Ben Berke
ReporterBen covers everything for Ocean State Media, as long as it’s a good story. His work appears across television, radio, social media, and our website. He joined the station in 2021 after a stint in newspapers, and now handles our metro beat in Providence. His assignments have taken our audience to jails, city halls, fishing boats, factories, museums, bakeries, environmental cleanup sites and a clambake. bberke@oceanstatemedia.org
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Relatives of Chansareth Hong say he has not missed a check-in meeting since a criminal drug conviction in 1997 complicated his immigration status -
A new nonprofit owner has raised nearly half of its initial renovation budget and says more than 100 prospective tenants have expressed interest -
All 73 of the unionized food and beverage workers at T.F. Green Airport refused to work on Thursday, saying they haven’t received a pay raise in two years from Grove Bay Concessations, which operates the airport’s restaurants and bars -
The city says the price of one firetruck rose 63.5% in three years as manufacturers consolidated the industry, shared pricing information and delayed deliveries -
A beloved historic sign, saved from the scrap heap, faces a steep financial road back to the city skyline -
The City Council failed to overturn the mayor’s veto of the Providence Rent Stabilization Act, which aimed to cap annual rent increases at 4% in most city apartments -
Providence City Councilor Ana Vargas supported rent control during her election campaign. As she prepared to vote on it, she received the largest political donations of her career -
Rhode Island has pulled back its $35M investment, rerouting funds to other projects as the Trump administration freezes offshore wind permitting -
The city council approved the Providence Rent Stabilization Act on Thursday, which would have placed a 4% cap on annual rent increases for most Providence apartments -
The Providence City Council is still one vote short of a supermajority that could override Mayor Brett Smiley's expected veto. The policy would cap annual rent increases at 4% with exceptions for owner-occupants.
