The Public's Radio

2 days ago | thepublicsradio.org | Luis Hernandez |Mareva Lindo |Joe Tasca |James Baumgartner

On today’s show we look at two significant bills signed into law this week by Gov. Dan McKee. First, a ban on the sale and manufacture of assault-style weapons. How effective are bans like this at actually tackling the problem of gun violence? A national expert breaks it down. Also: Rhode Island has joined the growing number of states banning cell phone use in schools.

4 days ago | thepublicsradio.org | Luis Hernandez

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure to rescind already-approved funds for public media across the country. For the Public’s Radio & Rhode Island PBS, that would mean losing about 10% of our budget. The Senate hasn’t yet approved the rescissions package, but if they do, it would threaten our ability to provide you with the in-depth reporting, arts and culture coverage, and educational programming that you rely on every day.

5 days ago | thepublicsradio.org | Lynn Arditi

The union representing more than 2,500 nurses and other health care workers at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital on Tuesday voted to authorize a strike, though the union stopped short of filing the mandatory 10-day strike notice. The United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5098 has been negotiating with the hospitals’ operator, Brown University Health, since their contract expired on March 31.

5 days ago | thepublicsradio.org | Sedi-Anne Blachford |Megan Hall

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. Earlier this year, Rhode Island College hosted its annual Rhode Island Compost Conference and Trade Show. We sent reporters Sedi-Anne Blachford and Nat Hardy to check it out. Sedi-Anne Blachford: Hi, Megan! Nat Hardy: Hey! Megan Hall: So I love compost as much as anyone else, but why a whole conference and tradeshow about it?

6 days ago | thepublicsradio.org | Lynn Arditi

Temperatures in Rhode Island and southern New England have reached into the 90s and are forecast to climb to around 100 degrees on Tuesday, putting people living or working outdoors and those who are without access to air conditioning at high risk of heat-related health problems.