In the Arena – Pat Cortellessa, candidate for Secretary of State

A man in a blue shirt standing in a room.

Each week Joe Paolino, Jr. interviews leaders in Rhode Island. This week he talks with RI Republican candidate Pat Cortelessa, who is running for RI Secretary of State: Cortellessa talks about his qualifications and ideas about being Secretary of State, including more active programs to help people access historical references about Rhode Island, veterans services,…

Read More

Rhode Island’s 211 system now a Voter Information Hotline for election time

Call the 21 - 11 voter information hotline.

Building off the successful use of 211 as a voter information hotline in 2020, United Way of Rhode Island today announced a partnership with Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea to establish a new, multilingual 211 Voter Information Hotline as elections draw close. The partnership also involves the Elections Division at the Rhode Island Department…

Read More

In the Arena: Joe Paolino talks with Jim Hummel

A man in a suit sitting in a kitchen.

Each week Joe Paolino, Jr. talks with leaders in Rhode Island on issues of the day. This week Paolino talks with Jim Hummel. Hummel writes for the Providence Journal, has a political show on RI PBS, and is famous for his Hummel Report, investigating happenings in the state and prognosticating on political and government matters…

Read More

Allan Fung “once in a lifetime opportunity” says Minority Leader McCarthy

Two pictures of a man in a suit and an american flag.

Photo: from NBC10 video of interview of McCarthy by Gene Valicenti US Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), House Minority Leader, was in Rhode Island to help the campaign of former Mayor Allan Fung, who is running for Congress in District 2 for Rhode Island. Fung is the unopposed Republican candidate for the office. McCarthy attended a…

Read More

Rhode Island has employment gains but lags US in jobs recovery

Ripec logo on a blue background.

Rhode Island’s job market has improved, with four major industry sectors having regained all jobs lost during the pandemic, according to the Rhode Island Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Briefing for the second quarter of 2022, released today by the Center for Global and Regional Economic Studies at Bryant University and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure…

Read More

NO Marijuana in Providence parks, playgrounds, rec centers when use is legal

A marijuana leaf on a green background.

Providence City Councilors tonight introduced an ordinance to ban the sale and use of marijuana in all city parks after state law recently made recreational cannabis legal. “Providence is a smoke-free city. Children, their families, and anyone immunocompromised should not have to breathe in smoke while enjoying our beautiful parks. This is a public health…

Read More

In the Arena – M. Charles Bakst

A man in a blue shirt is talking to a camera.

Each week Joe Paolino, Jr. interviews leaders in the political arena and others in Rhode Island with information to share. This week Paolino interviews M. Charles Bakst, former reporter with the Providence Journal. They talk RI history, politics, elections, RI history, and more. Watch In The Arema with Joe Paolino Jr., host, every week on…

Read More

Use those Conflict Resolution skills on holidays – Mary T. O’Sullivan

A silver car with a trunk full of luggage.

by Mary T. O’Sullivan, MSOL, business leadership contributor Reprinted: June 10, 2024 “Conflict cannot continue without your participation” – Wayne Dyer The holidays – like this one, July 4th – can be a time of family conflict. We often try to ignore it, but sometimes, something must be said. Odds are, at a 3 or…

Read More