Pulse of Providence

When he came to the U.S. from Colombia shortly before turning 13, Oscar Perez had a lot to learn -- from a new language to getting used to snowy winters.He's now the Providence police chief, rising to the top job after nearly 30 years on the force. He became a dad his first year on the job, and has worked in a variety of bureaus from narcotics to community policing, all while being promoted from patrolman all the way up to colonel.He's fired his service weapon on duty on two occasions, including the deadly highway shooting on I-95 in 2017, when both Providence officers and State Police troopers fired at a suspect, who died. (The shooting was later deemed justified by a grand jury.)Perez becomes chief at a time when recruitment is down, and conversations about policing are changing around the country.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Perez tells his personal story of growing up in South Providence, his experience on the force thus far and his plans for the department.

The 195 Redevelopment District Commission has a new leader, following the resignation of its former chairman last month. Marc Crisafulli was named chair of the commission by Gov. Dan McKee last week, replacing Robert Davis at the helm.As the commission continues to try and sell off parcels of the land that used to be Interstate 195, Crisafulli says he wants to refocus on commercial and life sciences developments.In this exclusive interview on Pulse of Providence, Crisafulli answers questions about affordable housing, parking requirements, and whether the Fane Tower is going to be built.

Mayor Jorge Elorza is leaving office after eight years, wrapping up two terms leading the capital city that have been marked by a pandemic, crisis in education and ongoing pension problem.Perhaps nothing loomed larger over Elorza's second term than the state takeover of the Providence public school system.Elorza contends he didn't lose control of the schools -- he gave them away. But now, extremely critical of the way the turnaround has gone, does the mayor regret anything?In this episode of Pulse of Providence, hear what the outgoing mayor has to say about the city schools, his signature achievements and unfinished businesses as he prepares to hand the keys to City Hall over to Mayor-elect Brett Smiley in January.

City Councilor Rachel Miller says she's now up to 11 fellow Democrats supporting her candidacy for council president. It's more than enough to win the top job in January, as long as the coalition remains together. (Several Democratic nominees supporting Miller still face challengers in next week's election, but most are unopposed.) In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Miller discusses her top priorities if elected council president, including housing affordability, public safety and city services. She also answers questions about the Superman building development deal, the future of the Providence Place mall and more issues the council could tackle in its next term. 

Coming off a stint as Rhode Island's director of administration, Brett Smiley says his experience sets him apart in from his two rivals in the race for mayor.

Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune has represented Ward 3 on the Providence City Council for five years, and is now hoping to be elected mayor of the capital city.

There's just about a month left until the first votes are cast in the race for Providence mayor, and former deputy secretary of state Gonzalo Cuervo is up against Nirva LaFortune and Brett Smiley for the open seat. Pulse of Providence interviewed all three mayoral candidates in the past week, the second appearance for each of the the Democrats on the program. With the August campaign rush ahead, can Cuervo and LaFortune catch up to the financial leader that is Brett Smiley? Where do the candidates stand on the plan to create a partly elected school board, or the new license plate cameras going up in Providence? Will they pull the trigger to borrow $515 million for pension system? And why hasn't Mayor Elorza endorsed anyone yet?The only thing we do know is that the winner will be determined on Sept. 13; there are no Republicans or independents who qualified for the November ballot. Listen to the interview with Gonzalo Cuervo above. And stay tuned this week for more mayoral candidate interviews.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — It's been nine months since Mayor Jorge Elorza's decision to appoint his recreation director to a new high-level police major job sparked backlash, leading to a political controversy and monthslong stalemate between Elorza and the City Council. The dispute was finally solved this spring, and Michael Stephens is now in a reworked civilian role at the Police Department, making $137,000 a year as the administrator of community relations and diversion services. In the above episode of Pulse of Providence, Stephens sits down for an exclusive interview about the controversy and the work he hopes to do to improve relationships between the community and the police in Providence.Also joining Stephens for the interview is Major Kevin Lanni, leader of the newly created community operation and engagement bureau.Watch the full episode: https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-police-administrator-michael-stephens-and-maj-kevin-lanni/

