Rhode Island Report

We're off this week for the 4th of July holiday. Ed Fitzpatrick will be back next week with a new episode. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

It’s been more than three years since the murder of George Floyd inspired worldwide protests and a reckoning about the state of racism in America. But what’s happened since? Kiara Butler, the host of Generation Rising on Rhode Island PBS, says she’s seen a waning commitment to racial equity work. But she's not giving up. In her new book, "Terms and Conditions," she offers a framework for moving fo...

This week, we’ve got our new Globe Rhode Island reporter Steph Machado doing what she does best — reporting on Providence City Hall. She sat down with Mayor Brett Smiley to talk about the Cranston Street Armory, PVD Fest, marching with his husband in the Pride parade, and higher tax bills for homeowners. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Sherry Pocknett, the owner and chef at Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown, was just named a James Beard Award winner, the restaurant industry's most prestigious honor. Sherry is the first Indigenous woman chef to receive the award. We talk about her restaurant, eating with the seasons, and her ambitions for expansion. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://a...

The COVID public health emergency may be officially over, but the mental health effects will linger for years. This week, we talk to mental health counselor and singer-songwriter Allison Rose. She’s about to release an album that includes songs about her father, who died of COVID. Allison also uses music as a tool in her therapy sessions with clients. We talk about music, grief, and her upcoming p...

Listen to a live event taped at the Rhode Island PBS studios celebrating the podcast’s 100th episode. Our host, Ed Fitzpatrick, and Jim Ludes from Salve Regina and Rhode Island PBS interview House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. Brown political science professor Wendy Schiller concludes the show with some analysis. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com ....

US Representative David Cicilline has spent nearly half of his life in politics — first as a state representative, then the mayor of Providence, and finally in Congress. He's leaving all of that behind this week to run the state’s largest philanthropic organization, the Rhode Island Foundation. We chat about his last day in office, the debt-ceiling debate, and where he envisions taking the foundat...

Almost exactly two years ago, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the former Rhode Island Governor, joined us as the first guest on Rhode Island Report. At the time, she was only a few months into the job. So, Jim Hummel from Rhode Island PBS and I decided it was time for an update. She joins us to talk about the debt ceiling, Tiktok, and our relationship with China. Tips and ideas? Email...

It’s been more than 20 years since Richard Hatch won the first season of "Survivor." Since then, the Rhode-Islander has embraced his "naked guy" brand and competed in "Celebrity Apprentice," "Survivor All Stars," and "The Biggest Loser." He also served a federal prison sentence for tax evasion. Richard joins us to talk about who’s catching his eye on this season of "Survivor," what he thinks of Do...

What’s the impact of having fewer Head Start classrooms? How has gun violence affected our young people? How does asthma relate to attendance in school? The organization Rhode Island Kids Count has been providing answers to these kinds of questions for nearly 30 years in its annual fact book. We talk to the executive director of Kids Count, Paige Clausius-Parks, for a preview of the latest data. T...

Sirens blaring, music blasting, horns beeping, ATVs -- Providence is full of noises. And those noises affect some communities more than others. Rhode Island PBS producer Michelle San Miguel and Brown Professor Erica Walker join us to talk about Walker's project examining which neighborhoods are the loudest, and what we can do to make urban noise more equitable. Tips and ideas? Email us at  ri...

The state's housing crisis is affecting our emergency departments. Rhode Island PBS producer Isabella Jibilian recently explored how residents without housing often use hospitals as a safe, warm place to stay, especially during the winter. She joins us, along with state Senator Josh Miller, who’s been arguing that Rhode Island should use Medicaid funds to provide housing. Tips and ideas? Email us...

In Rhode Island, we knew Nicholas Alahverdian as an advocate for Rhode Island foster children. He was notorious for spending time at the State House and lobbying officials, and he was pretty relentless about contacting reporters, including our own columnist, Dan McGowan. But law enforcement officials say he’s also a con artist and a sex offender who faked his own death. In 2022, they arrested him...

It’s been more than 10 years since part of Interstate 195 was relocated, freeing up 25 acres of prime Providence real estate. What’s happened since? And has the project lived up to its original intent? We get an update from Marc Crisafulli, the new chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

The list of people running to replace US Representative David Cicilline in Congress is getting longer every day. What is the state of the race, and who's in the best position to win? We’re joined by Brown University political science Professor Wendy Schiller and Jim Hummel, host of “A lively Experiment” on Rhode Island PBS. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at...

A man who made headlines promising to turn Memorial Hospital into a solution for the state’s homelessness crisis is not all that he seems. Earlier this month, our own reporter Amanda Milkovits released the first installment of her investigation into Michael Mota - a businessman who is being chased for money in multiple states by creditors, investors, and vendors. Amanda joins the show to play some...

In December, Globe RI’s Alexa Gagosz wrote a story about the Strong family – Holly, Kiel, and their four children. They’re middle-class Rhode-Islanders – with jobs – who spiraled into homelessness last year. In their search for housing, they've spent more than $40,000 on hotel rooms and more than $5,000 on rental application fees. They're still living in a hotel. Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Holly and...

Brian Amaral from Globe RI is half Portuguese, which means he loves the food, but he doesn’t know how to make it. So, he drove to the home of Maria Lawton, the host of Maria's Portuguese Table on RI PBS for a cooking lesson. Listen in as Maria teaches Brian how to make “ovos com molho de tomate e cebola” or eggs with tomato and onion sauce. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See...

House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi is getting serious about Rhode Island’s housing crisis. Last week, he unveiled no less than 14 bills to address the problem. But will he even be in the State House much longer? He’s also considering a run for Congress now that David Cicilline has decided to step down -- and he says Gina Raimondo is encouraging him to go for it. He joins us to talk about that and more...

In 2010, David Upegui left a research job at Brown University to become a science teacher at his alma mater- Central Falls High School. That work has won him numerous awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He joins us to talk about rethinking science education and empowering students in Central Falls and beyond. Tips and ideas? Email us at...

Representative David Cicilline dropped a surprise announcement today- he’s resigning from congress to run the state’s largest philanthropic organization, the Rhode Island Foundation. Why is he leaving a seat he could have held for the rest of his life? Who will replace him? And how does this affect the rest of Rhode Island politics? Globe RI columnist Dan McGowan and Jim Hummel, the host of A...

Representative Raymond Hull, a Providence Democrat, has been at the State House for over a decade and has served in the Providence Police Department for 33 years. He was recently named deputy speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, making him the first Black legislator to hold that position.  He joins us to discuss his new role and the proposals to revamp the law that protects p...

Keith Nunes committed a murder as an 18-year-old, a crime that landed him a life sentence. Last year, after more than two decades in prison, Nunes was released, thanks to a law passed by Rhode Island's General Assembly. Under what’s known as Mario’s Law, people who committed a crime before they turned 22 may appear before the parole board after they’ve been in prison for 20 years. Nunes is one of...

Five years ago, at the age of 69, the Rev. Donnie Anderson came out as transgender. She had already been a presence in Rhode Island politics for more than two decades – including 13 years as the executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. She is now the newly elected chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus and the first transgender woman to serve in that role. She...

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed has been in the US Senate for more than 25 years. Over that time, he has risen to become chairman of the Armed Services Committee and a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee. He joins us to talk about his recent trip to Ukraine, a new drug threat in Rhode Island, and the recently opened train station in Pawtucket. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@gl...