Daily Briefing: Should criminal pasts be public record in RI?

ALSO: Remembering the man behind the Rhythm & Roots Festival. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Tue Apr 30 2024 Will Richmond | Managing Editor Communities & R.I. [@Will_Richmond]( Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at [The Providence Journal]( and this is the Daily Briefing. At some point in life, we're all bound to make mistakes. For some, those mistakes result in criminal charges. But how long should those charges remain part of the public record? That's a question the state Senate is taking up once again as bills calling for an expansion of the state's expungement law are heading to a full vote. Current state law allows the expungement of a single felony from the record of a first-time offender, 10 years after completion of his or her sentence, and "fewer than six" misdemeanors from the record of someone with no felony convictions – and that's the key here: no felony convictions - five years after completion of their sentence. [The Journal's Katherine Gregg looks at what's now being proposed and why advocates are pushing for the changes.]( • From my childhood home in the Green Hill section of South Kingstown, when the wind was blowing in the right direction the sounds of the Rhythm & Roots Festival at Ninigret Park would drift through the air. Chuck Wentworth, the longtime producer of Rhythm & Roots Festival, died recently at 72. [The Journal's Antonia Farzan looks back at Wentworth's legacy and how he created something "much more than just a festival."]( • The man behind one of the most "brazen and egregious" health care frauds in R.I. is heading to prison. [The Journal's Katie Mulvaney reports on the sentence facing Michael Brier, the CEO of Recovery Connection Centers of America]( after he agreed to plead guilty to health care fraud for defrauding insurers out of more than $3.5 million by falsely submitting claims for 45-minute counseling sessions that, in fact, lasted mere minutes, court documents show. • Did you miss a chance to see the Independent Man before it went into storage for restoration? [Now you have another chance.]( More from The Providence Journal [Find the latest obituaries here.]( [Subscribers can read the eNewspaper here.]( WORTH A READ 💣 No. 1 threat: [Drone attacks prompt urgent $500 million request from Pentagon]( 🍿 [15 must-see summer movies]( from 'Deadpool & Wolverine' and 'Furiosa' to 'Bad Boys 4' 🏈 [Tom Brady accused of ruining collectibles]( with shoddy autograph at $3,600 event: 'It's horrible' RHODY RANKS Every day we receive emails ranking Rhode Island. While the work behind the ranks may be dubious, they can be fun. Each day I'll share where Rhody Ranks from one of the latest emails. Experts from the [Pacific Stone Editorial Team]( have identified the ten states more at risk of burn-out than the national average, with Hawaii ranking first. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island rank fourth and fifth, with close index scores of 63.1 and 62.31 out of 100. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( ☁️ Spotty drizzle in the morning; otherwise, cloudy and cooler. Highs in the upper 50s. TOP STORIES [Cities, towns plead with lawmakers not to broaden disability pensions]( [Published Caption: With an unprecedented volume of mail-in voting expected, the winners of some close General Assembly races likely won’t be known until long after election night. [The Providence Journal, file / Sandor Bodo] Original Caption: PROVIDENCE, RI -- 5/14/2016 Rhode Island belly dancers from Providence and Bristol groups are practicing their craft on the steps of the Rhode island State House belly dancers all over the world are practicing their shimmies to make belly dance history once again! On Saturday, May 14, Shimmy Mobs, or belly dance flash mobs, will be appearing randomly in cities from coast to coast and across continents to promote World Belly Dance Day. Its purpose is to help raise funds for women???s shelters around the world. This is the sixth anniversary of Shimmy Mob.or us this Saturday!Team Providence and Team Bristol will be performing together in the Waterplace Park area this Saturday. The dancers will meet at 10:30 am on the steps of the State House for one last rehearsal before entertaining surprised audiences in the area. Sandor Bodo/The Providence Journal 1008230567 ri_pvd_Belly]( Local officials worry that police, like firefighters, will now qualify for disability pensions based on common cardiovascular illnesses. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [More than 200 Brown University students gathered outside University Hall while roughly 40 students sat inside, all of them demanding that the school divest from weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas war.]( [City councilors want solicitor to drop charges against Brown students]( In an April 18 letter, the council president and two other councilors asked Jeff Dana to drop the trespassing charges. [READ MORE]( [An newly hatched eya is fed.]( [Peregrine falcons hatch atop Superman Building; watch them grow]( The city has four new tiny, furry residents living high above downtown. [READ MORE]( [New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signs autographs during training camp at Gillette Stadium on Jul 30, 2016, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.]( [Tom Brady is about to be roasted live on Netflix. Here's what to know.]( "Let's go" [READ MORE]( [Sophia Valentini, Westerly softball]( [High School scores and recaps from a Monday's games]( Westerly's Sophia Valentini struck out 8 while tossing a 5-hitter and supported her own cause with 3 hits and an RBI in the Bulldogs victoy. [READ MORE]( Advertisement Vote with Confidence This 7-day newsletter course will help you be an informed voter before Nov. 5. [SIGN UP NOW]( SUBSCRIBE TODAY Our Reporting. Your Stories. Full access to subscriber-only content on all devices. Share bonus subscription with a family member or friend. 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