At age 19, fresh out of Juanita Sanchez High School, Ty'Relle Stephens became the youngest member of the Providence School Board.One year into his time on the board, Stephens has doubts about the success of the state takeover of the Providence schools, including the recent decision to extend the goals of the turnaround by at least two years.He's also joined a community effort calling on the state to start the process of hiring a permanent superintendent, nearly a year after Harrison Peters was ousted. The School Board no longer has power over hiring district leaders.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Stephens talks about his experience in the Providence schools prior to the 2019 Johns Hopkins report, how he thinks the takeover is going and what he's trying to change from within.

John Igliozzi has been on the Providence City Council since Bill Clinton was president, but one year from now he will finally step down due to term limits enacted during his tenure. Now the council's president, Igliozzi has a lot of plans for his final year, including leading the once-per-decade process to amend the city charter, redrawing the city's ward boundaries and figuring out how to spend a cascade of one-time cash from federal COVID relief.

Shootings and homicides are soaring in Providence after years of decline, prompting alarm and spurring efforts to tamp down on the violence.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado sits down with Col. Hugh Clements for an in-depth conversation about what's causing the gun violence, how guns are making their way onto the streets and what police are doing to tackle it.https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-police-chief-hugh-clements/ 

Providence's city clerk has been embroiled in controversy for months amid complaints from his deputy clerks about his behavior.Two investigations came to conflicting conclusions, and the Providence City Council will host its first-ever hearing to potentially remove a public official later this month.Target 12 has been reporting on the controversy since July. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Shawn Selleck tells his side of the story, accusing Council President John Igliozzi of a political power play to install a new city clerk.Following that interview, Igliozzi responds to Selleck's claims and calls the allegations against him "horrific." 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence's East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration.Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin resigned.)The candidates include Bret Jacob, a staffer for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza; Levey Friedman, former president of Rhode Island National Organization for Women and a law student; Geena Pham, a public school teacher; former state Rep. Ray Rickman; and former Providence City Councilman Sam Zurier.The primary winner will go on to face Republican Alex Cannon in the general election on Nov. 2.The district is heavily Democratic, with 63% of voters registered as Democrats, 32% unaffiliated and only 5% Republicans. Early and mail voting is already underway, and voters can check online to find their polling place for the primary.The race has drawn wide interest and a variety of endorsements. The official Senate District 3 party committee endorsed Bret Jacob, though the vote was split between Jacob and Zurier.The progressive Rhode Island Political Co-operative is backing Pham, while the Working Families Party endorsed Jacob.Pham also has a slate of endorsements from progressive groups including Climate Action Rhode Island, Black Lives Matter R.I. PAC and Reclaim RI.Levey Friedman has drawn endorsements from the Providence Firefighters Union, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and R.I. NOW, where she was recently the president.State Rep. Edie Ajello, who has represented House District 1 on the East Side since 1992, endorsed Zurier, as did City Councilwoman Helen Anthony, who succeeded Zurier on the City Council.Rickman's backers include the Black Political Action Committee of Rhode Island and Dr. Michael Fine, the former state health director.The district hasn't had a Democratic primary since 2014, when Goldin was challenged by Christopher Wall.Levey Friedman has raised the most money thus far, with $70,000 from donors as of the first set of campaign finance reports that were due Tuesday. Rickman has raised more than $22,000, Pham has raised nearly $18,885, Zurier has raised $17,768 and Jacob has raised $15,404.Jacob said if elected he will seek a state ethics opinion before determining if he'll continue working in Elorza's office.Pulse of Providence sat down with each candidate for a wide-ranging interview about Providence and statewide issues, asking each candidate the same set of questions.Want to watch the interviews instead of listen? Find them all on WPRI.com.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence's East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration.Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin resigned.)The candidates include Bret Jacob, a staffer for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza; Levey Friedman, former president of Rhode Island National Organization for Women and a law student; Geena Pham, a public school teacher; former state Rep. Ray Rickman; and former Providence City Councilman Sam Zurier.The primary winner will go on to face Republican Alex Cannon in the general election on Nov. 2.The district is heavily Democratic, with 63% of voters registered as Democrats, 32% unaffiliated and only 5% Republicans. Early and mail voting is already underway, and voters can check online to find their polling place for the primary.The race has drawn wide interest and a variety of endorsements. The official Senate District 3 party committee endorsed Bret Jacob, though the vote was split between Jacob and Zurier.The progressive Rhode Island Political Co-operative is backing Pham, while the Working Families Party endorsed Jacob.Pham also has a slate of endorsements from progressive groups including Climate Action Rhode Island, Black Lives Matter R.I. PAC and Reclaim RI.Levey Friedman has drawn endorsements from the Providence Firefighters Union, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and R.I. NOW, where she was recently the president.State Rep. Edie Ajello, who has represented House District 1 on the East Side since 1992, endorsed Zurier, as did City Councilwoman Helen Anthony, who succeeded Zurier on the City Council.Rickman's backers include the Black Political Action Committee of Rhode Island and Dr. Michael Fine, the former state health director.The district hasn't had a Democratic primary since 2014, when Goldin was challenged by Christopher Wall.Levey Friedman has raised the most money thus far, with $70,000 from donors as of the first set of campaign finance reports that were due Tuesday. Rickman has raised more than $22,000, Pham has raised nearly $18,885, Zurier has raised $17,768 and Jacob has raised $15,404.Jacob said if elected he will seek a state ethics opinion before determining if he'll continue working in Elorza's office.Pulse of Providence sat down with each candidate for a wide-ranging interview about Providence and statewide issues, asking each candidate the same set of questions.Want to watch the interviews instead of listen? Find them all on WPRI.com.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence's East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration.Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin resigned.)The candidates include Bret Jacob, a staffer for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza; Levey Friedman, former president of Rhode Island National Organization for Women and a law student; Geena Pham, a public school teacher; former state Rep. Ray Rickman; and former Providence City Councilman Sam Zurier.The primary winner will go on to face Republican Alex Cannon in the general election on Nov. 2.The district is heavily Democratic, with 63% of voters registered as Democrats, 32% unaffiliated and only 5% Republicans. Early and mail voting is already underway, and voters can check online to find their polling place for the primary.The race has drawn wide interest and a variety of endorsements. The official Senate District 3 party committee endorsed Bret Jacob, though the vote was split between Jacob and Zurier.The progressive Rhode Island Political Co-operative is backing Pham, while the Working Families Party endorsed Jacob.Pham also has a slate of endorsements from progressive groups including Climate Action Rhode Island, Black Lives Matter R.I. PAC and Reclaim RI.Levey Friedman has drawn endorsements from the Providence Firefighters Union, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and R.I. NOW, where she was recently the president.State Rep. Edie Ajello, who has represented House District 1 on the East Side since 1992, endorsed Zurier, as did City Councilwoman Helen Anthony, who succeeded Zurier on the City Council.Rickman's backers include the Black Political Action Committee of Rhode Island and Dr. Michael Fine, the former state health director.The district hasn't had a Democratic primary since 2014, when Goldin was challenged by Christopher Wall.Levey Friedman has raised the most money thus far, with $70,000 from donors as of the first set of campaign finance reports that were due Tuesday. Rickman has raised more than $22,000, Pham has raised nearly $18,885, Zurier has raised $17,768 and Jacob has raised $15,404.Jacob said if elected he will seek a state ethics opinion before determining if he'll continue working in Elorza's office.Pulse of Providence sat down with each candidate for a wide-ranging interview about Providence and statewide issues, asking each candidate the same set of questions.Want to watch the interviews instead of listen? Find them all on WPRI.com.