Providence

Artwork Coming to RIPTA Shelters

Talia Ghazal — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:27:18 +0000

The City of Providence is teaming with Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to spruce up 17 bus shelters along 2 major bus routes. City art, tourism and planning officials will search for artists and artist groups with experience in public art design.

Artists are asked to generate concepts based on North Main Street’s history or Broad Street’s multicultural heritage. Besides these renovations, the city states that the “artwork will reflect the unique characteristics of the neighborhoods along each route.”

PUC Will Hear From Public on Providence Water Rate Hike Request

Catherine Welch — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:19:00 +0000

The public is invited to comment Tuesday on a proposed rate increase by the Providence Water Supply Board. Because Providence sells its water to other municipalities, the rate increase would affect residents in nearly 60 percent of the state.

It’s the first rate hike in four years, and for city residents it means a 24 percent increase. The water board says that’s an additional $6.00 for the average customer.

For the cities of Warwick and East Providence, and for the Kent County and Bristol County water authorities, rates would go up 32 percent.

DOJ Settles Probe into Segregation of Disabled Student Workers

Catherine Welch — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:28:00 +0000

The Justice Department calls this “a new day” for the Rhode Islanders with developmental disabilities that were moved into segregated workshops and paid well below what they should have earned. The Department of Justice has settled with the state and city of Providence in a case involving some 200 workers.

The Providence Flea Opens for the Summer

Flo Jonic — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:05:52 +0000

A new, upscale flea market is attracting crowds to downtown Providence on Sundays; it’s not your typical flea market.

You won’t find tube socks or cheap baubles at the Providence Flea. Pleasantly situated on the Providence River Greenway overlooking the city skyline, the flea market features vendors who sell antiques and collectibles, vintage clothing and unique handmade objects. It was founded by Maria Tocco, a top advisor to Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts.

Time to take RI water seriously

Scott MacKay — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:22:53 +0000

If there is one government service most Rhode Islanders take for granted, it’s the drinking water that flows from our faucets. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay says that may not be the case in the future.

One of Rhode Island’s grand assets is the millions of gallons of water that flows every day from the Scituate Reservoir to the sinks, bubblers and bathtubs that serve 60 percent of our state. In a state with a serious inferiority complex about so much, our water is the boast of a small state.

Providence to Seek Control of Arnold Building

Dylan Weisser — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:13:19 +0000

The city of Providence is seeking to take control of the vacant George C. Arnold building on Washington Street.

The three story structure has been vacant since a damaging fire in 2009 and has been placed on the Providence Preservation Society’s “top ten” list of endangered properties.

President of the Providence Preservation Society, Lucie Searle, says the current condition and vacancy should be a concern.

Providence Water Supply Board Seeks Rate Hike

Catherine Welch and Chuck Hinman — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:41:00 +0000

The Providence Water Supply Board is looking to raise its rates. There’s a public hearing at the state Public Utility Commission Wednesday on a proposal to raise residential rates by 24 percent and wholesale rates by 32 percent. Because 60 percent of the state gets its water from Providence, the rate hike will be felt across much of Rhode Island. Joining morning host Chuck Hinman in the studio with more is Rhode Island Public Radio news director Catherine Welch.

Providence Changes School Start Times

Elisabeth Harrison — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:38:13 +0000

Some Providence high schools will begin Wednesday classes later than usual under a new plan aimed at saving the city up to $2.5 million. The change to a 9:25 a.m. start may be welcome for students and their teachers, who often complain teenagers are zombies early in the morning.

Schools adopting the later Wednesday mornings include Hope High School, Classical High School and Central High School. On other days those schools will start at 8 a.m. and finish up by 2:45 p.m. like most other high schools in the district.

Report Shows Minorities Disproportionately Affected by Foreclosure Crisis

Flo Jonic — Wed, 29 May 2013 11:23:19 +0000

Rhode Island’s foreclosure crisis has taken a much higher toll on people of color than on whites, according to a report released Wednesday by the group DARE – Direct Action for Rights and Equality. The report focuses on foreclosures in the capital city, where homeowners have lost tens of millions of dollars in wealth to foreclosed properties.

Between 2006 and 2012 Providence homeowners lost more than 200 million dollars in wealth due to the foreclosure crisis, according to “Wasted Wealth,” a report by the group Direct Action for Rights and Equality.

What to Do With Providence's Empty Dynamo House

Scott MacKay — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:23:37 +0000

The Dynamo House, the century-old onetime Narragansett Electric power station, now sits as a forlorn reminder of what once thrived along Providence’s downtown waterfront. And as Rhode Island Public Radio political analyst Scott MacKay notes, it now stands as a guard to the old Jewelry District that state and city officials are trying to rebrand as a Knowledge District.