Latest Stories By C. Eugene Emery Jr.

The first major debate of Rhode Island's 2012 election season takes place Tuesday night at Rhode Island College as Democrats David Cicilline, the incumbent from the 1st Congressional District, and Anthony Gemma, the businessman making his second try for the seat, go head to head in an event co-sponsored by WPRI-TV and The Providence Journal.

The PolitiFact Rhode Island team decided to use the occasion to revisit how the two candidates have scored on the Truth-O-Meter.

Curt Schilling's 38 Studios and his deal with the Rhode Island  Economic Development Corporation are in the news amid questions about whether the fledgling software company is in financial trouble.

One option the company is reportedly seeking is taking advantage of the state's tax credit system for movie, television and video game productions.

PolitiFact Rhode Island has examined claims made about the EDC deal and film tax credits in the past.  In light of the debate, we thought it might be useful to remind readers what we found.

Is the state's film tax credit worth the cost to the state?

There was plenty of debate in the House Finance Committee over the question Thursday in the wake of Gov. Chafee's proposal to eliminate it.

The Chafee administration says the money could produce 100 times more economic activity if it were spent elsewhere.

Supporters say the film tax credit is a good investment and has already created over 4,000 jobs.

When we looked at the controversy last December, we found that different reports gave very different analyses. The matter is so contentious, we were unable to apply the Truth-O-Meter.

But you can get a sense of the debate and follow the links to the reports -- and their varying conclusions -- by clicking on our analysis here.

Earlier this month, when Rhode Island officials were celebrating the filming of the ABC-TV series "Body of Proof" in the Ocean State, there was a lot of talk about how much the production -- and earlier productions -- have helped the local economy.

Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed cited a specific number during the Dec. 3 State House reception when she said the state's tax credit for television and movie production was generating $8 for every $1 it costs the state to extend the credit.

Is the benefit really that high?

She was citing a URI study released in the spring that looked at both the direct and indirect economic impacts, along with the projected long-term benefit to the Rhode Island economy.

But we found that when other states have evaluated the value of such credits, the immediate fiscal benefits are judged to be much lower than the URI estimate.

We'll explain why.

Given Lincoln Chafee's record of being willing to buck the system and the Chafee family's reputation, Rhode Islanders were jarred to hear the independent gubernatorial candidate being accused of consorting with someone who might have ties to organized crime.

But that's what happened earlier this month when a local news website reported on Chafee's work at a foundation established by a Ukrainian billionaire.

We explored Chafee's role there, and got different opinions on the politics and intrigue swirling around the effort to set up a think tank in one of the world's fledgling democracies.