“I don’t have career goals in politics – I’m just doing this because I want better for people.” says State Senator-elect Kendra Anderson summing up her reasons for running for office. She has a background as an educator, a lifelong activist, and most recently the President of Climate Action RI. Anderson was elected last month […]
The first inmate death due to COVID-19 at the RI Adult Correctional Institution (ACI) was confirmed today to Motif by the Department of Corrections (DoC), having occurred on Saturday, December 19. The deceased was a 66-year-old male “who had other complicating co-morbidities that likely contributed to his death [and] was at Rhode Island Hospital being […]
Governor Gina Raimondo, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan gave the weekly COVID-19 press conference today from the Vets. Today’s data is as follows: 395 new cases of COVID-19, with a positive test rate of 4.4%, a low number the governor was particularly proud of even with the lower testing numbers due to the […]
A press briefing from the RI Department of Health (RI DoH) COVID-19 vaccine team late in the afternoon on Wednesday, December 16, sounded like a victory lap: Everything was going to plan, the complicated series of deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine – so far the only one granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the […]
The telephone help line for RI Unemployment Insurance has been so busy since the now-three-week “pause” beginning on November 30 that some callers are told by the automated attendant the queue is full and to call again later before it just hangs up on them. We reached out to the RI Department of Labor and […]
RI experienced its first COVID-19 death associated with the state prison system among either staff or inmates, the Department of Corrections confirmed to Motif. In a statement dated Monday, December 14, Director Patricia A. Coyne-Fague said, “It is with a heavy heart that I must report the loss of Lt. Russell Freeman, who passed away […]
When asked why she supported Gayle Goldin for Senate President and Jeanine Calkin for Senate Majority Leader, Senator-elect Cynthia Mendes was straightforward: “A leadership that, one: does blatant and egregious power-grabs, and two: controls a Senate in a way that they cannot becritiqued or criticized or challenged, is a leadership that needs to go.”Mendes was […]
“Earlier today [Saturday, December 12], Rhode Island Department of Health [RI DoH] Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, tested positive for COVID-19. This was identified through routine testing. She is asymptomatic and will continue working from home. In accordance with Department of Health guidance, Governor Gina Raimondo and several members of her senior leadership team will […]
Governor Gina Raimondo, DOH Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, and Dr. Philip Chan from DOH gave the weekly COVID-19 press briefing today at 1pm. Daily cases continue to surge in Rhode Island, with 948 new cases since yesterday. The percent positive rate, a key metric that the governor’s team is watching closely, came in at 7% out […]
When I asked Senator-elect Jeanine Calkin (District 30, Warwick), a Bernie-crat who just won a second (non-consecutive) term, why she chose to challenge Michael McCaffrey for the role of Senate Majority Leader this year, her answer was simple: “I … wanted to help move legislationthat is widely supported by the people of RI, and not […]