Pulse of Providence
29 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThe Pulse of Providence with Steph Machado on WPRI.com covers all things Providence, featuring interviews with leaders in government, education, health care and more.
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Episodes
Pulse of Providence: Col. Oscar Perez is the city's new police chief
March 09, 2023 00:29 - 28 minutes - 27 MBWhen he came to the U.S. from Colombia shortly before turning 13, Oscar Perez had a lot to learn -- from a new language to getting used to snowy winters. He's now the Providence police chief, rising to the top job after nearly 30 years on the force. He became a dad his first year on the job, and has worked in a variety of bureaus from narcotics to community policing, all while being promoted from patrolman all the way up to colonel. He's fired his service weapon on duty on two occasions, i...
Pulse of Providence: 195 Commission chair Marc Crisafulli
January 26, 2023 21:00 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBThe 195 Redevelopment District Commission has a new leader, following the resignation of its former chairman last month. Marc Crisafulli was named chair of the commission by Gov. Dan McKee last week, replacing Robert Davis at the helm. As the commission continues to try and sell off parcels of the land that used to be Interstate 195, Crisafulli says he wants to refocus on commercial and life sciences developments. In this exclusive interview on Pulse of Providence, Crisafulli answers quest...
Mayor Elorza: The Exit Interview
December 15, 2022 21:29 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBMayor Jorge Elorza is leaving office after eight years, wrapping up two terms leading the capital city that have been marked by a pandemic, crisis in education and ongoing pension problem. Perhaps nothing loomed larger over Elorza's second term than the state takeover of the Providence public school system. Elorza contends he didn't lose control of the schools -- he gave them away. But now, extremely critical of the way the turnaround has gone, does the mayor regret anything? In this epis...
Pulse of Providence: City Councilor Rachel Miller wants to be the next council president
November 02, 2022 19:45 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBCity Councilor Rachel Miller says she's now up to 11 fellow Democrats supporting her candidacy for council president. It's more than enough to win the top job in January, as long as the coalition remains together. (Several Democratic nominees supporting Miller still face challengers in next week's election, but most are unopposed.) In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Miller discusses her top priorities if elected council president, including housing affordability, public safety and c...
Brett Smiley says he's 'ready on day one' to be mayor
July 28, 2022 19:40 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBComing off a stint as Rhode Island's director of administration, Brett Smiley says his experience sets him apart in from his two rivals in the race for mayor.
Nirva LaFortune says her personal history sets her apart in mayor's race
July 27, 2022 19:45 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBCouncilwoman Nirva LaFortune has represented Ward 3 on the Providence City Council for five years, and is now hoping to be elected mayor of the capital city.
Gonzalo Cuervo wants to close the 'opportunity gap' in Providence
July 26, 2022 20:00 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBThere’s just about a month left until the first votes are cast in the race for Providence mayor, and former deputy secretary of state Gonzalo Cuervo is up against Nirva LaFortune and Brett Smiley for the open seat. Pulse of Providence interviewed all three mayoral candidates in the past week, the second appearance for each of the the Democrats on the program. With the August campaign rush ahead, can Cuervo and LaFortune catch up to the financial leader that is Brett Smiley? Where do ...
Pulse of Providence: Police administrator Michael Stephens and Maj. Kevin Lanni want to improve police-community relations
June 29, 2022 02:15 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — It’s been nine months since Mayor Jorge Elorza’s decision to appoint his recreation director to a new high-level police major job sparked backlash, leading to a political controversy and monthslong stalemate between Elorza and the City Council. The dispute was finally solved this spring, and Michael Stephens is now in a reworked civilian role at the Police Department, making $137,000 a year as the administrator of community relations and diversion services. ...
Pulse of Providence: Ty'Relle Stephens wants to shake up the Providence School Board
March 14, 2022 18:30 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBAt age 19, fresh out of Juanita Sanchez High School, Ty'Relle Stephens became the youngest member of the Providence School Board. One year into his time on the board, Stephens has doubts about the success of the state takeover of the Providence schools, including the recent decision to extend the goals of the turnaround by at least two years. He's also joined a community effort calling on the state to start the process of hiring a permanent superintendent, nearly a year after Harrison Pete...
