Last year, Alex Kithes (literally) upset the Woonsocket political establishment by winning a special election for a seat on the city council. He defeated his opponent, former city council president Roger Jalette, in a special snap election following the resignation of then-city-councilwoman Julia Brown. Now, Kithes is back again, and he’s not alone; he’s brought […]
Governor Gina Raimondo and DOH director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott held a special COVID press briefing today at 1pm. “There are way more cases than we want there to be,” said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott. COVID rates surge in the Ocean State — that was the theme of the special press conference state officials held today. DOH […]
We contacted candidates in what we consider the hottest local races of the 2020 election and asked each of them the same set of questions, with the promise to print their answers only lightly edited for clarity. Surprisingly, we only received responses from Democratic contenders. We were left only to speculate about the reason. Is […]
Traditionally, Motif takes what are often confoundingly worded ballot questions and plainly explains them for voters before they enter the ballot box. This year, there’s one ballot question from the state, and it’s a pretty simple one: Is it time to drop “Providence Plantations” from our state name through an amendment to the state constitution? […]
Last month, Woonsocket’s Racist Policies Review Advisory Board, a deliberative body intended to identify discriminatory practices in city policy, voted to recommend the city council’s seven at-large seats switch instead to seven warded seats. Municipal legislature races rarely get much notice during election cycles in the Ocean State, a fact that can mask crucial issues. […]
UPDATE: Due to weather, the November 1 date has been cancelled. The November 2 date will move forward as planned. In Mexico, on the first two days of November, Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated. On this holiday, the veil between the world of the living and the world of […]
Providence has a long history with veganism and vegetarianism. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was home for the North American Vegetarian Society’s annual summer fest; it birthed Like No Udder, the world’s first vegan ice cream truck and now it has Plant City, one of the first vegan food courts in the world. This […]
The pandemic and the election have completely taken over our minds, so many of the stories of yesteryear have been forgotten by most people (and news outlets) at large. We here at Motif thought we’d give a quick update on stories we’ve covered over the last few years and where they are today. Hope Point […]
When Tammy Brown of The Womxn Project approached Alicia Wilder of Metamorphosis Dance Company suggesting they organize a flash mob to promote voting, Wilder was instantly on board. The song they chose to dance to is Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation.” “If you really take the time to listen to the lyrics, it is so relevant […]