News Clips

John Marion speaks with the Rhode Island Current about a questionable contract awarded in Woonsocket.

John Marion discusses the power of lobbying in Rhode Island politics.

Few interest groups have been more generous to Rhode Island lawmakers than the firefighters’ lobby, which is pushing controversial overtime legislation up for a House vote on Tuesday, in a state that regularly tops the national charts on the cost of fire protection.

Each year, Rhode Island citizens mount a brave fight to get a line-item veto on the ballot. The annual ritual brings out the worst in House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello.

Two-time candidate for governor Ken Block made his annual pilgrimage to the State House on Tuesday to urge reluctant lawmakers to give the governor a “line-item veto″ over the final General Assembly-passed budget.

The state Board of Elections has spent more than $12,000 over the last 10 months defending its decision to charge former gubernatorial candidate Ken Block $410 to fulfill a public-records request. Is the fight a matter of principle and legal precedent for the board, or an act of retaliation against a longtime adversary?