In Westerly, a 26-year-old political newcomer and Black Lives Matter activist says he’s ready to challenge his town’s status quo. His name is Julius Dunn, a write-in candidate who acknowledges he has his work cut out for him running for state Senate against a 13-term incumbent.
In The Spotlight
Posted inArticle, Business
Downtown Providence bracing for uncertain future in wake of COVID-19
Downtown went quiet this spring when workers vacated their offices as the pandemic hit, and fewer than half have returned. Some fear COVID-19 could reverse decades of development.
Posted inArticle, Environment, South County Bureau
Agency draft plan prioritizes rising sea levels, storm surge, shoreline access among key issues facing RI coast
The Rhode Island agency that manages coastal policy and enforcement is accepting public comment on what it identifies in a draft plan as top issues challenging the Rhode Island coastline.
Posted inArtscape, Episode
WaterFire Providence honors the thousand Rhode Islanders who have died from COVID-19
For years, WaterFire has been a regular ritual celebrating downtown Providence, a symbol of the city’s rebirth after decades of decline. In the pandemic, it’s also become a way of memorializing those who have died of COVID-19, through an installation called The Beacon of Hope. Artscape producer James Baumgartner talked with WaterFire’s Executive Artistic Director Barnaby Evans.
Posted inArticle, Health
The death of a New Bedford fish plant worker: A son’s story
Juan, a teenage vocational school student in New Bedford, lost his dad, Francisco, to COVID-19 nearly two months ago. Francisco was one of hundreds of fish plant workers in the city’s seafood industry that processed fish during the pandemic. Dozens have contracted the virus. Juan never understood how hard his dad worked until he died, when Juan had to get a job and work as a fish plant worker himself.
Posted inArticle
The protester and the police commander: How a tense standoff ended peacefully
Across the country, protests against police brutality and racism have been largely peaceful, but some have escalated into violence, with police officers firing rubber bullets and teargas into crowds. Last Friday, a march through Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood threatened to boil over. Instead, it ended peacefully, and only a handful of people were arrested.
Posted inArtscape, Episode
Artists turn plywood covered windows into community canvas
In the aftermath of looting last week, plywood windows in downtown Providence began to turn into art. A group of people gathered at the corner of Eddy and Fountain streets earlier this week to admire the impromptu outdoor gallery. The Public’s Radio Artscape producer James Baumgartner was there.
Posted inArticle
2020: A year of disruption for the U.S. Census
It’s been a year like no other for the U.S. Census: an emotionally-charged election, a pandemic, and protests nationwide. The coronavirus has especially disrupted the way the Census Bureau collects its 10-year count of people living in America.
Posted inArticle, Politics
Rioting, looting, and the history of nonviolence
After a week of civil unrest in Providence and across the country, many are wondering what to make of the protests, riots, and looting triggered by the death of George Floyd. Ana González talked with nonviolence facilitator and trainer, Sal Monteiro from Providence’s Nonviolence Institute to understand how nonviolence is not always peaceful.
Posted inArticle, Health
Ramadan in the age of social distancing
The closure of mosques and social distancing requirements have changed how families celebrate this holy month, but not necessarily for the worse.
