Woonsocket Radio News Room

Ruggerio, Shekarchi Issue Statement on Gubernatorial Transition

 

STATE HOUSE – President of the Senate Dominick J. Ruggerio and House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi today issued the following statement regarding the confirmation of Gov. Gina M. Raimondo as U.S. Commerce Secretary and the swearing-in of incoming Gov. Daniel J. McKee today:

 

“Congratulations to Governor Raimondo as she embarks upon a new role in service to our nation as Commerce Secretary after today’s overwhelming vote. As Governor, Gina Raimondo led our state to record employment levels before the pandemic hit, and she provided steady, compassionate leadership over this past, most difficult year. On behalf of the General Assembly, we wish her and her family all the very best as she takes on this very important role.

 

“We also want to extend our congratulations to Governor Dan McKee. He has been a consistent and strong voice on behalf of Rhode Island’s hard-hit small business community. He brings a valuable perspective as a former municipal leader, which will be important as we work collaboratively to rebuild our state. We know everyone in the legislature looks forward to working in collaboration with Governor McKee to address the many challenges facing our state.”

 

Details of David Pecker's Involvement in Donald Trump's alleged hush money trial came to light in court Thursday. Pecker took the stand for his third day of testimony, and revealed conversations between himself, the former President, and Associate Michael Cohen. Pecker says he arranged to buy the story surrounding Trump's alleged affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal for $150,000, but backed out of the deal after consulting with election lawyers, believing the payment may break the law.        Students at Columbia University are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school. They filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on Thursday, demanding an investigation into the school's actions against pro-Palestinian students. The lawsuit alleges Columbia has mistreated students utilizing their first amendment rights.        The Food and Drug Administration says remnants of the bird flu were found in one in five pasteurized milk samples. Earlier this week, the FDA found fragments of the bird flu in commercially sold milk but said it's still safe to drink, as the pasteurization process kills the virus and only leaves small traces behind. On Thursday officials revealed about 20-percent of their milk samples contained remnants of the virus.        Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is having his conviction for sex crimes in New York overturned. The New York Court of Appeals ruled Weinstein did not receive a fair trial. The court found the judge in his trial made an error allowing women to testify about alleged sexual assaults committed by Weinstein that were not part of the charges against him. Weinstein was also sentenced in Los Angeles in February of last year to 16 years in prison after he was convicted of rape and that conviction still stands.        Buying a home is now more expensive than ever. A new report from Redfin found the median home price in the United States is now over 383-thousand-dollars, a record high. The economic research lead with Redfin says prices may drop slightly in the coming months, but buyers should accept that "housing costs are likely to remain elevated for the foreseeable future." The median down payment is also up 24-percent compared to last year, at around 56-thousand-dollars.        Soulja Boy says he wants to help save TikTok. Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that requires TikTok's Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance to sell the app or else it will be banned in the United States. Soulja Boy has offered up a solution, posting "How much yall want for TikTok? I'll buy it." The rapper tagged the social media company in the post.       

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