Events:

Bill Bartholomew

Bill Bartholomew is a musician, podcaster and talk radio host in Providence, RI. Twitter / IG @billbartholomew bill@RIpodcast.com

Bartholomewtown

Problems in Providence: Nirva LaFortune talks PVD schools

When it comes to assessing Providence Public Schools’ legacy issues, the recent Johns Hopkins report and the state takeover of the district, one leader equipped to provide an array of perspectives is Providence Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune.  In the below excerpt from a recent interview, the Councilwoman and I dig into the bilateral/bifocal issues facing the […]

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Bartholomewtown

Cleaning Up PVD Schools: Sabina Matos discusses the evolution of education

Providence City Council President Sabina Matos is considered a buzzworthy figure in Providence politics. During a recent interview, President Matos and I discussed the ongoing state intervention into Providence schools. In the following excerpt, we delved into what I have been referring to as a “bilateral” approach to addressing RI schools: attacking infrastructure issues with an […]

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Bartholomewtown

For Whom the Bell Tolls: Freshman senator imagines a state without the media

Sam Bell (D-P, Providence) is a freshman Rhode Island Senator, known for his tenure as the head of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats, and for serving in the legislature as a strong opposition voice to many of the seemingly institutionalist practices of the state’s political infrastructure.   During a recent interview, Senator Bell suggested that Rhode […]

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Music

Cultural Evolution: Journalist on the scene at Woodstock discusses the media then and now

Ty Davis is a journalist and publisher, known for launching the Rhode Island-based alternative paper NewPaper during the 1970s, a paper that later was purchased by The Boston Phoenix and renamed The Providence Phoenix under Davis’ leadership. As the 50th anniversary of Woodstock approaches, I asked Davis about some of the key differences between today’s […]

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Bartholomewtown

Telling Tales: Performer Naomi Chomsky discusses Drag Queen Story Hour

Naomi Chomsky is a Rhode Island-based activist and performer who recently found themselves in the regional and national media spotlight at the center of what became a “controversial” Drag Queen Story Hour event booked in Fall River, Mass.   Drag Queen Story Hour is exactly what it sounds like: queens in full garb reading children’s books […]

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Bartholomewtown

Thanks, Diane: Gene Valicenti reveals the secret behind how he keeps getting invited in

Gene Valicenti is a RI broadcasting legend who serves as the 6 o’clock newscast anchor on the market’s television leader, NBC10 WJAR, as well as the morning drive host on the region’s leading news/talk radio station, WPRO. During a recent interview, “Mr. 401” reached back to 1992 to describe his experience entering the Providence-New Bedford market […]

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Bartholomewtown

Burning with Love: Barnaby Evans discusses PVD as a beacon

It all goes back to Roger Williams’ original idea of creating Providence as the first sanctuary city. Barnaby Evans is the creator of WaterFire, one of PVD’s signature events and a public art installation that has global appeal and reach. Evans is a graduate of Brown University, and during a multi-decade run of creating, innovating […]

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Bartholomewtown

Abra-Cadabra! Local meat magicians pull weenies out of their hat

Weenie Wizard is a PVD-based artisanal hot dog stand that offers a constantly shifting array of meat, veggie and carrot dogs with highly original and creative toppings. Created by Michele Fryer and Luke Tabor, aka the Fantastical Food Group, The Meat MAGICIANS, as they are known, have expanded from their speakeasy-esque DIY origins in 2014 to being […]

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Bartholomewtown

Art Lesson: Experts discuss access to the arts in RI

Rhode Island has a vast and storied history as a creative mecca and artist hub, dating back to at least Native American times, running full speed through colonial days and early statehood, and once again reinventing itself in the modern era and heading into the future.   However, with the arts trending as a secondary priority […]

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Bartholomewtown

Regulation Conversation: As new industries enter the RI economy, there’s one DBR to rule them all

After policy-makers craft the details, who is the person behind the regulation of new industries? We take a look into the decision-making process of Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation Director Elizabeth Tanner. The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (DBR) oversees many key industries, from real estate appraisal to the state’s medical cannabis program. Recently, DBR […]

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