Nina Sparling

Many thanks to @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social for supporting this work, and to editor @jeremybernfeld.bsky.social and photographer Jodi Hilton.

And thank you to the families, doctors, nurses, code enforcement officers, contractors, and more who talked to me for this series.

So glad to see my reporting on spotty enforcement of lead poisoning prevention laws in Rhode Island for The Public's Radio recognized by IRE!

I'll take "thorough and approachable" any day.

Underage and Unprotected: Migrant teens worked in risky jobs in New Bedford seafood processing plants - TPR: The Public's Radio The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating possible violations of child labor, overtime pay, and anti-retaliation laws at two processors and one Rhode Island-based staffing agency

In particular you might want to read this incredible investigation from 2023, on pervasive child labor abuses in the fishing industry that target immigrant teens: thepublicsradio.org/article/migr...

He uses drugs. So what will Providence’s Overdose Prevention Center mean for him? - TPR: The Public's Radio Jason first started using fentanyl a few years ago, when the pandemic threw his life off balance. By now, he’s used to hiding his drug use. “You duck into, like, an alley, or behind a car or somewhere...

A nonprofit is opening a facility in Providence where people can use drugs under medical supervision and offers connections to drug treatment.

But @ninasparling.bsky.social asks, what does that mean for Jason, who lives in Warwick and uses drugs?

thepublicsradio.org/health/he-us...

On Our Watch: A Podcast on Accountability in Law Enforcement | KQED KQED’s award-winning podcast On Our Watch returns with a gripping tale of corruption and tragedy inside California State Prison, Sacramento, also known as “New Folsom.”

On Our Watch from KQED! www.kqed.org/podcasts/ono...

Speaker Shekarchi has positive reax on new pick for housing secretary

McKee taps Massachusetts housing veteran as next R.I. housing secretary • Rhode Island Current Gov. Dan McKee on Thursday named Massachusetts housing veteran Deborah Goddard as his pick to lead for Rhode Island housing secretary.

If approved by the Rhode Island Senate, Deborah Goddard will be the state housing department’s fourth leader — third on a permanent basis — in its three-year existence.
rhodeislandcurrent.com/2024/11/21/m...

Studio Session: Traditional Lithuanian folk songs with Dovas and Vija Lietuvninkas - TPR: The Public's Radio Lithuanian-American siblings Vija and Dovas Lietuvninkas have been singing traditional Lithuanian folk music since they can remember.  “One of my earliest memories in general is of my grandfather sing...

This is really beautiful music!

thepublicsradio.org/artscape/stu...

Cities Say They Store Property Taken From Homeless Encampments. People Rarely Get Their Things Back. Storage programs are meant to protect people’s property rights and allow them to reclaim their possessions. But they rarely accomplish either objective, according to a ProPublica investigation of citi...

In theory, storage programs for homeless people’s belongings are supposed to protect people’s property rights and make it easy to get their possessions back after an encampment sweep.

In reality, they rarely accomplish either objective, we found.

Homelessness increased by 35% in Rhode Island last year, according to a new report - TPR: The Public's Radio The state of homelessness in Rhode Island remains grim, according to a newly-released report from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. More people reported experiencing homelessness this ye...

Homelessness increased in Rhode Island by 35% last year, according to a new report, via @ninasparling.bsky.social thepublicsradio.org/housing/home...