Pulse of Providence: Council President John Igliozzi's final year in office
January 06, 2022 23:35 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBJohn Igliozzi has been on the Providence City Council since Bill Clinton was president, but one year from now he will finally step down due to term limits enacted during his tenure. Now the council's president, Igliozzi has a lot of plans for his final year, including leading the once-per-decade process to amend the city charter, redrawing the city's ward boundaries and figuring out how to spend a cascade of one-time cash from federal COVID relief.
Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements on rising gun violence
November 30, 2021 21:15 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBShootings and homicides are soaring in Providence after years of decline, prompting alarm and spurring efforts to tamp down on the violence. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado sits down with Col. Hugh Clements for an in-depth conversation about what’s causing the gun violence, how guns are making their way onto the streets and what police are doing to tackle it. https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-police-chief-hugh-clements/
Pulse of Providence: The battle over removing the city clerk
November 05, 2021 21:00 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBProvidence’s city clerk has been embroiled in controversy for months amid complaints from his deputy clerks about his behavior. Two investigations came to conflicting conclusions, and the Providence City Council will host its first-ever hearing to potentially remove a public official later this month. Target 12 has been reporting on the controversy since July. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Shawn Selleck tells his side of the story, accusing Council President John Igliozzi of a po...
Pulse of Providence: Bret Jacob, Candidate for Senate District 3
September 24, 2021 18:15 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence’s East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration. Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin r...
Pulse of Providence: Hilary Levey Friedman, Candidate for Senate District 3
September 24, 2021 18:10 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence’s East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration. Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin r...
Pulse of Providence: Geena Pham, Candidate for Senate District 3
September 24, 2021 18:05 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence’s East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration. Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin r...
Pulse of Providence: Sam Zurier, Candidate for Senate District 3
September 24, 2021 18:00 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence’s East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration. Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin r...
Pulse of Providence: Ray Rickman, Candidate for Senate District 3
September 24, 2021 18:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The primary for the hotly contested special election on Providence’s East Side is less than two weeks away, with five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to replace Sen. Gayle Goldin, who resigned in August to join the Biden administration. Nearly $130,000 has been pumped into the race for Senate District 3 so far, which only began a month ago. (One candidate, Hilary Levey Friedman, was already raising money for a potential run for office before Goldin r...
Pulse of Providence: Superintendent Javier Montañez
September 01, 2021 20:20 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBThis episode first aired on Aug. 31, 2021 When Dr. Javier Montañez was first tapped to be Providence’s interim superintendent in June, the district was in a tumultuous phase. The first state turnaround superintendent, Harrison Peters, had just resigned amid a scandal involving one of his high-level hires. The teachers union contract was still unsettled after months of tense negotiating. And everyone was coming out of an exhausting pandemic school year that taxed students, parents and teach...
Pulse of Providence: Gonzalo Cuervo
July 19, 2021 19:03 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBGonzalo Cuervo announced his candidacy for Providence mayor nearly two years before the 2022 election, and the longtime player in Democratic politics says his experience in both city and state government make him the best person for the job. Cuervo, who left his job as deputy secretary of state under Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea to run for mayor, also worked for former Providence Mayors Angel Taveras and David Cicilline. While the field isn’t set yet for the Democratic primary, Cuervo i...
Pulse of Providence: Meet the Candidates for Providence Ward 15
May 04, 2021 18:54 - 1 minute - 1.28 MBVoters in the Providence neighborhoods of Olneyville, Valley and part of Silver Lake will head to the polls on June 8 for a special election primary. There are five Democrats running for the Providence City Council Ward 15 seat — and no Republicans or independents — which means the winner of the June 8 primary will be the only candidate on the ballot for the July 6 general election. The seat was vacated by former Council President Sabina Matos last month after she was appointed by Gov. Dan...
