Rhode Island, Providence County | featured news

PROVIDENCE — Gov. Gina Raimondo has set the stage for raises of up to $30,886 a year for three top-tier members of her cabinet who make less than the $135,008 head of her public-relations squad.The Raimondo administration has posted notice of a hearing at 9:30 a.m. Monday on proposals to raise the base pay of state Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, from $131,975 to $140,000 a year; Department of Labor and Training Director Scott Jensen, from $135,000 to $155,000; and the [...]

WOONSOCKET — On Feb. 18, Lisa Simpson’s day got off to a bad start.But little did she know that a good deed performed by a general manager at the local Planet Fitness would get her day back on track — or the video of that kind act would later be shared on Facebook more than 1,000 times.Simpson is a caretaker for Christopher “CJ” Wagner Jr., a 22-year-old Burrillville man with Down syndrome. The pair often go to Planet Fitness in Woonsocket to [...]

Schools around the state have delayed openings Thursday after overnight snowfall in Rhode Island.Providence, Cranston and Warwick are among the public school districts to announce two-hour delays. Others, including Coventry and North Providence, called for one-hour delays. Pawtucket public schools called for a cancellation Thursday, a snow day on the last day of February. For a full listing, visit the Rhode [...]

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The table was set, with flowers in vases and menus tucked inside white napkins. Water glasses were filled. Wicker fans provided a cool breeze.But nobody came."Schedule change," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced.That was the first indication something was up at President Donald Trump's two-day summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.But what did it mean for the prospects of denuclearizing?Reporters and [...]

HANOI - President Trump on Thursday defended North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over the death of American college student Otto Warmbier, whose family says he was "brutally tortured" while imprisoned in North Korea and died in 2017 after being flown back to United States in a coma. The president condemned the "brutality of the North Korean regime" following Warmbier's death at 22, but he took a softer stance toward Kim [...]

PROVIDENCE -- Snow is tapering off this morning after dropping a few inches overnight, according to the National Weather Service.Providence has gotten a little more than 4 inches and several other municipalities had more than 3 inches, not a huge snowfall, but enough to delay school in many cities and towns.Once the snow stops, the rest of Thursday should stay [...]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Two state lawmakers are proposing a sales tax holiday for Rhode Island.WJAR-TV reports that State Rep. Joe Solomon Jr. and state Sen. Mark McKenney, both Democrats from Warwick, submitted bills in their respective chambers Wednesday calling for a tax-free weekend August 10 and 11.McKenney in a statement said neighbors Massachusetts and Connecticut have had sales tax holidays and Rhode Islanders go out-of-state to make purchase at those times. He [...]

Mirna Gonzalez had just stepped away from Gate C7 at Portland (Oregon) International Airport when she heard the screaming. She had left for only a moment to buy a coffee while she and her children waited for an Alaska Airlines flight to Texas just before Christmas, on Dec. 18, 2017. Her 5-year-old daughter, Gabriella, was supposed to be sitting at the gate with her older brother. But when Gonzalez returned, Gabriella's face was covered in blood. [...]

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia first lady Pam Northam has expressed regret after the mother of an African-American teenager complained that a tour of the governor's mansion was racially insensitive.Northam said Wednesday that is she is working to make sure the stories of slaves who worked in the mansion's historic kitchen before the Civil War are told properly.Northam's statement comes amid heightened racial tension in Virginia politics. Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney [...]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was notified Thursday that the attorney general plans to put him on trial for bribery and fraud, following a two-year corruption investigation that has galvanized a serious election challenge and could speed the end of his political career. The draft indictment, while expected, sent tremors through Israel's political landscape, coming just 40 days before what's shaping up to be a closely fought election. It's the first time a [...]