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A special look back at stories featured on Rhode Island PBS Weekly marking four years on the air.

‘Rhode Island PBS Weekly’ Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

Take a look back at some of the program’s most memorable moments

November 11, 2024

“Rhode Island PBS Weekly” turns four years old today.

In honor of this milestone, the show’s team mined the program’s archives to produce this short retrospective video.

Since its launch, “Rhode Island PBS Weekly” has earned 21 Emmy nominations and two wins. Over the last two years, the show has earned more Emmy nominations than any other program produced in Rhode Island. The show also has been nominated for four National Education Telecommunications Association (NETA) wards and has won three.

Justin Kenny Justin Kenny is a national Emmy and Peabody-winning journalist and Senior Producer of Rhode Island PBS Weekly. Kenny previously worked as a North American Producer and Editor at Reuters Television in Washington and was the PBS NewsHour’s Foreign Affairs Editor and Senior Producer from 2012-2015. He owns Small Footprint Films, a news and documentary production company focusing on international humanitarian issues. He was born and raised in West Warwick, Rhode Island and attended Bishop Hendricken High School, Marymount University and the University of Missouri.

Climate & Environment

Everything, Expanding Everywhere, All at Once: Why the Universe Has No Center

A century after Einstein’s theory of general relativity, scientists continue to unravel the mind-bending truth: the universe isn’t just growing—it’s growing in every direction, with no edge, no center, and no end in sight

June 10, 2025

Rob Coyne, University of Rhode Island

History

Loyalists, Patriots and a Colossal Plaid Whale in Newport

Newport Historical Society takes visitors back to 1775 and asks “Whose side are you on?” in the American Revolution. And the Newport Art Museum features the nautical paintings of “Sean Landers: Lost at Sea.”

June 10, 2025

James Baumgartner

Politics

Ethics Panel Says R.I. Senate President Valarie Lawson Can Lead Chamber Despite Union Day Job

But recusals will still be required on specific bills that pose a conflict of interest

June 10, 2025

Nancy Lavin

Health

From Survival to System Change: A Mother’s Journey to Disability Advocacy in Rhode Island

After fighting for her daughter’s care, Kerri Cassino became a powerful advocate for families like hers—leading support groups, influencing policy, and building a community of care through partnerships with The Arc of RI, Impossible Dream, and others

June 10, 2025

G. Wayne Miller

Politics

3 Bills to Watch as Rhode Island Lawmakers Prepare for Big FY2026 Budget Reveal

With the state budget set to drop any day, Rhode Island lawmakers and advocates are in a last-minute scramble—vying for money, attention, and legislative wins on hot-button issues like taxing the rich, raising Medicaid rates, and enacting a bottle bill

June 10, 2025

Nancy Lavin

Food & Drink

Lawmakers Propose Measure to Allow Matunuck Oyster Bar to Temporarily Reopen Outside

After a fire shuttered the beloved Matunuck Oyster Bar, state lawmakers are backing a bill to let the restaurant reopen with a temporary outdoor setup—aiming to preserve jobs and extend pandemic-era dining flexibility through 2027

June 10, 2025

Christopher Shea