Pulse of Providence: Brett Smiley
March 22, 2021 18:31 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MBThis story was originally published on March 22, 2021. Weeks after stepping down as director of the R.I. Department of Administration under former Gov. Gina Raimondo, Brett Smiley says he’s now a full-time mayoral candidate until next year’s primary election in Providence. Smiley, a Democrat, is expected to face several other likely candidates, including Gonzalo Cuervo, Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune and others who have yet to announce their intentions. The former DOA director had a rocky s...
Pulse of Providence: Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune
March 04, 2021 17:11 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBThis story was originally published on March 4, 2021. Providence City Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune, D-Ward 3, has been fundraising for a potential run for mayor in 2022, when the seat will be open following Mayor Jorge Elorza’s two-term limit. The councilwoman — who has represented Mount Hope and surrounding neighborhoods since 2017 — would join a field of Democratic candidates that include Brett Smiley, Gonzalo Cuervo, and possibly several other of her council colleagues who are term-limi...
Pulse of Providence: Dr. Ashish Jha
November 23, 2020 14:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBDr. Ashish Jha was hired to be the next dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health before the coronavirus pandemic started, and by the time he arrived in Providence in September he had become a trusted national expert on the pandemic. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Dr. Jha weighs in on Rhode Island’s upcoming two-week “pause,” the safety of indoor activities such as gyms, dining and school, and how families can celebrate Thanksgiving safely this year. Jha also provides his...
Pulse of Providence: Council President Sabina Matos
October 08, 2020 04:00 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MBThree months into the new fiscal year, Providence is still without a new budget during a tight financial time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado asks City Council President Sabina Matos about the potential for cutting the police budget, her stance on a proposed multi-hub bus system in Providence, whether she supports new proposals by Mayor Jorge Elorza for municipal reparations and guaranteed income and more. This episode originally aired on...
Pulse of Providence: Jose Batista, candidate for House District 12
September 03, 2020 04:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The only seat in Providence’s General Assembly delegation without an incumbent running this fall is House District 12 in South Providence. Incumbent Rep. Joseph Almeida initially filed to run for re-election, but withdrew from the race and endorsed Democrat Carlos Cedeno. Cedeno and Jose Batista are facing off in a two-way Democratic primary on Sept. 8. There are no Republicans or independents running in the race. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Mac...
Pulse of Providence: Senate District 4 Candidates Dominick Ruggerio and Lenny Cioe
August 25, 2020 04:00 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Democratic primary voters in Senate District 4 will have a choice between Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Lenny Cioe, a registered nurse, for the district that straddles North Providence and Providence. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado ask the two candidates where they stand on issues ranging from the state’s budget to Providence schools to the movement to defund police. The candidates also weigh in on Ruggerio’s decision earlier this ye...
Pulse of Providence: Senate District 5 Candidates Sam Bell and Jo-Ann Ryan
August 20, 2020 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island’s statewide primary is on Sept. 8, and Providence has 21 General Assembly seats on the ballot. In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado interviews the candidates for the Democratic primary race in Senate District 5, where City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan is challenging incumbent Sen. Sam Bell. The district includes Mount Pleasant, Federal Hill, Olneyville and parts of other city neighborhoods. Voters can check which district they ...
Pulse of Providence: Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green
August 03, 2020 04:00 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MBPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — In the latest episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado talks with Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green about her current thinking on reopening schools, the options for virtual learning and the ongoing efforts to turn around the Providence Public School system. This episode originally aired on August 3, 2020. https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-angelica-infante-green-episode-2/
Pulse of Providence: Mayor Jorge Elorza
July 21, 2020 17:55 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBIn this episode of Pulse of Providence, Steph Machado talks with Mayor Jorge Elorza about the COVID-19 pandemic in the capital city, reopening the schools, the city’s finance picture and his promise to provide municipal reparations to the African-American and Indigenous communities. This episode originally aired on July 21, 2020 https://www.wpri.com/news/pulse-of-providence/pulse-of-providence-ep-1-mayor-jorge-elorza/