Coronavirus

RHODE ISLAND'S GDP declined at a 6.2% annualized rate in the first quarter, the seventh-sharpest contraction of all states in the country. / COURTESY BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

R.I. GDP declines at 6.2% annual rate in Q1, seventh-sharpest slowdown...

Coronavirus 07/07/2020

PROVIDENCE – Real gross domestic product in Rhode Island declined at a 6.2% annual rate in the first quarter, according to the Bureau of...

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE claims due to COVID-19 in Rhode Island totaled 2,040 from July 2 through Monday. / AP FILE PHOTO/PAUL SANCYA

COVID-19 UI filings rise by over 2K since July 3

Coronavirus 07/07/2020

PROVIDENCE – COVID-19 specific unemployment insurance filings increased by 2,040 from July 3 through Monday, to 182,807, according to the R.I. Department of Labor...

New small-business coalition, McKee pressure state for portion of CARES Act...

Coronavirus 07/07/2020

PROVIDENCE – Small-business owners, Rhode Island Lt. Governor Dan McKee and other elected officials announced Tuesday the formation of the R.I. Small Business Coalition...

JEFF GARDNER, CEO of the Exeter-based Carousel Industries of North America Inc., working in his office during the pandemic. / COURTESY OF JEFF GARDNER/CAROUSEL INDUSTRIES, INC.

Coping with COVID-19: Carousel Industries of North America Inc.

Coronavirus 07/07/2020

EXETER – Jeff Gardner, CEO of Carousel Industries of North America Inc., an IT consulting, and management company specializing in cloud solutions, data, networking,...

THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Dartmouth announced Monday its plans to reopen campus in the fall.

UMass Dartmouth unveils campus reopening plan

Coronavirus 07/06/2020

DARTMOUTH – Offering a combination of face-to-face, blended and remote-learning courses, requiring face coverings on campus and using specific residence halls for quarantining are...

SBA identifies companies approved for largest PPP loans

Coronavirus 07/06/2020

PROVIDENCE – Roughly 2,400 Rhode Island businesses received at least $150,000 in forgivable payroll loans, with 14 companies approved for upwards of $5 million,...

VICTOR CURET (right), owner of Gentleman's Quarters Barbershop, is offering free haircuts to people experiencing financial hardship. / COURTESY VICTOR CURET

Stepping Up: Newport barber offers free haircuts for families in need

Coronavirus 07/06/2020

NEWPORT – Victor Curet has experienced hardships, but shaggy hair was never one of them. The New York native spent much of his childhood in...

STEEP DROP: Robert Toth, owner of bowling centers Old Mountain Lanes in South Kingstown and Walnut Hill Bowl in Woonsocket, says he saw a $968,720 decline in revenue for March, April and May at the centers as a result of being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. / PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

STARTING BLOCKED: Indoor rec businesses argue they should have opened a...

Coronavirus 07/03/2020

ROBERT TOTH STARTED to see the world reopen around him and, in some ways, without him. Many businesses in Rhode Island, such as restaurants, salons,...