nlavin@rhodeislandcurrent.com

Nancy Lavin

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Nancy Lavin is a senior reporter at the Rhode Island Current. She is an award-winning reporter covering politics, energy issues and the environment for Rhode Island Current. She previously reported on banking and finance, energy and entrepreneurship for Providence Business News. Nancy also spent three and a half years at the Frederick (Md.) News-Post and worked at The Westerly Sun. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Under financial pressure, Brown University Health mum on Newport Hospital birthing center
Rhode Island

Under financial pressure, Brown University Health mum on Newport Hospital birthing center

Aug 21, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Brown University Health is back in the black, but its financial forecast remains grim as costs associated with uncompensated care, insurance denials and federal Medicaid restrictions take hold. “If you’re sitting at zero, you’re not where you need to be,”...
A new day dawns for Providence Place as new owners close on $133M deal
Rhode Island

A new day dawns for Providence Place as new owners close on $133M deal

Aug 20, 2026
Nancy Lavin
On Aug, 20, 1999, crowds streamed through the Providence Place mall, ready to celebrate the long-awaited opening day of the downtown shopping destination. On Thursday — exactly 27 years later — a much smaller and more muted celebration unfolded as...
Want to know more about the Washington Bridge rebuild? There’s a video for that.
Rhode Island

Want to know more about the Washington Bridge rebuild? There’s a video for that.

Aug 19, 2026
Nancy Lavin
If seeing is believing, the single foundation shaft resting on the bank of the Seekonk River below an open sky where the westbound Washington Bridge once loomed offers little reassurance. Nor does Gov. Dan McKee’s repeated promise that the replacement...
McKee and Foulkes take last jabs in a fiery third and final debate before primary
Rhode Island

McKee and Foulkes take last jabs in a fiery third and final debate before primary

Aug 19, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Interruptions and insults flew across the stage of Rhode Island College’s Sapinsley Hall auditorium Tuesday night as two Democratic gubernatorial candidates attempted to school the other in the third and final debate before the primary, hosted by WPRI-TV 12...
Did Gov. McKee really create 37,000 jobs? It’s complicated.
Rhode Island

Did Gov. McKee really create 37,000 jobs? It’s complicated.

Aug 18, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Among Gov. Dan McKee’s favorite statistics: the 37,000 jobs “created” under his administration. But his recent boast drew a strong rebuke from his Democratic primary challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes. “This is a lie he’s telling all of you, and I...
Three weeks out, McKee is still 20 points behind Foulkes in governor’s race
Rhode Island

Three weeks out, McKee is still 20 points behind Foulkes in governor’s race

Aug 18, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Three weeks and a day out from the primary, Gov. Dan McKee has failed to narrow a 20-point gap with his Democratic gubernatorial challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a survey published Tuesday by The Pell Center at Salve Regina University finds...
Is 2026 the year of the crossover voter in Rhode Island? What the data says.
Rhode Island

Is 2026 the year of the crossover voter in Rhode Island? What the data says.

Aug 17, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Lifelong Republican Joe Paglia recently disaffiliated from the GOP for the first time in his life. His views haven’t changed. But the Narragansett resident and small business owner sees the registration change, which lets him vote in local and state...
Same arguments, new insults: McKee and Foulkes clash in first TV debate
Rhode Island

Same arguments, new insults: McKee and Foulkes clash in first TV debate

Aug 13, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Familiar arguments over opioids, infrastructure and who cares more about everyday Rhode Islanders dominated the first televised Democratic gubernatorial debate of the 2026 election cycle. Yet Gov. Dan McKee and his challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, still managed to infuse their...
Guckian and Pelino trade accusations over resumes and radio comments in first TV debate
Rhode Island

Guckian and Pelino trade accusations over resumes and radio comments in first TV debate

Aug 12, 2026
Nancy Lavin
It didn’t take long for the first face-to-face of Rhode Island’s Republican gubernatorial candidates to turn combative. Elaine Pelino didn’t finish her first sentence of the Wednesday debate, hosted by NBC 10 and Coastal ABC, before turning to fellow GOP...
McKee nominates Superior Court Associate Justice Luis Matos to Supreme Court
Rhode Island

McKee nominates Superior Court Associate Justice Luis Matos to Supreme Court

Aug 12, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Former House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi dominated discussion of the open seat on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. But a different applicant made headline news Wednesday as Gov. Dan McKee announced Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Luis Matos as his...
RI judge tosses Trump’s latest attempt to reconfigure federal homelessness programs
Rhode Island

RI judge tosses Trump’s latest attempt to reconfigure federal homelessness programs

Aug 10, 2026
Nancy Lavin
A Rhode Island federal judge has again blocked the Trump administration from siphoning federal funds from no-strings-attached housing for formerly homeless individuals. In a pair of identical, 10-page orders issued Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy wrote that...
Two perspectives on rent control in Providence House District 7 primary
Rhode Island

Two perspectives on rent control in Providence House District 7 primary

Aug 10, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a six-part series on state legislative races, chosen based on expected competitiveness between candidates and relevant issues to the district. Of the 113 seats in the Rhode Island General Assembly, all of which...