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence's East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration.Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin resigned.)The candidates include Bret Jacob, a staffer for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza; Levey Friedman, former president of Rhode Island National Organization for Women and a law student; Geena Pham, a public school teacher; former state Rep. Ray Rickman; and former Providence City Councilman Sam Zurier.The primary winner will go on to face Republican Alex Cannon in the general election on Nov. 2.The district is heavily Democratic, with 63% of voters registered as Democrats, 32% unaffiliated and only 5% Republicans. Early and mail voting is already underway, and voters can check online to find their polling place for the primary.The race has drawn wide interest and a variety of endorsements. The official Senate District 3 party committee endorsed Bret Jacob, though the vote was split between Jacob and Zurier.The progressive Rhode Island Political Co-operative is backing Pham, while the Working Families Party endorsed Jacob.Pham also has a slate of endorsements from progressive groups including Climate Action Rhode Island, Black Lives Matter R.I. PAC and Reclaim RI.Levey Friedman has drawn endorsements from the Providence Firefighters Union, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and R.I. NOW, where she was recently the president.State Rep. Edie Ajello, who has represented House District 1 on the East Side since 1992, endorsed Zurier, as did City Councilwoman Helen Anthony, who succeeded Zurier on the City Council.Rickman's backers include the Black Political Action Committee of Rhode Island and Dr. Michael Fine, the former state health director.The district hasn't had a Democratic primary since 2014, when Goldin was challenged by Christopher Wall.Levey Friedman has raised the most money thus far, with $70,000 from donors as of the first set of campaign finance reports that were due Tuesday. Rickman has raised more than $22,000, Pham has raised nearly $18,885, Zurier has raised $17,768 and Jacob has raised $15,404.Jacob said if elected he will seek a state ethics opinion before determining if he'll continue working in Elorza's office.Pulse of Providence sat down with each candidate for a wide-ranging interview about Providence and statewide issues, asking each candidate the same set of questions.Want to watch the interviews instead of listen? Find them all on WPRI.com. 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence's East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration.Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin resigned.)The candidates include Bret Jacob, a staffer for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza; Levey Friedman, former president of Rhode Island National Organization for Women and a law student; Geena Pham, a public school teacher; former state Rep. Ray Rickman; and former Providence City Councilman Sam Zurier.The primary winner will go on to face Republican Alex Cannon in the general election on Nov. 2.The district is heavily Democratic, with 63% of voters registered as Democrats, 32% unaffiliated and only 5% Republicans. Early and mail voting is already underway, and voters can check online to find their polling place for the primary.The race has drawn wide interest and a variety of endorsements. The official Senate District 3 party committee endorsed Bret Jacob, though the vote was split between Jacob and Zurier.The progressive Rhode Island Political Co-operative is backing Pham, while the Working Families Party endorsed Jacob.Pham also has a slate of endorsements from progressive groups including Climate Action Rhode Island, Black Lives Matter R.I. PAC and Reclaim RI.Levey Friedman has drawn endorsements from the Providence Firefighters Union, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and R.I. NOW, where she was recently the president.State Rep. Edie Ajello, who has represented House District 1 on the East Side since 1992, endorsed Zurier, as did City Councilwoman Helen Anthony, who succeeded Zurier on the City Council.Rickman's backers include the Black Political Action Committee of Rhode Island and Dr. Michael Fine, the former state health director.The district hasn't had a Democratic primary since 2014, when Goldin was challenged by Christopher Wall.Levey Friedman has raised the most money thus far, with $70,000 from donors as of the first set of campaign finance reports that were due Tuesday. Rickman has raised more than $22,000, Pham has raised nearly $18,885, Zurier has raised $17,768 and Jacob has raised $15,404.Jacob said if elected he will seek a state ethics opinion before determining if he'll continue working in Elorza's office.Pulse of Providence sat down with each candidate for a wide-ranging interview about Providence and statewide issues, asking each candidate the same set of questions.Want to watch the interviews instead of listen? Find them all on WPRI.com. 

