Rhode Island Report

Who should have access to the shore in Rhode Island? It’s an escalating fight between property owners, towns, and the public, more than a year after the passage of the state’s landmark shore access law. Isabella Jibilian, a producer at Rhode Island PBS Weekly, and Alex Nunes, the South County bureau chief at The Public’s Radio, recently collaborated on two episodes about this topic.

Rhode Islanders headed to the polls yesterday to vote in local primaries, and the night belonged to incumbents. Ed breaks down the results with Globe RI’s own Steph Machado and Jim Hummel, host of A Lively Experiment on Rhode Island PBS.

What happens when a patient sues their doctor for a medical error? A new documentary film, “A World of Hurt: How Medical Malpractice Fails Everyone,” tells the story of patients and doctors who’ve gone through this process. The documentary was directed by Brown University medical students Alex Homer and Viknesh Kasthuri. We talk to the producer, Dr. Mark Brady, and Dr. Gita Pensa, one of the featured experts.

The most closely watched contest in Rhode Island this election cycle is the Republican primary for Cranston mayor. Incumbent Mayor Kenneth Hopkins is facing a challenge from state Representative Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung. So, we brought both candidates into the studio separately to explain where they stand on the major issues. Then we put their responses together so voters can easily compare and contrast.

Now that the General Assembly is out of session, and it’s quieter at the State House, we thought it would be a good time to visit one of Ed’s favorite spaces - the Rhode Island State Library, “a treasure trove of American history, not just Rhode Island history,” according to R.I. Secretary of State Gregg Amore. Join us for a tour.

Most kids spend their summers at camp, at the beach, or on vacation. But this month, 30 students from Providence are on the Brown University campus instead. They’re part of the new Brown Collegiate Scholars Program — a year-round support system to help local students go to college. Ed talks to the director of the new program, Nick Figueroa.

In May, the US Department of Justice accused the state of Rhode Island of violating the civil rights of hundreds of children by warehousing them at Bradley Hospital, a psychiatric hospital for children. Steph Machado took an in-depth look at the issue for Rhode Island PBS Weekly and Globe RIRhode Island. She joins us to talk about what she found, and some possible solutions.

The game of golf isn’t often associated with young people or diversity, but one nonprofit in Rhode Island is trying to change that. For more than 20 years, Button Hole in Providence has been making the game affordable and accessible to children in the area. Ed talks to Anaridis Rodriguez, host of “Generation Rising” and Don Wright, executive director of Button Hole, about the program.

The City by the Sea is known for its history. It’s also on the front lines of climate change. Some of Rhode Island’s biggest tourist attractions – Newport’s mansions and other historic properties – are increasingly impacted by rising sea levels and extreme weather. Rhode Island PBS Weekly reporter Pamela Watts and Preservation Society of Newport County director of museum affairs Leslie Jones join Ed to discuss this issue.

Every year, Rhode Islanders read the same book as a part of the Reading Across Rhode Island program.This year’s selection is Solito- a memoir by Javier Zamora. It tells the true story of Javier’s journey from El Salvador to The United States as an unaccompanied nine-year-old.Javier joins Ed in the studio, along with Maureen Nagle, education chair of Reading Across Rhode Island.