Steph Machado

How did these men scam so many homeowners in New England? With an appeal to shared Irish roots — and plenty of charm. - The Boston Globe The stories begin with a knock on the door and end with Irish and U.K. nationals being charged in home repair fraud schemes in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York.

How did these men scam so many homeowners in New England? With an appeal to shared Irish roots — and plenty of charm. The stories begin with a knock on the door and an offer to make home repairs. They end with Rolexes, money laundering, and criminal charges.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...

For Head Start providers, uncertainty is the only thing that’s certain - The Boston Globe The Rhode Island Department of Human Services considered eliminating funding for the preschool program in next year’s budget. Governor McKee said he won’t implement it.

NEW: As fears of federal cuts persist, Gov. Dan McKee said he will not move forward with a proposal from his Department of Human Services to eliminate state funding to Head Start

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/26/m...

Yes, that’s in the story along with what the offer is from the school

Union warns Roger Williams University furlough plan violates federal law - The Boston Globe “The action taken by the university is squarely prohibited by federal labor law,” wrote the deputy executive director of the Rhode Island branch of the National Education Association.

SCOOP: More than a week after RWU’s president informed all employees that they would have to take part in mandatory furloughs to tackle a deficit, the union representing many of these workers has warned of unfair labor practice charges. @bostonglobe.com
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Rhode Island law bans teacher strikes. Teachers at one charter school are challenging that. - The Boston Globe The teachers at Highlander Charter School in Providence went on strike on Monday, despite a state ban. The matter has landed in court.

RI Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green told unionized teachers at Highlander Charter their teaching licenses would be at risk if they went on strike

The teachers did it anyway, walking off the job this morning. School is closed and the dispute is now heading to court

Rhode Island law bans teacher strikes. Teachers at one charter school are challenging that. - The Boston Globe The teachers at Highlander Charter School in Providence went on strike on Monday, despite a state ban. The matter has landed in court.

NEW: Rhode Island bans public school teachers from going on strike, but a tiny group of charter school teachers in Providence who walked off the job Monday are challenging that

The dispute has now landed in court
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/24/m...

A Battle with My Blood When I was diagnosed with leukemia, my first thought was that this couldn’t be happening to me, to my family.

Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy, had just given birth when she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She writes about her fear of adding another tragedy to her family’s life. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/LKMkhZ

Trump and Mamdani’s Past Comments Reveal a Mutual Distaste President Trump and Zohran Mamdani have pelted each other with insults from afar. They are meeting in person on Friday.

President Trump and Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, are open about their mutual distaste. Now they are meeting in person on Friday. nyti.ms/47UNw5Z

R.I. home sales dropped during the government shutdown, but prices continue to rise - The Boston Globe Sales could rebound during the holiday season, typically a slow time.

By @stephmachado.bsky.social -- R.I. home sales dropped during the government shutdown, but prices continue to rise
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R.I. educator who called Charlie Kirk ‘garbage’ in viral video to return to teaching, school officials say - The Boston Globe Barrington School Superintendent Bob Mitchell decided to bring back Benjamin Fillo after an independent investigation, in which the social studies teacher said the video was a “visceral reaction” afte...

R.I. educator who called Charlie Kirk ‘garbage’ in viral video to return to teaching, school officials say

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Centurion warns R.I.: Seeking an alternative buyer undermines deal to purchase Prospect’s hospitals, spooks lenders - The Boston Globe “The current circumstances require that alternatives be explored,” Attorney General Peter Neronha wrote to Centurion in response.

SCOOP: The Centurion Foundation has warned regulators that the state’s pursuit of “alternative proposals” for the sale of Roger Williams and Fatima Hospital is undermining Centurion’s ability and spooking lenders to secure the financing it needs to close the sale.
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In New England, only one state offers universal pre-K. What will it take for the rest of the region to do the same? - The Boston Globe “When our kids enter kindergarten ready to learn, it changes the course of their lives,” said Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera. Funding is the biggest impediment.

In New England, only one state offers universal pre-K. What will it take for the rest of the region to do the same?
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/m...

Seniors and tenants with disabilities in Pawtucket, R.I., unionize to take on corporate landlord - The Boston Globe Tenants at Centennial Towers rallied Wednesday against owner, National Investments, a subsidiary of the Carpionato Group.

New: Tenants of a subsidized Pawtucket apartment complex that houses many seniors and people with disabilities have formed a union alleging residents have been nickel-and-dimed while living with broken elevators, roaches, rodents, and other conditions.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/19/m...

Parents of R.I. high school football players file complaint, denying antisemitism - The Boston Globe The parents of five Smithfield High School football players claim the student’s privacy rights were violated during a presentation by Jewish organizations.

Parents of R.I. high school football players file complaint, denying antisemitism. The parents of five Smithfield High School football players claim the student’s privacy rights were violated during a presentation by Jewish organizations.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/19/m...

