The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. Transcript: Luis Hernandez: This is the Public’s Radio. I’m Luis Hernandez. Thwaites Glacier was first spotted by polar researchers in 1940. It’s named after American glaciologist Frederick Thwaites. As the climate changes, this glacier could be one of the greatest contributors to sea level rise, […]
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Posted inLocal, Politics
Legislative Democrats unveil progressive ‘Working Families’ agenda
About two-dozen Democratic state representatives rallied Tuesday behind what they call the Working Families Agenda – which includes proposals to lower prescription drug costs, build more affordable housing, and expand free meals for students – and they want to pay for it by hiking taxes on affluent Rhode Islanders. The agenda has the backing of […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, Stories
Ethics Commission dismisses RI GOP complaint against Speaker Shekarchi
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission on Tuesday dismissed a state GOP complaint alleging that House Speaker Joe Shekarchi had violated ethics rules. The GOP complaint last year argued that Shekarchi, as a state representative in 2017, supported a bill that would have overridden local zoning regulations stopping large weddings from being held on farms for […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Federal officials seek details on Washington Bridge closure
Gov. Dan McKee’s office revealed the development in a statement Friday evening. “This is not unexpected, and the Governor welcomes the review,” McKee spokeswoman Olivia DaRocha said. DeRocha said McKee instructed the state Department of Transportation to fully cooperate with the information request from federal officials, and she noted that the governor previously directed the […]
Posted inLocal, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Jan. 26, 2024
Don’t look now, but we’re gaining daylight every afternoon in the march to February. 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 *** UPDATE: Feds seek details […]
Posted inLocal, On Sports
Ed Cooley’s return becomes the sideshow to a Big East thriller
As expected, a thunderstorm of boos cascaded from every section of the Amica Mutual Pavilion when Ed Cooley strode into the arena at 12:26 last Saturday afternoon. The noisy, sold-out crowd of 12,580 resumed booing when Cooley was introduced with his Georgetown basketball team. Providence College students — 2,000 behind each basket — used more […]
Posted inHealth, Local
Georgia foundation’s application to buy two Rhode Island hospitals made public
The application by the Centurion Foundation, an Atlanta-based nonprofit, to buy two Rhode Island hospitals was made public Monday by the state Department of Health and the Office of Attorney General. As part of a public comment period, the two state agencies plan to stage two public meetings on the proposed acquisition and they are […]
Posted inLocal, Political Roundtable, Politics
RI GOP National Committeewoman Sue Cienki on Trump’s wins, the stakes for 2024, and what’s next for Rhode Island Republicans
Donald Trump moved closer to securing the Republican presidential nomination by winning the New Hampshire primary this week. Many voters dread a rematch between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, but here we are. Suffice it to say, the November election has huge implications for the future of the country. Closer to home, Republicans continue to struggle to win political office. The GOP is locked out of federal and statewide posts, perhaps because of the image of the national party’s direction under Trump. At the Statehouse, Republicans hold just 14 of 113 seats in the General Assembly. Can the GOP rebound to play a bigger role in Rhode Island politics? Why do Republicans by and large continue to line up behind Donald Trump? And what does one of the top GOP officials in Rhode Island have to say about all this? I’m Ian Donnis and this week I’m going in depth with Rhode Island Republican National Committeewoman Sue Cienki.
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Politics, Transportation
Lessons from Rhode Island’s free ferry experiment
The Bristol-to-Providence free ferry was a short-lived experiment that started on Dec. 21 as an emergency response to the Washington Bridge closure. But it was dropped on Jan. 19 because of low ridership and steep costs. Does that mean commuter ferry service in the Ocean State is a lost cause, or could it play some […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Artscape, Local
NEH grants $444K to Tomaquag Museum for new home on URI campus in Kingston
The Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island’s only museum that’s totally devoted to telling the story of Indigenous peoples from a first-person perspective. Thanks to a substantial grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, it’ll soon have a new home at the University of Rhode Island campus in Kingston. In a conversation with Morning Edition […]
