Rhode Island Report

A man who made headlines promising to turn Memorial Hospital into a solution for the state’s homelessness crisis is not all that he seems. Earlier this month, our own reporter Amanda Milkovits released the first installment of her investigation into Michael Mota - a businessman who is being chased for money in multiple states by creditors, investors, and vendors.

Amanda joins the show to play some of her interviews with Mota and give us a behind-the-scenes look at the story. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In December, Globe RI’s Alexa Gagosz wrote a story about the Strong family – Holly, Kiel, and their four children. They’re middle-class Rhode-Islanders – with jobs – who spiraled into homelessness last year. In their search for housing, they've spent more than $40,000 on hotel rooms and more than $5,000 on rental application fees. They're still living in a hotel. Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Holly and Alexa about the family's story and how it's become emblematic of Rhode Island's housing crisis. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brian Amaral from Globe RI is half Portuguese, which means he loves the food, but he doesn’t know how to make it. So, he drove to the home of Maria Lawton, the host of Maria's Portuguese Table on RI PBS for a cooking lesson. Listen in as Maria teaches Brian how to make “ovos com molho de tomate e cebola” or eggs with tomato and onion sauce. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi is getting serious about Rhode Island’s housing crisis. Last week, he unveiled no less than 14 bills to address the problem. But will he even be in the State House much longer? He’s also considering a run for Congress now that David Cicilline has decided to step down -- and he says Gina Raimondo is encouraging him to go for it.

He joins us to talk about that and more. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2010, David Upegui left a research job at Brown University to become a science teacher at his alma mater- Central Falls High School. That work has won him numerous awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

He joins us to talk about rethinking science education and empowering students in Central Falls and beyond. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Representative David Cicilline dropped a surprise announcement today- he’s resigning from congress to run the state’s largest philanthropic organization, the Rhode Island Foundation. Why is he leaving a seat he could have held for the rest of his life? Who will replace him? And how does this affect the rest of Rhode Island politics?

Globe RI columnist Dan McGowan and Jim Hummel, the host of A Lively Experiment on Rhode Island PBS, join us to offer some analysis. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Representative Raymond Hull, a Providence Democrat, has been at the State House for over a decade and has served in the Providence Police Department for 33 years. He was recently named deputy speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, making him the first Black legislator to hold that position. 

He joins us to discuss his new role and the proposals to revamp the law that protects police officers who are being investigated for misconduct. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Keith Nunes committed a murder as an 18-year-old, a crime that landed him a life sentence. Last year, after more than two decades in prison, Nunes was released, thanks to a law passed by Rhode Island's General Assembly. Under what’s known as Mario’s Law, people who committed a crime before they turned 22 may appear before the parole board after they’ve been in prison for 20 years. Nunes is one of only three men to be released under the law. He joins us to talk about his personal story and why he believes Rhode Islanders who leave prison should get more support. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Five years ago, at the age of 69, the Rev. Donnie Anderson came out as transgender. She had already been a presence in Rhode Island politics for more than two decades – including 13 years as the executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. She is now the newly elected chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus and the first transgender woman to serve in that role. She joins us to talk about her priorities for the caucus, her own journey to coming out, and the state of transgender rights in this country. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed has been in the US Senate for more than 25 years. Over that time, he has risen to become chairman of the Armed Services Committee and a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee. He joins us to talk about his recent trip to Ukraine, a new drug threat in Rhode Island, and the recently opened train station in Pawtucket. Tips and ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.