Rhode Island Report

With the election less than a week away, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and deepfakes are raging online. University of Rhode Island Professor Sara Sweetman is working to help young people sort fact from fiction. She finds they are often better at reading and interpreting visual data than the generations who came before them. There's a lot that we can learn from them, Sweetman says. She joins...

Last week, Senate President Dominic Ruggerio issued a statement endorsing Democratic Majority Whip Valarie Lawson to replace the current majority leader, Ryan Pearson. How did this rift begin and what will happen next? Senator Ryan Pearson joins us to tell us his side of the story. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

In this presidential election, there’s a lot of concern about threats to democracy. But we’ve been here before. A new book by Brown University Professor Corey Brettschneider titled  The Presidents and the People  profiles five past presidents who expanded their power and tried to overturn democratic principles. Brettschneider tells host Ed Fitzpatrick that the hope for our future lies no...

Aquaculture. Pipe fitting. Firefighting. These are just a few of the careers high school students can learn in hands-on courses across the state. Our very own Steph Machado's most recent story in collaboration with "Rhode Island PBS Weekly" is about the growth of career and technical education programs - or CTE - which have more than doubled since 2017. She joins Ed to dig into how this approach i...

As president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, George Nee has been one of the main labor leaders in the state for decades. Now at age 75, he’s getting ready to retire. Nee joins Ed to talk about his long career in labor organizing - including a stint as Cesar Chavez’s bodyguard, and a brief brush with organized crime. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://ar...

Who should have access to the shore in Rhode Island? It’s an escalating fight between property owners, towns, and the public, more than a year after the passage of the state's landmark shore access law. Isabella Jibilian, a producer at Rhode Island PBS Weekly, and Alex Nunes, the South County bureau chief at The Public’s Radio, recently collaborated on two episodes about this topic. They join...

The Economic Progress Institute prides itself on being the people’s lobbyist, among dozens of lobbyists representing corporations and powerful interests at the Rhode Island State House. EPI advocates for laws that improve the lives of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders. Ed talks to EPI Executive Director Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies about their wins and losses in this year’s state budget, and their...

Rhode Islanders headed to the polls yesterday to vote in local primaries, and the night belonged to incumbents. Ed breaks down the results with Globe RI’s own Steph Machado 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 https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...

What happens when a patient sues their doctor for a medical error? A new documentary film, "A World of Hurt: How Medical Malpractice Fails Everyone," tells the story of patients and doctors who’ve gone through this process. The documentary was directed by Brown University medical students Alex Homer and Viknesh Kasthuri. We talk to the producer, Dr. Mark Brady, and Dr. Gita Pensa, one of the featu...

The most closely watched contest in Rhode Island this election cycle is the Republican primary for Cranston mayor. Incumbent Mayor Kenneth Hopkins is facing a challenge from state Representative Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung. So, we brought both candidates into the studio separately to explain where they stand on the major issues. Then we put their responses together so voters can easily compare and con...

We've got a special bonus episode for you today. Earlier this week, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley joined Globe columnist Dan McGowan and a live audience for a wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from public schools to the rising cost of housing in the capital city. This is a lightly edited recording of their conversation. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com S...

A while back, we did an episode about Mr. Lemon – the frozen lemonade stand that’s been open for 50 years on Hawkins Street in Providence. A lot of you had stories to tell about Mr. Lemon. We picked some of our favorites and put them together for this episode. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

When we die, there are usually just two choices for our remains-- burial or cremation. But what if there was a third option? For the past two years, State Representative Michelle McGaw has been pushing for a bill that would make human composting legal in Rhode Island. She joins us to explain. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...

Around 200 years ago, the area near the Rhode Island State House and the train station was home to a working-class neighborhood called Snowtown. It’s largely forgotten today, but a team of researchers is trying to change that. Globe RI’s Carlos Muñoz talks to two members of the Snowtown Project research team - Heather Olson and Traci Picard. They say they're aiming to "put those peo...

Now that the General Assembly is out of session, and it’s quieter at the State House, we thought it would be a good time to visit one of Ed’s favorite spaces - the Rhode Island State Library, "a treasure trove of American history, not just Rhode Island history," according to R.I. Secretary of State Gregg Amore. Join us for a tour. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy a...

Most kids spend their summers at camp, at the beach, or on vacation. But this month, 30 students from Providence are on the Brown University campus instead. They’re part of the new Brown Collegiate Scholars Program – a year-round support system to help local students go to college. Ed talks to the director of the new program- Nick Figueroa. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See...

For more than 10 years, FRINGEPVD: The Providence Fringe Festival has been bringing new, weird, and experimental performances to Providence. And it’s happening right now  t hrough July 27th. Josh Short, the founder and artistic director of the Wilbury Theatre Group, joins us to talk more about the festival. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https:...

This week, we’re coming to you on location at Yacht Club Soda in North Providence. The family-owned business recently launched its Soda Pop Poll ahead of November's presidential election. It's a rematch pitting Donald's Trumpian Punch against Joe's Bidenomics Berry. Yacht Club Soda owner John Sgambato talks to us about the poll and his company. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com ....

Every year, a group of Rhode Islanders visits clam cake shacks all over the state, sampling as many deep-fried clam cakes as they can -- so you don’t have to. This year marks their tenth clam cake crawl, so Ed decided to join them. 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...

In May, the US Department of Justice accused the state of Rhode Island of violating the civil rights of hundreds of children by warehousing them at Bradley Hospital, a psychiatric hospital for children. Steph Machado took an in-depth look at the issue for Rhode Island PBS Weekly and Globe Rhode Island. She joins us to talk about what she found, and some possible solutions. Tips and...

On Friday, the Rhode Island legislative session wrapped up in the early morning hours, when most of us were asleep. Ed sorts through the Assembly's final decisions with Globe RI’s Steph Machado and Jim Hummel, the host of A Lively Experiment on Rhode Island PBS. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...

It’s been 50 years since the Rao family opened Mr. Lemon in Providence. Customers come to the tiny white building on Hawkins Street for the frozen lemonade, and many return because they feel like family. Colleen, Joe, and Janice Rao know almost everyone – and their favorite flavors. They talk with Ed about the business and their first year serving lemonade without their mother, Eileen Rao. Got a s...

The game of golf isn’t often associated with young people or diversity, but one nonprofit in Rhode Island is trying to change that. For more than 20 years, Button Hole in Providence has been making the game affordable and accessible to children in the area. Ed talks to Anaridis Rodriguez, host of “Generation Rising” and Don Wright, executive director of Button Hole, about the program. Tips and ide...

When the US Senate confirmed Judge Melissa DuBose in March, she broke two barriers. She became the first person of color and the first openly LGBTQ Judge to serve on the US District Court for Rhode Island. She officially starts that job in January, but she joined us in the studio for a preview of what’s to come. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art...

The City by the Sea is known for its history. It's also on the front lines of climate change. Some of Rhode Island's biggest tourist attractions – Newport's mansions and other historic properties – are increasingly impacted by rising sea levels and extreme weather. Rhode Island PBS Weekly reporter Pamela Watts and Preservation Society of Newport County director of museum affairs Leslie Jones join...