2500 union workers at Rhode Island Hospital ratify new contract

Let's see more of this at Rhode Island's other hospitals

More than 2,500 members of Teamsters Local 251 at Rhode Island Hospital have voted to ratify a three-year agreement that protects their Teamsters health care and includes higher wages and stronger seniority protections. The bargaining unit consists of clinical support, non-clinical, and skilled maintenance staff in nearly every department.

“Local 251 has proudly represented workers at Rhode Island Hospital for more than 30 years,” said Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 251 and Teamsters Eastern Region International Vice President. “This agreement shows that solidarity has the power to win strong successor contracts.”

The new agreement maintains strong Teamsters health care, layoff protections, and adds access to FSA benefits. Rhode Island Hospital Teamsters resisted many concessionary demands, instead making improvements on job transfers, seniority rights, unused paid time payouts, tuition assistance, shift differentials, and a new pay step for over two thirds of the bargaining unit.

Get Fresh, Buy Local at RI Grown Farmers Markets

Love those fresh veggies!

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) kicks off the weekly 2026 RI Grown Farmers Market Season this weekend, running through early autumn. 

Starting this weekend, shoppers can visit the RI Grown farmers market at Goddard Memorial State Park, held every Friday from 9 AM – 1 PM through Oct. 9, or the RI Grown farmers market at Fishermen’s Memorial State Park, every Sunday from 8:30 AM to 12 PM through Oct. 11, for locally grown, fresh food. 

Early season offerings include plants, flowers, RI Seafood, spring vegetables, honey, and maple syrup. More vendors and summer crops will be added as the season progresses. 

Keep a lookout for the RI Grown label, which certifies that a product was grown right here in the Ocean State. Local is closer than you think – follow RI Grown on Facebook, on Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter to find locally caught, grown, and made foods from RI farmers, fishers, and food producers.

China now outspends the US on scientific research

The consequences extend far beyond scientific ranking and clout

Caroline Wagner, The Ohio State University

The cause condemns the effect

China’s rapid rise in science has hit a milestone. The country’s investment in research and development has reached parity with – and by purchasing power measures has surpassed – that of the United States, according to a March 2026 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Both nations have crossed the US$1 trillion threshold on research spending.

For 80 years, the U.S. operated the most productive scientific and technological enterprise in human history. Breakthroughs and advances that came from American labs included the internet; the mRNA vaccine; the transistor and its children, semiconductors and microprocessors; the Global Positioning System; and many more.

U.S. scientific and technological leadership was nurtured by sustained public investment in research universities and federal laboratories, as well as a culture of open inquiry. These investments turned scientific discovery into economic strength – accounting for more than 20% of all U.S. productivity growth since World War II.

In contrast, China had previously spent little to nothing on research and development. Some estimates show that China was among the lowest research spenders worldwide in 1980.

As a policy analyst and public affairs researcher, I study international collaboration in science and technology and its implications for public and foreign policy. I have tracked China’s rise across every major database for more than a decade.

The most recent reports showing that China is now outspending the U.S. on scientific and technological research is a turning point worth understanding clearly because, historically, global leadership in one sector – including technology and warfare – feeds into others. U.S. dominance is in question.

Here’s ‘What’s Next’ According to ‘No Kings’ Organizers

Starts May 1

By Joe Maniscalco

This story is from our friends at Work-Bites

Organizers of the latest round of “No Kings” demonstrations held nationwide, in late March, concluded their post-game wrap-up, on March 31, to be promising, “tonight is the night when we move from talking about what’s next—to doing what’s next.”

“What’s next?” is a question “No Kings” organizers could hardly avoid this week after an estimated 8 million people across the country turned out on Saturday March 28, to once again oppose the Trump administration’s deepening march into post-Constitutional authoritarianism.

So, what does “doing what’s next” look like according to “No Kings” organizers?

In the most concrete terms, it looks like working class people nationwide taking the “No School. No Work. No Shopping.” pledge on May 1—International Workers’ Day, as well as continuing to march, rally, and organize.

Upcoming

Tea with Tina postponed for another event

 

APRIL 2026

Tea with Tina Rescheduled

YOU'RE INVITED   On Saturday May 2, the Rhode Island State House will be open for special Saturday hours from 10 AM - 1 PM. The RI Department of State will offer abbreviated State House tours and State Archives staff will have the Act of Renunciation on display. Rhode Island 250-themed exhibits will be on display, and free raffles and giveaways will be available while supplies last. See more here.   So we can all attend, I will be postponing my next Tea with Tina until one week later, May 9th (details below.)   Hope to see you there!

"As we commemorate our nation's semiquincentennial year, Rhode Islanders should be proud to first recognize Rhode Island Independence Day – when our small state was the first to renounce its allegiance to the Crown. I hope Rhode Islanders and visitors alike will join us at the State House to learn more about Rhode Island's role in the Revolution and see our history up close." — Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore

Our next Tea with Tina will be May 9, 2026. 10-12 noon @ Caf Bar in The Venue, 5153 Old Post Road, Charlestown   Tina will be giving an update from the State House. Don't miss it! No RSVP necessary, all are welcome.

