Providence officials are slowing down the process of passing an ordinance that seeks to codify protections for immigrants who lack legal status to be in the U.S. The change of course comes in response to a slew of executive orders this week from the federal government and threats to prosecute local officials who resist federal […]
Olivia Ebertz
Olivia Ebertz comes to The Public’s Radio from WNYC, where she was a producer for Morning Edition. Prior to that, she spent two years reporting for KYUK in Bethel, Alaska, where she wrote a lot about how the warming climate is forcing local Indigenous communities to change their traditional lifeways.
Prior to her career as a journalist, Olivia worked in film. Her documentaries have screened at festivals worldwide.
Olivia likes to pursue stories inspired by questions from community members.
Ella habla español, lei parla italiano, и она говорит по-русски.
Posted inHealth, Local, Metro Desk
Winter illnesses are causing back ups at Rhode Island hospitals
Hospitals around the state are seeing a rise in respiratory illnesses on par with typical increases in the winter months. According to statewide wastewater data and hospital admissions data, cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise since December, along with RSV and Norovirus. State Epidemiologist Dr. Suzanne Bornschein also says influenza is newly on […]
Posted inLabor, Local, Metro Desk
Medical residents at three Care New England hospitals vote to unionize
Medical residents employed by three Care New England hospitals voted Wednesday to unionize with Service Employees International Union’s Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR-SEIU). Residents at Kent Hospital won their union election with 72.5% of the vote, 74-28. At Women and Infants they won their union election 40-8, or 83% of the vote. Finally, Butler […]
Posted inHousing, Local, Metro Desk
Developer updates plans for 269 Wickenden
Providence developers Dustin Dezube and Kevin Diamond with the Providence Group have submitted revised plans for an apartment complex that would be located at 269 Wickenden Street. The City Plan Commission is set to review the proposal at its upcoming meeting on Jan. 21. The preliminary plans come more than a year after the City […]
Posted inLabor, Local, Metro Desk
Rhode Island Hospital medical residents win union election, 464 to 27
Medical residents with Brown University Health, formerly called Lifespan, have formed a doctors’ union at Rhode Island Hospital. In a small fluorescent-lit room in the Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. federal building in Boston Tuesday afternoon, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) employees spent more than 90 minutes opening envelopes and counting ballots. When it came time […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Politics
Providence legislative priorities to center around schools and housing
The City of Providence has announced its priorities for the legislative session that starts at the Statehouse Tuesday. Among them are plans to shore up more cash to cover the millions of dollars the city owes in funding for its schools, and measures meant to entice developers to build more housing. Schools When a judge […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk
Contentious zoning issues to dominate Providence city planning in early 2025
In the New Year, the City Plan Commission is set to discuss possible changes related to: the rules requiring developers to add off-street parking to some new residential buildings, regulations guiding the development of polluting industries in the Port of Providence area, and whether to add rules that dictate how new developments must look. At […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local, Metro Desk
RI reaches agreement with Feds over care for kids in psychiatric wards
The state of Rhode Island and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached an agreement on how to ensure that children in state care without a medical need to be in psychiatric wards will be able to go home and receive care integrated into their daily lives. Hundreds of young teenagers and adolescent kids were […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk
Providence takes steps toward solidifying its new housing-forward comprehensive plan
The Providence City Plan Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt some zoning ordinance changes based off of the city’s new comprehensive plan. Broadly speaking, the zoning changes would allow greater density in most neighborhoods in Providence, with the exception of Blackstone and some pockets of the West side. While the comprehensive plan is a […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, Metro Desk
Judge expands attorney’s authority over Rhode Island Recycled Metals
On Friday, Associate Justice Brian P. Stern granted Special Master Rick Land authority to guide Rhode Island Recycled Metals through its environmental permitting process, including permits related to land remediation and stormwater control. Land, an attorney for Chace Ruttenberg & Freedman, LLP, says the judge’s decision on Friday is good news. “I’m encouraged that we’re […]
