Providence Mayor Brett Smiley today announced official plans to remove the bike lanes from South Water Street. Smiley wants to add in an extra lane of vehicular traffic, which he says will help alleviate congestion in Fox Point following the closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge, and move the bike lane to […]
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 inHousing, Local, Metro Desk
What Providence’s proposed zoning changes would mean for your neighborhood
The City of Providence’s Planning Department has released a new map showing proposed changes in growth and density in the city under its draft comprehensive plan. According to the city’s Planning Department, the proposed changes are meant to accommodate more people. Over the last Census period, the city’s population increased by 7%, and the city […]
Posted inLabor, Local
ABC6 employees vote to form union
Creative and production staff members at local television news station ABC6 won their union election Monday night 22-3, with two abstentions. The ABC6 unit is now part of the Communications’ Workers of America’s broadcast arm, called NABET. It represents producers, photographers, meteorologists, reporters, technical staff, and web staff. Sales workers, anchors, sportscasters and engineers are […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
Secretary Buttigieg calls 2-year timeline for bridge repairs “aggressive”
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited the Washington Bridge in Providence on Tuesday, days after the news that the westbound side of the bridge must be demolished and rebuilt due to structural deficiencies. The state estimates the process could take up to two years. At a press conference on the Gano street off-ramp, Buttigieg […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
RIPTA staves off service cuts — for now
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority announced today it will postpone implementing unpopular bus service cuts that had originally been planned for early spring. The agency, which planned the cuts because of a driver shortage, said in a statement that the postponement would give more time for RIPTA to attract new drivers. RIPTA said in […]
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 […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk
Providence planners have released a new map showing how the city will grow
Once per decade, the city planners and lawmakers in Providence get a chance to rewrite the plan that guides how neighborhoods are shaped, efforts to control housing costs, and where commercial real estate can be built. That once in a decade opportunity is now. The City of Providence’s Planning Department is beginning to release parts […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
RIPTA boss hopeful driver raises will prevent service cuts
The board governing RIPTA voted Thursday to increase driver salaries 16.6% from a starting pay of $21.71 per hour to $25.33. The pay raise is intended to address a driver shortage at the agency. RIPTA is short 20 drivers, and because of that, according to RIPTA CEO Scott Avedisian, is considering cutting service to 11 […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
RIDOT will add two new lanes over the Washington Bridge
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday plans to introduce a new traffic pattern to improve travel times over the Washington Bridge in Providence. State transportation officials say they plan to add one new eastbound and one new westbound lane in eight weeks. That will bring the total number of lanes from four […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
Here’s what bus riders think of RIPTA’s proposed service cuts
Eighteen-year-old Angela Sarmiento is a regular on RIPTA bus 18. She uses it to get from her home in Cranston to school, or to her job at a retirement home on the East Side of Providence. She says it’s pretty reliable. “It comes on time. It’s never late,” she said. But Sarmiento’s commute might get […]
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