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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island's governor has vetoed a bill that would let 16- and 17-year-olds register to vote. It's the fourth time that Gov. Don Carcieri has vetoed the legislation. The bill would have let teens "pre-register" to vote, with their registration automatically becoming active when they reach 18. Rep. Edwin Pacheco, D-Burrillville, who introduced the House measure, has said enrolling teens would help get more of them involved in the political process. Carcieri says the current law, which allows teens to register if they are eligible to vote by the next election, has served the state well....

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island is in the midst of an especially grim economic meltdown, and no one can pinpoint exactly why. The smallest state, it is saddled with some of the nation’s biggest problems: the second highest unemployment rate, at 10 percent, according to the latest federal figures; and among the highest foreclosure rates, widest budget gaps and most-vulnerable pension systems. Rhode Island is arguably the most economically hobbled state after Michigan [...]. ... Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, a Republican, and the overwhelmingly Democratic General Assembly have often found themselves at loggerheads, with the legislature more focused on supporting...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A judge says he expects to rule within a week on whether to block Governor Carcieri from enforcing an executive order requiring employers that do business with the state to check the immigration status of new hires. The order, signed in March, would force employers to use a federal database known as E-Verify to check whether their workers are in the country illegally. The Rhode Island branch of the American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the order. A lawyer for the ACLU told a judge yesterday that the system is error-prone and using it could lead...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Eight people who resigned from Gov. Don Carcieri's Commission on Hispanic Affairs have denounced Carcieri and his executive order cracking down on illegal immigrants. The eight commissioners quit Thursday and held a news conference Friday. An executive order that Carcieri signed in March requires state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation. It also requires the executive branch to use a federal database to verify the immigration status of new hires. Former commissioner Juan Garcia called the order "social genocide." He said it will increase racial profiling of Hispanics by police and...

Some of my fellow RedState contributors and I were discussing via email today why it is that a certain segment of the population is determined to push Condi Rice for Veep, as though it would be a good idea for the entire executive branch to run like the State Department currently does. During the course of this conversation, which inevitably turned to potentially *good* choices for Vice President, an unexpected name came up: Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri. More below... I was initially very skeptical of this suggestion. I didn't know much about Carcieri's record, and so I just automatically...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Linking the presence of undocumented workers to Rhode Island’s financial woes, Gov. Don Carcieri signed an executive order that includes a series of steps to combat illegal immigration. The order signed Thursday requires state agencies and companies that do business with the state to verify the legal status of employees. It also directs the Rhode Island State Police and prison and parole officials to more aggressively find and deport illegal immigrants. The Republican governor said he understands that illegal immigrants face hardships — but he does not want them in Rhode Island. "If you’re here illegally, you...

ACLU blasts Carcieri record on civil rights09:05 AM EST on Wednesday, December 5, 2007By STEVE PEOPLES Journal staff writerPROVIDENCE — Governor Carcieri has consistently attacked the civil rights of the state’s most vulnerable residents during the first year of his second term, according to a report released yesterday by the Rhode Island Affiliate, American Civil Liberties Union, which likens the term-limited governor’s recent comments to the “nativist” philosophies of the 18th century. The report, according to Steven Brown, ACLU executive director, was prompted by a string of actions the group deemed a broad attack on underprivileged groups such as...

  Governor Donald L. Carcieri (RI) CARCIERI STATEMENT ON SAME SEX DIVORCE DECISION 12-07-2007Governor Donald L. Carcieri today issued the following statement regarding the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling denying the request of a same sex couple married in Massachusetts to divorce in Rhode Island.“I believe this is the appropriate result based on Rhode Island law,” Governor Carcieri said. “It has always been clear to me that Rhode Island law was designed to permit marriage – and therefore divorce – only between a man and a woman.”“While I understand the Supreme Court’s statement that the General Assembly is the...

Providence, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Island on Tuesday became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana and the first since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that patients who use the drug can still be prosecuted under federal law. The House overrode a veto by Gov. Don Carcieri, 59-13, allowing people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS to grow up to 12 marijuana plants or buy 2.5 ounces of marijuana to relieve their symptoms. Those who do are required to register with the state and get an identification card. Federal law prohibits any use of marijuana, but Maine,...

PROVIDENCE -- Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee could face a serious challenge if Democratic Rep. James Langevin enters the 2006 race for his seat, according to a Brown University poll released Wednesday. The poll conducted Feb. 12-13 found Langevin leading Chafee 41 percent to 27 percent if the race were held now. Langevin has not entered the race but plans to make an announcement by the end of next month. Chafee hasn't said whether he would run again, but has begun raising money for a campaign. The poll indicated that Chafee would have an easier time against Secretary of State Matt...

Governor's Proposed Homeland Security Bill Under Fire Audits Of Fire Safety Records Required POSTED: 10:01 am EST February 18, 2004 UPDATED: 10:17 am EST February 18, 2004 PROVIDENCE -- Legislation intended to strengthen the state's security measures drew criticism from a civil rights group that said the proposed law threatens free speech and academic freedom. Gov. Don Carcieri's new homeland security law would create new felony charges, require annual safety audits of every public school and close some public records, including those that show whether businesses comply with state Fire Safety Code requirements. The bill, which Carcieri introduced last week,...

Independent Commission Would Have Subpoena Powers PROVIDENCE -- Gov. Don Carcieri on Wednesday made public details of legislation calling for a five-member, independent commission to investigate a political system he sees as corrupt. The commission would have subpoena powers, hold public hearings and report within a year its findings and recommendations. The proposed commission comes amid a flurry of ethics complaints against several lawmakers, but faces opposition from House Speaker William Murphy, D-West Warwick. He prefers beefing up the state Ethics Commission's budget to providing money for Carcieri's request, which the governor estimated at roughly $200,000. Carcieri, however, said the...

Latest poll: Governor's race going to the wire A television station's poll earlier this week has the race for Rhode Island governor in a statistical dead heat. 11/01/2002 BY SCOTT MacKAY and LIZ ANDERSON Journal Staff Writers PROVIDENCE -- As the days dwindle in the Rhode Island governor's race, Republican Don Carcieri and Democrat Myrth York are locked in a statistical tie, according to a WPRI/Channel 12 public-opinion survey releassed last night. The poll of 401 voters who said they were likely to vote in Tuesday's election showed Carcieri with 43 percent, York with 40 percent and 16 percent undecided....

Brown poll: York leading Carcieri for governor 10/22/2002 By JACK PERRY projo.com staff writer PROVIDENCE / 11:55 a.m. -- A new Brown University poll shows Democrat Myrth York leading Republican Don Carcieri by 7 percentage points in a tightening race for governor -- but a quarter of those surveyed were still undecided. The same polls shows that 62 percent of the voters surveyed want embattled House Speaker John Harwood to resign. The survey also shows that a growing number of Rhode Island voters believe the state is moving in the wrong direction. And the poll found that Rhode Island voters...

Exclusive Eyewitness News Poll: Race For RI Governor By Eyewitness News Sep 18, 2002, 6:21pm Myrth York earned the right to represent the Democrats with her slim victory in the three-way Democratic primary last week. And Don Carcieri became the standard bearer for the Republicans with a trouncing of his opponent in the gop primary. . Our exclusive poll of 405 likely regisitered voters provides the first glimpse into how the campaign is going. . The Eyewitness News poll shows Myrth york has 49%... Don carcieri has 35% and 16 percent is not sure. . Carcieri was not available, but...