Bartholomewtown

Send us Fan Mail Scott MacKay is a political analyst for The Public’s Radio, the NPR affiliate that covers Rhode Island and southeastern, Massachusetts through a variety of terrestrial and digital platforms. Our conversation touched on Scott’s storied, multi-decade career in journalism, including covering then-Burlington, Vermont mayor Bernie Sanders, time spent at The Providence Journal and trans...

Send us Fan Mail Kathleen Pletcher is the Executive Artistic Director of FirstWorks, a Providence-based arts performance and educational non-profit, which she founded in 2004 on the heels of her work overseeing the highly successful First Night Providence..   FirstWorks has produced dozens of events in Rhode Island across a wide spectrum of multimedia art, and are partner in the ever-expanding PVD...

Send us Fan Mail Peter Neronha is only a few months into his first term as Rhode Island Attorney General, but has already introduced several key policy and procedural changes, spanning from drug-related penalties to opening lines of communication between the public and the AG’s Office.  Our conversation examined The General’s proposed new drug policies, which would reclassify many simple possessio...

Send us Fan Mail John Marion is the Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island, a nonpartisan public interest organization that was founded in 1970, and whose mission is to quote promote representative democracy by ensuring open, ethical, accountable, effective government processes at local, state and national levels by educating and mobilizing the citizens of Rhode Island. During our wide-ra...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Raia is well-known to Rhode Islanders as the former Director of Communications for Governor Gina Raimondo.  He has built an impressive resume as a government, political, media and brand communications strategist. He recently announced that he was joining NAIL, a boutique communications firm, and heading up a new PR wing of the outlet, based in Providence, RI. Our conversation...

Send us Fan Mail Alan Rosenberg is a veteran journalist and editor in the southern New England market who is currently posted as the Executive Editor of the region’s legacy newspaper, The Providence Journal.   In a era dominated by evolving consumer news, broad media and spending habits, I was curious about Mr. Rosenberg’s approach to moving The Journal forward with new financial and content strat...

Send us Fan Mail The Rhode Island Democratic Party has solidly been in control of Rhode Island politics for decades, with members currently occupying all statewide and federal elected positions, as well as a dominant segment of the state’s bicameral General Assembly.   However, in recent years, more and more attention has been paid to some of the widespread ideological makeup and differences withi...

Send us Fan Mail Rhode Island has a vast and storied history of producing original and long lasting musical artists.   From Providence’s position in the international lineage of noise and hip hop, to the post-punk and blues legacy bands out of Newport and South County, to northwest Rhode Island’s folk and country pool, and the East Bay’s position as a mecca of interesting ideas, The Ocean State ha...

Send us Fan Mail James Langevin is The United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District, a post he has held since 2001.  Langevin served in several key roles in state government before his election to Congress, where he is a member of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees.  A legacy figure in Rhode Island, and beyond, Congressman Langevin is the first quadriplegi...

Send us Fan Mail Rebecca Webber is a Rhode Island native and graduate of Connecticut College and The London School of Economics.  She returned to Rhode Island committed to public policy and economic development, most recently serving as Chief of Staff to the President and CEO of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Rebecca and I met last year and have had several excellent discussions abo...

Send us Fan Mail Jim Taricani is a retired investigative reporter, well known for his work at WJAR NBC 10, where he founded the station’s I-Team.   He served a sentence of six months of home confinement for refusing a court order to divulge a source related to his work on the federal investigation into then Providence, Rhode Island mayor Buddy Cianci. Throughout his career, Taricani created a dist...

Send us Fan Mail The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation oversees many key industries that vary from real estate appraisal to the state’s medical marijuana program. In recent times, DBR has been at the forefront of local conversation, as an evolving stream of emerging industries make their way into Rhode Island’s economy.    Recent legislation that legalized sports betting, including mo...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode: a discussion between key stakeholders at the ground level of the extraordinary fight against homelessness in Rhode Island, The Reverend Jack Jones of Mathewson Street Church and House of Hope’s Megan Smith. Providence, Rhode Island has been consistently noted for widespread the economic disparity of its population, most recently appearing as the 5th most such city...

