Rhode Island

About one-third of the staff at the Stoneacre restaurants in Newport, Rhode Island, is from overseas.

Hospitality industries in the US struggle to find workers, but international labor is ticking up

The COVID-19 pandemic created a shortfall in foreign workers when their visas weren't approved to return to the US. A decline in the number of Americans willing to take service sector jobs doubled the impact for small business owners.

Hospitality industries in the US struggle to find workers, but international labor is ticking up
People hold banners as they demonstrate on the street to protest against police brutality in Lagos, Nigeria, Oct. 19, 2020.

Nigerians in the diaspora join #EndSARS protests

Nigerians in the diaspora join #EndSARS protests
A 1795 logbook from the slave ship called the Mary is on display at Georgetown University Library.

A slave ship’s logbook from 1795 reveals harrowing details of the middle passage

A slave ship’s logbook from 1795 reveals harrowing details of the middle passage
A government official talks to Mexican deportees

Fearing detention, undocumented immigrants seek ways to appoint guardians for their children

Fearing detention, undocumented immigrants seek ways to appoint guardians for their children
Musicians sit on a stage in blue lighting

Azoreans long for family abroad with this double-hearted instrument

Azoreans long for family abroad with this double-hearted instrument
Wyatt

How an ICE contract divided a Rhode Island city along racial and generational lines

Holding detainees has become big business for private companies and some local governments. But there’s increasing pushback from protesters in places like California and Oregon. The issue has divided communities such as Central Falls, Rhode Island.

How an ICE contract divided a Rhode Island city along racial and generational lines
Wind turbine against a blue sky.

Zinke announces new leases for offshore wind power on both US coasts

Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has focused primarily on supporting oil, gas and mining interests — his announcement of new offshore wind projects came as a bit of a shock.

Zinke announces new leases for offshore wind power on both US coasts
Under a new carbon offset program that is gaining popularity in Congress, oil and gas companies — and other manufacturers of products involving — fossil fuel would have to pay $40 for every ton of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.

New carbon offset program may have the bipartisan support it needs on Capitol Hill

After years of having difficulty passing legislation relating to greenhouse gas emissions, a group consisting of both Democrats and Republicans believe they have a plan that can make their constituents happy.

New carbon offset program may have the bipartisan support it needs on Capitol Hill
Bats have a specialized thin skin that allows their wings to change when a muscle is activated with every beat cycle of the wings.

Researchers explore the fascinating biomechanics and neuroscience of bats

To get a true sense of wonder that surrounds the movement of bats, you just have to slow things down a little.

Researchers explore the fascinating biomechanics and neuroscience of bats
Roughly 220 guests came to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum for this year’s annual Thanksgiving FEAST. It was the second time the event was both held and sold out.

Culture, history and cuisine come together at this Native Thanksgiving dinner

The dinner is a chance for people to break bread together and hear a narrative that inspires critical thinking about Native life and legacy.

Culture, history and cuisine come together at this Native Thanksgiving dinner
Seal leve rise RI bay

A Rhode Island senator speaks out often about the dangers of climate change

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, doesn’t shy away from sharing his sense of urgency about the dangers of climate change. In fact, Whitehouse has shared his views 135 times on the Senate floor, as part of his Time to Wake Up series of speeches.

A Rhode Island senator speaks out often about the dangers of climate change
Reuben Koroma, a founding member of the band Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars, at his temporary home in Providence, Rhode Island.

A band of Sierra Leonean war refugees is trapped outside their country — again

One of Sierra Leone’s most popular musical outfits is made up of former refugees from their country's civil war. But now they're in exile again — in Providence, Rhode Island, while the Ebola outbreak threatens friends and family back home.

A band of Sierra Leonean war refugees is trapped outside their country — again
Matthews_image

How one photographer captures changing immigrant families

Annu Palakunnathu Matthew's has focused her photography on twisting perceptions of immigration and identity in America. Her new project, called "Majority Minority," looks at the changes across generations of immigrant families.

How one photographer captures changing immigrant families
This 12-year-old chef is representing Rhode Island at a Kids State Dinner at the White House. Sharon Hammond-Dowie

A young chef's Middle Eastern-inspired, healthy lunch recipe wins him an invitation to the White House

First Lady Michelle Obama recently challenged young chefs across the country to come up with new recipes to promote healthier school lunches. Among the winners was Kinnan Dowie, an Arab-American sixth grader from Rhode Island. He's off to the White House and we have his recipe for Mediterranean kebab wraps with cilantro tabbouleh.

A young chef's Middle Eastern-inspired, healthy lunch recipe wins him an invitation to the White House
A spinning jenny: one of the machines that revolutionized manufacturing in the late 1700s.

The US complains that others steal its technology, but America was once a tech pirate itself

The US complains constantly of China and other nations stealing US technology. But it seems in the early days of the republic, the shoe was on the other foot.

The US complains that others steal its technology, but America was once a tech pirate itself