Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Rep. O’Brien calls for a House Oversight meeting on ILO Group education contract

 

STATE HOUSE – Rep. William W. O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence) is requesting a House Oversight Committee meeting to examine the recently awarded $5 million contract to the ILO Group for the purposes of safely reopening schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I first read the news reports regarding this contract, I, like many others, was outraged.  To pay a group of outside individuals $5 million for the work that the Department of Education should be doing is beyond outrageous.  In this climate, where every single education dollar counts, I see this as an extreme waste of taxpayer dollars and I will be writing to Speaker Shekarchi and Oversight Chairwoman Serpa to request a meeting on this important matter,” said Representative O’Brien.

“The taxpayers of Rhode Island should not have to worry about their hard-earned money being squandered on duplicative services and it is my hope that the House Oversight Committee can get the answers that the residents of Rhode Island deserve,” concluded Representative O’Brien.

 

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President Trump is giving more insight into the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minnesota. Told by CBS News that her father is a big supporter of Trump, the President said that he would bet under "normal circumstances" that she was a "very solid, wonderful person, but her actions were pretty tough." Trump said that the tape could have been viewed a few different ways, but that the country has hundreds of thousands of murderers that ICE is trying to get out.        Anti-ICE protests are taking place once again in Minneapolis after a deadly shooting involving an agent. The demonstrations first began after Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent last week. Federal officials say Good was attempting to harm the agent with her vehicle, while officials like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz disputed that claim.        It appears the Supreme Court will uphold states transgender athlete bans. On Tuesday, the justices heard two cases -- one out of Idaho, the other from West Virginia -- challenging whether states can ban transgender girls from participating in girls' and women's sports. Several legal analysts conclude the 6-3 conservative majority seems poised to uphold the bans.        Another round of winter weather is forecast to impact at least half of the country this week. Storms are on the way, bringing snow showers as far south as North Carolina and Tennessee while lake-effect snowbelts in the Midwest and interior Northeast will be in the bull's eye for highest accumulations. A large clipper system will likely bring a surge of warm air that will turn most of the precipitation into rain which will then move over the East Coast by Wednesday.        The Democratic National Committee is launching a seven-figure voter registration initiative ahead of this year's midterms. As part of the initiative, the DNC plans to train more than 100 young Democrats on helping register young voters in battleground districts such as Nevada and Arizona. There will also be several "National Weeks of Action" that's expected to mobilize voter registration efforts across the country.        Actor Kiefer Sutherland is facing charges after an alleged altercation with a rideshare driver. The Los Angeles Police Department told ABC News Sutherland was taken into custody early Monday morning in Hollywood. The Emmy-award-winning actor was arrested on suspicion of felony criminal threats, but was released after posting bond.       

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