The number of children living in poverty and without health insurance coverage in the Ocean State went up significantly last year, according to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Many local child advocates blame federal changes to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the Child Tax Credit. Paige Parks, executive director of Rhode […]
Local
Posted inEconomy, Local, Metro Desk
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien says Hasbro’s exit to Boston a loss, but not a surprise, as the city looks ahead
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said Wednesday that the city is bracing for the impact of Hasbro’s decision to relocate its headquarters from Rhode Island to Boston next year, a move he described as disappointing, but not surprising. In an interview with The Public’s Radio’s Luis Hernandez, Grebien recalled finding out about the move only after […]
Posted inHealth, Local
As calls increase, Rhode Island’s 988 crisis line is ‘ready to answer that phone’
In Rhode Island, the suicide and crisis hotline call center received over 1,500 calls in July. That’s a more than 200% increase from when 988 first launched. What’s behind the massive spike in local calls? And how do counselors help Rhode Islanders who contact the lifeline? Morning host Luis Hernandez talked with Joe Ash, administrative director of the 988 Call Center in Rhode Island.
Posted inHousing, Local, Politics
R.I. House GOP says state housing finance agency spends too much on administrative costs
Rhode Island’s House GOP caucus asserted Wednesday that the state’s housing financing agency spends too much on administrative costs and not enough to create housing. An analysis unveiled by the caucus during a Statehouse news conference shows that RIHousing has 2.13 employees per 10,000 residents compared with 0.51 for its counterpart agency in Massachusetts. When […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Rhode Island rejects Trump administration request for voter registration list
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore on Tuesday told the Trump Administration he wouldn’t provide the state’s full voter rolls, which include personally identifiable information. In a letter to an attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division, Amore said he would provide the DOJ with voter information that is already publicly available, but […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Helena Foulkes on why she’s making a second bid to become Rhode Island’s governor
Last week, Helena Foulkes announced she was running for governor of Rhode Island. This is the second attempt for the former CVS executive. She spoke with our political reporter, Ian Donnis.
Posted inEnvironment, Local, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford Board of Health votes to deny approval of controversial trash transfer facility
The New Bedford Board of Health voted 2-to-1 Tuesday night to deny approval for a controversial trash transfer facility in the city’s North End, effectively killing the project as proposed. The board cited multiple environmental and health issues brought up during recent community hearings as reasons for denying the project approval. The decision comes nearly […]
Posted inEducation, Local, Metro Desk
DOJ sues Providence public schools over loan forgiveness for ‘educators of color’
The U.S. Department of Justice accused Providence public schools and the Rhode Island Department of Education of “blatant race discrimination” in a lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday over a loan forgiveness program for teachers of color. The Providence Public School District’s “Educators of Color Loan Forgiveness Program” offered “teachers of color” up to […]
Posted inLocal, Shoreline Access, South County Bureau
Westerly beach hearing could have big implications for Rhode Island coast
Before the Ocean State’s Constitution gets around to mentioning freedom of the press, freedom of speech or the right to bear arms, it enshrines the concept of “shore privileges.” “The people shall continue to enjoy and freely exercise all the rights of fishery and the privileges of the shore,” reads Article 1, Section 17, “including […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Local
Fear of nuclear war plus Reagan-era optimism? It’s ‘Cold War Choir Practice’ at Trinity Rep
Cold War Choir Practice at Trinity Repertory Company – September 4 – October 5. It’s 1987 in Syracuse, New York. Michael Jackson dominates the charts. Ronald Reagan is president. And The Cold War, with its threat of nuclear war, is ever-present in American culture. That’s the setting of the latest play at Trinity Rep, called […]
