Green Report Card Gives Rhode Island’s Climate Change Actions Bad Grade

Rep. Tina Spears and Sen. Victoria Gu score "A" grades, Sen. Elaine Morgan gets an "F"

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

Tina and Victoria fought hard for the environment

Rhode Island has slowed its actions against climate change in the past two years, and environmental groups have found themselves playing defense.

That’s the takeaway from a new report by the Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI), a coalition of some 60 organizations dedicated to environmental advocacy. The group released its biennial Green Report Card on Aug. 27, less than two weeks before the state primary elections.

It’s a big difference from just four years ago, when the report card for the legislative sessions of 2021-2022 called them “the best two years of environmental policymaking” in state history.

Elaine Morgan didn't

“We need to act quickly and decisively to slash emissions from buildings and transportation and get on track to meet our climate commitments,” said Jordan Miller, ECRI’s executive director. “We must ensure that all our communities benefit from a just transition to a net-zero future. The next steps we take are vital if we want to secure a healthy and sustainable future for all Rhode Islanders.”

Environmental organizations have had a tough few years in the General Assembly. Of the 68 priority bills ECRI identified in 2025, only 21% passed the Legislature. The group fared a little better this year, with a third of its 78 endorsed bills securing passage out of legislative chambers.

None of the group’s eight top priority bills from the past two years passed into law. Those priorities included a package to fund the Rhode Island Public Transit Agency, new offshore wind procurement, a bottle bill and extended producer responsibility omnibus bill, and building benchmarking legislation.

That doesn’t mean the General Assembly has been completely hostile to the group’s priorities; ECRI noted in its Green Report Card that the past two years saw some significant wins in standards for labor and workforce development, new protections against PFAs and rodenticides, and a stronger Green Bond for voters in November.

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Trump Downplays Significance Of Trump Tower Found On Epstein Island - The Onion

Charlestown Residents United asked for continued support from Charlestown voters

 

Community Update | Week of August 31, 2026 THANK YOU, CHARLESTOWN! What a Great Night at the Breachway Grill! A big thank you to everyone who joined us last week at The Breachway Grill for our Meet & Greet with the Candidates! We hope you had a great time, enjoyed the refreshments, and—most importantly—had the opportunity to meet the candidates, face-to-face. DID YOU MISS IT? No problem, you can still meet candidates. Join Us for the CRU Fundraiser! The campaign season is moving along—and we’re keeping the momentum going! Thursday, September 24, 2026 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM The Charlestown Rathskeller Enjoy an evening with friends, neighbors, and supporters of CRU!  Complimentary Fry Bar Light Fare Cash Bar Available Whether you’ve been involved from the beginning or are just getting to know CRU and our candidates, we’d love to see you there! Suggested donation $35, $50, 100+ RSVP/DONATE CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT MEET DEB CARNEY Current President, Charlestown Town Council Candidate for Re-Election 30 YEARS IN CHARLESTOWN Deb Carney has called Charlestown home for 30 years. Her connection to the community runs deep—and she says that's exactly why she wants to continue serving. “I love Charlestown and I want to continue working to make our town a wonderful place to live.” For Deb, public service is about more than holding office. It's about helping Charlestown remain the community residents know and love. HER VISION FOR CHARLESTOWN Maintain our low tax rate while ensuring effective town services. Support affordable housing and help address the needs of our community. Protect our rural community and preserve what makes Charlestown unique. Support small business and the local businesses that help make our town thrive. Expand recreation opportunities for residents of all ages. ACCESSIBLE. RESPONSIVE. INVOLVED. Deb makes herself available to the residents she represents and strives to respond to residents within 24 hours. Have a question or want to connect with Deb? Her phone number and email address are available on the Town of Charlestown website.  Above: Deb with George and Martha Washington at the 250th Celebration this year! YOU MAY NOT KNOW... Deb is the proud mother of a 32-year-old son, she is a commercial-rated pilot and Vice President of a small, family-owned business. And if you see Deb around town, there's a good chance she's doing what many of us love to do—enjoying Charlestown Beaches. There's more to Deb's story. Read Deb's full candidate profile—including more about her experience, priorities and vision for Charlestown—on the Charlestown Residents United website and click on her picture!  Re-Elect Deb Carney Charlestown Residents United (CRU) remains committed to keeping our community informed about important local events, town initiatives, and opportunities to meet the candidates seeking to represent us. CRU encourages you to participate in the events that help shape the future of our town. Add your email here to receive updates. Charlestown Residents United | PO Box 412 | Charlestown, RI 02813 US

