With the General Assembly approaching the final months of the legislative session, mayors and town managers urged the legislature Monday to not impose new unfunded mandates on Rhode Island cities and towns. The local officials said they are contending with tight budgets and that additional spending required by legislation would make things worse. “When we […]
Ian Donnis
One of the state’s top political reporters, Ian Donnis joined The Public’s Radio in 2009. Ian has reported on Rhode Island politics since 1999, arriving in the state just two weeks before the FBI raided City Hall and Buddy Cianci’s East Side home. Ian covers breaking news, develops in-depth features and investigative reports, and welcomes a range of newsmakers to “Political Roundtable” each week. He also writes our Friday political newsletter and maintains a strong social media presence.
For many years, Ian was a panelist on WPRI-TV’s Sunday morning public affairs show, Newsmakers, and he’s a regular guest on A Lively Experiment on Rhode Island PBS. His previous experience includes serving as news editor of The Providence Phoenix and as a reporter for the Associated Press and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. He has a BS in journalism from Boston University.
Outside of work, Ian enjoys baseball, cooking, and exploring Rhode Island.
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for April 26, 2024
We can only wonder how much better the Sox might be without a spate of injuries. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** STORY OF […]
Posted inHealth, Political Roundtable, Politics
‘Our safety net really has started to fray’: Darlene Allen on what’s behind growing child fatalities in Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families recently sounded an alarm about a growing number of deaths and near deaths involving young children. The coalition is calling on Gov. Dan McKee and state lawmakers to take action to address the crisis. This situation has quietly developed over years and a number of different factors are responsible. So does Rhode Island have the will to do a better job in protecting the state’s most vulnerable children? And what other steps are needed to improve the lives of young people in the state? This week on Political Roundtable, Political Reporter Ian Donnis goes in-depth with Darlene Allen, chairwoman of the Rhode Island Coalition for Children and Families.
Posted inLocal, Politics
Sen. Reed defends U.S. support for Israel
A $95.3 billion package passed Tuesday by the U.S. Senate includes what supporters call critical aid for Ukraine and Israel. U.S. Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is among those who voted for the package. Reed spoke about the aid package with The Public’s Radio political reporter Ian Donnis. The following […]
Posted inBusiness, Local
Attorney general approves merger of The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced Tuesday that he has approved the merger of the state’s two public media organizations, The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS. As part of a 421-page decision, Neronha determined that the combining of the two entities will constitute a public benefit. “Public media contributes uniquely and substantially to […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for April 19, 2024
School vacation week made for some swift journeys across the Washington Bridge. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** STORY OF THE WEEK: As the […]
Posted inHousing, Political Roundtable, Politics
RI Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor on local pushback, how long progress will take, and whether it should move faster
Rhode Island has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to produce more housing. But relatively little new construction has happened so far, and some cities and towns resist attempts to get them to welcome more residents. The median price of a single-family home in Rhode Island was $440,000 in February, an almost 15 percent increase from a year earlier. The high cost of housing leaves many people on the outside of home ownership, looking in, squeezing out those with less money. So what will it take for the state to make more progress, and how long? I’m Ian Donnis, and this week I’m going in-depth with Rhode Island Secretary of Housing Stefan Pryor.
Posted inLocal, Politics, Transportation
RIPTA board approves $67K severance for ex-CEO Scott Avedisian
Scott Avedisian’s exit as CEO of RIPTA became official Tuesday when the public transit agency’s board unanimously approved a severance agreement that includes a payment of $67,800. The payment consists of $45,500 for 13 weeks of wages and $22,400 for accrued vacation time. Avedisian, who did not attend the meeting, has been RIPTA’s CEO since […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for April 12, 2024
If someone was selling kits to build your own ark, they could clean up (before we all float away). You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. […]
Posted inHousing, Political Roundtable, Politics
United Way’s Cortney Nicolato on what it takes to make progress on housing, racial equity and more
Cortney Nicolato became president and CEO of United Way of Rhode Island in 2018. It was a homecoming for the Pawtucket native and URI grad who had worked in the nonprofit sector in Texas for the previous 13 years. Nicolato took the helm of one of Rhode Island’s top nonprofits in the run-up to the pandemic. She helped introduce 401Gives, now Rhode Island’s largest philanthropic effort, which this year raised more than $3.7 million for almost 600 different organizations. Nicolato has also emerged as a leading advocate for confronting the state’s housing crisis. But what will it take to build a stronger economy in Rhode Island and to make more progress on other key issues? This week, political reporter Ian Donnis goes in-depth with United Way of Rhode Island President/CEO Cortney Nicolato.