What real Rhode Islanders think of ‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ - The Boston Globe “From the first clip of b-roll depicting historic mansions that no one actually lives in, it’s clear there’s nothing particularly ‘real’ about the ‘Real Housewives of Rhode Island,’” said one East Pro...

By @stephmachado.bsky.social -- What real Rhode Islanders think of ‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/18/m...

RI Education Commissioner Infante-Green slams decision to start breaking up the US Department of Education by shifting duties to other departments
ride.ri.gov/press-releas...

Trump administration launches plan to dismantle Education Department The department will shift responsibilities for several of its core functions to other federal agencies.

The Trump administration is implementing its widely-telegraphed plan to shutter the Education Department.

R.I. House GOP leader calls for performance audit of state’s housing finance agency - The Boston Globe Minority Leader Chippendale says RIHousing has region’s highest administrative and personnel costs, but agency says it handles a “much broader range of responsibilities” than most states.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/15/m...

Man charged after allegedly killing ‘intimate partner’ in Providence shooting - The Boston Globe Morgan Lynn Boss, 29, of Vernon, Conn., was pronounced dead at a residence on Broad Street. The homicide is the city’s second this year.

Update: A 26-year-old man has been charged after he allegedly killed his “intimate partner” – a 29-year-old Connecticut woman – in a shooting at a residence on Broad Street in Providence on Thursday.

Details of the case were not discussed in court.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/m...

Connecticut woman killed in Providence shooting, suspect to be charged, police say - The Boston Globe Morgan Lynn Boss, 29, of Vernon, Conn., was pronounced dead at a residence on Broad Street. The homicide is the city’s second this year.

A suspect is in custody after a 29-year-old Connecticut woman was shot and killed in Providence on Thursday evening.

The case is the city's second homicide of the year. In 2024, Providence recorded 11 homicides for the entire year, and a total of 13 in 2023.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/m...

Grilled under oath, R.I. DOT director blames outside inspectors for failure of Washington Bridge - The Boston Globe Multiple consultants hired to inspect the bridge were supposed to “do their damn job and didn’t,” Peter Alviti said at a tense hearing.

STORY: In a nearly five-hour hearing, under oath, RIDOT director Alviti repeatedly insisted the only people responsible for failing to notice problems with the Washington Bridge were "companies that were supposed to do their damn job and didn’t." w/@fitzprov.bsky.social

@bostonglobe.com

Grilled under oath, R.I. DOT director blames outside inspectors for failure of Washington Bridge - The Boston Globe Multiple consultants hired to inspect the bridge were supposed to “do their damn job and didn’t,” Alviti said at a tense hearing

NEW: In the first hours of grilling under oath about the failure of the Washington Bridge, a defiant DOT director Peter Alviti said outside companies "betrayed" their responsibility to catch the problems

Hearing is ongoing and story will be updated
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R.I. DOT director Alviti to testify under oath at Washington Bridge oversight hearing - The Boston Globe House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Val Lawson have smartly brought in former US attorney Zachary A. Cunha to help guide the hearing.

R.I. DOT director Alviti to testify under oath at Washington Bridge oversight hearing -- Rhode Map by @danmcgowan.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/13/m...

The Penny Dies at 232

Great @nytimes.com "obit" for the penny, which stopped being minted as of today www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...

Pilot said he would return to airport moments before Dartmouth crash that killed R.I. couple, NTSB report says - The Boston Globe Thomas Perkins, 68, and his wife, Agatha Perkins, 66, of Middletown, R.I., were killed when the plane crashed near Interstate 195 in October.

Moments before a single-engine airplane crashed onto a highway last month in Dartmouth, Mass., killing a Rhode Island couple onboard, the pilot told air traffic control he would be returning to the airport, per a new report from the NTSB.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/12/m...

Whole Foods leases vacant Eastside Marketplace in Providence - The Boston Globe The 33,800-square foot grocery store has been vacant since Stop & Shop closed 32 stores last year

Still no word from Whole Foods on whether they will close their Waterman Street store, the former Bread & Circus, when they move into triple the square footage at Eastside Marketplace a block away

The market on Waterman has been there for 35+ years
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/11/m...

Excellent question. Looks like the initial 20-year lease was up in 2017 and included multiple 5-year renewal options, so unless there's a new lease they didn't file publicly, it's likely up in 2027 for its next renewal

I'd guess Waterman St will close/move but Whole Foods hasn't said yet

Legal battle over SNAP benefits continues as Congress moves to end shutdown - The Boston Globe Legal battle over SNAP benefits continues as Congress moves to end shutdown.

Legal battle over SNAP benefits continues as Congress moves to end shutdown
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/11/m...

No comment from Whole Foods yet, but the Eastside location is 3 times the size of their location up the street, and has a lot more parking.

“In the 20-year lease agreement with Whole Foods, the owner of the plaza agreed not to rent other spaces in the plaza to any salad bar, deli, pizza place or other grab-and-go food establishments.

It specifically names Sweetgreen, b.good and Chopt as examples ...” @bostonglobe.com