Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - April 25, 2025

HOT

Good for Democracy

There might be a new entrant in the 2026 gubernatorial race in Rhode Island.

Businessman Greg Stevens - who currently owns Pat’s Italian Restaurants around the state - told GoLocal he is now seriously considering a run for the state’s highest office. 

Stevens, who says he has never been involved in politics, said that the current climate has encouraged him to think about launching a campaign.

"I’m as serious as I can be that I want to do something to help," said Stevens. "I feel that there’s more that I can do than just sit back and watch this all crumble. Born and raised in Rhode Island, we've become complacent with the potholes, the bad roads, the insurance companies, and unions running the state."

Stevens said he would run as a Democrat.

"But I can work with anybody," said Stevens. "I see the person, not the party. But diversity is important to me." 

Currently, incumbent Democratic Governor Dan McKee has declared his intention to run again in 2026.

Helena Foulkes, who lost to McKee in the Democratic primary in 2022 and has been regularly out-fundraising McKee since then, and Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi, who is sitting on a war chest of more than $3 million, have widely been considered to be eyeing bids at the office this cycle.

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HOT

Ballet RI’s Swan Lake is “More Relevant Than Ever” This Year

This May, Ballet RI will present Swan Lake - and according to Artistic Director Kathleen Breen Combes, it will be a unique production - one that is “more relevant” than ever. 

Breen Combes, who had an illustrious career as a Principal Dancer with Boston Ballet, spoke with GoLocal about the company’s newest iteration of the classic, which will be performed at The Vets Auditorium in Providence on May 3 and 4. 

“So I think, as an artistic director of an art form that's from the 18th century, my constant question is, how do we keep art relevant?” said Breen Combes. “How do we keep this art form relevant so that we're connected?”

In a wide-ranging interview, Breen Combes talked about the production, the company, and why this year’s production is especially meaningful. 

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HOT

Good for the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit on Monday against Uber, alleging the rideshare and delivery company charged consumers for its Uber One subscription service without their consent, failed to deliver promised savings, and made it difficult for users to cancel the service despite its “cancel anytime” promises.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, a Brown graduate, was on campus giving a presentation on April 11.

“Americans are tired of getting signed up for unwanted subscriptions that seem impossible to cancel,” said FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “The Trump-Vance FTC is fighting back on behalf of the American people. Today, we’re alleging that Uber not only deceived consumers about their subscriptions, but also made it unreasonably difficult for customers to cancel.”

In its complaint, the FTC alleges that Uber used deceptive billing and cancellation practices. READ MORE

PHOTO: Erik McLean, Unsplash

HOT

Downtown Dancing

It's not Barry's, Barry's, Barry's...it's Medici. 

The recently-opened lounge in the club district in Providence on Friendship Street has been regularly packing the dance floor on weekends with a more "seasoned" crowd of revelers (30+) as well as entertainers.

With veteran industry promoters like Alex Tomasso and Ed Brady working hard behind the scenes, it's a much-needed addition to the city's nightlife scene. 

PHOTO: Tomasso

HOT

Painter Mike Bryce

GoLocalProv art columnist has a wonderful profile:

Mike Bryce is a Rhode Island artist, through and through. He grew up on 8th Street in the Summit neighborhood of Providence and now lives and works just a couple of blocks away. Bryce is a familiar face to East Siders, who know him as the painter often found working on Blackstone Boulevard.

Active in the community, he is the organizer of the PVD Artisans Market that brings creative vendors to Lippitt Park each Saturday in the warmer months. Through May 11, 2025, Bryce is the subject of his first solo show in eight years at Erase Studio and Gallery at 1 Meeting Street in Providence. The exhibition features over 80 locally inspired paintings by the artist.

Asked about what it means to him to be an artist from Rhode Island whose work is deeply identified with the Ocean State, Bryce answers, “Born, raised and residing in a Rhode Island, I have been very fortunate and grateful to be surrounded by the endless visual beauty within our little state, from the unique architecture, landscapes both intimate and vast, and of course the endless beaches! The nostalgia I feel for Rhode Island is the foundation for my creative expressions in painting. This feeling is certainly shared among many Rhode Islanders, family, friends, colleagues, and patrons.”

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NOT

Crashing

Radio broadcaster Cumulus Media was notified by the Nasdaq Composite on Wednesday that its shares will be de-listed from the exchange on May 2, according to a Cumulus regulatory filing.  The stock is now down 94% from its 52-week high.

Cumulus owns and operates in the Providence market:

WPRO (AM 630): A news/talk radio station. 

WPRO FM (99.7): A sister station to WPRO AM, simulcasting the news/talk format. 

WPRV (AM 790): A sports radio station, often referred to as "The Score". 

WWKX (FM 106.3): A classic rock station, branded as "The Wolf". 

WWLI (105.1) Lite 105

In response to the delisting, Cumulus announced that it was moving to the over-the-counter (OTC) market and would retain the CMLS ticker symbol.

