Daily Briefing: Making a wish list for RI's General Assembly

ALSO: If you have Valentine's Day plans there's something you may need to know ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Mon Feb 5 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. We're well past the Christmas season by this point, but many Rhode Island organizations, are hoping the legislature is still in a giving mood. With the 2024 session picking up steam and the budget process now underway, advocacy groups are all hoping to have their causes supported. [In this week's Political Scene, The Journal's Katherine Gregg takes a look at the requests]( that range from improved access to the state's public records to efforts aimed at improving medical care in the state. [1A LEAD IMAGE - 01 legislature] House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, left, with Majority Leader Christopher Blazejewski in the House chamber. David DelPoio/The Providence Journal With many of these requests requiring taxpayer dollars, Katherine's piece offers a good look at where your money could be going. • Last week, Journal contributor Frank Lennon [started a two-part piece]( on the death and burial of Senior Master Sgt. Ken Lewis. An Air Force veteran, Lewis was buried in a pauper's grave, but friends sought to have him properly recognized and moved to the state's Veteran's Cemetery in Exeter. [This week, Frank concludes the story]( with a look at how Lewis failed to be honored in the first place and the efforts to make it right, ultimately leading to his burial alongside his fellow veterans. • Do you have plans to take in a fancy Valentine's Day dinner this year? Maybe you're hoping to enjoy a box of chocolates and a glass of wine. For anyone observing Ash Wednesday, [you may want to take note as the Holy Day and holiday collide this year.]( • If you've driven under the Newport Pell Bridge toll gantry you've probably noticed the large art-deco-style letters that stood a top of the roof. Now that the gantry is being torn down as the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority modernizes the toll-less system the letters are gone. [Pell Bridge Forever Changed Aquidneck Island] The Newport Pell Bridge has required a toll since it opened in 1969. In 2008, the bridge adopted the E-ZPass system. Newport Daily News, file What's going to happen to them? [The Journal's Katie Landeck has the answer in this week's What and Why RI.]( • Congratulations to [Westerly's Abiageal Emery]( the top vote-getter in last week's Student of the Week poll. [Voting is now open on this week's poll.]( WORTH A READ Across America, [clean energy plants are being banned faster than they're being built]( [Pharma companies raise prices]( on over 900 drugs amid 'historic' negotiations Faster than a Cape ferry? [Rhode Island company to test Seaglider, a boat that flies.]( 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. Skip the chocolate box sampler this Valentine's Day, because Rhode Island's favorite holiday candy is chocolate hearts according to [candystore.com](. A heart-shaped box of chocolates comes in second, followed by conversation hearts. [TODAY'S WEATHER]( ☀️ Mostly sunny and breezy. Highs in the low 40s. TOP STORIES [Should magistrates hear contested divorces in RI? Fight is heating up]( [Rhode Island Family Court Chief Judge Michael Forte.]( If magistrates are given the power to conduct trials, they should go through the same vetting process as judges, says Common Cause RI. [READ MORE]( Advertisement [Ora and Hab Balha, who founded the Orchard of Abraham's school in Jaffa, the only mixed Jewish-Arab lower school in the city.]( [In a mixed school of Arabs and Jews, Mark Patinkin sees hope]( "As this journey to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza reaches its end, I’ve learned a difficult truth." [READ MORE]( [Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.]( [RI Health: Stay vigilant despite drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations]( "We are still seeing hundreds of people hospitalized every month because of COVID-19," said Joseph Wendelken, spokesman for the health department. [READ MORE]( [The work site of Washington Bridge westbound, as cars head into Providence on temporary lane.]( [Read the emails obtained by The Journal about the Washington Bridge]( The Journal paid $450 for these emails. Now, read them for free. [READ MORE]( [Jalen Dupre, Hope girls basketball]( [The story of Hope girls basketball's remarkable turnaround this season]( In the last eight years, Hope girls basketball has won eight games. This year, the Blue Wave are at 11. The key to the turnaround? A coach who gave his players hope. [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. 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