If you'd like to donate to Tina's re-eelction campaign, please make personal checks payable to: The Friends of Tina Spears 82 Hillside Drive Charlestown, RI 02813   Or click HERE to contribute online or scan the QR code

Want to volunteer on Tina's re-election campaign? Contact us here. We have lots of fun and we'll keep Tina in the State House!

Get our latest updates!

Salty drinking water could be increasing your blood pressure – people living in coastal areas are most at risk

Some Charlestown well water already affected by sea level rise

Rajiv Chowdhury, Florida International University

When people consider what causes high blood pressure, they often think of lifestyle factors, such as eating salty foods, lack of exercise or smoking. However, an unexpected source of salt might also be raising blood pressure for millions of people: the water they drink.

As sea levels rise, more and more salt water tends to infiltrate global freshwater sources. I’m a public health researcher, and this raised a question for my team: Could saltwater intrusion be increasing the risk of high blood pressure worldwide?

In our analysis of existing research, we found that people exposed to saltier drinking water tend to have significantly higher blood pressure and a greater risk of hypertension. This link, as expected, appears strongest in coastal areas where seawater is increasingly contaminating freshwater supplies.

Our findings highlight an often overlooked environmental factor in cardiovascular disease that could become more problematic as climate change accelerates.

Rotavirus cases in children are rising

Parents should know there is a highly effective vaccine cut hospitalizations from the virus by 80% in 2 decades

Annette Regan, University of California, Los Angeles

Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily and can make babies and young children very sick. This year, doctors have been seeing more cases earlier in the season than usual.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that almost 8 in 100 people tested for rotavirus have the virus. This is only a little higher than last year at this time, when about 7 in 100 tests were positive. However, doctors are concerned because rotavirus cases started rising earlier than usual – in January – which means more children are getting sick over a longer period of time.

Often referred to as a stomach flu or stomach bug, rotavirus infection can cause extreme diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and hospitalization. Just like measles and whooping cough, infectious diseases that are also on the rise, rotavirus can be prevented with a safe and highly effective vaccine. But vaccination rates in the U.S. have fallen since 2018.

The Conversation asked epidemiologist Annette Regan to explain why this virus is on the rise and what families can do to protect themselves from the illness.

What is rotavirus and why is it dangerous?

Rotavirus, first identified in 1973, affects the gastrointestinal system – that is, the stomach and the intestines.

Rotavirus spreads from person to person, often when germs from poop get on hands or surfaces and then into the mouth. But a person can also become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their mouth, or by drinking or eating contaminated food or water.

Rotavirus causes sudden diarrhea, vomiting and fever that can cause rapid dehydration, which can lead to death if left untreated. There is no medicine to cure the virus. Doctors can only help by giving fluids and watching closely for dehydration. Babies who lose too much fluid may need care in the hospital.

Rotavirus most often affects infants and young children. Without vaccination, nearly all children have a rotavirus infection by age 5.

The virus causes most instances of hospitalization due to severe diarrhea and is the leading cause of death due to diarrhea in children under 5. Older children and adults typically experience more mild infections, but the virus can cause severe illness in people with weakened immune systems and those over 65.

Trump’s Venezuela, Boat Strike Campaign Have Cost Nearly $5 Billion So Far

The cost of state-sanctioned murder

By Sharon Zhang

This article was originally published by Truthout

The Trump administration’s operations in Latin America over the past seven months have cost nearly $5 billion, finds a new analysis — enough to fund Medicaid for half a million Americans for a year.

Thus far, the combination of the military costs for the deadly raid of Venezuela and abduction of then-President Nicolás Maduro as well as the U.S.’s boat strike and surveillance campaign in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea is at least $4.7 billion, according to an analysis released on Thursday by the Brown University Watson School of International and Public Affairs’s Costs of War project. 

Naval deployment is the single most costly factor, the report finds, at $3.8 billion between August of 2025 and March of 2026.

This amount only reflects public information on naval, aircraft, and Special Operations deployment, as well as costs of equipment and munitions used, pulled from the Congressional Budget Office, researchers noted. It does not reflect costs from any covert operations like potential Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) programs that Donald Trump has hinted at. 

The “cost estimate would likely increase significantly” if these operations were included, the authors write. Further, the authors note that the “greatest costs may be yet to come,” as the boat strike campaign, which has killed 180 civilians so far, is set to continue indefinitely.

Managed Retreat Can be an Opportunity to Start Fresh

Sooner or later, the ocean will win

By Rep. Terri Cortvriend and Sen. Victoria Gu / R.I. General Assembly

No matter how rich you are, you can't stop the ocean

In 2023, our state took a big step to enshrine Rhode Islanders’ right to the shoreline: up to 10 feet above the last high-tide line. But what happens as sea level rise pushes the high-tide line up to homeowners’ and businesses’ seawalls?

