Metro

Feed the Cheeks celebrates second location’s grand opening

By Stella Chen | December 6

Jason Magnell and his daughter Eva lined up at 8:30 a.m. outside cookie vendor Feed the Cheeks’s brand new location at 190 Angell St. Saturday morning. By 9:45 a.m., light rain coming down, the line stretched toward Thayer Street, with patrons eagerly awaiting the 10 a.m. grand opening.

Tomaquag Museum seeks to empower RI Indigenous communities, educate public

By Laura David | December 6

Tucked away in Exeter, R.I. off Interstate 95 sits the Tomaquag Museum, the only museum in Rhode Island dedicated exclusively to Indigenous history — and the Ocean State’s only museum operated by Indigenous people. Founded in 1958 by the anthropologist Eva Butler and Princess Red ...

Recreational marijuana sales open Thursday in Rhode Island

By Haley Sandlow | December 1

On Thursday morning, 96-year-old Joe Maraia became the first person to legally purchase marijuana for recreational use in Rhode Island at the Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center. The World War II Veteran had never tried cannabis before and walked away from the dispensary with marijuana-infused macaroons ...

RISD Project Open Door provides high-quality art education to local high schoolers

By Ashley Cai | December 1

Lyza Baum, Rhode Island School of Design textiles faculty, fondly remembers spending her Saturdays as a Cranston High School East student attending art workshops in the morning and sneaking into nude figure-drawing sessions at RISD in the afternoon. Through RISD Project Open Door, Baum and other ...

City Council postpones ProvPort deal extension to incorporate community input

By Sam Levine | December 1

The Providence City Council decided to postpone a final vote on two resolutions that would extend ProvPort’s lease and tax exemption program at the Port of Providence Thursday evening, citing plans to further engage the community in the decision-making process. ProvPort is a non-profit organization ...

Chronic absenteeism remains above pre-pandemic levels in Providence public schools despite recent decline

By Emma Madgic | November 30

After the Providence Public School District saw levels of chronic absenteeism more than three times the national rate in the 2021-22 academic year, the district has posted a slight decline so far this year, according to Nicholas Domings, PPSD’s chief communications officer.

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Metro

Rhode Island representatives discuss protecting abortion access

By Grace Holleb | November 30

Several student clubs sponsored a conversation with two Rhode Island representatives centered around identifying local avenues for protecting abortion access on Wednesday at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

Metro

Abundance of Thayer Street bubble tea shops brews competition

By Daphne Dluzniewski | November 30

Thayer Street is a popular spot for boba shops. With three bubble tea businesses calling the street home and a fourth situated nearby on Waterman Street, edging ahead of competition can be difficult for individual shops.

Metro

Advocacy group outlines path forward for housing development public option

By Will Kubzansky | November 28

On May 13, State Senator Meghan Kallman PhD’16 introduced a state senate bill proposing a public option for affordable housing in Rhode Island which would allow the state to directly fund ...

Metro

Providence residents express concerns about Parcel 9 development at Ward 1 meeting

By Caleb Lazar | November 28

Residents discussed updated plans for one of two buildings to occupy Parcel 9 — an area just off South Main Street previously occupied by Interstate 195 — at a Monday community meeting hosted by Ward 1 Providence City Councilman John Goncalves ’13 MA’15.

Metro

Metro Roundup: McKee funds additional homeless shelter beds amid protests

By Emma Gardner | November 27

Governor Dan McKee announced the authorization of $1.4 million in spending to expand Rhode Island’s homeless shelter capacity by 77 beds, according to a Nov. 23 press release. The expansion will bring the number of shelter beds in Rhode Island to over 1,000, according to the release.

Metro

Blue State Coffee on Thayer serves final customers, closes its doors

By Rhea Rasquinha | November 17

On Monday, staff and customers learned that Blue State Coffee on Thayer Street would permanently close later in the week. Four days later, on Nov. 17, the shop served its final cup of coffee. Alongside its Providence outpost, the cafe’s two other remaining locations in New Haven and Hartford ...

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PPSD teacher shortage continues to strain Providence schools

By Emma Madgic | November 17

Teachers in the Providence Public School District report continued problems related to vacant teacher positions, including packed classrooms, being forced to cover other classes during prep periods and diminished student motivation. 94% of all classrooms are currently staffed with a ...

Metro

Path forward for Angell Street hotel, student housing ordinance still murky

By Katy Pickens | November 16

Two highly contested items — a proposed hotel on Angell Street and a potential ban on more than three college students living together in most areas of Providence — were pushed for public discussion during a Nov. 16 Committee on Ordinances meeting.

Metro

Crossroads RI to expand permanent housing solutions for homeless people

By Ashley Cai | November 16

Crossroads RI, one of the largest housing providers for formerly unhoused people in the state, intends to convert a vacant lot on Summer Street in the South Side of Providence into a new apartment complex.

Metro

Rhode Island roundup: Homelessness increasing in RI

By Katy Pickens | November 16

From increasing homelessness to congressional orientation, here’s the latest news from around the Ocean State.

Metro

Brown community members react to midterm election results with joy, disappointment, shock

By Yael Sarig | November 15

To many, the midterm results were a shock in light of expectations of a red wave for Republican candidates. This year’s results were relatively unusual, given that the incumbent party usually performs poorly in the midterms: Not only did Democrats retain control of the U.S. Senate they also lost ...

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Metro

Blue State on Thayer to close permanently

By Katy Pickens and Rhea Rasquinha | November 14

After 15 years on Thayer Street, Blue State Coffee will permanently close its doors on Thursday, Nov. 17. A sign in the cafe’s window at 300 Thayer St. read, “This Blue State Coffee cafe is closing permanently as of 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17. Thank you for your patronage and for making ...

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Metro

At a weekly breakfast, a taste of RIPTA’s free transport program

By Jacob Smollen | November 13

At 7 a.m. last Sunday, a small line formed outside a side chapel at Mathewson Street United Methodist Church in downtown Providence. Normally, lines at this hour would only be for food, as the church offers free breakfast each week for unhoused people. But this particular morning, those in line were ...

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Celebrate Rhode Island’s Native American community with 8 upcoming events

By Rhea Rasquinha and Stella Chen | November 10

November marks Native American Heritage Month, which honors Native American communities, history and heritage. The Herald has compiled a list of events in the coming weeks that center Native American art, history, stories and more across the Ocean State.