Jacquelyn Voghel

WEAKENED CONNECTIONS: RIPTA’s service cuts disrupting sectors of R.I. workforce For years, East Providence resident Barry Dejasu’s commute to Warwick followed the same routine: Leave the house at around 7:30 a.m., walk to the R.I. Public Transit Authority bus stop at the end of h...

An East Providence resident wakes up at 5:30 a.m. for a 90-minute commute to Warwick. In Narragansett, a restaurant owner says he's lost six employees to bus route reductions. Throughout Rhode Island, workers and employers are feeling the impacts of RIPTA service cuts. pbn.com/weakened-con...

Shortage of planners impeding municipalities Tiverton’s town planner resigned in June 2022, and it’s a job that still remains vacant more than three years later. It’s a glaring gap as the town, like municipalities throughout the state, reckons w...

Municipal planners, key figures in community development, have become harder to find in recent years.

With burnout and low pay driving planners to private sector jobs, communities are feeling this absence as they grapple with housing, sustainability and economic needs. pbn.com/shortage-of-...

The RI Manufacturers Association and RI Hospitality Association this week urged against cuts to @ripta.com funding and services.

Transit advocates say businesses need to speak up about RIPTA cuts The proposed wide-ranging cuts to the R.I. Public Transit Authority’s bus routes to close a $10 million budget shortfall sparked hours of public comment and dozens of emails to the agency in recent we...

"I think people are starting to be aware of what we're facing," said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and RIPTA board member. "But we need more business leaders to speak up, and we need them to speak up now." pbn.com/502271-2

Meanwhile, it's already impossible to ignore flood impacts on Market Street: One business owner recalls two occasions where she had to close for the day because "the area was undriveable — you'd need a boat."

But implementing the plan remains an uphill battle: The town has yet to secure needed money and anticipates continued difficulty as the Trump administration slashes climate initiatives. Locally, personnel changes and community engagement pose additional challenges.

Four years ago, the large-scale, long-term proposal quickly drew widespread attention for a multi-tiered strategy that includes buyouts of a neighborhood expected to become uninhabitable, the revitalization of an outdated area of town, and the opportunity to keep community members in Warren.

A SLOW RETREAT: Voluntary buyouts, relocations part of Warren’s pioneering climate plan, but so far nobody’s budged When Richard Grundy moved AVTECH Software Inc. from Newport to Warren 15 years ago, the renovated Cutler Mill seemed to offer the ideal flexibility and space that the company needed to develop its cli...

Amid rising sea levels and intensifying storms, more Rhode Island communities are exploring "managed retreat" — an approach that offers buyouts to property owners in particularly vulnerable areas. But Warren's "Market to Metacom" plan stands out nationwide. pbn.com/a-slow-retre...

Blackstone Distribution Center breaks ground in Pawtucket PAWTUCKET – After years of clashing local concerns and state financial support, an upcoming “last mile” distribution facility has broken ground in Pawtucket. The 160,000-square-foot facility, known as...

The "last mile" distribution center has received support from state agencies but backlash from nearby communities, where residents and officials cite concerns about increased truck traffic in Providence and impacts on the Pawtucket neighborhood's only public green space. pbn.com/blackstone-d...