Gail Ciampa, who covers food and dining, has spent years reporting on the restaurant industry, becoming one of the state’s most prominent voices on culinary news.

But that’s not how her career at the newspaper began.

“The day I arrived I was a fashion editor, of all things, which was one of my least favorite jobs,” she said, explaining that things changed after a conversation with the food editor.

“She said, ‘You’re Italian, you must love food, and you’re going to be one of my restaurant reviewers,'” Ciampa recalled. “I always filled in for her, and when she retired, I applied for the job. It’s been the job of a lifetime.”

Ciampa also discussed her recent reporting on the retirement of a public official who played an outsized role in Rhode Island agriculture. She reflected on the challenges restaurateurs have faced since the COVID-19 pandemic and explained how she decides which stories to pursue.

This week, Ciampa wrote about the surprising feedback she received from a reader in another state after publishing a story on presidential wines. (Spoiler: George Washington’s favorite was Madeira.)

“She saw the story and was thrilled with the idea of serving Madeira,” Ciampa said. “She called me the ‘instigator of her party,’ and she said she had to tell me about it.”

Later in the show, Kim and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of The Boston Globe.

Christopher Gavin, a reporter with the Globe’s Rhode Island bureau, has been covering the arrest of 70-year-old Ronald Fischer, who was on the run for more than 20 years. Fischer was found aboard a sailboat off the coast of New Jersey after disappearing just before a jury found him guilty of sexual assault in 2005.

“This is somebody who was convicted by a jury of his peers 20 years ago,” Gavin said. “There’s a family here that wants to see justice done. That’s what I’ll be looking for in that courtroom, because that’s what this comes down to.”

Target 12 Investigator Tim White, who co-hosted the show, reviewed federal documents detailing the steps Fischer allegedly took before fleeing in 2005. Those actions included transferring ownership of two vehicles to his daughters, selling a Jaguar, purchasing American Airlines tickets and researching ways to change his identity.

White said he’s closely watching what defense Fischer may mount now that so much time has passed since he was convicted in absentia.

“You have to think a defense attorney is going to make a very spirited argument that the whole trial has to get tossed out and we do the whole thing again,” White said. “It’s a long shot that they’ll retry the case — a jury has already spoken. It would take a lot to overturn that verdict. But we’re going to see those motions filed.”

Later in the show, Tim and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of The Boston Globe.

What's it like to cover a global tournament through a local lens?

12 News sports anchor Aniekan Okon joined this week's episode of "Behind the Story" to discuss his experience covering the FIFA World Cup, with international matches hosted at Gillette Stadium, which has been dubbed "Boston Stadium" for the tournament.

"These days where there are so many difference and it seems like we're kind of pulling as people in opposite directions, events like the World Cup remind you that we're a lot more similar than we are different," Okon said.

In addition to covering the matches, Okon spent several days reporting from the Fan Zone in Providence, where he delivered countless live shots for both local and national audiences. Okon said described it as an experience of a lifetime.

"It doesn't matter if you know your team is in it," he said. "Just a chance to watch some of the biggest stars in the world on your home soil is a gift."

Okon and his 12 News colleague, Melanie DaSilva, also launched a special digital TV show, "48 Nations," featuring interviews with soccer figures and discussions about all aspects of the tournament.

Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the "stories we wish we wrote," including:

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman, Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Nicholas Alahverdian, who grew up in Rhode Island, famously faked his own death in 2020 before going on the run while wanted for rape in Utah. Authorities eventually tracked him down at a hospital in Scotland, where he had been living under the alias Arthur Knight.

“It wasn’t the law that caught him — it was COVID,” White said. “Arthur Knight is also the name of a DJ from Rhode Island from when Nicholas Alahverdian was growing up. He was Sir Arthur Knight, who was on the radio, and you have to wonder if that’s where he stole the name from.”

Before becoming known internationally, Alahverdian had already become well known among Rhode Island politicians and journalists, largely for his advocacy on behalf of children living in the state’s child welfare system.

Buteau, a former Target 12 investigator, covered Alahverdian throughout that period — all the way up until he received a phone call from someone claiming to be Alahverdian’s wife, telling him he had died.

Buteau said Alahverdian frequently called him and other reporters with story ideas and pitches, though he often struggled to get to the point.