Shares of Cumulus Media fell 26% in after-hours trading following the news on Wednesday afternoon. Not including Wednesday’s after-hours decline, the company’s share price had fallen 59.7% in 2025 and 90% over the last 12 months. 

Things got worse on Thursday as the value of the stock fell to $0.20 a share.

Cumulus Media has filed for bankruptcy once in the past.. They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2017 and emerged from bankruptcy in June 2018. That involved restructuring more than $1 billion in debt. 

PHOTO: Talk show host Gene Valicenti, IMAGE: State of RI

NOT

RI’s Healthcare System Has Never Faced More Challenges - Closures and Bankruptcies Hammer Industry

Make no mistake about it, healthcare in Rhode Island is big business and one of the largest employers.

And now, maybe at a higher level than ever before, Rhode Island’s healthcare system and its very foundation — the primary care system — is in significant distress.

In recent months:

- Thundermist Health Center announced it is laying off 124 of its 907 employees. The health center has offices around Rhode Island and serves more than 60,000 residents.

- CharterCARE’s parent company is in bankruptcy. It is the state’s third-largest hospital system, which operates Roger Williams and Fatima hospitals, and is moving towards being acquired by a Georgia healthcare company. That company is attempting to sell $165 million in bonds to finance the deal. And according to financial documents, CharterCARE has lost more than $130 million over the past five years of available financials — 2019 to 2023. In 2023, CharterCARE lost $60 million alone. The total cost of the bonds with debt service exceeds $400 million.

- Anchor Medical Associates, the primary care physician group, announced it would close its offices across the state at the end of June, leaving 25,000 Rhode Islanders without primary care physician services.

- Potentially more disruptive are the changes being made at the federal level by the Trump administration. The ties between Brown University and Lifespan (now Brown Health) are now under the microscope by the Trump administration.

As GoLocal was first to report, the Trump administration “clawed back” $31 million of federal funds from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH). 

Following that, millions of dollars in federal grants awarded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Hospital, and Brown University are being slashed. 

The Trump Administration is also reportedly pausing $510 million in federal funding to Brown and has multiple investigations into the school relating to antisemitism.

Dr. Philip Chan and RIDOH Director Jerome Larkin outlined the impact of some of the changes in the Rhode Island healthcare system.

“Healthcare in Rhode Island is under tremendous stress, ranging from the hospital systems to primary care. I spent a lot of time looking into this and at the end of the day, I think that the biggest issue is that Rhode Island is a small state, we have less funding compared to a lot of states we have fewer insurers, fewer payers, and this just creates a ripple effect across our state where we just have less money going into health care especially compared to other states,” said Dr. Chan, in an interview on GoLocal LIVE.

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Dr. Philip Chan, PHOTO: Brown Health

NOT

Decay Dominates Cathedral Square - Designed by I.M. Pei, Prov’s “Dreariest” Place is Now Even Worse

Cathedral Square is the plaza area outside of Providence’s arguably most exquisite church, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

The plaza was designed by I.M. Pei and Zion & Breen. Pei is recognized as one of the most important architects of the past century. He was the architect for the National Gallery East Building in Washington, D.C., and he also designed the glass pyramid addition to the Louvre Museum in Paris.

According to Pei’s downtown Providence plan from the 1960s:

"Today, that space is a funnel through which pours the traffic of five streets. In the plan, the rerouting of automobiles to other local streets permits the formation of a pedestrian oasis, attractively paved and embellished with sculptures, a fountain, trees, and special lighting standards…Thus Cathedral Square will become the heart of the Weybosset Community; the crossing point of Westminster Mall and Jackson walkway, a lively meeting place of community activities. A well-ordered center, it will serve the multiple purposes of urban life in the proven manner of so many similar urban spaces and church squares of the cities of Europe."

But due to the lack of maintenance by the City of Providence, Cathedral Square and especially the main stairs entrance from Empire Street are in such a state of decline that they are nearly impassable.

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NOT

Washington-Driven Uncertainty Hits RI Real Estate Market

The major data points in the Rhode Island real estate market are changing and in ways that may not have been anticipated.

While prices remain steady — the median price of a single-family home was $480,000 according to the Rhode Island Association of Realtors in March — other numbers are showing that the market may see some significant changes, and you only have to look to Washington, D.C. to see the influencing factor.

Rhode Island’s market is being impacted by decisions being made by the Trump administration — ranging from the global tariff fight to cuts to research grants and federal funding for universities.

“There is a lot of uncertainty. It's cooled off a bit of the demand.  Not so much where it's crickets and flatlined, but you know, with the interest rates the way they are and the uncertainty in the global economics on a macro level. We're finding you buyers are being more selective,” said Josh Cullion with Mott & Chace Sotheby's International Realty on Wednesday, in an interview on GoLocal LIVE.