Zachary A. Cunha resigned his position as U.S. attorney for Rhode Island on Monday at the direction of the White House, his office said. Cunha, who assumed his role in December 2021, was nominated by President Joe Biden. Presidents often replace U.S. Attorneys appointed by their predecessor and Cunha was not expected to stay on […]
Jeremy Bernfeld
Jeremy leads the investigations desk at The Public’s Radio, helping the newsroom publish more investigative and accountability journalism that matters to Rhode Island and the Southcoast.
Prior to joining The Public’s Radio, Jeremy was the director of collaborative reporting at WAMU in Washington, D.C., and founder of Guns & America, an award-winning national reporting project covering the role of guns in American life. He was also editor of Harvest Public Media, a collaborative project covering our food system based in Kansas City.
A native New Englander, Jeremy currently lives in Providence, where he spends his time chasing after his wife, daughter and dog, and occasionally riding his bike.
Posted inLocal, Politics
New year, new laws: The RI laws that go into effect on Jan. 1
Minimum wage in Rhode Island finally ended its years-long march to $15 an hour on Wednesday — one of a number of state laws that go into effect or change on the first of the year. In 2021, Gov. Dan McKee signed a law that gradually raised the minimum wage from $11.50 an hour on […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Local
House commission set to look for solutions to Rhode Island’s eroding beaches
As rising seas and stronger storms, due at least in part to climate change, are carrying off tons of sand from Rhode Island beaches, a legislative commission tasked with developing ways to slow beach erosion met at the State House for the first time on Monday. Some of the hardest hit areas in the state […]
Posted inHousing, Local
It’s getting harder to afford a home in Rhode Island, new data shows
If you make less than $100,000 a year you can’t comfortably afford to buy a home in Rhode Island, according to new data from the think tank HousingWorksRI at Roger Williams University. And if you make less than $75,000 you can’t afford to rent. In its annual housing factbook, which it released on Friday, HousingWorksRI […]
Posted inEducation, Local, Politics
Brown votes against divestment from companies with ties to Israel
Brown University will not divest from 10 companies that student activists said facilitated “the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.” The Corporation of Brown University, the university’s governing body, voted Tuesday to support the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management (ACURM) against divestment, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. ACURM found […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Local
How will CVS layoffs affect Woonsocket?
As CVS employees await word on whether their jobs will be among the nearly 3,000 the Rhode Island-based company plans to eliminate, Woonsocket Mayor Christopher Beauchamp says the city should be able to weather the layoffs, though concerns remain for the future. CVS Health, which is headquartered in Woonsocket, said Monday that it plans to […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
RI, MA politicians react to President Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign
Political leaders in Rhode Island and Massachusetts offered swift reaction to Sunday’s bombshell announcement by President Biden that he would drop out of his race for a second term as president. “President Biden made a selfless and noble decision” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a prepared statement. “We are forever grateful for his […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local
RI man wanted on firearms charges shot by Vermont State Police
A Rhode Island man wanted on charges related to possessing high-capacity firearm magazines was shot by Vermont State Police in Burke, Vt., Sunday night. Brenden Sackal, 30, of Hopkinton was in critical condition with non-life threatening injuries at a hospital in New Hampshire on Monday afternoon, according to Vermont State Police. Hopkinton Police Chief Mark […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Health, The Weekly Catch
Why overdose deaths are falling in Rhode Island, an artist carves scrimshaw into plastic trash from the sea, and more
For years, the number of people dying of drug overdoses was on the rise nationwide and in Rhode Island. Then, there was a push to change that, specifically by introducing the life-saving drug Narcan. Last year, the number of people overdosing actually dropped. We’ll look deeper into those figures. Also, we get an update on the week in politics with Ian Donnis, and Mike Szostak shares his favorite summer sports reads. Plus, the New Bedford Whaling Museum has a new exhibit of scrimshaw, not on whalebone, but on plastic trash recovered from the ocean. That and more on this week’s show.
Posted inEducation, Local, Metro Desk
Brown reaches agreement to resolve complaint alleging antisemitism
Brown University reached an agreement with federal education officials to resolve a complaint over alleged antisemitism on campus, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said on Monday. The DOE received a complaint in December 2023 alleging violations of the federal law that bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin — […]
