Rhode Island News Digest, 6 pm

Good evening. Here's a look at how AP's general news coverage is shaping up in Rhode Island.

Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP Boston bureau at 617-357-8100 or 800-882-1407.

New England News Editor Bill Kole can be reached at 617-357-8100 or [email protected]. New England Photo Editor Bill Sikes is reachable at 617-357-8106 or [email protected].

For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org.

A reminder that this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern.

Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter versions of the stories below, along with all updates.

UPCOMING TOMORROW:

RHODE ISLAND-BUDGET

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is releasing her state budget plan. The legislature will review the proposals and present its plan before the 2021 fiscal year begins in July. UPCOMING: 400 words at 5 p.m.

SEX EDUCATION BILL

The Massachusetts Senate is planning to debate a sex education bill that would require school districts that offer a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum to provide “medically accurate, age-appropriate sexual health education” to students regardless of gender, race, disability status, sexual orientation or gender identity. By Steve LeBlanc. 350 words. More on merits.

TOP STORIES:

RENEWABLE ENERGY-ELECTRIC GRID

Rhode Island's governor has set an aggressive timeline to power the electric grid completely by renewable energy, but it's an attainable goal, the state's acting energy commissioner said Wednesday. By Jennifer McDermott. SENT: 350 words.

DISABILITY ABUSE REGISTRY

A bill that would create a registry that identifies individuals who have abused people with intellectual or developmental disabilities is heading to the Massachusetts House for a vote. Wednesday's debate follows approval of the bill by the state Senate in October. The bill would also bar providers from hiring caretakers named in the confidential registry. By Steve LeBlanc: SENT: 500 words.

CREW TEAM-FATAL CRASH

A 20-year-old member of Holy Cross women's crew team was killed and several of her teammates were seriously injured when their van crashed in Florida. Vero Beach police say the rented transport van was carrying roughly 12 students when the driver made a left turn into the path of a red truck Wednesday morning. SENT: 200 words.

LOBSTER CATCH-CHINA

Members of the American lobster industry are hopeful the thawing of trade relations between the U.S. and China will reopen one of the biggest markets in the world for the seafood. By Patrick Whittle. SENT: 500 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-WARREN-SANDERS

For nearly a year, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders pushed strongly progressive ideas into the Democratic primary spotlight, feeding off each other to build support for proposals long dismissed as radically leftist: “Medicare for All,” tuition-free college and a “Green New Deal” to combat climate change. Now the race’s most progressive candidates are fighting over the politics of gender. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-GENDER

The smoldering political flareup between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders has rekindled debate over a question that has been gnawing at Democratic primary voters for more than three years: Can a woman beat President Donald Trump? SENT: 1,250 words, photos.

ADOPTION-BIRTH CERTIFICATES

New York has become the 10th state to allow adopted adults unrestricted access to their original birth certificates, a step that will help some investigate their family histories. Groups advocating for adoptee rights hope to pass laws like New York’s in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maryland. SENT: 900 words.

JAIL VISITS BY VIDEO

A northwestern New Mexico jail is no longer allowing family and friends to speak to detainees on site and will now offer only off-site phone or online video chats. SENT: 550 words.

LIMITING REFUGEES

A federal judge in Maryland on Wednesday halted President Donald Trump's executive order that gave state and local officials the ability to shut the door on refugees, and ignited a fierce debate in communities about how welcoming the United States should be. By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and JULIE WATSON. SENT: 750 words.

With: LIMITING REFUGEES-MASSACHUSETTS

Refugees will continue to be placed in Springfield, a Massachusetts city near the Connecticut border where the mayor is strongly opposed to the newcomers, after a federal judge ruled Wednesday that local governments can’t be granted “veto power” over the resettlement process, a refugee resettlement agency said Wednesday. By PHILIP MARCELO. UPCOMING: 400 words by 7 p.m.

IN BRIEF:

— CHILD EXPLOITATION ARREST: A Rhode Island man is facing multiple charges related to exploiting children, police said. SENT: 130 words.

— TREE CUTTING MYSTERY: A Rhode Island community is trying to figure out who cut down about two dozen trees on a town-owned waterfront lot without permission. SENT: 150 words.

— FATHER-SON KILLED: The suspect in the fatal shootings of a father and son from Massachusetts was held without bail at his arraignment Wednesday. SENT: 180 words.

— OFFICER-FAKE TICKET: A Boston police officer so infuriated after a confrontation with another driver on an area highway sent the man a fake $790 ticket and a nasty note that read “Try fighting this… I dare you!” prosecutors say. UPCOMING.

— REPLICA MACHINE GUN ROBBERY: Boston police have arrested 13- and 15-year-old boys they say used a replica Uzi machine pistol to rob a man on a city street. SENT: 140 words.

— FENTANYL TRAFFICKING SENTENCE: A Massachusetts man was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl in New Hampshire. SENT: 120 words.

SPORTS

PISTONS-CELTICS

The Detroit Pistons visit the Boston Celtics. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7 p.m.

RED SOX-CORA OUT

The Boston Red Sox insist they won the 2018 World Series fairly, even as they begin their search for a new manager after Alex Cora was let go for his role in a sign-stealing scandal. By Jimmy Golen. SENT: 600 words, photos.

SIGN STEALING-SOLUTIONS

If Major League Baseball really wants to stop its teams from electronically stealing signs, it might consider fighting technology with more technology. SENT: 950 words.

MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL (150 words each, more on merits)

Bryant at Merrimack, 7 p.m.

Rhode Island at Saint Joseph's, 7:30 p.m.

St. John's at Providence, 8:30 p.m.

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