Ocean State Stories

11/06/2024

Q & A with Block Island author Judy Tierney: “ 'The Washashore Murders' is a cozy mystery set on Nor’easter Island, a fictional summer resort much like our regional New England islands, including Block Island… The book also deals with the personal crises of its characters, in particular, the changes approaching mid-life presents, and the struggle to earn a living and hold a family together in a community where jobs are scarce after summer ends.” Read: https://oceanstatestories.org/q-a-with-block-island-author-judy-tierney/

11/06/2024

Rhode Island’s children are doing OK, but not as well as kids in much of New England. ‘We should not be satisfied… We know we have further to go.’ Read the story:

‘We should not be satisfied… We know we have further to go’ This story was originally published in Rhode...

10/06/2024

Plan to save rare turtles and wildlife underway in Northwest Rhode Island. ‘If I want these areas that are very sensitive protected, nobody else is going to do it’ Read: https://bit.ly/3VwTvb0

06/06/2024

Ten years into sobriety, Esther Oden, 78, is a sober coach and East Coast Coordinator for the Remote Sober Support Network. ‘I had always said to myself that when I retired, I would work with addicts.’ Read the story: https://bit.ly/4bJZhvu

05/06/2024

The Public Maintaining Public Gardens. ‘It pays off to do all this work because the community enjoys it’ Read: https://oceanstatestories.org/the-public-maintaining-public-gardens/

03/06/2024

Q & A with Alicia Pratt, Coalition for a Multilingual RI Coordinator. ‘Rhode Island is filled with languages and language stories. Stories of erasure, forced assimilation, sustaining, and celebrating… when we look at languages through this mindset we open ourselves up to a deep well of knowledge and connection with others.’ Read: https://bit.ly/3yKa4r3

31/05/2024

Young Mr. Thompson went to Washington. Johnston student serves as Rhode Island’s Youth Ambassador for the Tourette Association of America. Read: https://oceanstatestories.org/young-mr-thompson-went-to-washington/

28/05/2024

Q & A with Aquidneck Community Table executive director Rose Jones, former head of the R.I. Office of Healthy Aging. https://oceanstatestories.org/q-a-with-aquidneck-community-table-executive-director-rose-jones/

27/05/2024

Heart transplant saves life of Foster resident Tommy Hardiman. In precarious health for years, the 2023 operation gave him a future, but donor shortages mean an estimated 17 people die daily on waiting lists. Read the story: https://oceanstatestories.org/heart-transplant-saves-life-of-foster-resident-tommy-hardiman/

23/05/2024

Long-term sampling in Narragansett Bay reveals plummeting plankton levels. Considered “primary producers” in the marine environment, phytoplankton are small in size but big in impact, fueling local food webs, indicating environmental quality, and pointing toward climate trends. https://bit.ly/4axk18f

17/05/2024

Danish artist brings giant troll sculptures to Ninigret Park. Thomas Dambo creates troll artworks across the globe to practice and preach the value of using trash and discarded materials to create things of beauty and use. Read the story: https://bit.ly/4bGFAEx

13/05/2024

A small subset in the General Assembly, Rhode Island mom lawmakers shoulder big demands.
The 2022 midterm elections nearly doubled the mom power in the State House. Here’s how four legislators double down on serving constituents while caring for their families. READ:

The 2022 midterm elections nearly doubled the mom power in the State House. Here’s how four legislators double down...

10/05/2024

Rhode Island KIDSCOUNT 2024 Factbook confirms broad extent of disparities affecting Rhode Island’s Children. ‘As our population continues to get more diverse, those disparities become bigger and bigger and bigger’ Read the story:

‘As our population continues to get more diverse, those disparities become bigger and bigger and bigger’ PROVIDENCE – The...

07/05/2024

Q&A with Boston Globe RI reporter Ed Fitzpatrick. ‘Becoming a journalist: It’s a great way to lead an interesting life… You get to ask questions, learn new things, hold the people in power accountable, inform, entertain, challenge.’

Let’s begin with the road you traveled to becoming a reporter. When and why did you first become interested...

06/05/2024

Even spending short amounts of time in nature can reduce stress, and improve mental health and language, math and...

