Court for the first time has found the definition of pollution in a commercial policy ambiguous enough to justify vacating a lower court’s summary judgment in favor of the insurer. The...
Hilb Acquires OceanPoint Insurance in Rhode Island
Dec 27 2022 // National broker The Hilb Group reported it has acquired Rhode Island-based OceanPoint Insurance, building upon its presence in the New England region. OceanPoint is based in Middletown, and has additional offices in...
Rhode Island Bus Service, Health Insurer Sued Over Data Breach
Oct 27 2022 // Two people whose personal information was compromised in a data breach at Rhode Island’s public bus service that affected about 22,000 people sued the agency and a health insurer this week seeking monetary damages...
More Rainfall Following Downpours Floods Rhode Island Streets, Buildings
Sep 8 2022 // PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The heavy rain that caused street flooding and forced the closure of major roads in Rhode Island on Labor Day continued on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 11 inches of rain...
Rhode Island Sues 5 Landlords Over Alleged Lead Hazards
Jul 21 2022 // Rhode Island has sued five more landlords who rent properties in which children with lead poisoning live, the state attorney general said Monday. The three properties in Providence, one in Central Falls, and one in Newport...
Woman Dining in Rhode Island Outdoor Restaurant Dies After Being Hit by Car
Jul 21 2022 // A woman sitting in the outdoor eating area of a restaurant died after she was struck by a vehicle, police in Warwick, Rhode Island said. The driver was traveling through the parking lot of Tommy’s Clam Shack on...
Rhode Island Woman Sues Cleaning Firm for Firing Her Because She Was Pregnant
Jul 14 2022 // A Rhode Island woman hired to work for a house cleaning service was fired just days later after management found out that she was pregnant, the woman said in a discrimination lawsuit filed Monday. The lawsuit filed by the...
