Behind the Story

Ted Nesi on covering elections

Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan are joined by Ted Nesi for a look at how reporters tackle campaign coverage.

Real Housewives of Rhode Island with Bekah Berger

Bekah Berger joins Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

Breaking down the Providence school control saga with Steph Machado

Steph Machado joins Kim Kalunian and Dan McGowan.

‘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