Rhode Island Report

After a two-year break during the pandemic, PVDFest is back, starting this Friday. The free, outdoor festival features music, dancing, food, shopping, and art installations throughout downtown. We talk with Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and Lizzie Araujo, the director of the Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, about what to expect. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com. See Pri...

It’s been a little more than six months since Rhode Island got a new US attorney. After some political drama, Zachary Cunha was appointed to the position in December.  He joins us for his first extensive conversation with the media to talk about the path that got him here, his priorities in office, and the tools he has to combat issues ranging from mass shootings to the opioid crisis. Tips an...

This week, Rhode Island became the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The new law also automatically expunges all past marijuana possession convictions. State Representative Leonela Felix, a Pawtucket Democrat, was a leading advocate for the automatic expungement provision. We talk with her about that work and what legal marijuana will look like in Rhode Island. Tips and ide...

Providence resident Molly Huddle is a two-time Olympian and holds the American record for the fastest 10K. She’s also the co-author of  How She Did It , a book profiling 50 accomplished long-distance runners. We talk about that book, her running career, and more. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at http...

As part of our ongoing series interviewing candidates for RI governor, we talk to former secretary of state Matt Brown about where he stands on the major issues, what he has to say about his opponents, and whether the Rhode Island Political Cooperative can actually win the whole State House. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

Former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung is running to replace US Representative Jim Langevin. He’s styling himself as a moderate Republican who supports bi-partisanship, but is that possible in today’s political climate? We get his take on the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, whether he supports Trump, and where he stands on issues like climate change and the Jan. 6th attack on t...

Four Democrats are competing to replace Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza when his term ends this year. Who are the candidates, what are the differences between them, and who’s likely to win? Our own Globe columnist Dan McGowan helps us sort it all out and analyzes the latest debate .  Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

We often talk about the relationship between Providence and the State House, but what about the rest of the state? To get some perspective, we talk with Charles Lombardi. He’s been the mayor of North Providence for 15 years and the President of the League of Cities and Towns since 2020. We talk about police accountability, marijuana stores, and the probe of a controversial state education contract...

The Boston Marathon is coming up on Monday, and everybody’s going to be talking about Heartbreak Hill. But did you know that a Rhode Islander is the reason it has that name? Ellison “Tarzan” Brown, a member of the Narragansett Indian tribe, broke defending champion "Johnny" Kelley’s heart when he beat him in the 1936 race. Tarzan won the Boston Marathon again in 1939 and was also an Olympic athlet...

As part of our ongoing series interviewing candidates for RI governor, we talk to Ashley Kalus, a healthcare executive and newcomer to Rhode Island who is the only Republican candidate so far. We talk about where she stands on the major issues, what she knows about Rhode Island, and how she became a New England Golden Gloves champion. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privac...

State Representative David Morales isn’t just the youngest member of the Rhode Island General Assembly. He’s also the newly minted commissioner of the Renegade Wrestling Alliance, a Providence-based pro wrestling outfit. In this episode, we talk battles in the ring and at the State House, including his efforts to extend health insurance to all children, regardless of their immigration status. Tips...

As part of our ongoing series interviewing candidates for RI governor, we talk to Dr. Luis Daniel Muñoz. He talks about where he stands on the major issues, why he calls his opponents ‘performative,’ and how he faces a huge fundraising disadvantage. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co...

Angie and Jeff DiMeo are the couple behind Providence Date Night, an Instagram account about local food and drinks. We talk about how the city's food scene has evolved since COVID, where to go for your first night back out on the town, and why they've ditched alcohol for mocktails. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is hitting home for Amin Faqiry. Less than a year ago, he was forced to leave a country that was also under attack - Afghanistan. Amin was a front-line interpreter there for the US military and State Department for nearly 12 years. We talk to Amin about his experience, the plight of the Ukrainian people, what the US should do with seized Afghan funds, and his work t...

As part of our ongoing series interviewing candidates for RI governor, we talk to Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea. She explains her stance on repealing Rhode Island’s voter ID law, why she thinks she’s more qualified than her former boss, Matt Brown, and what she thinks of Governor McKee’s response to the pandemic. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https:/...

Congressman David Cicilline recently had a first-hand look at the rising tensions in Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv in January. We talk about what he learned there and some issues closer to home, like the midterm elections and who will replace his colleague, Congressman Jim Langevin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-...

Moses Brown Junior Sophia Gorriaran just broke the under-18 world record for the fastest 800 meters by a woman. She and her dad, Steve, join us to talk about running, the Olympics, and how she managed to set the record just a couple of days after spraining her ankle. Tips and ideas? Email us at  rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice a...

Here's a scandalous bit of Rhode Island history. More than 100 years ago, the US Navy launched an entrapment operation to root out gay sailors and civilians in Newport. The Navy actually commissioned about a dozen undercover sailors to have sex with members of the gay community. The Globe's Alexa Gagosz talks with Jason Tranchida, the co-organizer of a multimedia installation that puts a spot...

If you were intrigued by our episode about the 1919 Newport Sex Scandal, this bonus episode is for you. A few years ago, The Globe’s Mark Arsenault told another side of this story at Globe Live, a storytelling event put on by the Globe at a theater in downtown Boston. This is a recording of Mark’s piece. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://...

In the first of our series interviewing the RI candidates for governor, we talk to former CVS executive Helena Foulkes. She makes her case for replacing Governor McKee, responds to critics, and talks about those incredibly long CVS receipts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

We start this episode with the topic everybody is talking about – who will replace Representative Jim Langevin now that he’s decided to retire from Congress? Dan McGowan and Ed sit down to untangle who’s running, who’s thinking about it, and what it all means. Then, Ed talks with House Minority Whip Katherine Kazarian about a bill that would make it easier to vote by mail or early in person....

When Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera was sworn into office last January, COVID-19 vaccinations were becoming available, and infection rates were starting to slowly go down. But a year later, Central Falls is a COVID hot spot once again. We talk to Mayor Rivera about the pandemic's impact on residents, the need for more affordable housing, and plans for a new high school. Tips and ideas? Email us...

In this week's episode, state Senator Tiara Mack challenges the Senate president's objections to taxing the rich and says if Rhode Island legalizes recreational marijuana, it should also expunge marijuana convictions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

It’s a new year, which means a new legislative session. We’ve heard from Senate leadership about their priorities for Rhode Island in 2022, but what are some of the state’s advocates hoping to accomplish this year? For another perspective, we talk to Marcela Betancur, the director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University. We discuss some of the laws she’s hoping to get passed in...

Earlier this year, the Globe Rhode Island team came together for an event with Venture Cafe at CIC Providence. It was a chance for Globe RI journalists to introduce themselves, meet some readers, and talk about the work they do every day. This is an edited version of that conversation. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pri...