Providence Mayor Brett Smiley on Tuesday released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins on July 1. “This year’s City budget was exceptionally difficult to balance,” he said. According to the mayor, the city had to dig into its finances this year to find funding for its public schools, due to a lawsuit […]
Metro Desk
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 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 inImmigration, Local, Metro Desk
Trump administration revokes visa for RISD student
According to a campus-wide announcement published Monday by Rhode Island School of Design President Crystal Williams, an undergraduate student has had their visa revoked. “A revocation of one’s student status is rare, personally and professionally impactful, and especially heartbreaking,” she said in her statement. Williams wrote that the RISD’s Office of International Students and Scholar […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Politics
Thousands of Providence protesters join nationwide day of resistance
Protesters rallied in Providence Saturday as part of a nationwide call to action against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the unelected billionaire turned “special government employee” who is slashing jobs at federal agencies. The activists began at noon with a brief rally at Hope High School in Providence and then began to make their […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
Advocates push back against potential RIPTA hub sites
Advocates are pushing back against the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) after its board introduced to the public a slimmed down list of potential new bus hub locations: the smaller lawn in front of the Providence train station, and the larger lawn behind it. Amy Glidden, co-chair of the Rhode Island Transit Riders, said […]
Posted inEducation, Immigration, Local, Metro Desk
Deportations and detainments are having a chilling effect at Brown
On a recent sunny day in early spring, the Brown University main green space was filled with students sun-bathing. It’s hard to imagine now, but this time last year, the university was a major hub of pro-Palestinian activism. Now, with the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian territories collapsing and a Brown Medicine doctor deported, […]
Posted inBusiness, Local, Metro Desk
Providence businesses see a bounce from March Madness
Whatever might be in your bracket, Providence hotel and restaurant owners were among the big winners in the first day of games in college basketball’s biggest tournament. Downtown streets were packed with fans of all stripes. Not all of them had to travel long distances. One couple in bright blue Jayhawks regalia from head to […]
Posted inImmigration, Local, Metro Desk
Lawyer for Fabian Schmidt says his client is in legal ‘limbo’ while held by ICE
A lawyer for a New Hampshire green card-holder who is being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Donald W. Wyatt detention facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, says his client’s spirit is starting to deflate. Lawyer David Keller told several dozen protesters and three reporters outside the jail where Fabian Schmidt is […]
