nlavin@rhodeislandcurrent.com

Nancy Lavin

[email protected]

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.

Eight days in, 30,000 Rhode Island voters cast ballots early
Rhode Island

Eight days in, 30,000 Rhode Island voters cast ballots early

Oct 21, 2026
Nancy Lavin
After record-breaking turnout in the Sept. 9 primaries, including a wave of early voting, just over 30,000 voters cast ballots at designated municipal polling places in the first eight days since early voting began Oct. 14. That’s 40% fewer Rhode...
Rep. Jenni Furtado to lead state Democratic party
Rhode Island

Rep. Jenni Furtado to lead state Democratic party

Oct 21, 2026
Nancy Lavin
A freshman state representative from East Providence will be the next leader of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, House Speaker Christopher Blazejewski announced Wednesday. Rep. Jenni Furtado will replace former party chair Liz Beretta-Perik, who resigned Tuesday, following her husband’s...
New controversies bring fresh disagreements to final RI gubernatorial debate
Rhode Island

New controversies bring fresh disagreements to final RI gubernatorial debate

Oct 21, 2026
Nancy Lavin
The Washington Bridge got only a fleeting mention during Rhode Island’s final gubernatorial debate Tuesday, eclipsed by fresh controversies over tax returns, public polling and federal lawsuits. But familiar tensions carried through the hourlong event at Rhode Island College, hosted...
Husband of RI Democratic Party leader indicted on federal fraud charges in Ohio
Rhode Island

RI Democratic Party Chair resigns after husband indicted on federal fraud charges in Ohio

Oct 20, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Rhode Island Democratic Party Chair Liz Beretta-Perik has resigned in the wake of her husband’s indictment by an Ohio grand jury on felony fraud and racketeering charges, Katherine Riordan, party executive director, confirmed to Rhode Island Current Tuesday. Beretta-Perik did...
Helena Buonanno Foulkes has always been unflappable. Is she now unbeatable?
Rhode Island

Helena Buonanno Foulkes has always been unflappable. Is she now unbeatable?

Oct 20, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Helena Buonanno was 13 years old when the Blizzard of 1978 left her stranded with her toddler sister and their panicked babysitter at the family’s Providence home. Her three other siblings were snowed in at their elementary school, and her...
No-nonsense Ken Block ran for governor twice and lost. Will his 3rd time charm RI voters?
Rhode Island

No-nonsense Ken Block ran for governor twice and lost. Will his third time charm RI voters?

Oct 19, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Ken Block’s campaign calculus rests squarely on the numbers. Battling against entrenched party politics as an independent candidate for governor with only modest name recognition and even less campaign cash, he looks to polling as proof he can beat Democratic...
No Kings volunteers bring early voting message to Hope Street Farmers Market in Providence
Rhode Island

No Kings volunteers bring early voting message to Hope Street Farmers Market in Providence

Oct 17, 2026
Nancy Lavin
There were no chants, no speeches and only a handful of signs at a No Kings event Saturday morning in Providence. Instead, a few dozen volunteers fanned out across the Hope Street Farmers Market on the East Side, weaving through...
Coastal regulators OK revised Cliff Walk repair plan; path could reopen as soon as 2028
Rhode Island

Coastal regulators OK revised Cliff Walk repair plan; path could reopen as soon as 2028

Oct 16, 2026
Nancy Lavin
The rocky road to restoring Newport’s Cliff Walk has cleared a significant obstacle after the city secured permission from Rhode Island coastal regulators. The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) approved a revised repair plan at its meeting Tuesday...
RI Health and Human Services head to replace Roger Williams, Fatima hospitals CEO
Rhode Island

RI Health and Human Services head to replace Roger Williams, Fatima hospitals CEO

Oct 15, 2026
Nancy Lavin
In November, Rhode Island Health and Human Services Secretary Richard Charest’s covert courtship of another hospital buyer for Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital drew a strong rebuke from the head of the nonprofit already approved...
MAGA candidate Elaine Pelino backs independent Ken Block for governor
Rhode Island

MAGA candidate Elaine Pelino backs independent Ken Block for governor

Oct 14, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Five weeks after narrowly losing the Republican gubernatorial primary, Elaine Pelino is urging her supporters to cross party lines and vote for independent Ken Block in the Nov. 3 general election. The support from Pelino, who initially suggested she did...
Three weeks out, Foulkes is 9 points ahead of Block in WPRI poll
Rhode Island

Three weeks out, Foulkes is 9 points ahead of Block in WPRI poll

Oct 13, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Democrat Helena Buonanno Foulkes continues to lead the five-way race for governor, even as independent Ken Block has narrowed the gap, according to a WPRI-TV 12 poll published Tuesday. The survey of 800 likely voters, conducted by Emerson College from...
Hasbro gives 587 Pawtucket employees till Dec. 24 to agree to Boston move or face job loss
Rhode Island

Hasbro gives 587 Pawtucket employees till Dec. 24 to agree to Boston move or face job loss

Oct 13, 2026
Nancy Lavin
Nearly 600 Hasbro workers currently based in Pawtucket will have to report to the company’s new Boston headquarters in January or else lose their jobs, according to an Oct. 8 notice filed with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and...