You could almost call this a tale of two towns, within the confines of one municipality. In downtown Westerly and nearby areas, drivers riding in two-way traffic pass between rows of vehicles parked on both sides of the street. Pedestrians stroll along sidewalks, and trucks make delivery stops in the middle of the road. But […]
Local
Posted inLocal, Politics
Langevin testifies against wheelchair repair bill in Connecticut
Former U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin of Rhode Island, who was the first quadriplegic person to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, testified Tuesday against a bill meant to speed the repair of wheelchairs in Connecticut. Langevin, who noted how he serves on the board of directors of Numotion — which bills itself as a […]
Posted inLocal, On Sports
Rhode Island College Anchorwomen suffer their first and season-ending loss
Editor’s note: This column was updated March 11 to reflect the results of weekend games and tournaments. March Madness, the annual college basketball rite of spring, is upon us. To be precise, it starts March 19 with the men’s Division I tournament and March 20 with the women’s, and ends April 8 for the men […]
Posted inHealth, Local
More people who use cocaine in Rhode Island are dying of overdoses
In an empty stairwell in Pawtucket, R.I., Jackson offered to show a reporter how he tries to reduce his risk of overdosing when he smokes crack cocaine. (Jackson agreed to speak to The Public’s Radio for this story on the condition that we use only his first name.) It had been several hours since his […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local
Federal appeals court rejects challenge to Rhode Island’s ban on high-capacity magazines
A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected a challenge to the Rhode Island law banning large-capacity gun magazines. The law, passed in 2022, bans ammunition magazines that carry more than ten rounds. Several Rhode Island gun owners and a Chepachet gun store sued the state. In December 2022, a federal judge declined to issue a […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for March 8, 2024
Notice how most folks have a little more spring in their step with extra daylight? You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** STORY OF THE […]
Posted inHousing, Local, Politics
Shekarchi offers more bills to respond to Rhode Island’s housing crisis
Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi on Thursday unveiled 15 bills meant to help the state make progress in the housing crisis. During a Statehouse press conference, Shekarchi expressed disappointment that Rhode Island remains last in the nation in per-capita housing production, despite the allocation of tens of millions of dollars in recent years. He […]
Posted inHousing, Local
The system finding shelter for unhoused Rhode Islanders gets more calls than it can handle, report says
The hotline unhoused people can call to access shelter and housing in Rhode Island received roughly 10,000 calls a month last summer. Just four operators answered the bulk of those calls, and the people calling sometimes waited on hold for nearly three hours, according to a little-noticed report delivered to state agencies last fall. “The […]
Posted inHealth, Local, Politics
Rhode Island Senate touts package to address healthcare needs
The Rhode Island Senate unveiled a package Tuesday of 25 bills meant to boost healthcare access and affordability in the state. A variety of related challenges, ranging from a shortage of primary care doctors to the uncertain future of some local hospitals, have gained growing attention in recent years. The Senate legislation responds by targeting […]
Posted inEducation, Local, Metro Desk
Additional teachers to face job insecurity in Providence
Hundreds of teachers across the Providence Public School District have received letters called “displacement notices,” informing them that they will not be guaranteed their current job next year and would need to reapply for a job within the district. One round of more than 300 displacement notices were sent out Friday, and another round came […]
