In the marquee race of Rhode Island’s 2024 primary, Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins scored a commanding victory over GOP rival state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, as voters rejected her argument that the city needed change. Unofficial results showed Hopkins winning 58.5% of the vote, compared with 41.5% for Fenton-Fung. Fenton-Fung is married to longtime former […]
Olivia Ebertz
Olivia Ebertz comes to The Public’s Radio from WNYC, where she was a producer for Morning Edition. Prior to that, she spent two years reporting for KYUK in Bethel, Alaska, where she wrote a lot about how the warming climate is forcing local Indigenous communities to change their traditional lifeways.
Prior to her career as a journalist, Olivia worked in film. Her documentaries have screened at festivals worldwide.
Olivia likes to pursue stories inspired by questions from community members.
Ella habla español, lei parla italiano, и она говорит по-русски.
Posted inLocal, Politics
Highlights: Sept. 10 Rhode Island state primary
READ MORE: Hopkins cruises to victory over Fenton-Fung in Cranston Live updates Race calls are based on reports from the Associated Press, unless otherwise noted. Results are preliminary and subject to certification by the Board of Elections.
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk
State to keep control of Providence schools for up to three more years
On Thursday night the Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education approved a plan from the state commissioner of education to keep the Providence Public School District under state control for up to three additional years. Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said during the council meeting that the schools should be “proud,” of the progress they’ve […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Politics
Cranston Republican mayoral candidates trade accusations of corruption during debate
The two candidates vying for the Republican nomination in the Sept. 10 mayoral primary traded allegations of corruption and debated the finer points of education, homelessness, and the fate of Cranston’s storied recreational pool. Nearly a hundred people turned up for the event in the contentious primary race. Budlong Pool Hopkins defended his decision to […]
Posted inEconomy, Local, Metro Desk
No contractors have submitted bids to rebuild the Washington Bridge
After coming up empty-handed, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation chalks up the lack of bids to the ambitious August 2026 timeline for the project to rebuild the bridge. The initial request for proposals was publicized in April and focused on incentivizing bidders with cash for completing a bridge rebuild by August of 2026. It […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local, Newport Bureau
Newport’s only public beach is eroding. Should the city save it?
Newport has one public beach, and it’s washing away fast. The severe storms this past winter have exacerbated erosion at Easton’s Beach, which was already eroding at alarming rates. Now, Newport officials want voters to decide whether to fund a multi-million dollar sand replenishment project to help shore up the beach. Some people are questioning […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk
Hisham Awartani joins Brown University students presenting divestment proposal to board members
On Thursday morning, a group of four undergraduate students and one graduate student wearing business casual attire made their way up the hill to the John D. Rockefeller library at Brown University. They had just presented a proposal on divestment to some of the school’s board members. A group of their peers, members of the […]
Posted inLabor, Local, Metro Desk
Outraged by Brown’s threats of faculty discipline, some professors call for institutional reform
It’s been more than two weeks since student protesters at Brown University struck a deal with school administrators, packed up their tents, and peacefully ended a pro-Palestinian encampment that had lasted nearly a week. But some faculty members at Brown say they are unwilling to move on and forget about a series of ominous letters […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk
Judge issues not guilty filing for 41 Brown University student protesters
A Providence judge has issued a not guilty filing for 41 Brown University pro-Palestinian protestors who were arrested for trespassing last semester. Judge Nicholas Parrillo said he was going against the objections of the city of Providence and Brown University in issuing the not guilty filing to the protestors because none of them had a […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk
RISD sit-in ends
Yesterday, after RISD President Crystal Williams told students their barricades were a fire hazard and sent in facilities managers and Department of Public Safety security officers to break them down, the students say they made the voluntary decision to leave the building and were escorted out by their supporters. Luca Antonio Colannino, a spokesperson for […]