Behind the Story

‘Short notice’: Steph Machado explains why Pawtucket is adding school days

Steph Machado broke the news [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/20/metro/pawtucket-school-year-extended-make-up-classroom-time-ri/] that the school district, for an unknown number of years, had been letting students leave school five minutes early. The practice has now come back to haunt the district, with the state’s education department requiring Pawtucket to make up the lost instructional time. The lost time comes on top of four snow days and delayed starts during the winter, which the Rhode Island Department of Education is also requiring the district to make up. Machado said it all adds up to five or six days, meaning the school year will extend into late June. “I heard from a lot of parents that this was the first time they were hearing about this,” Machado said of the reaction to her story. “It’s really short notice to find out that you have almost an extra week of school.” Machado also discussed her coverage [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/18/metro/ri-hospital-medical-records-transgender-youth-texas-judge/] of an ongoing federal fight over access to records involving transgender children and teenagers. The court battle stems from the U.S. Department of Justice asking a Texas judge to order the release of medical records for underage patients who received gender-affirming care at Rhode Island Hospital. Machado said Rhode Island Hospital has agreed to provide some anonymized records, but the legal battle is far from over, with dueling appeals underway in Rhode Island and Texas. “I don’t know if this will end up at the Supreme Court, but it certainly seems like something that could, based on how many different jurisdictions are now involved,” Machado said. Later in the show, 12 News Politics Editor Ted Nesi joined the program to discuss the latest political poll released by Emerson College Polling and 12 News. Nesi discussed the poll’s 20-point lead for challenger Helena Foulkes over incumbent Gov. Dan McKee in the Democratic primary, along with the wide-open race for attorney general. Nesi also highlighted polling that showed Rhode Islanders across voter groups have little confidence in the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s ability to maintain the state’s roads and bridges. “Seventy-seven percent of Rhode Island voters say they are not confident in RIDOT to properly manage the state’s roads and bridges,” Nesi said. “Hard not to connect that back to the governor’s struggles in the wake of the Washington Bridge and his decision to stand by RIDOT leadership, notably Peter Alviti, rather than make a change.” The poll results were discussed in place of the “stories we wish we wrote.”

'Incredibly striking': Ben Berke examines campaign donations ahead of rent-control vote

Ben Berke, who covers Providence, took a deep dive into the campaign finance reports of Councilor Ana Vargas, revealing the politician received an influx of donations in the months leading up to the vote. The majority of the donations came from landlords and others in the real estate industry. “The timing is incredibly striking and she’s refused to explain her position,” Berke said, noting in his reporting that Vargas was the only councilor who did not speak about why she voted against the rent-control ordinance. “I think that’s something people would want to know as they go into the voting booth.” While Vargas campaigned in support of rent control, she ultimately voted against the City Council leadership’s rent-control ordinance. Her opposition is one vote standing in the way of the council securing the 10 votes needed to override a veto issued by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. The mayor rejected the measure, saying it would stunt housing development and hurt the city financially. “She’s not raising a lot of money in these campaigns, even when she’s running for office — she’s not having big fundraisers,” Berke said of Vargas’ campaign account. “And it’s only when this rent-control vote comes up in the beginning of 2026 that she really starts to see big donations coming in.” The council has scheduled an override vote for Friday evening. Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including: DAN’S PICK * Foster-Glocester School Committee reviews state police report on alleged sexual misconduct by teacher [https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/foster-glocester-school-committee-reviews-state-police-report-on-alleged-sexual-misconduct-by-teacher/article_e81f44e8-2cad-4283-9061-c0360e7e37e1.html] by Sandy Hall, The Valley Breeze * From Fireball to fur, we found RI's lobbyists earned some $17M in 2025 [https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/government/2026/05/11/highest-paid-lobbyists-in-rhode-island-biggest-lobbying-causes-ri-state-house/89855354007/] by Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal ELI’S PICK * Mitchell: ‘Historic’ state aid proposal is too little, too late [https://newbedfordlight.org/mitchell-historic-state-aid-proposal-is-too-little-too-late/] by Colin Hogan and Eleonora Bianchi, The New Bedford Light * 'There's no place I'd rather be': Local youth sports mothers say life is busy, but just right [https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/theres-no-place-id-rather-be-local-youth-sports-mothers-say-life-is-busy-but/article_75d936fa-90a0-4e2c-a8c0-88ec93e86546.html] by Mike Kirby, The Sun Chronicle

