NATION IN BRIEF : RHODE ISLAND : Layoffs, Government Shutdown to Come

Gov. Bruce G. Sundlun said Rhode Island will move ahead with a 10-day government shutdown and hundreds of layoffs after unionized state workers rejected an alternative plan. Sundlun said the first day of the shutdown will be next Friday. The remaining days will fall primarily on Mondays and Fridays through the end of June. Union leaders vowed to go to court to stop the shutdown, but Sundlun said that if they prevail, he will be forced to lay off more state workers. A spokeswoman for the governor said layoff notices will be sent out Monday to about 475 union workers. The layoffs and government shutdown are to help offset a deficit estimated at more than $200 million this fiscal year.