Providence’s Unfinished Iryna Zarutska Mural Was a Powerful Symbol. We Should Heed Its – Unintended – Messages.

by Nancy Green

For more than a month, an unfinished mural dominated a block of downtown Providence.  Although the painted face on the side of a brick building on Snow Street was incomplete, a label at the bottom indicated the mural’s subject: Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old woman who [...]

I’m a Chef Who Believes Providence is America’s Greatest Food Town. Here’s Why.

by Rollie Wesen

Since my wife Claudine Pépin and I arrived here in 2011, I have come to realize that per capita, Providence is one the best food towns in the country.  This is the result of a number of factors, including: great agriculture and farmers, skilled chefs [...]

“Open Valley” is a Chance to Explore One of PVD’s Overlooked Gems.

by Ben Sisto

There’s a map floating around the city’s coffee shops and local haunts, a hand-drawn guide to the city, printed on glossy stock and adorned with ads for small businesses. Like many maps, this one features a key letting tourists and recent transplants know things like [...]

Should Cesar Chavez Be Exiled from Davis Park? I Say “Yes.”

by Bob McMahon

He stands calmly with a reassuring smile near the entrance to Davis Park, seemingly waving to the cars going by on Chalkstone Avenue, across from Nathaniel Greene Middle School. There’s no sign indicating that this bronze statue is a statue of Cesar Chavez. It is [...]

From Brown U. Undergrads: A Pitch for Tuning Into PVD’s Mayoral Primary.

by Nihil Suthy, Alissa Kraus, Avery Redlich, Eli Smith, Ava Srivastava

On September 9, 2026, the City of Providence will host primary elections for the office of mayor. These elections will decide the candidates on the ballot for the general election in November and ultimately shape the way Providence will be governed for the next four [...]

It’s Time for Providence – and Rhode Island – to Go Nuclear.

by Francis Anderson

Today, a historic opportunity dangles in front of the whole country: to be the first nation to kick oil once and for all.  Any nation that fully decarbonizes its energy grid will unshackle itself from a volatile global fuel economy in which violence in a [...]

Brett Smiley’s Plan to Veto Rent Stabilization Shows Why Providence Needs Decentralized Governance

by Ella Fassler

Mayor Brett Smiley has said he will veto the Providence Rent Stabilization Act, an ordinance passed by the Providence City Council earlier this month that would cap annual rent increases at four percent. This means the fate of fifty-nine percent of households in Providence—the country’s [...]

I’m A Providence Resident Who Celebrates Tax Day. Here’s Why.

by Joanna D. Brown

It’s tax day and this year, thanks to Donald Trump and his “Big Beautiful Bill,” his billionaire buddies will be paying less than ever. Meanwhile, those cuts increase costs for the rest of us. They mean cutting people’s access to health insurance, with $1 trillion [...]

Ranked-Choice Voting Would Improve Democracy in Providence – and Across Rhode Island.

by Colin King

The General Assembly is currently deliberating two bills – H7981 and H7788 – which would permit the introduction of ranked choice voting for elections in cities and towns in Rhode Island. This would make it possible for municipalities, including Providence, to opt-in to using the [...]

Smartphones Are Making Us More Anxious and Isolated. Millennial RI is Launching a Phone-Free Event Series As An Antidote.

by Travis Escobar

Older millennials – generally those born in the early 1980s through the early 1990s – were the last generation to experience childhood before social media and smartphones. Younger millennials and members of Generation Z – many born in the mid-1990s and after – grew up [...]