This weekend’s winter storm has left Southern New England, leaving behind deep blankets of snow across Rhode Island.
Alex Nunes
Alex oversees the three local bureaus at The Public’s Radio, and staffs the desk for our South County Bureau. Alex was previously the co-host and co executive producer of The Public's Radio podcast, Mosaic. The show explored the history of immigration in Southern New England through the stories of individual immigrants and their descendants and received an Edward R. Murrow Award for best podcast in the New England region. Alex previously worked as an editor at The Westerly Sun and The New London Day.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Summer is months away, but RI’s shoreline access debate has no off-season
A special House commission set up last year to study the hot button topic in Rhode Island is moving into the homestretch on its work. The panel is tasked with making recommendations to state lawmakers on how to address longstanding and escalating conflicts between beachfront property owners and the public–conflicts that have only escalated during the pandemic. This week members of the commission began discussing exactly what they’ll say in their upcoming report.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
In Charlestown, critics say special solicitor position is ‘discriminating against one group of people’
The town of Charlestown has a distinction shared by no other city or town in Rhode Island: It’s the one municipality in the state with a special town solicitor dedicated to so-called “Indian affairs.” But members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe say the position is unnecessary, adversarial, and a modern way of oppressing American Indians. Now the Town Council president says she shares some of their concerns and Charlestown needs to rethink its approach with the tribe.
Posted inArticle, Education
Amid call for distance learning, RI Department of Education defends current approach in schools
The Rhode Island Department of Education says schools with COVID-19 protocols are among the safest places for students and teachers to be. Earlier this week, a major teachers union in the state said schools should move to remote learning during the current surge in COVID-19 cases.
Posted inArticle, Education, Health
RI recommends shorter quarantine for students and staff who test positive for Covid
School-aged children have seen rising case counts due to the surging Delta and Omicron variants.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
School district targeted by national conservative activists passes new anti-racism policy
The South Kingstown School District is moving ahead with a new policy on addressing racism and discrimination in the town school system. The unanimous vote by the school committee Tuesday night follows months of uncertainty activists say was made worse by a local resident who filed hundreds of public records requests to school officials earlier this year.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
New state of the art telescope is one small step for Frosty Drew Observatory…one giant leap for stargazers in Rhode Island
Monday is likely to be the best night of the year for viewing meteors. It’s the Geminid Meteor Shower, and astronomers at Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown say it’s a perfect occasion for visitors to try out a high-tech addition to their operation: a brand new telescope that’s the biggest upgrade to Frosty Drew in more than two decades.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
At public hearing, speakers say Rhode Island has a ways to go on shoreline access
The summer season may be months behind us, but advocates for beach access aren’t letting up on their calls for lawmakers to do more to strengthen and protect shoreline rights. They made their case again Thursday night at a special public hearing in Richmond.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
‘These schools were intended to destroy our people’: Exhibit at URI explores legacy of Indian boarding schools
November is Native American Heritage Month, and from now until January 7 an exhibit at the University of Rhode Island in South Kingstown is highlighting the legacy of America’s Indian boarding schools.
Posted inArticle, South County Bureau
Narragansett Indian Tribe seeks to halt construction at Jamestown library over burial ground concerns
The head of the Narragansett’s Historic Preservation Office says the tribe is considering legal action to prevent a public library in Jamestown from moving ahead with an expansion the tribe believes would affect an historic Narragansett burial ground.