‘A big deal’: Ed Fitzpatrick breaks down Joe Shekarchi’s big decision

Ed Fitzpatrick, who covers government and politics, has been closely watching the General Assembly as House Speaker Joe Shekarchi faces a Thursday deadline to decide whether to apply for a seat on the R.I. Supreme Court. If Shekarchi takes the plunge and steps down as the most powerful Democrat in the House, the move could trigger a cascade of changes to leadership [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/05/metro/ri-new-house-speaker-majority-leader/?p1=StaffPage]. “This is a big deal because the speaker of the House, especially in Rhode Island, is the most powerful politician in the state,” Fitzpatrick said. “They have arguably more power than the governor. And you rarely ever see that gavel change hands in the middle of a session.” Fitzpatrick also discussed his recent reporting on the U.S. attorney’s office [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/metro/rhode-island-us-attorney-replace-calenda/?p1=StaffPage] in Rhode Island, where the Trump administration is keeping Charles “Chas” Calenda in charge after his 120-day term as interim U.S. attorney expired. Because Calenda can no longer serve in that role under federal advise-and-consent rules, the administration has taken the unusual step of naming him “special attorney” and first assistant U.S. attorney. Meanwhile, it has left the state’s top federal prosecutor position vacant, meaning Calenda remains in the top position without needing Senate confirmation. The courts have likewise declined to try appointing a name from a list of applicants. “It became clear pretty quickly that [the court] chose not to because they knew that, as in other states, the Trump administration probably would have fired that person,” Fitzpatrick said. “Colenda, in the first U.S. attorney’s position, is effectively in charge of the District of Rhode Island without being named U.S. attorney.” Later in the show, Tim White — who filled in as cohost — and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including: TIM’S PICK * At Brown, Olivia Pichardo took the mound — and made history [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/metro/ri-brown-university-pitcher-olivia-pichardo-baseball-mcgowan/?p1=StaffPage], by Dan McGowan, Boston Globe * Satirist Rhody Blunt takes no prisoners. Not even the president by Sadie Brandt, The Good 5-Cent Cigar [https://rhodycigar.com/2026/04/30/satirist-rhody-blunt-takes-no-prisoners-not-even-the-president/] ELI’S PICK * Can GLP-1s quiet drug cravings? How a RI program is finding out [https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/drugs/2026/05/05/how-glp-1-medications-are-fighting-drug-alcohol-addiction-providence-rhode-island-pilot-program/89169011007/] by Katie Mulvaney, The Providence Journal * Celebrating Mom by Will Richmond, Newport Daily News

