Topic: Rhode Island

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

'Arrested Development': 5 other TV shows saved by fans

'Arrested Development' will get 10 new episodes on Netflix and a movie – here are 5 other TV shows fans brought back.
Briefing
Buffett rule: Five questions about Obama's plan answered

President Obama wants a proposed "Buffett rule" to make sure that millionaires pay at least a 30 percent federal tax rate. Here are five facts that shed light on the Buffett rule and the debate surrounding it.
Election 101: What's the Republican primary calendar for 2012?

Here are the ins and outs of the road to winning the Republican Party presidential nomination.
Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan: What would your sales tax be?

Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan would create a new 9 percent federal sales tax. Here are estimates of the cumulative state, local, and federal sales taxes that consumers in each state would have to pay under the plan.
3 stand-out 2011 novels by award-winning writers

Three new works by three award-winning writers look at love, regret, and memory in this month's fiction roundup.

All Content

Hard hit Rhode Island looks to federal aid as floods recede

Rhode Island took the brunt of this week's floods, and the state will look to federal aid, along with flood insurance, to cover much of the worst damage.
Northeast hit by historic floods, helped by emergency response

Safety officials may not have built arks, but emergency response workers in Rhode Island and across the Northeast made extraordinary efforts to protect residents as historic floods swept the region.
Race to the Top winners: How did Delaware and Tennessee succeed?

In announcing the Race to the Top winners, Education Secretary Arne Duncan noted that both states had strong buy-in from almost all districts and teachers unions.
Is any work better than no work? Not for unemployment benefits.

Unemployed Americans who take parttime or temp work may find that their unemployment benefits get cut after that job ends. It's a disincentive to work, but Congress is moving to remedy that.
Seeking 'turnaround,' Georgia's Beach High School fires all staff

Beach High School in Savannah, Georgia, will fire all teachers and then rehire some as part of a plan to improve chronic low performance. The number of schools resorting to mass teacher firings is on the rise.
Healthcare reform 'fixes' pass, but is bipartisanship lost?

Other large social programs like Medicare and Social Security passed with strong bipartisan majorities, but healthcare reform and its package of 'fixes' lacked a single Republican vote. Republican leaders call the process used to pass healthcare reform a 'game-changer.'
Pope Benedict letter to Ireland fails to ease anger over abuse scandal

Pope Benedict XVI responded to a blossoming abuse scandal in Ireland with a letter that addressed Church failings in handling sexual abuse of children by priests. But he did not promise an end to the secrecy that has surrounded the church's policing efforts.
Want to save $50,000? Try a three-year college degree.

With costs soaring, some colleges offer students a way to graduate early with a three-year college degree. But critics say students lose out on gaining breadth of experience.
Donald Marron
Google’s public data: Much improved

Google has recently improved its presentation of public data.
From same sex marriage to medical marijuana, states take the lead

States can have more influence on American lives in everything from same sex marriage to medical marijuana because state legislators get along in ways not possible in Washington's political gridlock.
Gallery: States with the strictest gun laws
Chapter & Verse
The books that took the Oscars

Oscar winners "Crazy Heart," "Precious," "The Blind Side," and "The Secret in their Eyes" all took their inspiration from books.
Race to the Top: Which states made the list of finalists?

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced Thursday that 15 states and the District of Columbia are finalists for Race to the Top education grants. The winners will be chosen in April.
Obama pledges $900 million more to stem 'dropout crisis'

Citing a high-school dropout crisis in America, Obama pledged an additional $900 million in school-improvement funds. That may mean more controversial school 'turnarounds,' like the one last week in which all the teachers at a low-performing Rhode Island school were fired.
Gallery: House Democrats retiring in 2010
A constitutional right to hunt? Voters in three states to decide.

Voters in at least three states will decide whether to enshrine a right to hunt in constitutions. Critics see the measures as a political 'wedge' issue.
All teachers fired at R.I. school. Will that happen elsewhere?

All the teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island were fired by the board of trustees this week. More such cases are likely to arise across the US in the coming year because of pressure from the Obama administration – and the incentive of billions of federal dollars.
The New Economy
To improve school performance, fire all the teachers?

When high school teachers refused to work extra hours without pay, Central Falls, R.I., fired them all. Will that improve performance?
The New Economy
Top eight states with worst pension woes

State pension funds are $1 trillion short, according to the Pew Center on the States. How does your state stack up?
Patrick Kennedy's planned retirement deals Democrats another blow

Patrick Kennedy will officially announce Sunday that he will not seek another term in the House. Republicans were already targeting his Rhode Island seat.
In California, quest for cleaner power hits tortoise-sized speed bumps

Golden State lawmakers ask which is more important: building the nation's largest solar-energy farm or protecting a fragile ecosystem?
In Pictures: Airshows
What can Robert Gates achieve in extra year at Pentagon?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced recently that he will stay on at least another year. That will help him shepherd some of his Pentagon reforms – and perhaps start new ones.
California voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana

The first state to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, California leads the country in decriminalizing the sale and use of cannabis. Other states are considering the issue, too, but critics warn of the impact on young people.
Obama can create jobs by modeling two good ideas

He should combine New Deal-era solutions with Germany's successful work-share program.