After months of campaigning, the voters of the first congressional district picked Gabe Amo to go to Congress. We sit down with a panel of political reporters to discuss what happens next for the freshman congressman. And we talk to our Metro Reporter Olivia Ebertz about the arrest of 20 student protesters at Brown University earlier this week. Also, The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS plan to merge into one organization. We’ll talk to the leaders of both groups to find out how this came to be, and what it means to the viewers and listeners in the region. And, the GAMM Theater is running Martin McDonagh’s play “Hangmen.” Artscape producer James Baumgartner and host Luis Hernandez share a review of the play.
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 inArtscape, Episode
Delightful gallows humor in ‘Hangmen’ at The Gamm Theatre
The play by Martin McDonagh is a dark comedy-thriller set in the mid-60s in the north of England and takes place just as capital punishment is banned in the U.K. How will the nation’s “second-best hangman” adjust?
Posted inEpisode, The Weekly Catch
A quiet showdown in CD1, the growing power of labor, and more
It’s been a relatively quiet couple of months in the race to represent Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District. The election ends on Tuesday – but what does it mean for voters when candidates or the media treat an election as a foregone conclusion? Also, 2023 has been a big year for labor. Unions representing actors, car manufacturers, janitors and more have gone on strike across the country. Are labor movements gaining momentum, or are these high-profile cases an anomaly? And the city of Providence is making a new comprehensive plan – and they want to hear from you. Plus, a conversation with the new director of the RISD Museum. All that and more on this episode of The Weekly Catch.
Posted inArticle, Local, Metro Desk
City of Providence wants to hear your ideas for a new comprehensive plan
The City of Providence is in the process of making a new comprehensive plan – a roadmap for the city’s development over the next ten years and beyond. Providence residents have until Saturday, Nov. 4 to share their ideas around housing, transportation, sustainability, economic development, and community well-being. Morning host Luis Hernandez spoke about the process with City Planning Director Joe Mulligan.
Posted inArtscape, Episode
Tsugumi Maki envisions a RISD Museum that is more welcoming and inclusive
Tsugumi Maki is the new director of the RISD Museum. Morning Host Luis Hernandez talked with Maki about her vision for the institution. “Museums are at a crossroads,” she said. “There are so many museums that are becoming less and less relevant to people and audiences. And what we need to do as institutions is to create opportunities for people to come where they feel like they belong in a museum right now.”
Posted inEpisode, The Weekly Catch
U.S. Senate addresses child migrant crisis, Brown professor wins national award, and more
This week, U.S. Senators addressed the crisis of migrant children working in dangerous jobs across the country. But can a divided Congress work together to find solutions? And a conversation about tenants’ rights, a week after a condo complex in North Providence was abruptly condemned, leaving some residents living out of their cars. Also, the story of a local artisan who makes hand-carved gravestones. Plus, political reporter Ian Donnis on the week in politics. All that and more on this week’s show.
Posted inArticle, Education
The Rhode Island State Archives is looking for a home
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore wants a permanent location for the state archives. The collection, which includes documents and historic items dating back to the state’s early history, currently sit in a building on Broad Street. Amore spoke with Morning Host Luis Hernandez about those archives and what their ideal home could look like.
Posted inEpisode, Housing, The Weekly Catch
Fixing relations between Providence teachers and leaders, housing the homeless, hunger in Rhode Island, and more
Rhode Island officials are confident that this winter, they will be more prepared to help those experiencing homelessness than in previous years. We hear about the state’s new plan from Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor. Also, the Rhode Island Food Bank just released the 2023 Hunger Survey. What does it show about who in the state is going hungry? And a new commission in the Rhode Island State Senate is asking residents for their ideas to improve the strained relationship between teachers and leadership at Providence Public Schools. Plus, the week in politics, a conversation with AS220 founder Umberto Crenca about his new art show, and more.
Posted inEpisode, The Weekly Catch
Local reaction to Israel-Hamas war, reflections from R.I.’s first Latina mayor, blues player Jontavious Willis, and more
We talk with leaders from New England’s Jewish and Palestinian communities to hear about how they’re getting through these difficult times. Also, in the final part of our collaboration with oral history project Nuestras Raíces, we hear from Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera about how she overcame a fear of public speaking to become the first Latina mayor in Rhode Island. And the URI Guitar Festival is right around the corner. Artscape Producer James Baumgartner talks with blues performer Jontavious Willis. Plus, Ian Donnis discusses possible names for the next Majority Whip in the Rhode Island legislature.
Posted inEpisode, The Weekly Catch
Fall River police abuse allegations, building a Latino community at RIC, and more
A new investigation into a former Fall River police officer reveals flaws within the department’s internal affairs process. We talk with South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke about some key takeaways from his report. And when José Gonzalez came to Rhode Island College in the 1970s, he felt like an outsider – we hear how that experience led him to create the Latin American Student Organization. Also, we give our review of the latest show at Trinity Rep: A dark comedy about a modern-day descendent of a woman executed during the Salem Witch Trials. Plus, the latest in politics, and a few things to do this week.
