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Podcast

Rhode Island Report

A weekly podcast from The Boston Globe on what’s bubbling in Rhode Island news. In-depth interviews with newsmakers, perspective and analysis from Globe Rhode Island reporters, and intimate conversations with community members across the state.
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Latest Episodes

Senator Mack challenges Senate President Ruggerio’s stance on taxing the rich

On the Rhode Island Report, the progressive Providence Democrat talks about legalizing marijuana, the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, and rugby.

Latino Policy Institute director weighs in on long lines for COVID-19 tests, 2022 legislative priorities

Marcela Betancur calls for Governor McKee to propose budget providing health coverage for all children, including 400 undocumented youth.

Podcast: Meet the Globe Rhode Island team

The editor and writers discuss the stories they're covering and their goals in R.I.

Senate President Ruggerio opposes raising taxes on richest Rhode Islanders

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Senate President Ruggerio backs a proposal to tear down McCoy Stadium and build a new Pawtucket high school.

Forget roasting them on an open fire. Chestnut fights make the season bright

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Globe reporter Edward Fitzpatrick returns to Greenville to relive a schoolyard tradition.

How did a coach’s naked ‘body fat’ tests go on for 25 years?

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Globe reporter Amanda Milkovits talks about the unfolding scandal involving former North Kingstown basketball coach Aaron Thomas.

CCRI President Meghan Hughes on how to improve the college transfer system

On the latest episode of the Rhode Island Report podcast, Hughes also discussed her new role as president of the board of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, how CCRI has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role colleges need to play in K-12 education in Rhode Island.

For Indigenous people, Thanksgiving represents a day of mourning

“There’s no US history without Indigenous people’s history,” says Tomaquag Museum executive director Lorén Spears.

Advocate: R.I. leaders are sitting on federal funds as homelessness crisis intensifies

"We’re worried that people are going to freeze to death," Providence College professor Eric Hirsch says on the Rhode Island Report podcast.

Here’s what parenting expert Emily Oster says about vaccinating your kids against COVID-19

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, the Brown University professor also talks about test-to-stay programs such as the one launched in Westerly schools.

Halloween fun, for free: ‘Deadly Fantasies, Silent Nights started as a bet and became a Johnston, R.I. tradition

“Everybody likes a good scare,” Michael DeCesare says on the latest episode of Rhode Island Report.

McKee defends state contract with ILO Group, outlines 2030 vision

The governor responds to Matt Brown’s criticism on Johnston’s Amazon warehouse deal, saying, “We negotiated the very best agreement in the country.”

‘I am not in some sort of progressive civil war,’ R.I. Political Cooperative co-founder says

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Jennifer Rourke explains her comments about “Fauxgressives” but played down divisions that have been evident within the Democratic Party.

Oct. 16 WaterFire event will celebrate Rhode Island’s people of color

On the latest episode of the Rhode Island Report podcast, the founder and the board adviser of the Papitto Opportunity Connection discuss why it is sponsoring the special event.

The key factors in Tuesday’s state Senate primary in District 3

On Rhode Island Report podcast, Globe columnist Dan McGowan reviews who’s running and what’s at stake in the race on Providence’s East Side.

Providence Mayor Elorza on skipping the R.I. governor’s race, and what he hopes to accomplish before he leaves office

On the latest episode of Rhode Island Report, the mayor talks about his poll numbers, his plans, and whether he’ll endorse Governor Dan McKee.

The Taliban killed her father. Now she calls Providence home

On the latest episode of Rhode Island Report, Negina Sadat, who came to the US as a refugee from Afghanistan, and Omar Bah, founder and executive director of the Refugee Dream Center, discuss welcoming evacuees to Rhode Island.

Brown climate researcher warns of rising seas, flooding in R.I.

In the latest episode of Rhode Island Report, a professor who was a lead author of new UN climate change report outlines the trade-offs the state faces in protecting its coastline.

Trailblazing Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson reflects on her career

As she prepares to enter semi-retired status, the first Black judge on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals talks to Rhode Island Report about the value of diverse viewpoints on the bench

Rhode Island exhales after Henri

Marc Pappas calls in from the road while touring the state to assess toll taken by the tropical storm.

Exoneree Scott Hornoff on winning state support for the wrongly convicted

On the latest edition of Rhode Island Report podcast, a former Warwick police detective who was wrongly imprisoned shares his story and his fight to help other exonerees.

Shore subjects in R.I.: Limited beach access and the right to collect seaweed

On this Rhode Island Report podcast, Globe reporter Brian Amaral reviews the various battles over shoreline access.

Black and Latino caucus leader calls for R.I. to include minority-owned businesses

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Representative Karen Alzate talks about the group’s legislative priorities.

R.I. civil rights leader Clifford R. Montiero discusses voting rights battles, past and present

“When you saw the Confederate flags, and you saw the families yelling and spitting at you and screaming,” he said on the Rhode Island Report podcast, “I had not seen that kind of hatred.”

