Search - Rhode Island PBS

Brown University President Christina Paxson listens to speakers at a June 2024 event at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, which announced the school’s partnership with the hospital group then known as Lifespan and now known as Brown University Health — one achievement in Paxson’s 13-year tenure at the Ivy League university.

Article

Education

Brown University Extends Paxson’s Presidential Term Through June 2028

Paxson, who has led Brown since 2012, will continue her presidency amid major campus initiatives and national challenges in higher education

May 28, 2025

·

Alexander Castro

Johnson & Wales has lost over 50% of its student population since 2011.

Article

Education

College Enrollment is Declining. How is Johnson & Wales Preparing for the ‘Demographic Cliff’?

Johnson & Wales University has lost more than 50% of its college population since 2011. A looming “demographic cliff” is expected to reduce that number even further, prompting JWU officials to consider how best to prepare for the financial consequences of lower student enrollment

May 28, 2025

·

James Baumgartner

Gov. Dan McKee at his office in the Rhode Island Statehouse.

Article

Politics

Governor McKee: Navigating Budget Uncertainty, Transit Gaps, and Hospital Stability

Efforts by Republicans in Washington to change Medicaid and other programs are sparking uncertainty about the budget outlook here in Rhode Island

May 28, 2025

·

Ian Donnis

Mia Negron, 2, sits atop her father Luis’ shoulders at a State House rally on May 27, 2025. The family became unhoused when Mia was an infant in 2023.

Article

Community

Shelter Beds at Risk in Rhode Island if State Doesn’t Fill Housing Budget Gap, Advocates Warn

May 28, 2025

·

Christopher Shea

The minimum wage is among the issues coming up at the Statehouse this year.

Article

Politics

Fifteen Pages of Public Records Reform. McKee’s Administration Doesn’t Like Any of It

State agencies flood lawmakers with concerns over cost, workload to update Access to Public Records Act

May 27, 2025

·

Nancy Lavin

Article

History

Preserving Voices, Building Legacy: Marta V. Martinez on Chronicling Latino History in Rhode Island

From an “accidental oral historian” to a cultural trailblazer, Martinez reflects on her journey, her passion for storytelling, and the power of honoring Latino pioneers through history, art, and community

May 27, 2025

·

G. Wayne Miller

Article

Pressroom

Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio Awarded with Two Edward R. Murrow Awards

The media station has received awards in the Digital and Hard News categories

May 27, 2025

Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh swims near the Edgartown Harbor Light, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass.

Article

Sports

Swimmer Circumnavigates Martha’s Vineyard Ahead of ‘Jaws’ 50th Anniversary

UN ocean advocate Lewis Pugh completes 60-mile swim in icy waters to shift perceptions of sharks from “villains to vital,” calling their global slaughter an act of ‘ecocide’

May 27, 2025

·

Leah Willingham

May 27, 2025

In March, NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger testified that cutbacks to public media would hurt local member stations.

Article

News & Culture

NPR and Colorado Stations Sue Trump Over Executive Order Defunding Public Media

Public broadcasters call the order “textbook retaliation” and a First Amendment violation, challenging what they say is a politically motivated attempt to silence independent journalism

May 27, 2025

·

David Folkenflik