The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) leads the state's effort to reduce infectious disease and support a healthier state. To alert Rhode Islanders of the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HEALTH has released data showing that the rates of HIV and several other STDs are increasing. In Rhode Island, from 2013 to 2014:
Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced Nigel Nichols (age 29), from Brockton MA, to four consecutive life sentences plus 40 years for the December 6, 2009 shooting on Dorrance Street in Providence that killed David Thomas (age 22) and Domingo Ortiz (age 21) and injured Dwayne Thomas, who was 18 years of age at the time.
Wednesday the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, the state's premiere free-market think tank, announced a new ad campaign in support of school choice. The Center's full-page ad is currently running in today's Providence Journal. The ad, which asks "What's the difference between a bright future and a bleak one?" is part of the Bright Today initiative to expand school choice and improve education quality in the Ocean State.
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy released the annual 50-State Property Tax Comparison Study, a comprehensive analysis of effective property tax rates in each state's largest city, one rural area in each state, and the District of Columbia. The study, produced in partnership with the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence, tracks the property tax as the primary revenue source to fund local government to provide basic services. The Northeast and Midwest generally have higher property tax burdens as compared to the West and Southwest. In part because the study measures effective property tax rates – that is, the actual tax payment as a percentage of market value – many struggling post-industrial cities, where property values have dropped, show up at the top of the rankings. "The property tax remains the foundation of sound municipal fiscal health," said George W. "Mac" McCarthy, president of the Lincoln Institute. Cities such as Detroit are working hard to make adjustments in valuations to bring balance back to this essential covenant, McCarthy said. Bridgeport, Connecticut continues to impose the highest taxes on homes worth $150,000 to $300,000, followed by Detroit, Aurora, Ill., Newark, and Milwaukee. Cities with the lowest effective residential property tax rates include Denver, Birmingham, Washington D.C., Honolulu, and Boston Cities with the highest apartment property tax rates – in contrast to "homestead" or owner-occupied housing – include New York, Detroit, Des Moines, Aurora, and Bridgeport. The lowest in the rankings are Salt Lake City, Washington, D.C., Denver, Cheyenne, and Honolulu. In terms of commercial property taxes, cities with the highest effective commercial rates include Detroit, New York, Chicago, Providence, Des Moines, and Bridgeport. The lowest taxes can be found in Wilmington, Del., Virginia Beach, Seattle, Honolulu, and Cheyenne.
Tony Jones
It’s that time of year again, you can’t go anywhere or tune in to any media outlet without seeing or hearing some kind of commercial touting the Department of Transportation’s ‘click it or ticket’ campaign. ‘Click it or Ticket’ marks a high point in a push for greater seat belt compliance. Patrols are asked to vigorously enforce the seat belt laws. Additionally, unmarked and low profile vehicles are utilized. This is not a petty issue. |
WBOB
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