Last winter’s storms took a heavy toll on the city’s beaches, including Easton’s Beach, which is located at the start of Newport’s famed Cliff Walk. The city’s public services director, Bill Riccio, is the person in charge of leading Newport’s response. As part of our ongoing series on shoreline erosion in the region, Riccio spoke […]
Luis Hernandez
Luis helms the morning lineup. He is a 20-year public radio veteran, having joined The Public's Radio in 2022. That journey has taken him from the land of Gators at the University of Florida to WGCU in Fort Myers to KNPR in Las Vegas and then to WLRN in Miami.
Luis sees himself as a journalist and an entertainer, which is what drives him every morning—bringing more local news to the listeners and doing it in an interesting and sometimes fun way.
He also co-hosts Artscape and hosts The Weekly Catch. In his spare time, Luis is working on a couple of novels, a couple of podcasts and is getting back into painting.
Posted inEnvironment, Local
‘I have real concern’: URI coastal scientist tracks decades of coastal erosion data
Editor’s note: This story is part of “Washout: Our vanishing beaches,” a series about the reshaping of Rhode Island’s shoreline. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. TRANSCRIPT: LUIS HERNANDEZ: Professor Walsh, it’s a pleasure. Thanks so much. J.P. WALSH: Nice to meet you. HERNANDEZ: Professor, how different do our beaches look right […]
Posted inHealth, Housing, The Weekly Catch
Supreme Court to decide how cities can respond to homelessness, Brown faculty call for reform, and more
Last week, police shut down two homeless encampments in Providence. We hear about a U.S. Supreme Court case that could change how cities across the country work with homeless communities. Also, a few professors who visited the pro-Palestine encampment at Brown University received letters threatening faculty discipline. Some are calling for institutional reform to protect academic freedom. And we hear from Marty Sinnott, CEO of a child advocacy nonprofit, who for years has been sounding the alarm on Rhode Island’s overloaded child welfare system. Plus, we take you on a journey through some of the rare books, art and history at the Providence Athenaeum. That and more on this week’s show.
Posted inArts And Culture, Artscape
‘Cabinet of curiosities’: A tour of the rare books, art and oddities at the Providence Athenaeum
The cold, austere exterior of the Greek temple-like building is a contrast to the warm, sunny interior of this private library that dates back to 1836. For this week’s Artscape, Morning Edition host Luis Hernandez gets a tour of the Athenaeum’s rare collections of art, books and a few oddities.
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Local, The Weekly Catch
Federal investigation of DCYF, local hunters group advocates banning captive hunting, and more
Bradley Hospital is in the news this week. The U.S. Justice Department alleging the state’s child welfare agency is violating the civil rights of children with behavioral and developmental disabilities by keeping them hospitalized long after their treatments have ended. We’ll talk to a reporter who’s been following the story for years. Also, we’ll find out more about proposed legislation to ban hunting captive wild animals in Rhode Island.
And a company in Pawtucket called Gif-o-Graf has a fun way for students to create stop-motion animation
Posted inArts And Culture, Local
New WooSox GM Brooke Cooper is ‘standing on the shoulders of so many women’ who came before
Transcript: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: Baseball has been a man’s world for most of its century-plus long existence, but that is rapidly changing. This season, the Worcester Red Sox became the latest professional baseball team to hire a woman to a front office position, naming Rhode Island native […]
Posted inHealth, Housing, The Weekly Catch
An app for addiction treatment, Narragansett’s affordable housing problem, and more
Rhode Island has one of the nation’s highest rates of overdose deaths involving cocaine, a problem the state is trying to address with a new smartphone app. But is it reaching those most in need? Also, the town of Narragansett has one of the lowest percentages of affordable housing in the state. We hear about some steps taken earlier this week by the town council intended to address the housing shortfall. And RISD is celebrating its second Black Biennial. We’ll hear from the co-curator who is seeking to break down the walls between the institution and the surrounding community. Plus: the week in politics, and a few things to do this week.
Posted inEducation, Health, Local
Child poverty is down but disparities remain, according to Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook
Transcript: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: There’s some good news and some bad news in a new report that examines how Rhode Island children are doing when it comes to safety, education, health and economic well-being. The Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook shows that, overall, child poverty is down, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local
With climate change increasing wildfire risk in Rhode Island, how can state officials prepare?
Transcript: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: Last spring, a massive wildfire burned hundreds of acres at the Queens River Preserve in Exeter. It was the largest forest fire in Rhode Island since 1942, and it prompted the creation of a special legislative commission tasked with providing recommendations on proper […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Local
Livestream: Luis Hernandez in conversation with Brad Gooch author of ‘Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring’
Biographer Brad Gooch is coming to Jamestown Saturday, May 4th, at 4:00 PM for an early stop on a national book tour for RADIANT: The Life and Line of Keith Haring, already hailed as the definitive account of the iconic American artist. Join us for the live stream of what promises to be a fascinating […]