This episode first aired on Aug. 31, 2021When Dr. Javier Montañez was first tapped to be Providence's interim superintendent in June, the district was in a tumultuous phase.The first state turnaround superintendent, Harrison Peters, had just resigned amid a scandal involving one of his high-level hires. The teachers union contract was still unsettled after months of tense negotiating. And everyone was coming out of an exhausting pandemic school year that taxed students, parents and teachers alike.A few months later, Montañez was promoted to acting superintendent, keeping him in the top job for at least a full school year. The teachers contract is settled and ratified, and the Peters debacle is in the rearview mirror.So far Montañez is receiving heaps of praise from the teachers union and local leaders, ahead of what could be another difficult year of navigating both the pandemic and the second year of the state's five-year intervention in the school district.In his first interview since becoming superintendent, Montañez details his difficult youth — he was homeless at one point, and dropped out of Hope High School — and how it propelled him to where he is today.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Montañez also answers questions about plans for the upcoming school year, Providence's mask and vaccine policies, and how to tackle chronic absenteeism.The first day of school in Providence is Sept. 9.

Gonzalo Cuervo announced his candidacy for Providence mayor nearly two years before the 2022 election, and the longtime player in Democratic politics says his experience in both city and state government make him the best person for the job.Cuervo, who left his job as deputy secretary of state under Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea to run for mayor, also worked for former Providence Mayors Angel Taveras and David Cicilline. While the field isn't set yet for the Democratic primary, Cuervo is expected to face former R.I. Director of Administration Brett Smiley, City Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune and former City Council President Michael Solomon in the Democratic primary, among others who have yet to announce their plans.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Cuervo weighs in on whether the state takeover of Providence schools should continue, how he would spend millions in federal relief money, his thoughts on guaranteed income and police reform, among other issues facing the capital city.Watch this episode and more on WPRI.com. 

Voters in the Providence neighborhoods of Olneyville, Valley and part of Silver Lake will head to the polls on June 8 for a special election primary.There are five Democrats running for the Providence City Council Ward 15 seat — and no Republicans or independents — which means the winner of the June 8 primary will be the only candidate on the ballot for the July 6 general election.The seat was vacated by former Council President Sabina Matos last month after she was appointed by Gov. Dan McKee to be lieutenant governor. Matos had held the seat for a decade and was slated to be term-limited next year.The candidates for the seat are Doris De Los Santos, Iasha Hall, Casandra Inez, Santos Javier and Oscar Vargas.The voter registration deadline for the primary is this Sunday, May 9. Voters can send in a mail ballot application until May 18, or can vote in person. The polling locations have not yet been set.In the video interviews below, the candidates answer questions on what they hope to accomplish if elected, their views on charter schools, the city's finances, the 6-10 connector project and other important issues facing Ward 15 and the city.

This story was originally published on March 22, 2021.Weeks after stepping down as director of the R.I. Department of Administration under former Gov. Gina Raimondo, Brett Smiley says he's now a full-time mayoral candidate until next year's primary election in Providence.Smiley, a Democrat, is expected to face several other likely candidates, including Gonzalo Cuervo, Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune and others who have yet to announce their intentions.The former DOA director had a rocky start to his campaign, after he had to refund several donations to state contractors that were discovered by Target 12, following his own pledge not to take money from state vendors because of his job. He says refunds will be reflected on his next campaign finance report. The R.I. Ethics Commission is also considering a complaint about the matter filed by the Republican Party.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Smiley addresses that controversy while also saying he wants to get back to basics if elected mayor, focusing on city services and infrastructure issues such as better roads.He also answered questions about how he would spend the federal COVID-19 relief money, his thoughts on some of Mayor Elorza's big initiatives, Providence's pension woes, policing and more.Watch the full interview and all episodes of Pulse of Providence on WPRI.com.

