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THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH is testing wastewater to analyze and track the presence of COVID-19 in the state's communities. The program, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is called the National Wastewater Surveillance System. / COURTESY U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

R.I. is sampling wastewater for early warnings on COVID-19 spread

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island is sampling its wastewater for signs of COVID-19 in hopes health officials will get early warnings about where and how...

AT LEAST 28 PATIENTS recently got COVID-19 at Eleanor Slater Hospital, but state officials said it had nothing to do with a crisis-level staffing policy enacted on Dec. 31 allowing for COVID-19-positive employees to come into the workplace. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND HOSPITALS

BHDDH: Bringing in COVID-positive staff didn’t lead to outbreak at ESH

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

CRANSTON – State officials said on Friday that a COVID-19 outbreak among patients at the Eleanor Slater Hospital is unrelated to the crisis-level staffing...

CASES OF COVID-19 in Rhode Island increased Thursday by 4,783, with nine new deaths. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

R.I. COVID-19 cases rise by 4,783, with 9 new deaths

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

PROVIDENCE – Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island have increased by 4,783, with nine deaths, the R.I. Department of Health said Friday. Hospitalizations of...

ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY will hold the first week of spring classes online starting Jan. 24. / COURTESY ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY

Roger Williams University latest college to start spring remotely

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

BRISTOL – Roger Williams University is the latest local college that will start its spring semester’s classes online. The university on Thursday said that all...

Providence council president calls for independent auditor on ARPA spending

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

PROVIDENCE – Doling out hundreds of millions of dollars of federal relief funds, revising the rules that govern the city and setting new boundaries...

NEW COVID-19 HEALTH GUIDANCE for students and public school staff members was announced late Thursday by the R.I. Department of Education and Gov. Daniel J. McKee. / PBN FILE PHOTO/JAMES BESSETTE

Less quarantine, ‘monitor-to-stay’ initiative among state’s new COVID-19 school guidance

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

PROVIDENCE – Reducing quarantine time for students who test positive for COVID-19 and exempting close contacts from quarantining are among the new school COVID-19...

STILL BUSY: Sally Lapides, CEO and president of Residential Properties Ltd., says she believes demand for new homes will remain strong in 2022. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Housing market forecast: ‘From ridiculous to hot’

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

Prospective homebuyers shouldn’t expect substantial relief on the horizon when it comes to house prices. Following a record-breaking year for the residential real estate market...

FLUSH WITH CASH: State lawmakers have access to more money than they have things to spend it on at the start of 2022, including about $1 billion in new federal pandemic aid. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ARTISTIC IMAGES

Look past election year for big ideas on pandemic aid

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

While the health and financial threats posed by an ongoing pandemic remain ever-present in the Ocean State, the General Assembly begins 2022 in the...

R.I. a ‘fraud hot spot’

Coronavirus 01/07/2022

If it seems everyone in Rhode Island knows someone victimized by fraudulent unemployment claims during the pandemic, it’s because that’s not far from the...