Our beaches and shoreline are fragile ecosystems that naturally migrate upland as sea levels rise. But as homeowners and businesses increasingly put up rock walls and fortify their property, the beach has nowhere to go. When that sandy beach disappears, there goes one of our greatest natural assets, and the tourism economy on which Rhode Island’s economy relies erodes along with it.

Bottom of Form

Even seawalls, however, are not a permanent defense for property in some places as sea levels rise and storm severity and frequency continue to grow. On our coast and inland, several neighborhoods — most recently some along the Pocasset River in Cranston and Johnston — in our state have experienced such severe and frequent flooding that they qualified for federal funding for buyouts. In those situations, both the government and the property owners agree that the dangers and costs of continuing to live in those areas are simply too high.

Planning to prevent disaster, however, is always safer and less costly than responding to it.

“Managed retreat” is a planned effort to identify disaster-prone areas and relocate homes, businesses, and infrastructure there to safer places before they are destroyed.

Managed retreat can often protect other areas nearby, since the removal of human-made structures can help reduce erosion and flooding, and the restored area becomes a natural place for water to go.

Uh, oh. He's at it again!

May 1 community meeting - South County Rising

New satellite-based AI approach reveals ocean currents in unprecedented detail

A good use for AI?

Peter J. Hanlon 

GOFLOW temperature gradient computed in the Gulf Stream region in the Atlantic Ocean. (Credit: Luc Lenain/Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience describes an artificial intelligence-powered technique that can measure ocean surface currents over broad areas in greater detail than ever before. Among the co-authors is Nick Pizzo of the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography.

Called GOFLOW (Geostationary Ocean Flow), the approach uses AI to analyze thermal images from weather satellites already in orbit. Because it relies on existing satellites, no new hardware is needed, marking what researchers describe as a major advancement in ocean observation.

A side-by-side comparison of ocean surface velocity and vorticity fields in the same region, showing GOFLOW (a) alongside AVISO (b). While the AVISO map is built from a 10-day average, the GOFLOW map is built from hourly data, revealing greater detail. (Credit: Luc Lenain/Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

The study was co-led by Luc Lenain of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego and Kaushik Srinivasan of University of California, Los Angeles. Co-author Roy Barkan of Tel Aviv University and Pizzo are also alumni of Scripps. The project was supported by grants from the Office of Naval Research, NASA, and the European Research Council.

More evidence that mRNA vaccines - hated by Bobby Kennedy Jr. - kill cancer tumors

How mRNA cancer vaccines still destroy tumors when a key immune cell is missing

By Marta Wegorzewska, Washington University in St. Louis

Edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

WashU Medicine researchers have described how mRNA cancer vaccines engage the immune system, through an unconventional pathway involving two subsets of immune cells called dendritic cells. Credit: Sara Moser/WashU Medicine

The advent of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the Nobel Prize–winning technology is being adapted to fight cancer, with mRNA vaccines in clinical trials for melanoma, small-cell lung cancer and bladder cancer, among others, opening the door to new ways of preventing and treating the disease.

Scientists assumed that one specific immune cell subtype was required for mRNA vaccination to activate the immune system. But researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis show in a new study in mice that even without these cells, the mRNA vaccine still triggers strong cancer-killing responses. That's because, they found, a cousin to this subtype of immune cell can also stimulate anti-tumor immune activity—an unexpected finding given that this related subtype is not involved in responses to other vaccines.

The findings are published in Nature, offering a deeper understanding of how the immune system responds to mRNA vaccination and guiding the optimal design of a cancer vaccine.

Amazon drives up the prices you pay

Coercive Price Fixing

By Philip Mattera, director of the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First for the Dirt Diggers Digest

In its early days, Amazon.com cultivated a reputation for low prices, which helped put a lot of small booksellers out of business. That eventually gave way to a business model based on a wide product selection and speedy delivery. 

Its Prime subscription system was designed to make customers focus on the benefits of free shipping and overlook the fact that the prices of the products were not much of a bargain.

Now the giant e-retailer is facing allegations that it not only abandoned the low-cost approach but actually conspired to raise the prices charged on its own platform as well as those of its competitors.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta brought a price-fixing lawsuit against Amazon in February and has just provided new details of the alleged conspiracy in a motion filed in state court in San Francisco. 

The document claims that when a competing platform is offering a product at a price lower than it is charging, Amazon demands that the supplier intervene to get that price increased: “Vendors, cowed by Amazon’s overwhelming bargaining leverage and fearing punishment, comply—agreeing to raise prices on competitors’ websites (often with the awareness and cooperation of the competing retailer) or to remove products from competing websites altogether. The scheme is neither subtle nor complex. It is price fixing, and it should be immediately enjoined.”

The pressure exerted by Amazon is said to be a part of a system called Can’t Realize a Profit, or CRaP, in which it cuts off orders from suppliers that don’t comply with the company’s demands.

What is notable about the California AG’s motion is that it include details on specific vendors that were said to have gotten caught up in the price fixing. For example, it quotes an email from GlobalOne Pet Products, a producer of premium pet treats, to the big pet supplies website Chewy urging it to coordinate a price increase with Amazon.