Posted inArts And Culture, Business, Politics, The Weekly Catch

Payday lending reined in, fish processors face fines for underage workers, and more

Earlier this month, Rhode Island lawmakers finally passed a bill aimed at ending the predatory practices of payday lenders. We’ll look at what the new law means and how it took 15 years to get it passed. Our reporting on underage undocumented children working in New Bedford fishing houses has at least one Massachusetts lawmaker looking at ways to end the practice. Our reporter Ben Berke will describe what he’s found and the response from the fishing industry. On Artscape, a conversation about the fusion of Afro Cuban, Puerto Rican, and New Orleans jazz.

Posted inArts And Culture, Economy, Politics, The Weekly Catch

Local tourism slumps under Trump, highlights of the 2025 RI legislative session, and more

In the 2025 Rhode Island General Assembly session, lawmakers passed a major gun law and numerous bills tackling housing and healthcare. We’ll look into what legislators achieved and failed to get done, as well as what to expect in 2026. Also, Trump administration policies are scaring off tourists. Hotels have higher than normal vacancies, and restaurants are closing on certain days due to low traffic. What kind of summer season will we have this year? Plus, thousands in Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Cape Verdean independence this weekend. We talk with two people from our region who are being featured at a national celebration in Washington, D.C. That and more on this week’s show.

Posted inArts And Culture, Education, Politics, The Weekly Catch

Behind the bills: Rhode Island’s new gun control law and student cell phone ban

On today’s show we look at two significant bills signed into law this week by Gov. Dan McKee. First, a ban on the sale and manufacture of assault-style weapons. How effective are bans like this at actually tackling the problem of gun violence? A national expert breaks it down. Also: Rhode Island has joined the growing number of states banning cell phone use in schools. We’ll hear from a Providence teacher who says she hopes it will reverse some of the learning losses that have happened over the past decade. And we remember George Kent, the founding musical director of the Chorus of Westerly, who died recently at the age of 88. That and more on this week’s show.

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