Washout: Our vanishing beaches
Last winter’s severe storms took a heavy toll on Rhode Island beaches. The damage is another warning sign of the climate-related shoreline challenges facing the region. about the reshaping of Rhode Island’s shoreline.
Renters at Risk
Lead paint was banned in the U.S. in 1978. But hundreds of Rhode Island children are still poisoned by it every year. An investigation by the Public’s Radio found landlords rarely face consequences for failing to comply with state laws meant to protect children from exposure.
Underage & Unprotected: Migrant Teen Stories
A two-year investigation reveals how some migrant teens end up working in risky jobs at seafood processing plants in New Bedford, Massachusetts. We examine the role of staffing agencies, which many teens said hired them and sent them to jobs at processors. The series also exposes weaknesses in the systems government agencies rely on to uncover child labor law violations. And it shows the toll the work takes on young people.
How Fire Districts Block Access to RI’s Shoreline
Rhode Island boasts of its nearly 400 miles of shoreline, yet the state’s eight public saltwater beaches border less than seven miles of that waterfront. Much of the remaining land along the shore is privately owned. The public has the legal right to the coastal waterfront, but wealthy shoreline communities are getting more exclusive. Special fire districts—which sometimes don’t even fight fires at all—are a big factor in the growing tensions over shoreline access.
Falling Short: In search of affordable housing
A special series exploring stories about the housing crisis in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. We’ll be following this story as it develops, exploring efforts in the political arena and the private sector to address the housing shortage and reporting on the realities of the situation for those who simply can’t find a place to live.
Chasing the Fix: Addiction and Homelessness
Nationwide, roughly half of all people who are chronically homeless have substance use disorders. Our series focuses on Woonsocket, R.I., a former mill city which, in 2021, had the state’s highest rate of drug overdose deaths. The stories explore some of the barriers faced by people experiencing homelessness who also are struggling with addiction.
When is it Time to Retreat From the Sea?
Rhode Island is beginning to experience the first effects of sea level rise. As the risk to homes and infrastructure grows, coastal communities are wrestling with a fundamental question: should they retrench or retreat? The stakes are rising.
Living in Limbo: Foster Family Stories
“I felt like I was kidnapped.” That’s how Tanya Townsend describes the experience of being placed in foster care when she was ten years old. It’s an experience shared by many of the 270,000 kids who are placed in foster care every year in the U.S. But too often, their voices are left out of conversations about the future of child welfare. This series brings into focus the youth and families living in the foster care system.