Nearly one in five Medicaid-eligible adults may miss new 80-hour work rule

Trump covering health coverage for more people

By Boston University

Edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan

Map of the Proportion of Adults Age 18 to 64 Years at Risk of Noncompliance Who Were Plausible Medicaid Expansion Enrollees and Potentially Subject to Work-Reporting Requirements, by State. Credit: JAMA Health Forum (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2026.2938

A new study found that nearly 20% of eligible adults in Medicaid expansion states are in danger of not meeting the minimum work hours that will be required nationwide beginning Jan. 1. Women, unmarried people, white individuals and those with limited education all had a higher risk of losing their health coverage due to noncompliance with these new requirements.

Up to 10 million people may lose Medicaid coverage in the United States due in part to new work requirements and eligibility redeterminations under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which mandates a reduction of nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending over a decade.

While the administrative burden associated with meeting and maintaining these work requirements is expected to be the primary driver of disenrollment, a new study led by researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina (Arnold School) found that millions of Medicaid enrollees may lose their health coverage because they are unable to achieve the required work hours.

Who is most at risk

Set to take effect nationwide on Jan. 1, 2027, the new federal Medicaid work reporting rules require adults enrolled in the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion to show that they are working, volunteering, enrolled in school and/or participating in job training for at least 80 hours per month, with certain groups exempt. But the new study found that nearly 20% of Medicaid-eligible adults living in states that expanded Medicaid are at risk of noncompliance because they are unlikely to fulfill the minimum required hours once the rules take effect. The findings are published in JAMA Health Forum.

Certain groups were more at risk of noncompliance than others. Women had a 22% higher probability of having insufficient or inconsistent work hours than men, while married Medicaid enrollees had an 18% lower probability of noncompliance than unmarried enrollees.

How patients write portal messages may affect whether doctors respond

Maybe AI should write your portal messages

By Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

Portal messages have become a routine way for patients to communicate with their health care teams. But a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health suggests that how patients write those messages can play a key role in whether—and by whom—they receive a response. The findings are published in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers analyzed more than 3.6 million patient portal message threads and found that patients from historically marginalized groups were generally less likely to receive responses from their care teams and, in particular, were less likely to receive responses from the messages' originally intended recipient—most often their doctor. The natural next question was "why?"

While the content of a message was an important predictor of care team response, it explained little of the differences by race, ethnicity, education or insurance. Writing style—including factors such as length, formality, sentiment and how a message opened—accounted for nearly half of those differences.

"Patient portal messages are an increasingly central channel for patient-clinician communication, but there are inequities in how responsive care teams are to messages sent by patients from historically marginalized groups," said Mitchell Tang, Ph.D., assistant professor of health policy and management at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

"Our findings suggest that message writing style may be a potential source of bias in message triage and point to possible ways to reduce these disparities."

Facing public criticism, Rep. Julie Casimiro resigns

Necessary but overdue

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

Rep. Julie Casimiro is ending her final term in office early, confirming in a Monday afternoon email to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office that she is resigning at the close of the day.

The three-paragraph email, obtained by Rhode Island Current, comes amid mounting pressure for Casimiro to give up her seat — and legislative salary — because she no longer lives in Rhode Island. Casimiro, formerly of North Kingstown, moved to Hardeeville, South Carolina, as of July 1, as first reported by the Boston Globe. The 64-year-old Democratic lawmaker had already announced she would not seek reelection to the District 31 seat representing North Kingstown and Exeter after 10 years in office.

But she intended to serve out her fifth and final term to its completion, refusing to cave to calls to resign, including from House Speaker Christopher Blazejewski. Although state lawmakers only meet for the first six months of the year, their taxpayer-funded salary is spread across the entire calendar year. Casimiro was earning $800 every two weeks, plus health insurance, under the $20,922 annual salary for rank-and-file lawmakers.

“I would have preferred to quietly exit Rhode Island politics, but it seems as though that didn’t happen,” Casimiro wrote in the email.

Critics, including Neronha, cited the state constitutional qualifications for elected officeholders, which include state residency, as reason why Casimiro could no longer keep her seat. A separate section of state law also defines residency as a “fixed and established domicile,” determined by a “factual physical presence in the voting district on a regular basis incorporating an intention to reside for an indefinite period.” 

