This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Ian Donnis: Why did you want to tell this story? Phil Eil: Well, what initially caught my attention was the simple wildness of the two facts that I first had. One, that this guy Paul Volkman had gone to medical school with my dad and they […]
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Posted inHousing, Local
How racist restrictions in housing deeds helped shape where Rhode Islanders live today
Mark Brown was flipping through property records in Warwick City Hall when he encountered something unexpected. As part of his volunteer work with the local historic cemetery commission, he was looking to see if a small cemetery had a right-of-way attached to it. What he found in a deed from 1940 for a neighboring house […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Aug. 23, 2024
Late summer is the best time of year in Rhode Island. 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. *** STORY OF THE WEEK: With the end […]
Posted inHealth, Local
Abrupt closure of St. Mary’s Home for Children leaves families of vulnerable Rhode Island kids looking for answers
The board of directors of St. Mary’s Home for Children, a residential treatment center serving youth in state care, announced on Tuesday that it was shutting down the facility. The nonprofit planned to relocate its outpatient program and school to the offices of Tides Family Services, the agency that took over some responsibilities earlier this […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local, South Coast Bureau
Officers present during Fall River police station beating can keep their jobs
Two Fall River police officers who were present for the beating of a suspect at the city’s police station in 2020 will keep their jobs, after an investigation released this week found insufficient evidence to prove whether they filed false reports in violation of department policy. An earlier FBI investigation into the beating already led […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Artscape, Local, South Coast Bureau
El Patio de Comidas: Summer-long celebration of Central American cuisine provides a launch pad for local businesses
Hundreds gather in New Bedford’s Riverside Park on Saturdays throughout the summer to enjoy Latin American food from local vendors who got their start through the Patio de Comidas initiative. The series, which also features music, dancing, and local goods, concludes on Saturday with a grand finale: the Festival Tipico de Guatemala.
Posted inImmigration, Local, Politics
Cranston Republicans scrap over tuition for immigrants
College tuition for undocumented immigrants has become an issue in the Cranston mayoral Republican primary between incumbent Mayor Ken Hopkins and challenger state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung. A mailer sent by Hopkins’ campaign this week reads in part: “Should illegal immigrants get free college tuition? Barbara Fenton-Fung says yes.” The mailer shows a large number […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Local, NPR
Newport obsessed over the Vanderbilts. But its Black leaders thrived long before the Gilded Age.
Dating back to even pre-revolutionary years, Newport was home to entrepreneurs, political pioneers and philanthropists from across the African diaspora.
Posted inLocal, Politics
With top state officials at DNC, who is running Rhode Island?
With Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and House Speaker Joe Shekarchi at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, who is in charge of the state? The answer may seem academic, since there’s a small chance of a sudden crisis engulfing the state before the officials return later this week. But Rhode […]
Posted inHousing, Local, South County Bureau
How large-lot zoning contributes to Rhode Island’s big housing shortfall
The corner of Gardiner and Ten Rod Roads in Exeter looks a lot like a place to take a hike. It’s wooded, quiet, and abuts 26 acres of densely grown trees. “It certainly would make a great nature preserve,” Colin Penney, executive director of South County Habitat for Humanity, said on a recent visit to […]