Ian Donnis on Rhode Island’s infrastructure woes 10 years after RhodeWorks

Ian Donnis, a longtime political reporter, has been covering the recent failure of a highway ramp in Cranston that disrupted travel for motorists and Amtrak passengers. Last Friday, part of a bridge in poor condition fell onto a railroad track, surprising transportation officials who said there had been no prior signs of trouble. The infrastructure issue comes amid ongoing criticism of the Washington Bridge closure. The westbound span failed in December 2023 and has remained closed to traffic. The Cranston bridge failure comes about 10 years after the state unveiled RhodeWorks, an expensive and controversial infrastructure program designed to upgrade roads and bridges statewide. The law also created the state’s truck toll program, which was tied up in court for years after being challenged by a truckers association. The state ultimately won that legal fight, but resuming toll collection has been delayed, in part because the infrastructure used to collect tolls has become outdated. Donnis examined the program’s balance sheet and found it is currently underwater after a decade in operation. Later in the show, Kim and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including: KIM’S PICK * ‘Scorched-earth’ deed restrictions are making food deserts worse. Woonsocket, R.I., is feeling the impact [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/29/metro/ri-woonsocket-food-desert-deed-restrictions/] by Jonmaesha Beltran, ecoRI/Boston Globe * 24 purifying hours [https://www.warwickonline.com/news/24-purifying-hours/article_82d1e44f-36f2-4d97-987c-af009c7f064e.html] by Greta Shuster, Warwick Beacon ELI’S PICK * No discipline after Fall River police Facebook warrant investigation [https://www.heraldnews.com/story/news/crime/2026/04/28/fall-river-massachusetts-police-department-hr-review-of-facebook-investigation/89843460007/] by Dan Medeiros, The Fall River Herald News * Site where Benny’s used to be gets OK for re-development [https://www.thewesterlysun.com/daily-news-alerts/site-where-bennys-used-to-be-gets-ok-for-re-development/article_3b483920-b4e3-4f7a-b69d-7335cb8b7a27.html] by Ryan Blessing, The Westerly Sun

‘The role journalists play’: David Cicilline talks about the future of news

David Cicilline, who served in the U.S. Congress, said he remembers a time when there were regional and Washington bureaus of The Providence Journal. Today, those no longer exist, and he said the shrinking of the industry has resulted in an erosion of civic health among Rhode Islanders. The Rhode Island Foundation, which helps support “Behind the Story,” is leading a national initiative locally called Press Forward Rhode Island, which will provide grants to nonprofit and for-profit news organizations that come up with ideas for how to improve access to news, address information gaps and increase sustainability. “I’ve watched this significant decline in the presence of local media,” Cicilline said. “You see news organizations just shrink or just go away completely. And the reason it’s particularly pernicious is because you think about the role journalists play in exposing corruption, mismanagement, bad decisions by those in local and state and federal government. And that’s important oversight and sometimes the only way the public learns about those things.” Cicilline also talked about a recent survey Press Forward Rhode Island published showing 89% of Rhode Island respondents saying they still placed value on local news and trusted those news sources more than national organizations. But the research also showed Rhode Islanders are concerned about misinformation, and nearly two-thirds of respondents said they felt like local news lacked diversity in viewpoints. “The responsibility of journalists and news sources is to report facts and not to give you what you want to hear or to support your opinion, and to distinguish between stories that are facts and opinion pieces,” Cicilline said. “But that’s where civics education matters,” he added. “Making sure people understand this is a place where you can go when you want to know what the facts are. And if you want opinions on something, go to the opinions page or go to the program that’s talking about opinions, not news, but really educating people about the differences between those two things.” Later in the show, Dan and Eli discussed the “stories we wish we wrote,” including: DAN’S PICK * Providence’s Largest Primary Care Provider Searches for New Leadership. What’s Next for Patients? [https://pvdeye.org/pchc-leadership-search/] by Eric Halvarson, The Providence Eye * Newport Grand remains abandoned. Is there hope for redevelopment? [https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2026/04/21/newport-grand-development-remains-uncertain-as-owners-stay-silent/89458283007/?tbref=hp] by Savana Dunning, Newport Daily News ELI’S PICK * Climate change is driving scallops north. That’s good news for New Bedford [https://newbedfordlight.org/climate-change-is-driving-scallops-north-thats-good-news-for-new-bedford/] by Brooke Kushwaha, The New Bedford Light * Rehoboth fire chief fired over alleged ethics violations in connection to solar farm [https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/rehoboth-fire-chief-fired-over-alleged-ethics-violations-in-connection-to-solar-farm/article_8fc558ab-5eb8-4522-8169-195fd7095596.html] by Stephen Peterson, The Sun Chronicle