06/05/2024

https://oceanstatestories.org/spending-time-in-nature-can-be-a-positive-game-changer-for-our-health-regardless-of-your-age/

Even spending short amounts of time in nature can reduce stress, and improve mental health and language, math and...

29/04/2024

Karen Santilli wants to move the YMCA past its COVID slump. ‘She has a North Star as a leader where she knows where she wants to go and she knows the values that she needs to follow getting there.’ Read the full story here:

‘She has a North Star as a leader where she knows where she wants to go and she knows...

26/04/2024

https://oceanstatestories.org/invasion-of-the-waterbody-snatchers-aquatic-invasives-take-over-rhode-islands-fresh-waters/

Originally published by ecoRI News, a nonprofit newsroom covering environmental news in Rhode Island. Read more at ecoRI.org SOUTH...

25/04/2024

Shared living opens new doors to people with disabilities. ‘I would recommend it to anybody who's looking for something rewarding in their life’

‘I would recommend it to anybody who’s looking for something rewarding in their life’ JAMESTOWN – Katherine Thompson was...

22/04/2024

Today is Earth Day. How appropriate that this week’s Q&A is with artist May Babcock. ‘Somewhere along the way, people have lost a connection to the planet’s living systems. The reality is we are not separate from the world but are all native to the Earth.’ Read the story:

‘Somewhere along the way, people have lost a connection to the planet’s living systems. The reality is that we...

19/04/2024

https://oceanstatestories.org/tick-borne-alpha-gal-syndrome-becomes-more-common-in-region-as-lone-star-ticks-move-in/

Originally published by ecoRI News, a nonprofit newsroom covering environmental news in Rhode Island. Read more at ecoRI.org Cliff...

17/04/2024

Q & A with Brown School of Public Health Dean Dr. Ashish Jha. ‘Public is the first word in public health. Having strong health data along with accessible and proven successful public health interventions, like vaccines, means nothing if not communicated effectively and clearly to the public, reaching people where they are. Breaking through misinformation and ensuring that we communicate data-driven messages has been a priority.’ Read the story:

A belated welcome back to Brown, Ashish. You returned last June after more than a year as the White...

15/04/2024

Passover, also called Pesach, begins at sundown on Monday, April 22, and ends at sundown on Tuesday, April 30. Ocean State Stories asked rabbis to reflect on its meaning and observance this year. Here’s what they said.

Passover, also called Pesach, begins at sundown on Monday, April 22, and ends at sundown on Tuesday, April 30....

11/04/2024

Sowing native plants is crucial to the health of the environment, pollinators, food systems. ‘If we don’t have native plants so that native pollinators can live, we will lose food sources’

‘If we don’t have native plants so that native pollinators can live, we will lose food sources’ So, you...

05/04/2024

Ocean State Stories adheres to a clearly defined set of Editorial Standards. Read them: https://oceanstatestories.org/editorial-standards/

04/04/2024

https://oceanstatestories.org/home-gardens-help-stem-insect-decline/

Rhode Islanders invited to join “Homegrown National Park” effort Originally published by ecoRI News, a nonprofit newsroom covering environmental...

01/04/2024

Q & A with journalism professor and best-selling author Mike Stanton. What attracts his students to journalism, he says, are storytelling and making a difference.

Mike, let’s start with today. You live in Rhode Island and are a journalism professor at the University of...

01/04/2024

Providence’s Write Rhode Island grows literary community from the ground up. Includes an excerpt from “Fall,” by student Melanie Eusebio, one of the Notable Stories included in the 2024 Write Rhode Island Short Fiction Anthology.

Originally published by The Providence Eye, a publication partner of Ocean State Stories. Rhode Island’s literary legacy stretches from...

28/03/2024

Q & A with Jen Fantozzi, co-founder of Plates With Purpose. She and co-founder Jennifer Capracotta have created an innovative (and tasty!) way to fight food insecurity.

Let’s start with an overview of the organization you cofounded with Jenn Capracotta, Plates With Purpose. What is its...

25/03/2024

The promise and potential perils of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare. ‘AI is coming and there’s nothing stopping it’

‘AI is coming and there’s nothing stopping it’ PROVIDENCE — Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool in the...