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Nirva LaFortune is the Providence City Councilwoman representing Ward 3.  In this conversation, LaFortune combines her experiences in city government and education to offer keen perspective on recent troubling developments in the city and state's public school systems.

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On this episode of The Bartholoemwtown Podcast, Bill is joined by Raymond Two Hawks Watson for a deep dive into Rhode Island historical and contemporary issues.

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Providence City Council President Sabina Matos is widely considered to be a buzzworthy figure in contemporary and future Providence politics.  On this episode, we discuss the role that the council president plays in city government, as well as her perspective on the ongoing Providence Public Schools situation (years of infrastructural and academic neglect, brought to greater public attention via recent Johns Hopkins Schools of Education report).

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Bill Bartholomew sits down with Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner for his second appearance on the pod, discussing several of the Treasurer's initiatives as well as recent developments in Rhode Island schools.

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Sam Bell (D, Providence) is a freshman Rhode Island state Senator, known for his tenure as the former head of the Rhode Island progressive Democrats, and currently in the state legislature, as a strong opposition voice to many of the seemingly institutionalist practices of the state’s political infrastructure.  

During his appearance on The Bartholomewtown Podcast, Senator Bell made waves when he suggested that, due to what he perceives as an extreme conservative bias, that Rhode Islanders would be better off without the current media companies that produce news and opinion in the market, and that because of what he describes as a lack of progressive opinion voices on radio, in print and on television, that he would not be disappointed to see the current media landscape fold.

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Bill Bartholomew welcomes in Ethan Shorey, Managing Editor of The Valley Breeze, a hyper-local print newspaper covering northern Rhode Island.  The conversation offers a glimpse into the community relationships that define The Valley Breeze's success and growth, along with Shorey's assessment of northern Rhode Island economic development, Rhode Island politics and much more.

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Dante Bellini Jr. is the recently retired Partner / Executive Vice President of RDW Group, a Rhode Island based integrated communications firm with ties to many of the market's legacy brands and institutions.  During this fun conversation, Dante offers insight from his 41 years in mass media and shares key takeaways about Rhode Island and the southern New England market.

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On this episode of The Bartholomewtown Podcast, Bill Bartholomew is joined by Providence Journal Providence beat reporter Madeleine List for two separate conversations.  First, an in-studio sit-down, focusing on Madeleine's first year on the City Hall beat.  Second, a phone conversation in the hours following the passing of the fiscal year 2020 Providence budget, a process that was filled with much rhetoric and criticism between Mayor Elorza and The Providence City Council.

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Just days after The Rhode Island General Assembly passed the fiscal year 2020 state budget, House Majority Leader offers insight into how leadership may have prioritized certain sectors and ideas in an effort to stimulate economic development (i.e. small business, Blockchain), attention to educational challenges and so-called "evergreen laws", as well as shared wins and losses between different parties and State Officers.

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G. Wayne Miller is an established storyteller, who has built a career through writing, photography, television and audio platforms including PBS and The Providence Journal.  On this episode, Bill Bartholomew and Wayne discuss the future of media, the rise of podcasting, his nationally syndicated television program Story In The Public Square and the ins-and-outs of storytelling.

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