Providence

Office worker sleeping with Post-It Note eyes

Politics This Week: A Political Class Without a Care

By Justin Katz | July 31, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss the curious lack of real disagreement in RI politics.

Norman Rockwell Freedom of Speech

Politics This Week: Failures of Representation

By Justin Katz | June 7, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz review ways in which the RI elite fail to represent the people.

A child hides behind a tree

Politics This Week: New Eras in Government and Media

By Justin Katz | May 30, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz review the ominous signs of change in Rhode Island.

Man hiding money behind his back with his fingers crossed.

Politics This Week: Tales from the Everything’s Personal State

By Justin Katz | April 25, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss how personal relations, feelings, and drama pervade Rhode Island government in every aspect.

An indoor self-storage facility.

Think more deeply about self-storage bans.

By Justin Katz | April 21, 2023 |

Justin Roias — the Providence City Councilor for the ward covering the North End — doesn’t like self-storage facilities. That’s fine, but his response and reasoning raise crucial points of organization and problem solving: I came across Roias’s tweet via Rachel Miller, who is participating in “the effort to update our zoning laws to prohibit…

Biker on a dirty ATV.

Politics This Week: Hidden Emails, DUI Skeletons, Bikers Gone Wild

By Justin Katz | April 11, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss the mysterious ways in which Rhode Island government runs poorly.

Providence, Rhode Island, USA park and skyline.

Politics This Week: Blame, Budgets, and Bailouts

By Justin Katz | April 3, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz walk through the latest comedies in Rhode Island politics and discuss the characters who have been stealing the spotlight.

Actors pose in front of a curtain

Politics This Week: Things Stated and Unstated in RI Politics

By Justin Katz | March 6, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss things RI insiders do and don’t want the public to think about.

Posters on a city wall

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Poster Children in RI Politics

By Justin Katz | February 15, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz go over the characters and controversies of state government in Rhode Island.

Surveillance cameras on a pole

Providence’s mugging visitors is a dumb (but typical) thing to do.

By Justin Katz | February 7, 2023 |

Although the bit has probably been recycled many times, the easiest version to find is a scene from L.A. Story, with Steve Martin.  A street ATM has two lines:  On the right are people waiting to take out cash; on the left are people waiting for their turn to mug them.  As Martin walks away with his…