Medical-marijuana advocates lobbying Congress got powerful new allies last week to help them make the case for getting federal prosecutors to back off: labor leaders. more

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., center with orange jacket, joins Serve Rhode Island volunteers scooping trash from pond shores at Roger Williams Park on April 20. More than 200 volunteers braved wind and rain to join the effort, the sixth organized at the Providence park by the group since October 2008. Every year volunteers fill hundreds of trash bags with bottles, paper, plastic bags and other litter. more

PROVIDENCE – Rep. Mia A. Ackerman, D-Cumberland, has introduced a bill on behalf of Lt. Gov. Elizabeth H. Roberts that would create a tax credit for small employers that implement a wellness program for employees. more

U.S. policymakers must address debt loads projected to rise later this decade to avoid a 2013 downgrade, even as the latest budget projections are “credit positive,” according to Moody’s Investors Service. more