Elisabeth Harrison

A vote scheduled today in the Rhode Island Senate could change the way public schools conduct emergency drills. The measure is a response to the mass shooting in Newtown Connecticut, where 26 elementary school students and teachers were gunned down during the school day.

The bill calls for monthly emergency drills including lockdowns and emergency evacuations. The idea is to better prepare school staff to handle a situation like the one in Newtown.

Commencement speakers for 2013 are a mixed bunch.  At New England Institute of Technology, quarterback turned sports analyst Terry Bradshaw will give the commencement speech on May 5th. The school is also honoring Taco, Inc. CEO John Hazen White, Jr. with an honorary doctor of humane letters, citing his leadership in the business community and his company’s commitment to education for employees.

Chess teams from Central Falls High School and Calcutt Middle School finished in the top 10 at this week’s Chess Supernationals in Nashville, Tennessee.

Coach Frank DelBonis, who is also a history teacher at Central Falls High School, reports the high school team ranked 8th overall, out of 64 teams from around the country. The middle school team finished in a tie for 7th and 9th places out of 54 teams.

Students from Central Falls had to raise the money for their trip to Nashville and got some last minute help from Actor Alec Baldwin to pay for travel and lodging.

Kids Count is out with its annual report on the health, education and safety of children in Rhode Island.

The report shows there are close to a quarter million children in the state. Nineteen percent live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level.

The good news, says Kids Count director Elizabeth Burke Bryant, is that they’re healthier than they once were.

Kids Count is out with its annual report on the health, education and safety of children in Rhode Island.

The report shows there are close to a quarter million children in the state. Nineteen percent live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level.

The good news, says Kids Count director Elizabeth Burke Bryant, is that they’re healthier than they once were.

Rutgers University is reportedly interested in University of Rhode Island Basketball Coach Dan Hurley, as officials seek a new athletic director. Former Head Coach Mike Rice got the boot this week after a video showed him yelling homophobic slurs at players, along with other abusive behavior.

Rhode Island lawmakers will consider legislation Wednesday aimed at increasing safety measures in public schools. The bills, now in the House and Senate Education Committees, would require school and law enforcement officials to work together to look for weaknesses in building security and craft new school safety plans.

Cranston Mayor Allan Fung has submitted a new budget proposal with no tax increases.  Fung says Cranston has stabilized city finances with help from public safety contract concessions and careful spending.  He points to the growth of businesses like the Alex and Ani jewelry company as proof that Cranston is now seeing an economic expansion.  

"The city of Cranston is not only stable from the initiatives we have put into place these last four years, but now we are experiencing real growth," Fung says.  

Providence College Professor Paul Gondreau says he was “moved to tears” as he watched his disabled son hugging the newly inaugurated Pope Francis. The encounter, following an Easter Mass, was recorded by photographers and later picked up by CNN and other news outlets.

How many hospital beds does Rhode Island really need?

That’s one question being considered in a new report from a state health care planning council. It comes at a time when a number of hospitals in the state are either up for sale, looking at new partnerships or struggling financially.

Rhode Island Public Radio’s health care reporter Kristin Gourlay joined Elisabeth Harrison in the studio to talk about the health of the state’s hospitals and some of the surprising findings from this report.