Target 12 News out of Providence, Rhode Island is reporting that the Rhode Island Secretary of State's office held its first hearing focusing on the alleged lobbying activities of former 38 Studios board member Thomas Zaccagnino on Thursday. Zaccagnino was not present at the hearing, according to the report.

Rhode Island Republican gubernatorial nominee Allan Fung released the first TV attack ad of the fall campaign this week taking aim at Democratic rival Gina Raimondo for supporting repayment of the 38 Studios bonds.

The ad describes Raimondo's support for paying back the bonds related to the 38 Studios deal as the taxpayers bailing out "Wall Street investors" who "took a risk and went bust." The ad also claims that Raimondo is "looking out for Wall Street, not Main Street."

The fight over attorney Michael Corso's part in allegedly lobbying Rhode Island officials is far from over, as highlight by the Providence Journal. Last week, hearing officer Louis DeSimone issued a decision giving attorney Michael Corso seven days to file lobbyist disclosure reports or pay a $2,000 fine.

According to the Providence Journal, the Rhode Island Superior Court has denied a request by Wells Fargo to stop the progress of the state’s ongoing lawsuit against those involved in the failed 38 Studios loan deal while the Rhode Island Supreme Court weighs whether a 2014 law that allows for streamlining settlements is legal under the state's constitution.

The Providence Journal reports that Cumberland, Rhode Island mayor Daniel J. McKee has won a three-way Democratic primary race for lieutenant governor against the Rhode Island secretary of state A. Ralph Mollis and a State Rep. Frank G. Ferri who represents Warwick. McKee won just over 43 percent of votes, compared with 36 percent for Mollis and about 21 percent for State Rep. Frank G. Ferri. McKee will face Republican primary winner Catherine T.

Officials for the state of Rhode Island announced this week that its first settlement payment from its ongoing lawsuit with principles involved in the failed 38 Studios $75 million loan deal has been received. According to a Providence Journal report, the state received a $4.37 million check this week from the insurance company representing two of the 14 defendants in the case. After expenses, the state will be able to bank about $3.2 million.

The Rhode Island Secretary of State’s office held a hearing this morning in a continuation on the probe into possible lobbying violations by Providence attorney Michael Corso, according to WPRI Target 12 News. Corso represented 38 Studios to state officials without registering as a lobbyist in 2010, according to Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.

The Rhode Island Republican Party will host a presentation this evening to inform the general public about the failure of 38 Studios and its potential long-term impact on state finances. The event will be held at the GOP headquarters in Warwick, Rhode Island.

State Representative Michael Chippendale, a member of two congressional oversight committees looking into the 38 Studios deal, will give a slideshow presentation on the issue. That will be followed by an audience Q&A session.

A Rhode Island judge ruled on Friday that the state's current General Treasurer, Gina Raimondo, must submit to a deposition in the 38 Studios lawsuit filed by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. The lawsuit is the state's attempt at recouping money from the failed $75 million state loan guarantee given to Curt Schilling's video game company in 2010.

The Providence Journal reports that a hearing looking into 38 Studios' lobbying activities prior to securing the now-infamous $75 million loan from the state of Rhode Island, has been delayed to late-August.

A Rhode Island judge has approved the first settlement in the lawsuit brought by the state’s economic development corp. against individuals and companies involved in brokering a $75 million bond to fund former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's 38 Studios.

Rhode Island lieutenant governor candidate Dan McKee (D) has vowed to launch an online petition later this week calling for an independent counsel to review at "arm's length" the failed 38 Studios deal.

The current Cumberland, Rhode Island mayor says this particular effort is an attempt to pressure elected officials to do more to get answers. McKee has been highly critical of current elected officials over their handling of the 38 Studios deal and subsequent investigations into it.

A hearing related to the failed $75 million loan deal for former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's video game company 38 Studios that was supposed to take place yesterday (July 17) has been rescheduled for early August. Some of the key players in the deal were asked to attend, including Curt Schilling, Michael Corso - who represented the company as its legal counsel - and Thomas Zaccagnino, one of the company’s board members.

Rhode Island Superior Court judge Michael A. Silverstein listened to arguments today on a proposed settlement by two of the defendants in the state’s lawsuit against 14 individuals involved in the failed 38 Studios loan deal. The judge did not issue a ruling on the matter.

Cumberland, Rhode Island Mayor Dan McKee showed a flair for the dramatic this week when he brought a letter to the race for lieutenant governor, according to the Providence Journal. Mollis showed up at the State House to personally hand-deliver a letter to his democratic primary opponent, current Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.

