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Legislative session preview, LGBTQ rights under Trump, and more
Rhode Island lawmakers return to the capital on Tuesday for a new session. A massive budget deficit, continued troubles with the Washington Bridge, healthcare, and housing remain some of the top...
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‘Soupy Fest’ returns to Westerly, celebrating spicy sausage and Italian heritage
Get out the crackers and cheese, and uncork a nice bottle of red wine, because ‘Soupy Fest’ is returning to Westerly. What’s soupy, you might be asking? Westerly soupy maker Joe Lombardo has your...
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Mayor Smiley on plans for Providence schools, homelessness crisis
After more than five years under state control, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley is asking state lawmakers to force the Department of Education to return the city's schools to local control. Meanwhile,...
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Narragansett Chief Sachem calls for scrutiny of Rhode Island land transfers
Late last year, Brown University transferred some 255 acres of land it owned in Bristol to a trust associated with the Pokanoket Tribe. That came after a separate land trust associated with another...
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Electromagnetic Pinball Museum celebrates the game’s history and visceral joy
The Electromagnetic Pinball Museum is home to over 100 pinball machines, from the 1940s to today. Emily Rose and Michael Pare are two of the co-founders who started the museum when they found that...
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What can we do to mitigate wildfires in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island was the site of two major wildfires in 2023, and the state saw over 40 forest fires this past fall alone. According to Brett Still, director of the Master of Environmental Science and...
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The uncertain future of South County Hospital, wildfire risk in R.I., and more
The destruction in Los Angeles serves as a reminder of how vulnerable many of our communities in Rhode Island are to wildfires. We hear about what the state and residents can do to prepare for a...
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Community renews calls for change of leadership at South County Hospital
Interview highlights On the request to replace South County Health CEO Aaron Robinson Steven Fera: He’s made some management decisions that have not involved collaboration with health care workers,...
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Refugee Dream Center loses funding and staff after Trump immigration orders
Immigrants and local groups that support them are feeling the impact from President Trump’s flurry of executive actions this week. The Refugee Dream Center in Providence says it has already lost...
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After Trump orders, future is murky for local refugee program and offshore...
This week President Trump suspended the country's refugee program for at least four months. As a result, a local refugee support nonprofit says they've already lost funding and had to cut staff. And...
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Behind the Point-In-Time count: Measuring homelessness in Rhode Island
Last week, the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness conducted its annual Point-In-Time count, measuring how many people are experiencing homelessness across the state on a given night. Last...
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Studio Session: The earnest shoegaze pop of Rel’s ‘Big Try’
Rel’s debut EP “Big Try” comes out March 7, and they’re performing at a release party at AS220 March 14. You can find out more about Rel’s music at HeyRel.com. Luis Hernandez: When did you start...
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If Trump tariff plan goes through, RI businesses and residents will foot the...
Following his election, President Donald Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on most U.S. imports, including a 25% tariff on products from Canada and Mexico. If the administration makes good on...
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Rhode Island Attorney General Neronha says potential funding freeze remains a...
Haga clic aquí para leer en español. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha spoke this week with morning host Luis Hernandez about his plans for responding to executive actions coming out of the...
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Rhode Island AG, nonprofits plan for possible threats to federal funding
President Trump issued an astounding number of executive orders and policy changes in the first two weeks of his second term. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is one of many AGs around the...
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Fiscal general de Rhode Island dice que una congelación de fondos sigue...
Click here to listen and read in English. En las menos de dos semanas que lleva el presidente Trump en cargo del país, ha firmado una cantidad vertiginosa de órdenes ejecutivas y cambios de políticas,...
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What are the least energy efficient buildings in Providence?
Providence has set an ambitious goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. That’s why, in 2023, Providence began requiring owners of large buildings – the biggest carbon producers in the city – to track...
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Avian flu has been detected in Rhode Island. Here’s what you need to know
Last month, a flock of birds in southern Rhode Island was euthanized after they were found to be infected with H5N1 avian influenza. While the threat to public health is considered to be low, Dr....
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Meet LitArts RI’s new executive director: Christina Bevilacqua
LitArts RI started in 2018 as a shared creative workspace for writers. Since then, the nonprofit has grown to offer events, workshops, and other support to Rhode Island writers and readers. They...
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RI state senator gives Trump an ‘A’ for first weeks in office
Interview highlights: On President Trump’s performance in his first weeks in office Jessica de la Cruz: I would say [he gets] an A. He campaigned on these promises and now he’s following through. I...
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2024 was a record for marine mammal strandings in Mass., RI State Senator...
So far, two dozen of the more than 50 executive orders President Trump has signed have been met with lawsuits. Democratic leaders and other critics are calling some of his directives unconstitutional,...
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Reimagining downtown Providence in a hybrid work world
Providence, like many cities across the country, has seen office spaces emptying out, as some companies are downsizing and moving towards hybrid work models. That can have a ripple effect on the...
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Writer and director Dave Solomon on filmmaking and the art of auditioning
A historic cottage situated in Westerly Library’s Wilcox Park is home to an Artist-In-Residence program that attracts creatives from around the country. It offers artists of all levels and disciplines...
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Rhode Island is searching for a new historian laureate
Rhode Island has a job opening right now that doesn’t come around too often. The state is accepting applications for the position of historian laureate. The historian laureate delivers lectures about...
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Mapping the Green Book in New England
In the decades before the 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination in public places, traveling throughout the country could be a minefield for Black Americans, including in New England. Finding...
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How possible cuts to NIH could affect RI, the Green Book in New England, and...
