Lights, Camera, Action! RIIFF Returns for Its 28th Year

by Nini Stoddard

Film lovers rejoice! The Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) returns to Providence from August 5 through 10. Throughout the week, audiences will be treated to full-length films, shorts, documentaries, podcasts, panel discussions and other film industry events. Now in its 28th year, RIIFF celebrates [...]

Proposed RIPTA Cuts, by the numbers

by Dana Schneider

Last week, RIPTA announced proposed service reductions to close the gap in its upcoming 2026 budget. The deficit is wide — $17.6 million — and this is reflected in the breadth of proposed service cuts, which include the elimination of entire routes, route segments, and [...]

The Providence Hospital District Plan, By the Numbers

by Dana Schneider

Earlier this month, the City of Providence published “Providence Hospital District: A Vision for Healing, Housing, and Mobility in South Providence.” The report starts by explaining the various stakeholders involved in planning for changes to Providence’s Hospital District, which it defines as “a 132-acre area [...]

77 Acres of Polluted Freshwater: Mashapaug Pond Counts

by Dana Schneider

Despite being the largest freshwater body in Providence, Mashapaug Pond is seemingly hidden. On a Jane’s Walk tour led by Traci Picard earlier this year, the public historian explained that many infrastructural cues might dissuade a passerby from getting close to the pond: Tucked behind [...]

Providence’s Tree Equity Score and the Benefits of Expanding Our Urban Canopy

by Dana Schneider

According to Tree Equity Score, an interactive online map of tree cover across the country, Providence earns a composite score of 82 out of 100 for “how well the critical benefits of urban tree canopy are reaching those who need them most.”  The argument for [...]

Providence Pride

by Sebastian Connolly

The 49th-annual Rhode Island Pride took place this past Saturday, June 21, drawing over 100,000 people to Providence for a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community — and just one of many festivals taking place across the state and the country in celebration of Pride Month this [...]

Providence Parks Department Improves, Maintains, and Builds Outdoor City Spaces

by Nini Stoddard

The Providence Parks Department (PPD) manages 123 outdoor spaces. These include our neighborhood parks, athletic fields, basketball courts, playgrounds, conservation areas, and walking/running tracks and trails. Also dog parks, cemeteries, and non-traditional recreation areas, such as skateparks, bike tracks, and parkour courses. Also, an ice [...]

The Butler Hospital Strike, by the numbers

by Dana Schneider

Butler Hospital is a private, non-profit hospital off of Blackstone Boulevard that provides psychiatric and substance abuse care. It’s been open since 1844, making it the state’s oldest hospital.  Recently, the healthcare facility has made headlines as employees have organized to cease work as negotiation [...]

Time to Find Out about your Wastewater Treatment Plant

by Nini Stoddard

The Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) owns and operates Rhode Island’s two largest wastewater treatment plants (Field’s Point in Providence and Bucklin Point in East Providence) along with an extensive infrastructure of interceptors, pump stations, tide-gates and combined sewer overflows. NBC is a quasi-public agency formed by [...]

Historic Preservation Grant Recipients Announced

by Nini Stoddard

Recipients of the 2025  Rhode Island Historic Preservation Matching Grants, awarded by a partnership between Preserve Rhode Island and The 1772 Foundation, were announced in mid-May during National Preservation month. Across Rhode Island, $125,000 in one-to-one matching grants supporting restoration and rehabilitation efforts were awarded [...]