To the Editor: Thank you for adding to the growing public attention now being focused on Rhode Island’s 43 independent fire districts (“More oversight of fire districts needed,” May 20, 2013). Although your editorial applauds fire district consolidation being considered in Lincoln and Cumberland, I am pleased to report that the Town Council and voters of East Greenwich are on the verge of eliminating their fire district and merging the former fire district personnel and assets into a newly created town fire department. more

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. House of Representatives passed a measure last week that would allow employers the option of paying workers on a biweekly basis, provided the employer gives proof of a surety bond or other security. more

BOSTON – The Mass. Department of Transportation announced last week that a panel charged with exploring public-private partnerships to fund certain transportation infrastructure projects was slated to hold its first public meeting last week. more

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. House of Representatives last week approved legislation to increase accountability and transparency in tax credit programs and state agency reports. more

A proposal in the General Assembly is designed to combat long-running water-shortage issues across the south of the state, but unanswered questions and entrenched interests make consideration of the bill, much less enactment, less than a sure thing in the last month of the legislative session. more

The St. Joseph’s Day salmonella outbreak that sickened 66 people and killed two in 2011, allegedly from a batch of bad zeppoles, was a turning point for food-safety inspection in Rhode Island. more

Rhode Island House Democrats have backed off a plan to move business permitting functions of two state environmental agencies under the authority of a proposed state commerce office. more

Bank of America Corp. must face a lawsuit filed by a mortgage-bond trustee that seeks the repurchase of home loans backing $1.75 billion of securities, a judge ruled. more

The deadline for Rhode Island’s 7,900-plus nonprofits to file annual reports with the state is approaching, according to Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis. more

Rob Hancock, president of the board of directors of Save Bristol Harbor, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to repairing the coastal waters of Bristol, doesn’t see a time when the organization won’t be needed. more