As of Friday afternoon, seven people remained hospitalized, including three in critical condition, Providence Police officials said the day after a shooting in the city’s Washington Park neighborhood left nine wounded. Police have not yet made any arrests or filed any charges. The names of those involved have not been disclosed. On Thursday evening, around […]
John Bender
Reporter
John Bender was the general assignment reporter for The Public's Radio for several years. He is now a fill-in host when our regular hosts are out.
Posted inArticle
Providence leaders pitch borrowing $700M to pay down pension debt
Providence leaders have a new plan to help pay off the city’s growing pension obligations, but need approval from state lawmakers to do it. Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and the City Council are asking state lawmakers to allow the city to issue a more than $704 million bond, to help pay down the city’s outstanding […]
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Dozens testify in support of repealing R.I. Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights
Rhode Island lawmakers are considering the repeal of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, which dictates how police departments investigate and discipline officers. Eliminating the law emerged as a legislative priority among advocates who demanded changes to policing during protests last summer. And advocates for police reform who testified during a Monday hearing said […]
Posted inArticle, Education, Metro Desk
Pandemic takes toll on R.I. home-based child care providers
Home-based child care providers in Rhode Island faced increased costs, declining enrollments and closures during the pandemic, on top of long-standing staffing and pay issues. That worries advocates concerned about an already fragile, but vital support service in often-underserved communities.
Posted inArticle, Education
Rhode Island begins disbursing latest round of federal money for child care
The Rhode Island Department of Human Services began accepting applications for child care stabilization fund grants at the end of March. Already, the state has awarded more than $4.5-million to more than 300 providers, according to a DHS spokesperson.
Posted inArticle, Criminal Justice, Metro Desk
Hundreds gather in Providence to protest killing of Daunte Wright by Minnesota police
Several hundred people gathered on the State House steps in Providence Wednesday to protest the killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year old Black man, by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The gathering also comes as the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, continues in Minneapolis. “We’re here […]
Posted inArticle, Education
Marc Parlange will return to Rhode Island to take the helm at URI at a pivotal moment
The University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees unanimously voted to appoint Marc Parlange as the school’s next president Monday evening. Parlange was born in Providence, and currently serves as provost at Monash University in Melbourne University in Melbourne, the largest university in the country. “My life and career have taken me around the world, […]
Posted inArticle, Health
State health officials set vaccination target goals for May, early June
State officials are aiming for 70 percent of all Rhode Islanders to have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by June 5th. Health officials expect most eligible residents 16 and older will have received at least one dose by mid-May.
Posted inArticle, Metro Desk
City of Providence releases report on systemic racism over city’s history
On Monday, the city of Providence released a nearly 200-page document detailing the centuries of systemic inequities faced by the city’s black and indigenous residents. The report is the first step in a process to explore reparations for residents of color in Providence, as part of an executive order signed last summer. “Today, the City […]
Posted inArticle, Education, Metro Desk
Providence teachers union votes ‘no confidence’ in state and district leaders, as contract negotiations near the one year mark
More than 1,500 members cast a “no-confidence” vote in the leadership of Superintendent Harrison Peters and State Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, with twelve voting against, according to Providence Teachers Union Vice President Jeremy Sencer. Infante-Green and Peters are leading the state-backed effort to transform the state’s largest district. While the “no-confidence” vote changes little materially […]
