Events:

Steve Ahlquist

Steve Ahlquist is a writer, artist, filmmaker, atheist activist and multipurpose meddler. He is a lifelong Rhode islander and lives in Providence with his amazing wife Katherine. His picture is him, as a spaceman, by his son, Alex.

Nationally relevant

The Rally Against Fascism: A Love Letter to Tomorrow!

“In the end, though, love is relationships, and that is why we are here: to build relationships of caring, durability, strength, and connection. Love is a participant.” Emcees Moira Walsh, Cody Frazier, and Jordan Garces “Welcome to ‘A Love Letter to Tomorrow,’” said Moira Walsh, one of the three emcees, after a terrific musical performance […]

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Featured

ICE-proofing Our Courthouses: Open letter advocating virtual court appearances

Over 30 Rhode Island organizations, court workers, and politicians, including the Providence City Council, penned an open letter calling on Governor Daniel McKee, Chief Justice Paul Suttell, and the RI Judiciary to immediately implement virtual court hearings in response to the brutal kidnappings of immigrants by ICE at RI courthouses. These organizations and individuals have […]

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Nationally relevant

No Kings Day

Reporting by Steve Ahlquist and Sabrina Ruiz On October 18, at least 15,000 people gathered outside the Rhode Island State House in Providence, joining countless other cities and towns across the United States to condemn President Trump’s fascist overreach and to declare that America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people. Here […]

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News

Atlantic Mills Tenants Union: “We are not going anywhere,” said organizer Emily Harrington

The Atlantic Mills Tenants Union, an affiliate chapter of the Rhode Island Tenants Union, has received no reply or acknowledgment of union demands from owner Howard and Eleanor Brynes LLC or potential buyers Eric Edelman and Robert Berle. “Despite our well-written letters and well attended rally on December 21st, we’ve not heard directly from either […]

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News

Senator Jack Reed: Insights on the election and the future

We have to fight back,” said Senator Reed, “and it’s going to be a tough fight.” On Monday morning, Dec 2, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) spoke at the LISC Leadership Forum for about 45 minutes, sharing his “insights on the impact of the election on community development, including programs in affordable housing, climate change, workforce […]

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News

WESTERLY SCHOOL COMMITTEE FORUM REVEALS SOME STARK PARTISAN DIVIDES

The Westerly School Committee is rewriting its Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Transitioning Student Policy. It is the only municipality in Rhode Island actively working to weaken the RIDE (Rhode Island Department of Education) policy that has protected all public school students in the state for seven years without incident. For this reason, I watched the […]

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News

Banner Year: RI Authors Against Book Bands unveils scorecards for School Committee candidates

Rhode Island was founded on intellectual and personal freedom principles by Roger Williams, author of a book banned in England and colonial Massachusetts. Today, RI authors are coming together to uphold our state’s tradition of free speech, which includes the written word. In celebration of Banned Books Week (Sep 22 – 28), the Rhode Island […]

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News

Crack Down on Cranston Encampments: Mayor Hopkins issues executive order allowing police to displace encampments

Cranston Mayor Kenneth Hopkins recently issued an executive order granting immediate authority to the Cranston Police Department to enter and clear the encampments of unhoused people. This comes less than a week after the Cranston City Council Ordinance Committee declined to pass his ordinance that would have granted the police such powers. Under the executive […]

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Housing

Mayor Smiley’s War on the Poor: “… because of Mayor Smiley’s actions, people will die.”

It is believed by outreach workers that by the time any members of the Providence Police Department arrived at the two unhoused encampments cruelly evicted by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, the encampments were empty. All that remained was the trash that Mayor Smiley refused to provide receptacles for, and whatever possessions those being evicted were […]

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Nationally relevant

RI Sees Record Food Insecurity and Hunger: Push in the General Assembly to provide free lunch and breakfast for all RI students

In November, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank released a report showing that a record number of Rhode Islanders are seeking food assistance, with communities of color and families with children at the greatest risk of hunger. The 2023 Status Report on Hunger has four major findings: • A record number of Rhode Islanders need […]

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