In today's podcast, revisiting Westerly's beaches as the first tourist season begins since Superstorm Sandy, and Rhode Island is ranked among the lowest in workplace fatalities.

Plus commentary from Rhode Island Public Radio's political analyst, Scott MacKay on Roger Williams and the Ocean State's upcoming anniversary.

This will be one of the last Mondays in which advocates accompany victims of domestic violence to court.  The domestic violence court advocacy program is closing on Mondays because of state budget cuts.  State support for victims of domestic violence has been on the decline for six years.

Rhode Island comes up short on a lot of state ranking studies, but here’s one where we excel. According to the AFL-CIO, a Rhode Islander’s chances of dying on the job are lower than practically anywhere in the country.

The Chronicle of Higher Education finds University of Rhode Island President David Dooley is 134th in the country when it comes to his compensation package.

The town of Westerly is close to fulfilling its promise to rebuild the Misquamicut Beach area by Memorial Day.  The town has made great strides since Superstorm Sandy left a path of destruction last fall.

It’s not perfect yet, but Misquamicut Beach looks a lot better than it did six-and-a-half months ago. Tons of sand the storm dumped on Atlantic Avenue have been put back on the beach, sand dunes have been restored and shopkeepers are making repairs. Jennifer Cordier of Hartford, Connecticut visited the beach Sunday and was pleasantly surprised.

Rhode Island hasn’t had enough to celebrate lately. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay brings us an anniversary all Rhode Islanders can take pride in next month.

Three hundred and fifty years ago, Rhode Island struck a blow that would reverberate around the globe when England granted the colony a charter that for the first time in the modern world put in place a government that granted absolute religious freedom to its people.

A Rhode Islander injured in the Boston Marathon bombings threw out the first pitch at Saturday’s Red Sox game. Heather Abbott of Newport walked to the pitcher’s mound to a standing ovation. She had crutches under both arms. Her left leg stopped at the knee.

The Fenway crowd continued their cheers as she threw the pitch. Red Sox players also met with her before the game.

Providence Business News Editor Mark Murphy joins Rhode Island Public Radio's Dave Fallon for a weekly business segment we're calling "The Bottom Line." Each Friday it looks at business news and themes that affect local business and the public.

This week Dave and Mark talk with Grow Smart Rhode Island executive director Scott Wolf. They discuss proposals for the Superman Building, the costs of such development,  urban residential living and trends in downtown office buildings.

When to Listen

Women and Infants Hospital is responding to allegations that a research study of premature babies in which it participated didn’t properly inform parents of the risks.