In December 2023, Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge was closed abruptly for safety reasons, after the state’s Department of Transportation director called it a potential “cause of catastrophic failure.” After two-plus years of waiting, and $203 million in costs, construction of a new bridge began on June 10, which seemingly gave Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee a much-needed victory on a bumpy reelection road.

However, this didn’t change matters for McKee’s hometown of Cumberland, R.I., where he served as mayor for 12 years before his gubernatorial leap. Citing the need for a “change in leadership and a renewed sense of urgency,” the Cumberland Democratic Town Committee voted to endorse McKee’s challenger, Helena Foulkes, who holds a 20-point lead over the incumbent in recent polling.

“Boston Globe Rhode Island columnist Dan McGowan urged [McKee] to abandon his reelection bid because Foulkes used to work for CVS, the biggest company in Rhode Island,” said Ted Nesi, politics editor and investigative reporter at WPRI in Rhode Island. “[McKee has] really been attacking CVS a lot. And it has business leaders concerned about the relationship with the state’s largest private company employer. So it’s a very unusual situation to have an incumbent in such deep trouble with only two months to go until early voting.”

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This is the latest saga in a fast-boiling New England political climate, which also features a brawl for Susan Collins’ Senate seat in Maine. Collins, a Republican first elected in 1996, enjoys the advantage of widespread billionaire backing, including from donors such as Citadel LLC founder Ken Griffin, Palantir co-founder Alex Karp, Melinda French-Gates, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Graham Platner, the upstart oyster farmer and political outsider challenging Collins, has run a viral populist campaign focusing on affordability, but faced widespread controversy over a perceived Nazi tattoo, inflammatory Reddit posts, and multiple scandals involving past romantic relationships.

“Now the question is, given the toxicity of the rich, of the billionaires, of Donald Trump, of what’s happening with tariffs, of what’s happening with gas: Will that continue to really hold [Collins] up for Maine voters?” said Arnie Arnesen, host of “The Attitude with Arnie Arneson” on WNHN in New Hampshire. “Or will Platner, despite his interesting portfolio — let’s put it that way — continue to connect with voters? Right now, it’s a jump ball.”

And on Martha’s Vineyard, the beginning of tourist season is coinciding with a tick-borne illness causing bizarre food allergies. Alpha-gal syndrome, which accounted for just two cases five years ago, surged to over 500 cases on the Vineyard last year, and its return this summer is causing island restaurants to formulate “alpha-gal-friendly” dishes.

“Alpha-gal syndrome is probably what people have heard about as the ‘red meat allergy’ coming from the lone star tick, but it’s actually broader than red meat,” said Jennette Barnes, reporter and producer at CAI in Cape Cod. “People can have reactions to any animal products, including dairy, milk, cheese, ice cream, all that. And those reactions can be severe, similar to a peanut allergy.”

Plus: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are putting Cape Cod’s lead paint-coated Bourne and Sagamore bridges up for public adoption (parenting manual sold separately), and a Vermont library on Canada’s border is opening a door to its neighbors from the North. It’s all on this week’s regional news roundtable!

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Guests

  • Arnie Arnesen, host of “The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen” on WNHN in New Hampshire
  • Ted Nesi, politics editor and investigative reporter at WPRI in Rhode Island
  • Jennette Barnes, reporter and producer at CAI on Cape Cod

Stories featured on this week’s roundtable