Shiina LoSciuto

2 months ago | wpri.com | Shiina LoSciuto |Raymond Baccari

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) - A popular leather manufacturer in Fall River is facing uncertainty due to recent tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump. Vanson Leathers, known for their motorcycle jackets, told 12 News that since a lot of their sales are internationally based, they may need to change how they do business if the tariffs continue. "About half of what we make gets exported, and that's always been the case," owner Mike van der Sleesen said.

2 months ago | yahoo.com | Shiina LoSciuto

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A popular leather manufacturer in Fall River is facing uncertainty due to recent tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump. Vanson Leathers, known for their motorcycle jackets, told 12 News that since a lot of their sales are internationally based, they may need to change how they do business if the tariffs continue. “About half of what we make gets exported, and that’s always been the case,” owner Mike van der Sleesen said.

2 months ago | wpri.com | Leah Crowley |Shiina LoSciuto

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) - Fall River is still in need of a new police chief after the city council voted 5-4 to reject interim Chief Kelly Furtado as permanent head of the department. Furtado was appointed by Mayor Paul Coogan last fall after former Chief Paul Gauvin stepped down amid mounting criticism internally. He was later fired. Police officers filled the city council chamber during Tuesday night's meeting to show their support for Furtado.

Mar 26, 2025 | wpri.com | Raymond Baccari |Shiina LoSciuto

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A hotly contested firearm bill will be the center of a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday afternoon. The committee is hearing multiple bills starting at 2 p.m., including the so-called assault weapons ban supported by Gov. Dan McKee. Currently, fully automatic weapons like machine guns are already illegal in the state. The bill, named "The Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban," bans the purchasing, selling or manufacturing of various semiautomatic weapons.

Mar 25, 2025 | wpri.com | Sarah Doiron |Shiina LoSciuto

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Gov. Dan McKee is proposing significant pay bumps for nearly a dozen of his cabinet directors, including R.I. Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti. The proposed salary increases first came to light in a R.I. Department of Administration notice posted online last week, which announced that a public hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday morning to discuss the raises.