Who knows what kind of governor Ken Block would have made had he won in 2010 instead of Lincoln D. Chafee? As a leading member of the Smaller Business Association of New England, he is certainly providing an interesting look into what might have been. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee starts the second half of his term with an economic record that is mediocre at best. Rhode Island finds itself with a very slow-growing economy, high unemployment and modest job creation, and no real comprehensive plan to get us out of this mess. more

For the residents and office workers in Providence’s Empire district, 2012 has been a year of highs and lows. more

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee has rejected the notion that the R.I. Economic Development Corporation needs a major overhaul – despite commissioning the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council to produce a report based on just that premise. But the legislature does not need to approach the issue so cavalierly when it begins its 2013 session. more

The many short-and long-term challenges to rebuilding along the coast in the wake of the recent “superstorm” are indeed daunting, as a special pullout section in this issue called Rebuilding From Sandy shows. more

The new state Office of Management and Budget is hard at work on the fiscal 2014 spending plan Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee will present to the General Assembly. It will be the first budget proposal vetted under the direction of OMB Director Peter Marino, a former state Senate fiscal adviser. more

A thriving nightlife scene plays an often under-appreciated role in ensuring a city’s economic health. That’s especially true in a place like Providence, where restaurants are among the leading attractions. more

The Providence Economic Development Partnership will soon begin lending again. That’s good news for entrepreneurs still struggling to find financing elsewhere and for a city that also deserves credit for taking decisive, aggressive action to keep the nonprofit alive after a damning federal review. more

While Rhode Island did not experience the massive destruction and extended inconvenience that Hurricane Sandy brought to New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, the Ocean State took more than a few shots to the chin. more

When confronted by a $7.3 billion unfunded pension liability for state-employee retirement plans, General Treasurer Gina M. Raimondo and the General Assembly did the hard work of holding hearings, digging into the numbers, asking questions, and after 11 months, passing the Rhode Island Retirement Security Act of 2011, which Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee then signed into law. more