“You ever meet a guy that inserts a lot of big words, and they don’t really pronounce them well? Well, that was Nicholas,” Buteau said.

Buteau also tracked Alahverdian’s trail of cons and criminal offenses across the country leading up to his disappearance. He said whatever positive work Alahverdian may have done in Rhode Island was ultimately overshadowed by the damage he caused over the years.

Alahverdian was serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape in Utah. He was extradited there after unsuccessfully trying to convince authorities overseas they had the wrong man.

Buteau said he knew it was Alahverdian the moment he saw a photo from Scotland, describing him as someone who could be both convincing and ruthless toward people he believed had crossed him.

“I talked to several people, and none of them wanted to go on the record because they feared him,” Buteau said. “But they all also brought up that he was charismatic. I never found him to be charismatic, but I think he was a good talker, and with a little information, he could make you believe a lot.”

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman, Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

The South County Star focuses on covering communities throughout southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. Nancy Burns-Fusaro, sometimes referred to as the “dean” of the Westerly shoreline, will focus much of her reporting on the arts and lifestyle, which she said are flourishing in South County.

“I’m writing about my wonderful community and wonderful people and, as you can imagine, the diversity in Westerly is just terrific,” Burns-Fusaro said.

Alex Nunes, the nonprofit’s founder and publisher, has covered different parts of the state over the years. He said the idea behind the Star is to expand coverage in a part of the state that receives less attention than the Providence metro area.

“If something happens in Providence, or happens at the State House, there’s a lot of people there to cover it, and people do a really good job,” he said. “But if something happens down in Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton, you really have to have dedicated people who are going to be looking to do those stories — and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including (not all mentioned on air):

“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman, Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Tim White and Ted Nesi, Target 12 investigators and hosts of the political show “Newsmakers,” broke down recent endorsements in the race for Rhode Island governor, including one from Cumberland Democrats who snubbed incumbent Gov. Dan McKee, the town’s former mayor.

White also took viewers behind the scenes of the sentencing of Frank Theis, who was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenagers in the 1980s. Forensic evidence tested decades later helped investigators crack the case.

Later the show, White, Nesi and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including:

Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan are joined by Ted Nesi for a look at how reporters tackle campaign coverage.

Bekah Berger joins Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Steph Machado joins Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Steph Machado broke the news that the school district, for an unknown number of years, had been letting students leave school five minutes early. The practice has now come back to haunt the district, with the state’s education department requiring Pawtucket to make up the lost instructional time.

The lost time comes on top of four snow days and delayed starts during the winter, which the Rhode Island Department of Education is also requiring the district to make up. Machado said it all adds up to five or six days, meaning the school year will extend into late June.

“I heard from a lot of parents that this was the first time they were hearing about this,” Machado said of the reaction to her story. “It’s really short notice to find out that you have almost an extra week of school.”

Machado also discussed her coverage of an ongoing federal fight over access to records involving transgender children and teenagers. The court battle stems from the U.S. Department of Justice asking a Texas judge to order the release of medical records for underage patients who received gender-affirming care at Rhode Island Hospital.

Machado said Rhode Island Hospital has agreed to provide some anonymized records, but the legal battle is far from over, with dueling appeals underway in Rhode Island and Texas.

“I don’t know if this will end up at the Supreme Court, but it certainly seems like something that could, based on how many different jurisdictions are now involved,” Machado said.

Later in the show, 12 News Politics Editor Ted Nesi joined the program to discuss the latest political poll released by Emerson College Polling and 12 News.

Nesi discussed the poll’s 20-point lead for challenger Helena Foulkes over incumbent Gov. Dan McKee in the Democratic primary, along with the wide-open race for attorney general.

Nesi also highlighted polling that showed Rhode Islanders across voter groups have little confidence in the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s ability to maintain the state’s roads and bridges.

“Seventy-seven percent of Rhode Island voters say they are not confident in RIDOT to properly manage the state’s roads and bridges,” Nesi said. “Hard not to connect that back to the governor’s struggles in the wake of the Washington Bridge and his decision to stand by RIDOT leadership, notably Peter Alviti, rather than make a change.”

The poll results were discussed in place of the “stories we wish we wrote.”