Ocean State Media is touring all 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island to bring people together and to gather real insight that helps shape our reporting.
For our Ocean State Media In Motion tour, we visited Bristol last week and Isabella Jibillian was one of our reporters on the scene. She speaks with producer James Baumgartner about what she found.
Interview highlights:
What we heard from Bristol residents when we visited Borealis Coffee Company:
- Residents are concerned about the state of the Mt. Hope Bridge. The R.I. Turnpike and Bridge Authority recently inspected the state of repair for the nearly 100-year-old bridge, but has not publicly released the full report of the inspection.
- There’s controversy over the potential construction of a new hotel because it could impact a wetland area. One resident we spoke with said that she supports the construction, however, because it would give visitors a place to stay that is not an Airbnb, which she said are taking away space from longer-term residents.
- We talked with people from The Village Common, an organization that puts seniors together with volunteers to help with small household tasks. Evidently, tall volunteers are in demand to help with changing lightbulbs! In fact, they are facing a shortage of volunteers, which has become a problem for many organizations across the country.
Nature walk at the Audubon Society Nature Center and Aquarium
Several of our staff members joined a nature walk organized by the Audubon Society at their nature center in Bristol. We learned about pollinators, local and invasive plants and we saw the ospreys flying overhead as they protected the territory near their nest on the Audubon’s land.
Sunset concert at Blithewold Manor
We visited the gilded-age mansion for their Summer Concert Series and enjoyed Cajun music while watching the sun set over Narragansett Bay.
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