Happy Tuesday! I’m Dan McGowan and if anyone wants to slide me an extra ticket to the Bryant game tonight, I’ll write nice things about you. Follow me on Twitter @DanMcGowan or send tips to Dan.McGowan@globe.com.
Coronavirus updates
Rhode Island has 110.9 total new cases per 100K population in the past 7 days.
Vaccinated with two shots: 80.8 percent
Vaccinated with booster: 38.8 percent
New cases: 62 (3.4 percent positive)
Currently hospitalized: 90
Total deaths: 3,419
More stats from the R.I. Department of Health
Globe Rhode Island COVID-19 news and resources
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Leading off
If you were reading Rhode Map while pumping gas one week ago, you were paying 65 cents less per gallon at the pump than you are today.
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Gas prices continue to skyrocket in the US as the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine places stress on global oil markets, and Rhode Island sets record average highs on Monday and again this morning (the average price for regular fuel is now $4.246 a gallon), according to AAA.
That means Rhode Island has the second-highest average gas price in New England (after Connecticut), and the 14th highest in the country (if you include Washington, D.C.). The national average is $4.173.
Here’s a look at the states with higher gas prices.
California: $5.444
Hawaii: $4.718
Nevada: $4.674
Oregon: $4.588
Washington state: $4.546
Alaska: $4.502
Illinois: $4.425
New York: $4.366
Connecticut: $4.355
District of Columbia: $4.346
Pennsylvania: $4.314
Arizona: $4.291
New Jersey: $4.272
Rhode Island: $4.246
If your car drinks fancy gas, the average mid-grade rate in Rhode Island is $4.503 per gallon, and premium is $4.746 per gallon. For diesel fuel, it’s $4.854 per gallon.
The Biden administration and Congress are scrambling for a solution to rising gas prices, especially as they deal with an inflation challenge heading into the mid-term elections.
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It’s unclear if Governor Dan McKee or Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate here at home are considering their own creative ways to address gas prices, but Republican congressional candidate and state Senator Jessica de la Cruz is already calling for the state gas tax, which is 34 cents a gallon, to be eliminated for the rest of the year.
If you’re on an all-out quest for the cheapest gas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas all still have gas prices below $3.74 a gallon, although prices are expected to continue to surge.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ My latest column: Providence College basketball coach Ed Cooley overcame all the odds. Now his team is following his lead. Read more.
⚓ In a viral TikTok video, a Black Roger Williams University Law School student said a court deputy mistook her for a defendant. Read more.
⚓ Amanda Milkovits has a bizarre story about how an attorney’s attempt to register his previously totaled car became such a debacle that he was charged with a crime. Read more.
⚓ US District Court Chief Justice John J. McConnell Jr. decided Monday that a Burrillville man accused of illegally buying more than 200 firearms and shooting into neighbors’ yards can be released before his trial, with certain conditions. Read more.
⚓ From serving vegan Holubtsi to selling Ukrainian wine, Rhode Island’s hospitality industry is on the front lines of raising money and sending help to families and refugees overseas. Read more.
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Also in the Globe
⚓ My colleague James Pindell writes that former president Donald Trump’s first impeachment is suddenly much more relevant. Read more.
⚓ Introducing Swipe Left Boston, the Facebook group where women swap horror stories about the men they meet online. Read more.
⚓ Brown University quarterback EJ Perry turned a lot of heads at the NFL combine. Read more.
What’s on tap today
E-mail events to us at RInews@globe.com.
⚓ Johnson and Wales University is hosting its second annual FIT Symposium to inspire change through food innovation. You can check out all the great sessions here.
⚓ The Bryant College men’s basketball team has a chance to qualify for its first NCAA Tournament when it hosts Wagner in the Northeast Conference Championship at 7 p.m. You can watch on ESPN.
⚓ The permanent legislative commission on child care in Rhode Island meets at 2:30 p.m. Here’s the agenda.
My previous column
Governor Dan McKee is betting that his ability to speak fluent mayor will deliver him a four-year term. If you missed the column, you can read it here. And all of my columns are on our Rhode Island Commentary page.
Rhode Island Report podcast
Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea about her campaign for governor. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
Thanks for reading. Send comments and suggestions to Dan.McGowan@Globe.com, or follow me on Twitter @DanMcGowan . See you tomorrow.
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Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.