Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Redistricting Commission OKs new districts; maps now move to General Assembly for approval

 

STATE HOUSE — The Special Commission on Reapportionment approved new House, Senate and Congressional district maps during its final meeting on Wednesday.

Legislation enumerating the district boundaries will now be drafted and introduced in the House and Senate chambers. These bills will be assigned to committees and go through the same process as other bills. Once the General Assembly has codified the new districts into law, city and town clerks will be tasked with notifying the voters in their communities of any changes in their districts.        

The new maps, which can be found at riredistricting.org, are the result of months of hearings around the state, all of which were open to the public and televised live on Capitol TV. 

The 18-member commission was tasked with providing recommendations to the General Assembly by January 15. According to the legislation passed by the General Assembly last year and signed into law by the Governor, the commission included six House and six Senate members, requiring each chamber to have four members from the majority party and two from the minority party. Three members of the public were appointed by each chamber as well.  The co-chairs were Sen. Stephen R. Archambault (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, North Providence, Johnston) and Rep. Robert D. Phillips (D-Dist. 51, Woonsocket, Cumberland).

The state constitution calls for the General Assembly to reapportion its districts as well as the two congressional districts after each 10-year federal census to reflect population shifts. The most recent census took place in 2020.

 

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is dead at the age of 84. Cheney's career in public service began in 1969 when he joined the Nixon Administration. A former Republican Wyoming congressman, Cheney also served as White House chief of staff for President Gerald Ford and defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush. But his most prominent role was as vice president for two terms under President George W. Bush.        It's election day and races across the country could be a barometer of the 2026 midterms. In New York City's race for mayor, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani maintains his commanding lead in the polls over Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. In California, voters will decide whether to re-draw their congressional maps that will probably mean five more seats in Congress for Democrats.        The federal government shutdown is now tied for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The Senate is set to vote for a 14th time to end the impasse and Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he's optimistic that lawmakers will find a solution this week. Democrats are holding firm on demands to save health care subsidies that keep insurance premiums down for millions, while Republicans have refused to negotiate until the government is reopened.        There's been some threats at polling sites in New Jersey this Election Day. State Attorney General Matthew Platkin says early this morning law enforcement responded to threats received by email involving certain polling places in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic Counties. He says officers have responded at each affected polling place, and have worked swiftly to secure the sites.        Waymo plans to expand its robotaxi service to three more cities. The company says it will launch its service on the streets of Detroit, Las Vegas and San Diego, likely in early 2026. Waymo plans to expand in even more cities next year including Seattle, Miami and London.        The NFL's trade deadline is set for this afternoon. Teams will be looking to make moves to either bolster their rosters for the playoff push or to trade away players as they look towards the future. Earlier today, the Dallas Cowboys traded for linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals.       

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