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6 days ago | 
thepublicsradio.org | Luis Hernandez |Alex Nunes |James Baumgartner
Earlier this week Woonsocket city leaders followed the actions of many communities across the country. They voted to fine people who camp out on city property. . One unhoused advocacy group says the fines that are part of a new city law will make things even harder for those struggling to find shelter. Also, Rhode Island PBS is shining a light on youth mental health. We’ll talk with one of their contributors about the effect violence has on mental health.
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2 months ago | 
wetheitalians.com | Alex Nunes |Luis Hernandez
BY: Alex Nunes and Luis HernandezGet out the crackers and cheese, and uncork a nice bottle of red wine, because 'Soupy Fest' is returning to Westerly. What's soupy, you might be asking? Westerly soupy maker Joe Lombardo has your answer: "In simplest terms, it's cured pork with spices," Lombardo said in a recent interview. You could think of soupy as Westerly's way of saying soppressata - the Italian sausage.
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Oct 18, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Luis Hernandez |James Baumgartner |Joe Tasca |Alex Nunes
Rhode Island voters will face five statewide referenda questions on November’s ballot. In the weeks leading up to the election we’ll dig into each of them. This week: should voters approve a $120 million dollar bond to increase the availability of housing, and promote home ownership? Also, the head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service paid a visit to Rhode Island in honor of National Wildlife Refuge week.
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Oct 18, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Alex Nunes
The head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was in Rhode Island this week to mark the annual National Wildlife Refuge Week. Director Martha Williams met up with South County Bureau Reporter Alex Nunes for a morning of birding at the Trustom Pond refuge in South Kingstown to talk about the importance of Rhode Island’s coastal ponds and efforts to protect them. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
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Oct 11, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Alex Nunes
The Jewish High Holy Days this year have also been a time of reflection and mourning a year after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Local playwright Sandy Laub, who wrote a one-person play after the tragedy called “Picking Up Stones: An American Jew Wakes to a Nightmare,” sat down with South County Bureau Reporter Alex Nunes to share her thoughts a year later. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Alex Nunes: How did you spend Rosh Hashanah?
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Sep 27, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Alex Nunes
The town of Westerly has dismissed a criminal case against a beachfront property owner police say repeatedly spray-painted a shoreline right-of-way sign in Watch Hill. Last month, police charged David M. Roth, 76, with four counts of vandalism. Police believe Roth was responsible for vandalizing a sign that needed to be replaced multiple times over the summer because of the damage to it. The sign is at the town-designated Everett Avenue public right-of-way next to Roth’s $10.8 million property.
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Alex Nunes
Westerly Town Solicitor William Conley Monday night defended himself against criticism from the public and some members of the Westerly Town Council over his office’s failure to submit legal research and analysis to the federal government prior to the transfer of the Watch Hill Lighthouse to a private non-profit earlier this year. Conley also denied accusations from one councilor that the town council was not adequately updated on the status of his research and communications with the GSA.
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Sep 16, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Alex Nunes
A Westerly property owner making a legal challenge against Rhode Island’s new shoreline access law has been charged with repeatedly vandalizing a beach right-of-way sign near his home. Police say David M. Roth, who owns a $10.8 million property in Watch Hill with his wife but resides in West Hartford, Conn., spray-painted a beach access sign four times since May. Chief Paul Gingerella said Roth, 76, was arrested Aug.
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Sep 13, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Alex Nunes
Some members of the Westerly Town Council are questioning whether the town misspent taxpayer money on legal research into a closely-watched public access matter involving the Watch Hill Lighthouse that wasn’t submitted before a critical deadline and still hasn’t been released to the public. The matter is expected to come up at a special town council meeting Sept. 16.
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Aug 29, 2024 | 
thepublicsradio.org | Alex Nunes
On Tuesday, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council unanimously approved an incomplete dredging application for Watch Hill Cove, despite public opposition from shoreline access advocates who faulted the proposal for failing to disclose a town-designated right-of-way that will be obstructed while the work is being done. State regulations say dredging applications must disclose all streets and rights-of-way within 50 feet of a dredging area.
