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Rhode Island Philharmonic on stage. Musicians in black clothes, violins on the left cellos on the right. A conductor stands in the lower left leading the orchestra.

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Weekend 401

Weekend 401: Stories of incarceration, folk music, classical music, and a timeless holiday tale

An exhibit explores the stories of the oldest continuously operating jail in the country, two classical concerts to choose from, folk music from the Faux Paws and “A Christmas Carol” is back at Trinity Rep

November 19, 2025

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Mareva Lindo

Political reporter Ian Donnis sat down with David Tikoian (pictured), Democratic Whip in the Rhode Island Senate.

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One on One with Ian Donnis

Sen. David Tikoian talks bridge accountability, gun laws, and how to fix state’s strained health system

The state senator shares his takeaways from the Washington Bridge hearing and weighs in on gun policy, health care strains, and the push for a new medical school at URI

November 19, 2025

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Ian Donnis

Volunteers unpack vegetables for the food pantry at Federal Hill House, in Providence Rhode Island.

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Politics + Justice

How Rhode Island became the center of the legal battle for the nation’s SNAP benefits

A group of nonprofits from Rhode Island found themselves at the heart of a dispute over food aid that reached all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court

November 19, 2025

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Isabella Jibilian

Hayley Buckey, who works in Jane Metrik's lab at Brown University, measures alcohol in the Bar Lab.

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Health

Can weed help you drink less? Scientists at Brown study how well ‘California sober’ works

New research led by Brown University scientists suggests cannabis may curb short-term alcohol consumption — but raises big questions about swapping one substance for another

November 19, 2025

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Will Stone

Women refugees gather to socialize and practice English during a weekly group class at the Refugee Dream Center in Providence. Many rely on federal food assistance and government health insurance, but will lose access under federal budget cuts in 2026.

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Immigration

They fled war and famine. Now refugees in Rhode Island worry about putting food on the table

Federal budget cuts will yank SNAP, Medicaid from thousands of lawful immigrants

November 19, 2025

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Nancy Lavin

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse speaks at the COP30 conference in Brazil.

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Climate + Environment

At COP30, Sen. Whitehouse raises alarm about Rhode Island’s escalating insurance crisis

Rhode Island’s junior U.S. Senator says many international leaders at the COP30 conference finally recognized the necessity of addressing the rising cost of property insurance caused by more frequent and intense weather events

November 18, 2025

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Joe Tasca

Article

What should we do about invasive species, and should we do anything at all?

Spotted lanternflies, Japanese barberry, Oriental bittersweet – When plants and animals like these invade our environment, they can disrupt other organisms that are native to the region. But can we stop these species? And should we?

November 18, 2025

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Andrea Li

Leo Nachamie

November 18, 2025