The state of Rhode Island has settled with one of the law firms it sued as part of the lawsuit against 38 Studios and other principles for a failed $75 million loan deal. The law firm, Moses Afonso Ryan, has admitted no wrong-doing, but has agreed to pay $4.4 million to the state because it wants to put the matter behind them. The settlement agreement was filed with Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein on Friday. A hearing on the matter will take place July 7.

You can probably chalk this up to "positioning in a political year against a tough opponent," but Republican attorney general candidate Dawson Hodgson says it is time for the incumbent Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin to admit that he may be a "potential witness" in the state police’s 38 Studios investigation that he needs to "stand aside" because "the appearance of a conflict of interest … is just too strong."

The Rhode Island House passed the $8.7-billion budget early Friday morning after a lengthy and contentious floor debate. The majority of arguments were about allocating a little over $12 million to make a payment on the bonds that funded the $75 million loan to now bankrupt developer 38 Studios. Despite the lengthy debate that kept lawmakers in the chamber after midnight, the budget passed by a vote of 63-12. The budget bill will now go to the Senate for what is expected to be quick approval.

The Rhode Island House is close to voting on an $8.7 billion budget plan that cuts corporate and estate tax, gets rid of the toll on the Sakonnet Bridge (a four-lane bridge spanning the Sakonnet River in eastern Rhode Island), and allocates millions to make the next payment on the 38 Studios bond debt.

Six or so of the missing 38 Studios investor letters have surfaced, according to the Providence Journal. The documents provide new information about all of the different companies and organizations that backed the bonds that funded the $75 million loan to 38 Studios.

Cranston, Rhode Island Mayor and GOP gubernatorial candidate Allan Fung is urging state lawmakers in Providence to pass two bills to prohibit the state from making payment on the failed 38 Studios investment.

During a State House press conference earlier in the week, Fung said that no payments should be made until there is a "thorough investigation" of the issue, including an allegation by one-time GOP congressional candidate Michael Riley that insider trading occurred.

Legislation proposed earlier this year that would prevent Rhode Island from repaying the 38 Studios bonds is finally being taken up by a House committee. House Oversight Chairwoman Karen MacBeth last week blasted Speaker Nicholas Mattiello in a vote for not letting the bill have a proper hearing.

Jon Brien was surprised when Steven Costantino, the chairman of the Rhode Island House Finance Committee asked him on the House floor to if he wanted to co-sponsor a big jobs bill in 2010. Brien, who was a state representative at the time, was on the outs with leadership after voting against House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox in the mid-session election of a new speaker that year. He was on talk radio often, lambasting House Democratic leaders and their allies for alleged "political shenanigans."

Earlier this year, it seemed like the new Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and new House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Karen MacBeth were on the same page when it came to investigating went happened with the failed $75 million 38 Studios loan deal.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello received a letter from Rhode Island business organizations urging the General Assembly to budget taxpayer money to repay the roughly $90 million owed to bond holders in the 38 Studios deal. The letter was signed by ten organizations, including a number of chambers of commerce and business groups.

At a recent State House rally, a small group of protesters urged lawmakers and the Governor not to bail out 38 Studios.

"It’s a scam. It’s a rip-off. We shouldn’t pay it back," said one protestor - as reported by the Providence Journal.

According to this GoLocal Providence report, the legal battle against 38 Studios has already cost the state $840,000 in legal fees and related costs, and could cost taxpayers "millions" by the time it comes to a close. Only a fraction of the total amount ($156,000) has gone to the firm representing the state, Wistow & Barylick, Inc.

The fallout from the $75 million loan given to 38 Studios is continuing to be a hot-button issue in the state of Rhode Island. In the race for Rhode Island Attorney General, one candidate is using the deal in his attack ads against incumbent Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. In a new 60 second attack ad airing on radio in the state, Republican state senator and attorney general candidate Dawson Hodgson's campaign highlights Peter Kilmartin’s 2010 vote for the legislation that allowed the 38 Studios loan guarantee.

Another day, another dozen stories coming out of Rhode Island about 38 Studios and how it is affecting several political races this year. The most prominent story today (from the Providence Journal) highlights the revelation that Michael Corso, the Rhode Island lawyer, tax-credit broker, and long-time friend of former House Speaker Gordon D.

Four former top executives at 38 Studios are fighting in federal court to keep more than a half-million documents tied to the bankrupt video-game company 38 Studios. The former executives are being sued in state court by the EDC and the state of Rhode Island. Company founder Curt Schilling, former CEO Jennifer MacLean, former CFO Richard Wester, and 38 Studios board director Thomas Zaccagnino claim that "privileged communications between 38 Studios and its attorneys had been released to the [R.I.