Bill Passed for Penalties for DWI With Child Passengers

A bill that stiffens penalties for drunken driving charges with children in the car has passed the Rhode Island Senate, and now heads to the House.

Release courtesy of the Legislative Press Bureau. On Wednesday, the Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin to stiffen penalties for adults who drive under the influence with a child in their vehicle. “Driving under the influence is a serious offense, but it rises to a new level of danger when it endangers a helpless child. People who drive drunk with a child in their cars are committing a much more serious crime than DUI, and they deserve a much more significant sentence,” said Senator Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence). “This bill sends a message that putting a child’s life at risk in this way will not be tolerated in Rhode Island.” Current Rhode Island law allows those convicted of DUI who committed …

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Results Unchanged After Mail Ballot Count

Although precincts flip in one General Assembly race, the results are otherwise unchanged with the mail ballot count.

Barring a shocking outcome from a recount or a late challenge to the election results, the candidates everyone thought they had elected after Tuesday remain the same after mail ballot counting Thursday afternoon. The closest race – South Kingstown Town Council – saw the fifth place candidate, Democrat Paul Donnelly, expand his lead from 81 votes to 108 over fellow Democrat Fred Frostic. Seventh place candidate and Republican Sean O’Donnell gained on Frostic, but remains 110 votes behind Donnelly. The mail ballots did flip Narragansett to Republican Chris Wilkens in the District 34 General Assembly race. With the ballots factored in, Wilkens beat Tanzi by 32 votes at St. Mary’s, and lost by one vote at the Pier School, meaning he did carry …

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2012 Election Results

Did your candidate lose? Did they win? Read the postmortem here for Narragansett and South Kingstown candidates.

Although as many as 1,000 mail ballots remain to be counted for South Kingstown, and 600 for Narragansett, most races of the 2012 General Election appear to be settled. Looking for a full rundown for the candidates? Well, here you go! Here is our rundown, in the order of Narragansett, South Kingstown, state and federal races, and ballot questions. NARRAGANSETT TOWN COUNCIL The composition of the Narragansett Town Council will be radically different going forward, as the only incumbents remaining are Susan Cicilline-Buonanno (3,067) and Glenna Hagopian (2,637). Joining them will be James Callaghan, Matthew Mannix (2,829) and Douglas McLaughlin. Callaghan was the top vote-getter with 3,404 votes, and McLaughlin was fifth with 2,527. In sixth…

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SK and Gansett Election Night Live Blog!

Exercise your civic right to vote! A slew of local races are hotly contested.

Hey listen, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s an election today, Tuesday, November 6, 2012. (And if you don’t know, it must mean you don’t have a mail box, or own a TV, or drive, since all those mediums have been splattered with a ridiculous amount of advertising for several months now.) Not sure where your polling place is, or who you’re even voting for? Well, that’s not a great sign. But you can look it up by going here, to the Secretary of State’s website, and they have a neat lookup method. Sample ballots are also available, in case you want to practice before hitting the polls. For the full voter guide, see the attached PDF. This guide includes the full text for the seven state ballot questions. If you’re unfamiliar with the …

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Stephen Greenwell

6:10 am on Tuesday, November 6, 2012

As a reminder, Cover It Live does have an app in the App Store - You can download it and follow along from your favorite establishment, getting the local election results without having to wait for the crawl on 6, 10 and 12. Handy, right?   more ›

What Type Of ID Do I Need At The Polls?

In Rhode Island, the voter ID law requires voters to present some sort of ID before they will be allowed to vote tomorrow – here's what you'll need.

Voters in Rhode Island will need to present one of the following forms of ID, according to the R.I. Board of Elections: *The Rhode Island Secretary of State's office is issuing free voter photo ID cards to individuals who do not possess any of the valid Photo IDs listed above. See the Secretary of State's website for additional information on the program, or call (401) 222-2340. Except for birth certificates, Social Security cards, and government-issued medical cards, all other non-photo IDs must contain the current name and address of the voter, and must have been issued after the recent general election on Nov. 2, 2010: Any voter who is unable to present valid identification at the polls, will be required to cast a provisional ballot. …

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Letters To The Editor

LETTER: Wilkens Asks For Your Vote

Candidate Chris Wilkens wants your vote for District 34 on Nov. 6.

To the editor, I believe that the only legitimate reason to run for General Assembly in 2012 is out of an overwhelming concern for the now and future of our community and state. This is why I am running and ask for your vote. We must stop drifting from crisis to crisis without a vision, sense of purpose or urgency to fix the problems that have plagued our state for so long. All of my campaign literature and yard signs all have the motto – “Restore Rhode Island."   I am committed to finding solutions that will help make our state a place where people and business move to, not from... Where the tax burden is among the lowest, not the highest... Where employment opportunities for our children are plentiful, not rare… And where the …

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Candidates Forum Tonight For Gansett Offices!

Tonight's forum will have Narragansett School Committee and Narragansett Town Council candidates.

Release courtesy the League of Women Voters. Edited a bit from the original phrasing to take into account the forum tonight. We will also be live blogging from the debate tonight – If you’d like to be e-mailed when that article goes live, click the “keep me posted!” button at the bottom of this story. To educate local voters about the elections on Nov. 6, the public is welcomed and encouraged to attend the final “Meet the Candidates” event.   The final forum will take place tonight at Narragansett Town Hall. Candidates for Narragansett School Committee will speak from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by Town Council candidates from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Patch will be live blogging from the event, and YOU can add your own comments and thoughts …

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Letters To The Editor

Letter: I Want a Senator With Commitment

One North Kingstown resident explains why she supports Jim Sheehan.

To the editor, I first came to know Senator Jim Sheehan through his leading the opposition to defeat the mega container port at Quonset years ago. I've been following him since, and am pleased that he doesn't just oppose things, he helps build them, too. Years ago, he was a staunch advocate of building out the new roads and rails at Quonset which now boasts well over 8,000 jobs!  Senator Sheehan championed Separation of Powers, opening public records to public scrutiny, quasi public agency reform, eminent domain reform etc... No wonder he was twice named the top good government legislator by nonpartisan Common Cause.   In these trying times, Senator Sheehan successfully opposed the Governor's new sales, hotel and meals taxes!  He has also …

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