Brown University’s Security Review Enters Final Phase. How Will Campus Change?

by Eric Halvarson

Brown University students returned to a different campus in January. New emergency phones appeared in front of their dorms. Twice as many police officers were on patrol. Private security guards checked for school IDs as they entered the library. New cameras watched them travel to [...]

Watching Controversy from the Other Wall: Providence Mural Community Reflects on Role of Public Art

by Eric Halvarson

A 43-foot tall, 38-foot wide mural on the side of Downtown bar The Dark Lady shows an outline of a blond woman framed by blue geometric shapes. Just one eye is finished—the rest of the face remains a beige and blue outline. The bottom of [...]

Factory on the Woonasquatucket Being Transformed into 500-Person Capacity Baptist Church

by Eric Halvarson

A new cupola sits on top of a large brick building on Kinsley Avenue, and on the inside, the shape looks like a cross. The structure lets light shine down into the second floor, which will soon open up into a new mezzanine that looks [...]

Will Barriers to Voting in Providence Affect This Year’s Turnout?

by Eric Halvarson

Over 50% of Providence voters showed up to polling places for the 2024 election, but half as many showed up for the last round of midterms in 2022. As voters register for this year’s midterms, voter turnout in Providence is shaped by factors like competitive [...]

Let it Linger? A Slow Snowmelt Replenishes Local Watertables but Releases Pollution into Waterways

by Eric Halvarson

In Providence, only a few lingering snowbanks serve as reminders of the major storms this winter. As city residents say goodbye and good riddance to the snow, the snowmelt will continue to make a big impact on the local environment. The slow drip of the [...]

As City Council Crafts Rent Stabilization, Mayor Smiley Proposes “Housing Stabilization”

by Eric Halvarson

A rent stabilization ordinance is moving through the City Council, and Mayor Brett Smiley is watching closely. Smiley has promised to veto the policy if it passes the Council, but City Hall hearings on the proposal are drawing hundreds of people to testify. “Residents waited [...]

The Costs of Extreme Weather: Providence Spends Triple Amount Budgeted for Snow Cleanup in 2026

by Eric Halvarson

Last month’s blizzard dropped a record 37 inches of snow in the capital streets, and City leaders spent far beyond this year’s budget to clear the streets. The City of Providence paid $3.8 million dollars to handle the record-breaking Blizzard of 2026 in February, surpassing [...]

Oil Spilling Out of Pipe in South Providence Holds Up Public Street Park Funding

by Eric Halvarson

In South Providence, a stormwater pipe is leaking oil into the bay and draining momentum from efforts to clean up the neighborhood’s only public right-of-way to the shore, located on Public Street. “We were doing a cleanup down there and noticed that there was this [...]

Brown ACLU Raises Alarm Over Connecting Cameras to Providence Police Surveillance Hub

by Eric Halvarson

Despite operating over 1,200 cameras on Brown University’s campus, authorities struggled to find video footage of the gunman who attacked the school in December. The Barus & Holley building where the shooting occurred only operated two exterior cameras, and during a prolonged manhunt, authorities knocked [...]

Brown University Doubles Campus Police Presence After Mass Shooting. Have Mental Health Services Kept Up?

by Eric Halvarson

This semester, Brown University doubled the number of school police officers assigned to each shift. The school also hired private guards from Allied Universal to bolster campus security. Even police vehicles from numerous cities patrol the streets around campus. A Brown spokesperson said this “enhanced [...]