Latest Rhode Island Headlines
All the headlines from our Rhode Island Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fires Exhaust R.I. Red Cross Relief
Feb 6 2008 // A series of fires in Rhode Island has exhausted the state Red Cross’ fund for emergency assistance. CEO John Holt says the agency helped 247 people in December and January, compared with 133 people during the same...
TV Station Agrees to $30M Settlement with R.I. Nightclub Fire Victims
Feb 4 2008 // A Rhode Island TV station and a cameraman accused of getting in the way of people fleeing the nightclub fire that killed 100 people have reached a tentative $30 million settlement with survivors and victims’...
R.I. Beacon Mutual Whistleblower Moves On
Jan 27 2008 // Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri has named Sandra Powell as interim director of the state Department of Labor and Training. Powell — who spent 19 years at the department in workforce development programs — replaces...
R.I. Labor Chief, Beacon Mutual Whistleblower, Moves On
Jan 16 2008 // Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri has named Sandra Powell as interim director of the state Department of Labor and Training. Powell replaces Adelita Orefice, who had run the department since 2004. Powell has spent 19...
Deported Illegal Immigrant Returns To R.I. for $30K Injury Settlement
Jan 16 2008 // An illegal immigrant from Mexico has won $30,000 in a settlement with his former Rhode Island employer after accidentally injuring himself with a chain saw. Edgar Velasquez, who worked for a tree service company in...
R.I.’s Narragansett Bay Insurance to Use $200M Funding to Expand in East
Jan 8 2008 // Narragansett Bay Insurance Co. in Rhode Island has sealed a deal to obtain $200 million from three private equity investors. The company said the equity will be used to grow the company’s homeowners business along...
Judge Dismisses Bid to Throw Out $2.4B R.I. Lead Paint Cleanup Plan
Jan 7 2008 // A judge last Friday refused to strike down a proposal from the state that calls for three former lead paint manufacturers to pay an estimated $2.4 billion to clean up roughly a quarter-million homes in Rhode Island. The...
No Charges for R.I. Lawmaker Who Left Scene of Minor Accident
Jan 4 2008 // Rhode Island Rep. Timothy Williamson will not face charges after leaving the scene of a minor car accident last month, an incident police have described as a hit-and-run. Williamson, a West Warwick Democrat and the town...
Lead Paint Cos. to File Response to Proposed R.I. Abatement Plan
Dec 18 2007 // Lead paint companies are preparing to file their response to Rhode Island’s landmark $2.4 billion lead paint abatement plan. The companies have already asked a judge to strike down the entire proposal, but say they...
Engineer Says Providence, R.I. Hurricane Barrier Needs Repairs
Dec 14 2007 // A hurricane barrier protecting downtown Providence, R.I. from floods caused by major storms needs about $20,000 in repair work. City Engineer William Bombard says a gear broke several months ago, so one of the massive...
R.I. High Court Upholds Lead Paint Law Exempting Small Landlords
Dec 13 2007 // Rhode Island’s highest court has upheld a state law that requires landlords to correct lead paint problems at their properties, rejecting a constitutional challenge brought because the law exempts small,...
Deadly 2003 R.I. Nightclub Fire Spurs Complex, Ongoing Court Case
Dec 2 2007 // Plaintiffs target high-profile defendants capable of paying the victims in a case involving 100 deaths Al Prudhomme isn’t sure exactly whom to blame for a 2003 nightclub fire that killed two of his band mates, about...
R.I. Hospital Fined for Third Wrong-Side Brain Surgery
Nov 28 2007 // Rhode Island Hospital has been fined $50,000 and reprimanded by the state Department of Health after its third instance this year of a doctor performing brain surgery in the wrong side of a patient’s head. “We...
Sherwin-Williams Seeks Answers on R.I. Lead Paint Cleanup
Nov 14 2007 // Paint firm Sherwin-Williams Co. has demanded more information about the state’s proposed $2.4 billion cleanup of properties contaminated with lead paint, saying the plan has too many unanswered...
Provider Insurance of Mass., R.I. Promotes Darcey
Nov 6 2007 // Provider Insurance Group, headquartered in Needham, Mass., recently promoted William Darcey to chief operating officer. Prior to the promotion, he was senior vice president and sales manager. With 17 years of experience,...
Home Depot, Conn. Insulation Firm Settle R.I. Nightclub Fire Claims
Nov 2 2007 // Home Depot Inc. and a Connecticut insulation company have tentatively agreed to a $5 million settlement in lawsuits brought by survivors of a 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire and relatives of the 100 people killed, a...
News Currents
Oct 27 2007 // Industry urged to watch for emerging benzene, lead, welding rod torts Large pool of litigants, scientific evidence, plaintiff’s attorneys all cause for concern Actuaries need to be on the look out for emerging mass...
Lloyd’s Settles Lawsuit Against Former R.I. Governor Sundlun
Oct 12 2007 // Former Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun has settled a lawsuit filed by a British insurance market that claims he owes about $300,000. Lawyers for Sundlun and the Society of Lloyd’s, based in England, say...
Actuaries Urged to Watch for Emerging Benzene, Lead, Welding Rod Torts
Oct 10 2007 // Actuaries need to be on the look out for emerging mass tort claims related to benzene, lead paint, and welding rods, despite the fact that significant legal hurdles in these cases remain. The large pool of potential...
R.I. Fire Board Urged to Update Fire Codes without Legislation
Sep 27 2007 // The Rhode Island state board responsible for overseeing Rhode Island’s fire code should update its own regulations and should seek change through the General Assembly only as a “last resort,” said Senate...
