Hot Topic - Providence Business News

BROWN UNIVERSITY HEALTH saw charity care expenses increase 50% year over year in the quarter that ended June 30. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY HEALTH

Surge in charity care puts hospitals under more strain

Editor's Choice 09/04/2026

Cash-strapped hospitals in Rhode Island are seeing the cost of charity care surge amid disruptions in the health insurance market, and some in the...

Change at mall raises tax questions

Hot Topic 08/28/2026

The new owners of Providence Place mall could face an annual property tax bill of more than $20 million a year when its 30-year...

VISITORS STROLL the grounds at Marble House during a previous summer. Some tourism officials say its too easy to say how successful the 2026 high season has been. / PBN FILE PHOTO/DAVID HANSEN

Good summer has tourism leaders hoping for more

Economy 08/21/2026

Tourism leaders in Rhode Island’s destination spots say summer 2026 has been solid, but some say they’ll have to wait for the final economic...

Providence bike lane network getting renewed attention

Government 08/14/2026

More than three years after Providence secured a $27.2 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, Mayor Brett P. Smiley says construction...

R.I. PUBLIC TRANSIT AUTHORITY CEO Christopher Durand stands in a field next to the Providence train station, one of two parcels being considered for a new central transit hub. PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

Providence transit hub process getting attention from candidates

Government 07/31/2026

For more than a decade, plans to move the R.I. Public Transit Authority’s central bus hub out of Kennedy Plaza in Providence have cycled...

Some worry McKee attack ads reinforce state’s bad business reputation

Editor's Choice 07/24/2026

Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s latest campaign ad attacking former CVS Health Corp. executive Helena Foulkes has sparked a backlash from some in the business...

HOUSE SPEAKER CHRISTOPHER R. BLAZEJEWSKI says the guidelines for the new inspector general's office have been set up so the it doesn't violate the state's separation of powers requirements. / PBN FILE PHOTO/CHRISTOPHER ALLEN

R.I.’s inspector general taking shape, with limitations

Government 07/17/2026

Just over a month after Gov. Daniel J. McKee signed the fiscal 2027 budget creating Rhode Island’s first Office of Inspector General, government and...

THE CHAMBERS MAY be full, but challengers for the House and Senate seats at the R.I. Statehouse are few and far between in 2026. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Unopposed elections for General Assembly are a growing problem

Editor's Choice 07/10/2026

The increasing number of Rhode Island legislators running unopposed this election season is raising concerns about an erosion of the democratic process and about...

CHIARA DELTITO-SHARROTT, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Charter Public Schools, says the moratorium on charter schools will hurt the state's ablility to attract and retain a skilled workforce. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

A ripple effect from charter freeze?

Education 07/03/2026

A new three-year charter school moratorium in Rhode Island is raising concerns that it could weaken workforce competitiveness and limit options for families. The measure,...