Inside City Hall Wednesday, East Providence officials were hosting a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of Cape Verdean independence, when a young man dressed in black stormed into the building, allegedly determined to express his disapproval. Security camera footage shows an American flag and a Cape Verdean flag being tossed out the front door. […]
David Wright
David Wright is a veteran TV, radio, and digital reporter who has contributed stories to Rhode Island PBS Weekly since 2022 and more recently joined The Public’s Radio team.
For more than 20 years, he was a correspondent at ABC News. Career highlights include covering the White House during President Trump’s first term, the Vatican during 3 different papacies, and reporting from numerous global conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, and Gaza. Past interviews include Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, John Kerry, Hamid Karzai, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Elon Musk.
He recently won a New England Emmy and a NETA award for a story he did for Rhode Island PBS Weekly. Other awards include several national Emmy and Murrow Awards, plus a Peabody, a DuPont, and an Overseas Press Club award.
David began his career in public radio as a reporter and host at WBUR and KQED. A native of Buffalo, he is a graduate of Harvard and Oxford. He and his wife Victoria met when they were both covering the 2005 papal conclave in Rome. They have 3 teenage daughters and a German Shepherd Dog.
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Local
‘Big Beautiful Bill’ could leave New England clean energy projects blowing in the wind
The latest version of President Trump’s domestic policy bill would gut federal incentives and subsidies for solar and wind, and likely slow one of the fastest-growing sectors of New England’s economy. Investors in SouthCoast Wind have spent $600 million over the past 7 years on an ambitious plan to harness the wind off Nantucket and […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Politics
Matunuck Oyster Bar reopens al fresco
Sipping an ice cold beer at the bar, Andrew Ferrandino was philosophical about the new Matunuck Oyster Bar. “It’s great,” he said. “Actually, the view is even better than the old one!” The bar now occupies one corner of a pavilion tent set up in what used to be the valet parking lot. But it […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
R.I. bill banning the sale of ‘assault weapons’ becomes law
Rhode Islanders buying or selling rapid-fire, military-style rifles could land in prison for 10 years or face a $10,000 fine, under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Dan McKee. “This is progress today and it will make Rhode Island safe for our families and our neighbors,” McKee said at a statehouse signing ceremony crowded […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Politics
McKee distances himself from R.I.’s new budget
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has a message to voters who might not be happy about all the new taxes and fees in the state budget for the new fiscal year starting next week: Don’t blame him. “Talk to your General Assembly members,” he suggested, at a roundtable with reporters on Smith Hill on Wednesday. […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Metro Desk, Sports, Stories
The last bits of PawSox trivia finally revealed
The PawSox disappeared to Worcester four years ago. McCoy Stadium has since been razed to the ground. But on Monday evening, a small crowd gathered in what used to be right field for one last event in what may be the longest goodbye in baseball history. Among them, Kevin Wildenhain in full PawSox regalia. His dad […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Transportation
How safe are Rhode Island’s other bridges?
The Washington Bridge may have grabbed most of the headlines, but it is by no means the only piece of Rhode Island infrastructure in urgent need of repair. Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio identified 119 bridges listed as “Poor” in the most recent available data from the National Bridge Inventory, a federal survey […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Local
Matunuck Oyster Bar may reopen al fresco this summer
Rhode Island’s Take It Outside law was a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing restaurants to keep serving customers when indoor spaces were considered unsafe because of contagion. Now, with Matunuck Oyster Bar in mind, state lawmakers are looking to expand Take It Outside to cover restaurants forced to close due to a flood, fire, […]
Posted inEducation, Local, Politics
On Capitol Hill, Brown student blasts ‘Ivy League bloat’
A rising junior at Brown University who has been sharply critical of his elite college took his case to Capitol Hill Wednesday, testifying before a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Alex Shieh told lawmakers, “I’m not here to glorify the Ivy League, I’m here to warn you.” Shieh claimed Brown and other elite universities […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Local, South County Bureau
South County event takes sand castles to a whole new level
If you’ve ever built a sand castle before, Atlantis Rising will certainly bring some humility. And a sense of wonder. Ten artists from around the globe are competing in Rhode Island’s first and only international sand sculpting competition, now in its third year. They’ve come from Russia, South Korea, Lithuania and elsewhere to work their […]
