A Providence police union has said Mayor Cicilline’s proposal to test members of the Providence Police Department randomly for drugs violates state law. The office of Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Patrick C. Lynch has expressed agreement with the union.

Central Falls High School students held a silent vigil outside the school Tuesday for the teachers the district fired.

A seal that the Mystic Aquarium rescued off the coast of Maine in January has been released back into the wild. Watch that little guy go!

In the wake of a drug bust in the Providence Police Department, Mayor Cicilline announced random drug testing for police officers and a new assessment of how the narcotics unit functions and how officers rotating within the department are supervised.  The PPD has been battling image issues recently as three of its officers were charged with peddling drugs and two others, including Detective Robert DeCarlo, with police brutality.

Providence schools Supt. Tom Brady announced a plan to reform four of its worst schools through cooperation with the teachers union.  The proposal would involve leaders of the teachers union and school officials meeting to formulate changes for each of the schools.

A bank robbery investigation took a turn for the bizarre when a plumber discovered stolen $10 bills and a circuit board clogging a toilet at LaQuinta Inn in Warwick.  The hotel staff heroism didn’t end there–a housekeeper later helped cops nab a suspect who was hiding behind an ice machine.

A Rhode Island philanthropist is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. A federal grand jury and some insurance companies are also getting involved with the man, who the fear is “preying upon the terminally ill.”

A wind farm has been proposed to be built off the coast of Block Island, but some residents there aren’t so sure they want it—they’re afraid the wind turbines will obstruct the view for island dwellers and tourists. The project is intended to give islanders cheaper electricity.

Rhode Island’s history with the slave trade got you down? Head on over to One Depot Square, where the Providence & Worcester station used to be, and cleanse the palate with an exhibit of the state’s abolitionist history!

Sheldon Whitehouse got a dose of small screen stardom when he appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in a segment about Sen. Bunning’s single-handed filibuster of a jobs bill.  In the clip, Stewart pokes fun at Whitehouse’s theatrical speech about an unemployed Rhode Island woman.

“Operation Deception,” the State Police investigation of officers who may have dealt drugs while on duty, has expanded.  So far, the four officers implicated in the sting have been consigned to desk duty, but now investigators are looking into whether the actions of the accused officers have threatened the safety of other on-duty cops.

Christopher Mensel, a movie buff who teaches at the University of Rhode Island, walked away with $25,000 after appearing on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” last Friday.  The show featured movie-themed questions in honor of the Oscars this weekend.

Three Providence police officers have been arrested for cocaine trafficking. The investigation, conducted by the FBI and Rhode Island state police, has been going on for four months.

A Rhode Island Senate commission hasn’t been able to agree on whether or not marijuana should be decriminalized. This is despite Harvar lecturer Jeffrey Miron saying it could save the state over $11 million a year. There was also a “spirited exchange” between Brown’s alcohol and addiction studies founder David Lewis and Joseph Osediacz, former head of the state police’s narcotics unit.

Three cheers for Heather Tow-Yick, a Brown grad and Providence native who will become Rhode Island’s state executive director for Teach for America! The program is slated to begin in Rhode Island this coming fall.

Hundreds of same-sex marriage supporters converged on the State House yesterday to pressure lawmakers to pass marriage equality legislation.  Four candidates for governor–Lincoln Chafee, Todd Giroux, Frank Caprio, and Patrick Lych–addressed the crowded and expressed their support for the legislation.

Supt. Frances Gallo is ready to start negotiating with the teachers union after the controversial firing of Central Falls teachers last week.  The change in tone came after the president of the union announced that teachers would be willing to consider reforms aimed at shoring up Central Falls’ failing high school.

A Florida lawyer, Scott Rothstein, and his wife owe over $10 million in unpaid taxes, and federal authorities were granted authority to seize the couple’s 24 homes in Rhode Island, Florida, and New York.  No stranger to scandal, Rothstein has also been convicted of orchestrating a massive $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.

Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse both voted in favor of a U.S. Senate bill that will extend federal unemployment benefits another 30 days. The bill passed the Senate 78-19; a similar bill has already won approval in the House.

Governor Carcieri has declared today “Spread the Word to End the Word Day” to raise awareness for the use of the word “retard” as an insult. There’s also a chance that the Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals will undergo a name change to remove “Retardation,” and all associated stigma, from the department’s name.

Oops! The state Department of Transportation got into a little trouble after a contractor tried to fix a sewer problem… by digging on a historic grave site. DOT has since apologized to the family; no word yet on whether any ghosts have showed up to exact vengeance.

President Obama cited the massive teacher firing at Rhode Island’s Central Falls High School in a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday.  The decision to fire all Central Falls teachers has attracted controversy since its announcement, and the Obama administration has pointed to it as an example of a tough but necessary approach to fixing the nation’s education system.

A bill to prevent minors from incurring child pornography charges for “sexting” could be voted on in the General Assembly this week.  Under current law, minors who send obscene texts or videos could be subject to child pornography charges that could land them a lifelong place on the sex offender registry.

Like birds singing and warmer weather, potholes are a sign that spring has come to Providence.  The city has already deployed 32 tons of pothole filler to fix some of the worst areas, but that hasn’t stopped people from complaining about the nasty craters.  Sage advice for drivers from one Providence resident: “make sure you don’t have dentures.”

It’s Providence’s Most Wanted! Local police have put together a list of the 29 most active criminals and felons in the area.

Sort of the anti-LOLcat: animal rights activists, state legislators and Rhode Island’s top veterinarian are at odds on what to do about the feral cat population. State vet Scott Marshall favors euthanizing them; animal rights activist Dennis Tabella fears people’s pet cats will become victims.

According to a study done by National Journal, Rhode Island’s U.S. senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are among the most liberal delegates in the Senate! They both scored an 88 on the “liberal composite scale,” which is basically an A with a slight curve.

Rhode Island education officials will announce the proposed details of  a school funding formula next week.  Rhode Island is the only state without a formula to distribute funds to schools districts. While the measure still needs to be passed in the General Assembly, it has widespread support among lawmakers.

Jobless benefits for thousands of Rhode Islanders will begin to phase out Monday due to Congress’ failure to pass an extension. Senator Jack Reed pledged to fight for continued benefits, which Rhode Island provides to approximately 39,000 people according to the Department of Labor and Training.

Outgoing Representative Patrick Kennedy roasted himself at the Providence Newspaper Guild Follies and offered 10 fictitious reasons for not seeking re-election.  Kennedy’s top reason: “It’s just so hard to maintain my sobriety around a party animal like Jack Reed.”