The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week fired its previously reinstated probationary workers, including many who worked at local facilities in Narragansett and Woods Hole. NOAA employees in Rhode Island and Massachusetts told The Publics Radio that they received a mass email on Thursday informing them their jobs had been terminated – again. The […]
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Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for April 11, 2025
April vacation week is here for the General Assembly, so prepare for a more active phase of the session once lawmakers return to the roost. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right […]
Posted inHealth, Local
Is South County Hospital’s escalating fight with critics alienating donors?
South County Hospital prides itself on being one of the few remaining independent hospitals in Rhode Island. But the hospital’s financial and staffing challenges are now compounded by its ongoing battle with a group of doctors and community members demanding leadership changes. The Public’s Radio’s Luis Hernandez spoke with health reporter Lynn Arditi about the […]
Posted inEducation, Local, Politics
Federal government investigates Brown for civil rights violations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has expanded its inquiry into Brown University for a Title VI Federal Rights Violation, according to a campus-wide email sent from Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey and the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Matthew Guterl. Previously, the HHS investigation, which began in […]
Posted inImmigration, Local, Metro Desk
Trump administration targets Brown University with visa revocations
One student at Brown on a student visa and a “small number” of recent alumni on post-graduate student visas have had their visas revoked. That’s according to an email obtained by The Public’s Radio sent by the Brown University Office of International Student and Scholar Services to its international students and scholars. “We recognize that […]
Posted inHealth, Local, South County Bureau
Edesia looks for clarity amid chaos of Trump cuts
Outside Edesia’s North Kingstown headquarters, bulldozers are busy digging the foundation for a giant new warehouse to store the company’s product: Plumpy’Nut, a life-saving fortified peanut butter to feed malnourished children around the world. The construction project, planned long before the abrupt gutting of USAID, is funded by private donors. The Bezos family gave $137 […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Bipartisan push begins in Rhode Island for latest inspector general proposal
State Rep. George Nardone (R-Coventry) is spearheading the latest legislative effort to create an Office of Inspector General in Rhode Island, arguing that the state sorely needs an independent voice for accountability. Speaking during a Statehouse news conference on Wednesday, Nardone said about 20 lawmakers — a mix of Democrats, Republicans, and the lone independent […]
Posted inEducation, Local, Metro Desk
Hundreds at Brown University sign letter in support of free speech on campus
A group of 255 professors at Brown University have joined hundreds of alumni and other Brown community members in signing a letter addressed to university administrators underscoring their support for academic freedom on campus and safety for international students and faculty. The letter comes following the news that the federal government plans to withdraw $510 […]
Posted inImmigration, Local, Metro Desk
New Providence bishop speaks out for immigrants, champions social justice
As leader of the Church in the most Catholic state in the nation, the Bishop of Providence has a bully pulpit. Bishop Bruce Lewandowski clearly intends to use it, vowing to be a voice of moral authority here in Rhode Island, in a moment when many feel a profound sense of despair, traumatized by sudden, […]
Posted inBusiness, Local, Sports
Centreville Bank acquires naming rights for soccer in Pawtucket
The new home of the Rhode Island FC soccer team in Pawtucket will be called Centreville Bank Stadium. The naming rights agreement was announced during a news conference Tuesday. “Centreville Bank Stadium will be the outdoor sports and entertainment epicenter of Rhode Island and beyond,” Rhode Island FC Co-Founder and Chairman Brett M. Johnson said […]