This story was originally published on March 4, 2021.Providence City Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune, D-Ward 3, has been fundraising for a potential run for mayor in 2022, when the seat will be open following Mayor Jorge Elorza's two-term limit.The councilwoman — who has represented Mount Hope and surrounding neighborhoods since 2017 — would join a field of Democratic candidates that include Brett Smiley, Gonzalo Cuervo, and possibly several other of her council colleagues who are term-limited next year and considering their next steps. (Council President Sabina Matos has also been considering a run, though she recently applied to be lieutenant governor.)In this episode of Pulse of Providence, LaFortune explains her current thinking on that mayoral run, and answers questions about vaccine distribution in Providence, proposed pay raises for Providence Police and much more.Watch this and all episodes of Pulse of Providence on WPRI.com.

Dr. Ashish Jha was hired to be the next dean of Brown University's School of Public Health before the coronavirus pandemic started, and by the time he arrived in Providence in September he had become a trusted national expert on the pandemic.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Dr. Jha weighs in on Rhode Island's upcoming two-week “pause,” the safety of indoor activities such as gyms, dining and school, and how families can celebrate Thanksgiving safely this year.Jha also provides his latest thinking on when some level of herd immunity could be reached in Rhode Island, as multiple vaccine candidates prepare for potential authorization and distribution.

Three months into the new fiscal year, Providence is still without a new budget during a tight financial time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado asks City Council President Sabina Matos about the potential for cutting the police budget, her stance on a proposed multi-hub bus system in Providence, whether she supports new proposals by Mayor Jorge Elorza for municipal reparations and guaranteed income and more.This episode originally aired on Oct. 8, 2020.https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-council-president-sabina-matos/

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The only seat in Providence's General Assembly delegation without an incumbent running this fall is House District 12 in South Providence.Incumbent Rep. Joseph Almeida initially filed to run for re-election, but withdrew from the race and endorsed Democrat Carlos Cedeno.Cedeno and Jose Batista are facing off in a two-way Democratic primary on Sept. 8. There are no Republicans or independents running in the race.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado talks with Jose Batista about his candidacy, his role as the executive director of the Providence External Review Authority and what he will do if elected to the House of Representatives.Despite numerous requests, Carlos Cedeno did not agree to be interviewed for this episode.This episode originally aired on Sept. 3, 2020.https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-jose-batista-candidate-for-house-district-12/

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Democratic primary voters in Senate District 4 will have a choice between Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Lenny Cioe, a registered nurse, for the district that straddles North Providence and Providence.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado ask the two candidates where they stand on issues ranging from the state's budget to Providence schools to the movement to defund police. The candidates also weigh in on Ruggerio's decision earlier this year not to support a bill that would have sent mail ballot applications to all voters for the primary.There are no Republicans running in the race. The primary is on Sept. 8.This episode originally aired on August 25, 2020.https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-senate-district-4-candidates-dominick-ruggerio-and-lenny-cioe/

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island's statewide primary is on Sept. 8, and Providence has 21 General Assembly seats on the ballot.In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado interviews the candidates for the Democratic primary race in Senate District 5, where City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan is challenging incumbent Sen. Sam Bell.The district includes Mount Pleasant, Federal Hill, Olneyville and parts of other city neighborhoods. Voters can check which district they live in and view their ballot here.This episode originally aired on August 20, 2020.https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-ep-3-senate-district-5-candidates-sam-bell-and-jo-ann-ryan/

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — In the latest episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado talks with Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green about her current thinking on reopening schools, the options for virtual learning and the ongoing efforts to turn around the Providence Public School system.This episode originally aired on August 3, 2020.https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-angelica-infante-green-episode-2/

In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado talks with Mayor Jorge Elorza about the COVID-19 pandemic in the capital city, reopening the schools, the city's finance picture and his promise to provide municipal reparations to the African-American and Indigenous communities.This episode originally aired on July 21, 2020https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-ep-1-mayor-jorge-elorza/