Send us Fan Mail Brian Newberry is a member of The Rhode Island House of Representatives from the 48th district, encompassing North Smithfield and portions of Burrillville in northern Rhode Island.   As a Republican who has been in office since 2009, Newberry has had a first-hand look at how the mechanics and procedures of The House can stifle potential legislation that may seem to have broad poli...

Send us Fan Mail Rhode Island has a rich and impressive history, extending back through a network of native tribes, early European exploration and a longstanding position as a hub of independent, secular and empathetic thought in the New World. From key events like the post-King Philip's War era, to the burning of the Gaspee in Pawtuxet harbor, to enactment of The Bill of Rights, the triangle...

Send us Fan Mail In this special roundtable episode, Bill Bartholomew discusses the state of Rhode Island arts with leadership from three key stakeholders: AS220 Executive Director Shauna Duffy, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Executive Director Randy Rosenbaum and The Columbus Theatre's Shawn Schiillberg http://www.ass220.org https://risca.online https://columbustheatre.com Support th...

Send us Fan Mail Joseph Paolino Jr. is a prominent Providence-based developer, who oversees Paolino Properties, operating an impressive slice of the capital city’s real estate.   Paolino served as the 33rd mayor of Providence and as The United State Ambassador to Malta from 1994 - 1996. Support the show Follow Bill on Instagram and YouTube

Send us Fan Mail Travis Escobar was recently appointed to The Providence School Board by Mayor Jorge Elorza, is the founder of award-winning organization Millennial RI and also works for The United Way. Our conversation focused on Travis’ vision for reshaping Providence’s future through educational practices and new ideas. Support the show Follow Bill on Instagram and YouTube

Send us Fan Mail On this episode I speak with a roundtable of Rhode Island environmental experts in light of the most recent report from the Executive Committee on Climate Change, or EC4, which the panel universally agree shows that, when it comes to the state’s collective carbon footprint, implementation and enforcement of many of the key policies already on the books is lagging significantly. Wi...

Send us Fan Mail The City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island sits in the northern portion of the state on the Massachusetts border, ostensibly serving as transition point between the urban Providence-metro area and rural Northwest, Rhode Island.   The city has a storied history, often connected to the Blackstone River, which flows mightily through Pawtucket, once powering Samuel Slater and other’s Industr...

Send us Fan Mail Reverend Donnie Anderson is a Rhode Island spiritual, social and intellectual leader, who in recent years has outwardly transitioned from man to woman. During our compelling conversation, Reverend Anderson spoke of her own experiences on her journey towards self-actualization.   We also discussed some of the specific challenges that marginalized people confront, including systemic...

Send us Fan Mail Providence’s Roger Williams Park Zoo has consistently been recognized as a leading zoological institution, as well as regional tourism magnet.   But with increased scrutiny being placed on animal captivity, I sat down with Roger Williams’ Executive Director, Dr. Jeremy Goodman, for a wide-ranging conversation about the his operation’s conservation, rehabilitation and educational w...

Send us Fan Mail Democrat Jorge Elorza was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term as mayor of Providence this past November. Our conversation focused on the mayor’s backstory and experiences, and how they inform his decision making process and policy priorities.   Support the show Follow Bill on Instagram and YouTube

Send us Fan Mail A roundtable discussion about Rhode Island’s future with Rhode Island Representative Mike Chippendale (R) and Providence-based activist / performer / political commentator Nika Lomazzo. This panel features two vocal leaders within Rhode Island’s political ecosystem that oftentimes present differing positions.  But as we discovered through our nearly hour-long discussion, when it c...

Send us Fan Mail Kasim Yarn is Rhode Island’s first Director of Veteran Affairs, a position that was raised to cabinet level in 2016.  In his role as Director, Kasim oversees several key initiatives, such as Rhode Island Veterans Resource Center, Rhode Island Veterans Home, Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, serving as a connector between the state and Rhode Island’s 61,000+ veterans. His br...