News

By AP

Taunton, Mass. – Firefighters in Taunton are battling a blaze at City Hall.

The building has been evacuated and no injuries have been reported. The Taunton Gazette reported that smoke was seen billowing from the top floor of the historic building, which was originally constructed in the 1840s.

Mayor Charles Crowley told WBZ-AM in Boston that the fire started Tuesday on the second floor before the building was officially open for the day and spread to the third floor.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze.

By Elisabeth Harrison

Providence, R.I. – State education officials learned Monday they will get nearly $2.4 million from the Obama Administration to start more charter schools in Rhode Island. By September there will be 15 charter schools operating in the state. The goal is to significantly increase that number over the next three years, particularly in urban districts.

By AP

Providence, R.I. – A Rhode Island school district is doing away with the time-honored tradition of recess.

Beginning in the fall, East Providence elementary school students will not be given 10 minutes before or after lunch to play.

But school officials say the change might actually help them to keep students more physically fit. Superintendent Mario Cirillo says the schools are partnering with the YMCA to design a more comprehensive physical education program that will keep students active, even without recess.

By Bill Gale

Providence, R.I. – Way back in the 1950s rock n roll was moving in; some would say taking over. There are many tales from those days but few as compelling as the one told in "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" now at the Courthouse Center for the Arts in West Kingston. Bill Gale has tour review.

Providence, R.I. – Listen to the WRNI Morning News Podcast for Tuesday, August 17, 2010.

By Ian Donnis

Providence, R.I. – State Republican Chairman Giovanni Cicione yesterday unveiled a new effort to challenge the dominance of General Assembly Democrats.

Looking to brand themselves, Republicans rolled out what they're calling "Rhode Island Clean Slate." It's meant to supplement the individual efforts of about 100 Republican and independent legislative candidates. Related bus ads and radio spots are set to start this week.

By Flo Jonic

Providence, R.I. – Attorney General Patrick Lynch says he will dismiss charges against Philip Markoff, the man suspected of assaulting and robbing a couple at a Warwick motel last year.

Markoff is thought to have killed himself at the Nashua Street jail in Boston over the weekend. The Boston Herald, quoting anonymous sources, says Markoff used a pen to cut his arteries and covered his head with a plastic bag.

He was charged in Massachusetts with killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist.

By Catherine Welch

Providence, RI – Construction of the Kingstown Crossing I development is underway after Monday's groundbreaking at a former Navy housing complex in North Kingstown.

The first phase will provide 58 environmentally friendly units of affordable housing.

There's a huge need for affordable housing across the state, says Richard Godfrey, executive director of Rhode Island Housing.

By AP

Providence, R.I. – Public health officials in Massachusetts and Rhode Island have announced this summer's first case of eastern equine encephalitis in a person.

Citing privacy, officials identified him Sunday only as a Rhode Island man in his 20s from Newport County. He is in critical condition.

Officials say his exposure to a mosquito carrying the encephalitis likely occurred in southeastern Massachusetts, which has been identified as an area of high risk. Officials say his symptoms first occurred Aug. 5, before aerial spraying.