Nice bit of autumn weather we had this week. 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: Is there a (somewhat) simple […]
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Posted inArts And Culture, Local
This Victory Day, some Rhode Islanders renew calls to reconsider the state holiday
TRANSCRIPT: This transcript was edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: Monday is Victory Day in Rhode Island, commemorating the surrender of Japan in August of 1945 that led to the end of World War II. Rhode Island is the only state in the country to celebrate the holiday. While some see it as a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health, Housing, Local
City of Woonsocket faces civil rights claim for wrongful arrest
A homeless Liberian immigrant who spent 31 days locked up at the Adult Correctional Institutions for a crime he didn’t commit has notified the City of Woonsocket that he plans to sue for damages. A lawyer representing Mack Blackie, 36, filed a notice of claim with the city on Wednesday, that his client is seeking […]
Posted inEducation, Local
A new report says some New Bedford schools are segregated. What can we learn from the city’s desegregation efforts of the 1970s and 80s?
TRANSCRIPT: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: Ten district and charter schools in New Bedford have been designated as segregated in a new report from the state education department’s Racial Imbalance Advisory Council. Segregation in schools is not new for New Bedford, but in the 1970s and 80s, there were […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for Aug. 2, 2024
It’s a sign of the times when CVS Health unveils a new initiative meant to help vulnerable people deal with the effects of extreme weather. 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 […]
Posted inLocal, New England News Collaborative
After more than a century, women take a formal role in New Bedford’s massive Madeiran Feast
New Bedford’s Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, a cultural festival with religious roots, is billed as the largest Portuguese feast in the world. It’s more than a century old, but this year, behind the scenes, something very big is changing. For the first time — and under threat of a lawsuit — women have been allowed to join the Feast Committee.
Posted inLocal, On Sports
Meet the Rhody Trio chasing Olympic dreams in France
The flotilla of bateaux mouches sailing the Seine with 7,000 Olympians aboard smiling and waving in the rain is but a fond memory a week later. The same for the masked torch bearer scampering along rooftops, icons Lady Gaga and Celine Dion performing, and daredevil dancers swaying atop poles during the impressive Opening Ceremonies. The Paris […]
Posted inLocal, Politics
Long an advocate for reforming the Supreme Court, Whitehouse lauds Biden’s plan
While making structural changes to the nation’s highest court may seem unlikely during an era of hyper-partisanship and divided government, Rhode Island U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse contends that support is growing. On Monday, President Biden used an op-ed in the Washington Post to flesh out his endorsement for imposing 18-year term limits and a binding […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Local
‘This is what I was meant to do’: Dave Isay reflects on a career of storytelling, bridging America’s political and social divide
TRANSCRIPT: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: Over the past 21 years, national story-gathering project StoryCorps has collected hundreds of thousands of conversations from all over the country and preserved them in the Library of Congress. It’s the largest collection of human voices ever gathered. Their latest initiative is One […]
Posted inLocal, Technology
Vice-chair of A.I. task force says Rhode Island must seize opportunities, mitigate risks posed by new technology
TRANSCRIPT: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Luis Hernandez: We’ve been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence in recent years. This emerging technology has the potential to transform the state’s economy, government and our daily lives in unexpected ways. Earlier this year, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee established the state’s artificial intelligence […]