A judge has temporarily blocked a major policy change announced last week by the National Institutes of Health. It would have significantly reduced payments to universities, hospitals, and other...
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Posters display creativity, culture and resistance in ‘Graphic Voices of...
Artists throughout Latin America have long used graphic posters as a form of storytelling, cultural celebration, political expression, and resistance. A new exhibit at Waterfire Arts Center features...
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New bill aims to regulate crypto ATMs in Rhode Island
As cryptocurrency ATMs are becoming more popular, so are crypto scams. FBI data shows that Rhode Islanders lost over ten million in 2023 to fraud linked to crypto kiosks. A new bill in the General...
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‘It’s heartbreaking’: Rhode Island children’s advocate laments the potential...
The Trump administration is reportedly considering an executive order to scale back or abolish the U.S. Department of Education, which oversees federal funds for things like special education...
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What Education Department cuts would mean for R.I., crypto scams, and more
The Trump administration has threatened to cut back or even eliminate the Department of Education, which is responsible for enforcing civil rights protections, overseeing student loans, and funding...
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Track 15 food hall will transform Union Station with 7 new restaurants
Providence's historic Union Station was once a hub for 14 intercity train tracks, a crucial stop in southern New England that helped the city’s jewelry, textile and machinery industries thrive. In...
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How climate change affects home insurance, our Washington Bridge project, and...
The issues with the Washington Bridge have affected all of us, and will for years to come. This week we launched Breaking Point: The Washington Bridge, a new, community-centered project exploring how...
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What’s on in March at the Community Libraries of Providence
The Community Libraries of Providence offer a slew of programming every week for kids and adults at their nine locations around the city – from book clubs, to youth maker- spaces, to free help with...
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Remembering Bruce Selya, federal judge known for his creativity and neutrality
Judge Bruce Selya, one of Rhode Island’s longest-serving judges, died last week at the age of 90. Attorney Karen Ellsworth, a former court reporter for the Providence Journal, covered many federal...
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Trump’s science cuts, fear of ICE raids in Central Falls hurts businesses,...
The Trump administration’s cuts in science research have led to lost jobs and stalled research in the Ocean State. Protesters showed up to the State House on Friday as part of a national movement...
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How can R.I. cities and towns increase resilience to severe weather and...
As part of an effort to protect local cities and towns from the negative impacts of climate change, Gov. McKee and Rhode Island Commerce this month kicked off a new initiative called “Ready, Set,...
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New bill would combat efforts to ban and censor books in R.I.
Since 2021 there have been over 30 book challenges in Rhode Island. In fighting these lawsuits, schools and libraries across the state are being forced to use precious financial resources that would...
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How NOAA cuts may harm local fishermen, protecting the ‘Freedom to Read,’ and...
Recent job cuts by the Trump Administration could have a negative impact on New Bedford’s huge fishing industry. Our South Coast Bureau reporter Ben Berke tells us how. Also, Rhode Island has spent...
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New leaders of Providence School Board on how to improve the city’s schools
The Providence Public School District has a new board. Five won election or re-election in November, and five were appointed by Mayor Brett Smiley. They recently chose Ty’Relle Stephens as the new...
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Protesters say ICE detentions highlight the plight of immigrants in Rhode Island
Local immigration advocates held a rally Tuesday in support of Fabian Schmidt, a German national and permanent U. S. resident currently being held at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls. The...
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Girls flag football gaining steam in Rhode Island
TRANSCRIPT: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: I recall in the late eighties, every year during homecoming, there was a girls flag football game and it was an...
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Washington Bridge accountability, federal workers’ uncertain future, and more
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to hire back fired government workers. They’re getting paid, but they’re not doing any work for now. Our South Coast Bureau reporter Ben Berke...
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Our CEO Pam Johnston on what’s next for The Public’s Radio & Rhode Island PBS
The Public’s Radio is currently in the process of reimagining our brand in a way that better reflects our recent merger with Rhode Island PBS. Our mission is to serve the listeners of Rhode Island and...
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How can Rhode Island prevent an increase in food deserts?
Interview highlights On what a food desert is defined as Sabina Matos: Food deserts are communities that don’t have access to grocery stores that provide them access to fresh food. An example of this...
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‘Westerly’s Gold’: New documentary tells the story of soupy sausage
Every January, Italian American families in Westerly, Rhode Island gather together to start making soupy, a dry-cured pork sausage that’s specific to the town. A new film called “Westerly’s Gold:...
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Rhode Island eighth graders trek south to learn about the Civil Rights Movement
Each winter, eighth grade students at the Gordon School take a trip to Alabama and Georgia to visit historic sites associated with the Civil Rights Movement. The experience has had a profound impact...
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‘There’s an escalation’: Southeast Asians in R.I. confront deportation threats
Members of Rhode Island’s Southeast Asian community say parallels exist between America’s intervention in Vietnam and President Trump’s current efforts to detain and deport Southeast Asians living in...
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R.I. Southeast Asians facing deportation, McCoy Stadium demolition, and more
ICE agents are continuing efforts to detain people in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. We'll hear from members of the Southeast Asian community who say that, while the Trump administration...
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Remembering The Mad Peck, eccentric artist behind iconic Providence poster
One of the most iconic pieces of artwork associated with Providence is a black and white poster with comic book panels that makes the city look like a film noir. Some people know it’s text by heart,...
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What’s on in April at the Community Libraries of Providence
The Community Libraries of Providence offer a slew of programming every week for kids and adults at their nine locations around the city – from book clubs, to book sales, to opportunities to pick up a...
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