Neronha cited both sections of state law in an email to Casimiro Friday. He did not call on her to resign, but asked for a written explanation of how she met the state legal requirements to remain in office while living in South Carolina. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Charlestown had a similar situation in 2022 when Charlestown Citizens Alliance Town Council member Cody Clarkin moved to Westerly but maintained the fiction that he still lived in Charlestown. Scout's Honor! CCA leader and Charlestown Planning Commissar needed Clarkin to continue on the Council to conserve the CCA's 3-2 majority. The CCA ended up losing that majority anyway due to their mishandling of Charlestown taxpayers' money when the Charlestown Residents United (CRU) walloped them at the polls.  - Will Collette

72% of Rhode Islanders feel healthcare costs are too high; some are going without treatment

Poll shows housing, roads and bridges, and education among top concerns

Save Our Health Care

While most Rhode Islanders are satisfied with how healthcare is delivered in the state, they feel more should be done to make it more affordable to everyone, according to a new public opinion poll from researchers at the University of Rhode Island. Those high healthcare costs have led to some people not seeking recommended medical care.

The fourth annual Rhode Island Survey Initiative poll—led by URI’s College of Arts and Sciences, and its Social Science Institute for Research, Education and Policy—surveyed a representative sample of 500 Rhode Islanders ages 18 and older between July 29 and Aug. 13, 2026. Administered by the polling firm YouGov via the internet, survey participants were chosen from YouGov’s opt-in survey panel of Rhode Island residents. The margin of error for the poll is +/- 5.73%.

According to the poll, 36% of Rhode Islanders graded the state’s overall healthcare system as a “C,” or “satisfactory,” while 27% rated it as a “B,” or “good.” Most Rhode Islanders also feel that access to healthcare in the state is satisfactory (34%) or good (28%), and the quality of it is mostly good (37%) or satisfactory (31%).

The cost of healthcare, however, is a problem, Rhode Islanders say. This year’s poll shows that healthcare costs were the most-common worrisome household expense over groceries, gas, monthly rent and other expenses among respondents. Seventy-two percent of the poll’s respondents indicated they were either very worried (33%) or somewhat worried (39%) about healthcare costs for themselves and their families.

“Every household bill we asked about gets easier as income rises, except healthcare costs. What this tells us is that for low-income households in Rhode Island, healthcare costs are one worry among several others, as budgets are stretched across a variety of necessities,” said Michael DiNardi, URI associate professor of economics and SSIREP director. “Among high income households in Rhode Island, healthcare stands alone, 17 points above any other costs we surveyed.”

More troubling is some Rhode Islanders are choosing to not seek medical help due to those rising costs. According to the poll, 29% of Rhode Islanders did not pursue doctor-recommended procedures, tests or other evaluations in the last 12 months. The most common reason? Cost.

Dreams come true?

Help us out, MAGA. What does this mean?

Candidate for local office features uncomfy shoe in her ad aimed at alleged sex criminals

Most women wear shoes that don't match their feet, study finds

By RMIT University

Edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

Leah Boisclair wants your vote in the September 9 Democratic Primary in her effort to oust our effective state Rep. Tina Spears. Don't give it to her. Check out the stilettos in her ad appealing to sex crime defendants

Most women in a new RMIT University study wore shoe sizes that differed from the size indicated by their foot length, highlighting the limitations of conventional sizing systems in accounting for differences in foot width and shape. The study of 107 women found 72% wore a different size under U.S. sizing and 65% under EU sizing.

More participants wore a larger size than their foot length indicated—59% under U.S. sizing and 52% under EU sizing. The researchers say this tendency to size up suggests some women may be compensating for shoes that do not adequately accommodate their foot width, rather than simply choosing the wrong size.

Supporting this explanation, women assigned the same shoe size based on foot length varied by up to 40 mm (1.6 inches) around the widest part of the foot under U.S. sizing and 37 mm (1.5 inches) under EU sizing.

The study, published in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, also found 68% of participants had at least one recurring problem with shoe fit.

Buckle up! The energy bill roller coaster is about to begin.

New rates kick in today

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

The seasonal swings in energy bills will be a lot bumpier this year under a series of extra charges and discounts authorized by state utility regulators.

The upshot: Rhode Island Energy customers will have to start paying more in fees beginning Sept. 1 under a $138 million revenue plan authorized by the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission.  

