One Square Mile

Independent Cranston voter sees a country looking for answers in ‘a slogan, a meme, a bumper sticker’

After 12 years at the helm, Allan Fung is stepping aside as mayor of Cranston because of term limits. Voters are now trying to decide who should be the city's next chief executive. As Joe Tasca reports, uncertainty surrounding the city budget and school financing are issues voters are weighing in the race as they go to the polls.

Voters considering critical issues in Cranston mayoral race

In our One Square Mile series, we’re looking at the issues framing this election through the stories of voters. In this voter spotlight, we meet 19-year-old, first-time voter Breanni Torres. She’s a Cranston resident, college student, and of Dominican and Cape Verdean descent. She says the movement for Black lives is among her top priorities.

‘My generation, we just have a mouth on us’: First-time voter sees young people poised to make their mark

Each year, the Public’s Radio explores in depth a community, its people and the decisions it faces. In this election year, we go to Cranston. The Public’s Radio political analyst Scott MacKay ponders the diverse politics of Rhode Island’s second-largest city.

Commentary: Cranston's history is full of political diversity

With Election Day just over a week away, Cranston voters say the stakes in this election feel higher than ever. While there are significant local races for mayor and state representatives, many voters say they see their ballot as a way to shape the future of the country.

‘I’m considering it life or death’: Cranston voters on what’s at stake in this election

The news this morning is dominated by last night’s debate between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. But the story we want to be covering locally at The Public’s Radio has to do with you. Scott MacKay tells us more.

Amid deep polarization, help us tell the stories of one politically diverse city: Cranston

As part of our OSM Pawtucket series, we hosted a Community Conversation on Apr.25th. This is an archive of that discussion.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: Continuing The Conversation

For more than a century, Pawtucket was a gateway for new immigrants to this country. People came from Ireland, Canada, Portugal and the Azores, to work in the city's factories. Today, the city’s new arrivals come mainly from Central America. The number of Hispanic residents has more than doubled in the last twenty years, as they follow friends and family to the United States. But the city’s economic opportunities have changed drastically.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: For New Arrivals, Education Offers Opportunity

Our One Square Mile series on Pawtucket continues with a look at the city’s ongoing effort to attract artists and related businesses. The aim is to spark a creative renaissance to help fill the economic void, and the vacant mills, left by the decline of manufacturing over the years.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: Can The Arts Fill Pawtucket's Empty Mills?

The Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket is a former textile mill, now home to over a hundred and twenty small businesses.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: The Farmers Market At The Hope Artiste Village

The textile mills that revolutionized manufacturing in Pawtucket are now giving rise to communities of artists. It’s a new kind of creative growth in the buildings that were once hubs of industry. Ari Leo takes us inside the studio of one local artist at Hope Artiste Village.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: Inside The Studio Of Artist Anastasia Azure

The Blackstone River was instrumental in the settlement of Pawtucket. It was the reason people lived there. It helped power at least 100 textile mills that are largely responsible for putting the city on the map. What role does the river have today and in Pawtucket’s future? Around the country, cities have found investing in their waterfronts to be a key component of urban revitalization. Providence, for example, transformed its downtown back in the 90s. Is there a grand plan for Pawtucket’s river? Should there be?

One Square Mile Pawtucket: As US Cities Reclaim Waterfronts, Does Pawtucket Have A Vision For The Blackstone River?

Pawtucket was founded on the Blackstone River, where the water was the lifeblood of the early industrial town. Today the river has more of an understated presence, even though it wends its way right through downtown Pawtucket. But there’s a lot going on, as three members of the Ocean State Bird Club found out one recent morning.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: Birding On The Blackstone River

As part of our One Square Mile series on Pawtucket, The Public’s Radio is asking how the city will respond to recent blows, including the loss of the PawSox and Memorial Hospital.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: The Future Of Economic Development In Pawtucket

For generations, a robust manufacturing economy in Pawtucket offered newly arrived immigrants a gateway to the American dream.

One Square Mile Pawtucket: For One Generation, A Clear Career Path, For The Next, Uncertainty

An annual in-depth look at one local community in RI or MA.

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One Square Mile

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