In the first round of 2013 grant funding through the Renewable Energy Fund, the R.I. Economic Development Corporation board of directors has approved a combined $184,334 to seven companies to support solar photovoltaic systems that will produce electricity in a “cleaner, more sustainable manner,” the quasi-state agency announced Tuesday. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee and the R.I. Department of Transportation have announced the completion of the land transfer process between the state and the Interstate 195 Redevelopment District Commission. more

What do David Brancaccio (journalist, documentary filmmaker and host of American Public Media’s Marketplace), Martin Keen (the creative genius behind Keen Footwear and now Focal Upright Furniture), and Saul Kaplan (author and chief catalyst of the Business Innovation Factory) all have in common? more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee has nominated Nami Studios President Maeve Donahue for the R.I. Economic Development Corporation board of directors, the governor announced Thursday. more

Grow Smart Rhode Island – a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable economic growth in the Ocean State – will honor individuals, plans and projects that play to Rhode Island’s strengths, generate sustainable economic benefits and improve the state’s communities and neighborhoods at its second annual awards gala in June. more

Officials from Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35 Lightning II, stopped by the R.I. Department of Administration Thursday afternoon to discuss the need for the fifth-generation fighter aircraft and how its manufacture will benefit Rhode Island’s economy. more

Plans to turn a former chocolate factory in Mansfield into condominiums have been halted after local voters Tuesday rejected an article that would have rezoned the building for residential use, reported Attleboro’s Sun Chronicle. more

CVS Caremark Corp. President and CEO Larry Merlo on Tuesday told an audience of about 500 business, government and organizational leaders that success begins with an innovative idea. more

As the 2013 legislative session heads toward its closing date, Rhode Island has a great economic opportunity within its grasp. Passage of a carefully constructed historic-tax-credit program would kick-start jobs, revitalize neighborhood economies and help get us back in business. more

The U.S. Labor Department awarded the R.I. Department of Labor and Training a $1.7 million grant from the Workforce Innovation Fund, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced Thursday. more