Distribution rate increases were finalized under a series of unanimous votes by utility regulators on Aug. 21, though final bill impacts were not publicly available until Monday. 

The calculations mark the culmination of a nine-month review spanning thousands of pages of analysis and meetings among company consultants, state regulators and ratepayer advocates.

“It was quite an undertaking,” Commission Chairman Ron Gerwatowski said at a public meeting Monday. “It was a lot of schedules.”

Acknowledging the public interest in the long, complicated and confusing regulatory review process — namely, what it will mean for customers’ bills — Gerwatowski read aloud from a staff-prepared analysis on the expected bill impacts during the 15-minute meeting. 

Rhode Island Energy initially proposed a $230 million, two-year set of fee hikes, insisting that extra charges on the distribution side of the bill — separate from usage rates — were necessary to recoup the rising cost of  supplies, labor and new investments. The company also wanted to increase the maximum rate of return, or profit margin, from the existing 9.3% cap to 10.8%.

If approved as requested in November 2025, the company’s revenue generation plan would have raised average residential monthly electric bills by $7.78 and average annual gas bills by $343.53 in the first year. 

Ratepayer advocates, including the administrative arm of the state utility agency, the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, argued against the new margin cap, which would have been higher than the 9.7% national average, and exceed caps for other utilities in New England. They also warned about the burden for Rhode Island ratepayers, who are struggling to keep up with existing bills amid the broader affordability crunch.

Rhode Island joins lawsuit to stop Trump's Postal Service from messing with mail-in voting

Attorney General coalition sues USPS over unlawful attempt to interfere with states’ vote-by-mail procedures

From a Rhode Island Attorney General press release

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha joined a coalition of 25 states in filing a lawsuit against the United States Postal Service (USPS) challenging its new rule that purports to grant USPS the authority to regulate mail voting in elections. 

Tens of millions of voters across the country rely on mail-in ballots, and the coalition argues USPS’s rule will prevent states from effectively administering their mail voting programs, putting voters at risk of being disenfranchised.

“For a President who incessantly talks about combating election interference, he sure does love to interfere in our elections,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Time and time again, President Trump has lied to the American people about the legitimacy of our election system. Here, he is taking aim at voting by mail to sow seeds of distrust and inject chaos into our elections, with the ultimate goal of retaining and expanding his power. This is yet another example of this Administration’s unlawful overreach and is in direct violation of the Constitution, which makes clear that states have the primary authority to administer elections. Voting by mail is a tried-and-true method of exercising our most fundamental right as American citizens. Indeed, it’s the preferred voting method of the President himself. I am confident that we will succeed here, as we have many times before, thereby protecting the right of American citizens, Donald Trump included, to vote without interference.”

Trump wants to sell America's National Parks, starting with selling a part of Yosemite to a developer

How much is Trump's cut?

Jessica Corbett for Common Dreams

Even while repeatedly serving the interests of destructive industries, Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have claimed they are committed to protecting US national parks—but the Republican administration is now working to give a private developer a piece of Yosemite, NOTUS reported on Friday.

Specifically, according to unnamed sources and government documents, federal staffers are working on a potential land exchange to give a quarter-mile strip of land in California’s Yosemite National Park “to a company that, through a web of limited liability companies, is operated by real-estate developer and investment firm Kingsbarn Realty Capital.”

The developers own 83 acres west of the park, and Kingsbarn CEO Jeff Pori—whose company did not respond to a request for comment—aims “to build a short road connecting the property to one of Yosemite’s central thoroughfares,” providing “the land exceptionally rare private access to a park that is otherwise almost entirely buffered by national forests,” NOTUS detailed.

The sources told NOTUS that political leaders at the US Department of the Interior “want us to be responsive to the property owner and their lobbyists or people, and they want us to work with these folks,” and that “the political pressure being brought to bear is very unusual.”

The National Park Service, which is part of the department, said that “no final decisions have been made,” but any proposals “would be subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations, and departmental policies, including required environmental review and public notification processes.”

The revelation—which came during National Park Week—was met with outrage.

Trump posts define "malignant narcissism"

These are all posts by Donald Trump just in the past few days. Please explain these, MAGA

This is Trump's own rating. It is unsourced. Actual historians are projecting that Trump will go done as one of America's worst presidents. He also leaves out Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy among others.

Here are a couple of Trump posts on his War with Canada:

Note the Germanic lettering: 

Trump DIDN'T post this:

Sept. 2 action in Ashaway