Rhode Island Report

Listen to a live event taped at the Rhode Island PBS studios celebrating the podcast’s 100th episode. Our host, Ed Fitzpatrick, and Jim Ludes from Salve Regina and Rhode Island PBS interview House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. Brown political science professor Wendy Schiller concludes the show with some analysis. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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US Representative David Cicilline has spent nearly half of his life in politics — first as a state representative, then the mayor of Providence, and finally in Congress. He's leaving all of that behind this week to run the state’s largest philanthropic organization, the Rhode Island Foundation. We chat about his last day in office, the debt-ceiling debate, and where he envisions taking the foundation in the years ahead. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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Almost exactly two years ago, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the former Rhode Island Governor, joined us as the first guest on Rhode Island Report. At the time, she was only a few months into the job. So, Jim Hummel from Rhode Island PBS and I decided it was time for an update. She joins us to talk about the debt ceiling, Tiktok, and our relationship with China. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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It’s been more than 20 years since Richard Hatch won the first season of "Survivor." Since then, the Rhode-Islander has embraced his "naked guy" brand and competed in "Celebrity Apprentice," "Survivor All Stars," and "The Biggest Loser." He also served a federal prison sentence for tax evasion. Richard joins us to talk about who’s catching his eye on this season of "Survivor," what he thinks of Donald Trump, and what it was like behind bars. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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What’s the impact of having fewer Head Start classrooms? How has gun violence affected our young people? How does asthma relate to attendance in school? The organization Rhode Island Kids Count has been providing answers to these kinds of questions for nearly 30 years in its annual fact book. We talk to the executive director of Kids Count, Paige Clausius-Parks, for a preview of the latest data. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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Sirens blaring, music blasting, horns beeping, ATVs -- Providence is full of noises. And those noises affect some communities more than others. Rhode Island PBS producer Michelle San Miguel and Brown Professor Erica Walker join us to talk about Walker's project examining which neighborhoods are the loudest, and what we can do to make urban noise more equitable. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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The state's housing crisis is affecting our emergency departments. Rhode Island PBS producer Isabella Jibilian recently explored how residents without housing often use hospitals as a safe, warm place to stay, especially during the winter. She joins us, along with state Senator Josh Miller, who’s been arguing that Rhode Island should use Medicaid funds to provide housing. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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In Rhode Island, we knew Nicholas Alahverdian as an advocate for Rhode Island foster children. He was notorious for spending time at the State House and lobbying officials, and he was pretty relentless about contacting reporters, including our own columnist, Dan McGowan.

But law enforcement officials say he’s also a con artist and a sex offender who faked his own death. In 2022, they arrested him in Scotland, allegedly living under the name Arthur Knight.

Journalist Jane MacSorely spent a year following his story for the Audible podcast series “I am not Nicholas.” She joins us to talk about what she learned.

Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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It’s been more than 10 years since part of Interstate 195 was relocated, freeing up 25 acres of prime Providence real estate. What’s happened since? And has the project lived up to its original intent? We get an update from Marc Crisafulli, the new chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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The list of people running to replace US Representative David Cicilline in Congress is getting longer every day. What is the state of the race, and who's in the best position to win? We’re joined by Brown University political science Professor Wendy Schiller and Jim Hummel, host of “A lively Experiment” on Rhode Island PBS. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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