PODCAST | RHODE ISLAND REPORT
Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals are about to return to the main stage
“I think we really needed a touchstone of kind of looking around and saying, ‘hey, we’re all here together,’” the executive producer and director of the festivals said during the latest edition of the Rhode Island Report podcast

PODCAST | RHODE ISLAND REPORT
How R.I. Education Commissioner Infante-Green wants to transform schools after the pandemic
During a taping of the Rhode Island Report podcast, Infante-Green said that could include a system where secondary education – particularly at the high school level – could look more like college, with students setting schedules for classes that might allow them to take on jobs or babysit their siblings.

PODCAST | RHODE ISLAND REPORT
Second great white shark tagged in Rhode Island waters could provide key climate-change data
The head of the Atlantic Shark Institute discusses their latest work, how sharks affect the ocean’s ecosystem, and how “Jaws” helped him get into the water.

PODCAST: Rhode Island Report
R.I. attorney general addresses why hate crime prosecutions fell short
On Rhode Island Report podcast, Peter Neronha talks about the value of body-worn cameras for police and the shooting of a teen by an off-duty officer.

PODCAST | RHODE ISLAND REPORT
Matos: It’s too soon to end state takeover of Providence schools
The lieutenant governor talks about city schools, her 2022 campaign plans, and her transportation wish list for Pete Buttigieg.

House Speaker Shekarchi aims to act on pay equity, police discipline bills

But as the legislative session enters the homestretch, Shekarchi said he’s not expecting final action on marijuana legalization or drivers’ licenses for undocumented immigrants.

RI HEALTH
The work that must be done before the next pandemic
On RI Report podcast, Dr. Pablo Rodriguez calls for addressing the social determinants of health, including poverty and affordable housing.

PODCAST
Raimondo on China, Biden’s infrastructure plan, and leaving her home state
In the first episode of Globe Rhode Island’s new weekly podcast, the US Commerce Secretary and former R.I. governor talks candidly about getting the economy back on track, what Red states are up against, and what she’ll miss most about Rhode Island.

More Recent Stories

Dave Epstein | Forecast
There are multiple warnings and advisories with the upcoming storm.

Approaching storm to bring snow, wind, and flooding to Mass.

After peaking around sunrise, the storm will wind down by noon on Monday. It’s in this window that we will see the snow, the rain, the wind, and the coastal flooding.

RI Crime

A fling in a state police cruiser leads to problems for Charlestown, R.I., officers

“The incident was not properly reported or recorded by the department at the time,” the Charlestown Police Chief said in an emailed statement. The agency “has taken the necessary corrective actions to remedy this situation and to further train our personnel.”

RI CRIME

Warwick police shoot a man inside the police station, investigation underway

The man was taken to a hospital, the mayor said in a statement. This is the second time Warwick police have shot someone in two months.

COLUMN | DAN MCGOWAN
Nicholas Alahverdian is introducing a bill to reform the child welfare system in RI and is also announcing a suit against the state for violations of his civil rights that took place while he was in the RI foster care system. Photo shows Nicholas Alahverdian as he gives a press conference at the State House saying he was abused by the RI foster care system.

The R.I. con artist who faked his own death is finally getting his wish: He’s newsworthy now

All Nicholas Alahverdian ever wanted was to be newsworthy. Now all of it is unraveling.

RI NEWS
Pastor Howard M. Jenkins Jr. of the Bethel AME Church in Providence speaks during a 2021 news conference, calling for the state to hold a mass COVID-19 vaccination weekend for people of color in Rhode Island.

With MLK breakfast called off due to COVID, R.I. ministers pivot to acts of service

“We felt that MLK was about community service,” the president of the Rhode Island Ministers Alliance said. “We still recognize that even though some may feel we’re coming out of the pandemic, there’s still much disparity in our communities.”

RI Crime
Two ACLU of Rhode Island cooperating attorneys, Lisa Holley and Sonja Deyoe, have decided to represent the two men among other incarcerated individuals in this challenge against the R.I. Department of Corrections.

State flouting law meant to cut youthful offenders’ sentences short, suit says

Challenging the state Department of Corrections' interpretation of a law meant to aid incarcerated individuals obtain parole, American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island cooperating attorneys filed petitions Friday with the state Superior Court seeking the immediate release of Pablo Ortega and Joao Neves under the conditions of their parole.

RI POLITICS
The latest version of the Rhode Island Senate district map -- Plan D -- changes the border between Senate District 22 (represented by Senator Stephen R. Archambault, a Smithfield Democrat) and District 17 (represented by Senator Thomas J. Paolino, a Lincoln Republican).

R.I. redistricting co-chair faces questions about last-minute change to his district

A sliver of Lincoln was added to a district in Smithfield -- right where the co-chair, who represents Smithfield, owns land.

RHODE MAP

A former top aide to Gina Raimondo is launching a communications shop

Mike Raia said Half Street Strategic Consulting will focus on strategic and executive communications, crisis and reputation management, and public/media relations.